Community Corner
About Town: Grandmother Translates English to "Teen"
Sherry Grindeland speaks with a grandmother who found a no-fuss way to communicate with her grandsons, and a few more anecdotes about Bellevue.
Jackie Moseley of Bellevue recently spent a few days in Seattle taking care of two teenage grandsons while her daughter was out of town. The first night she was there, she fixed dinner. She started to go to the stairs to call them to the table. It would be, she remembered from previous stays at their house, a challenge just to get their attention and then get them downstairs to the table.
Instead she picked up her cell phone.
“I texted them,” Moseley said. “I sent them messages that dinner was ready.”
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The boys, 14 and 16, appeared a few minutes later. Both had quizzical expressions.
“Nana, did you just text us?” one asked.
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“Yes,” she said. “Dinner is ready.”
Everyone sat down and ate.
Moseley commented later while recounting the incident that half the battle with teenagers is getting their attention. Apparently speaking their language – as in texting – works.
Drive-by Humor: Bellevue’s reputation as a straight-laced, middle-class enclave needs revising said Helena Stephens. Folks here also have a quirky sense of humor.
Stephens, the Family, Youth & Services Manager for Bellevue Parks Department, often drives along 112th Avenue SE. There have been signs stuck in the median that have entertained her – such as “Re-Elect Baltar President of the Universe.”
Recently there was a series of signs that intrigued her.
First was a plea, “ Rachael, Will You Marry Me?”
A couple days later the reply was stuck in the ground just beyond the request: “No.”
The final message the next day: “Ouch.”
“There was a .com address on some of the signs that I haven’t been able to catch,” Stephens said. “But these messages give us a different side of Bellevue life. I look forward to this little slice of Americana.”
One Last Grin: This blonde has the right idea. She had a twist on the adage, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”
Her license plate holder reads, “Blondes Prefer Gentlemen.”
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