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9 Things To Do This Weekend 05/25

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Horoscopes for Sunday, May 27, 2012 05/27

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Ignore the weather and start summer with family-friendly outings 05/26

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Quest for safer trampoline leads Tacoma man to Aussie company 05/22

Marianne Binetti On Gardening

Answers for your springtime problems 05/22

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The ABCs of whooping cough 05/20

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Dusti Demarest
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ddemarest@theolympian.com

Laying it on thick

Organic. Inorganic. Rocks, bark, straw, leaves or even – gasp! – poop. Mulch is vital to your garden, but there are a lot of options. Your choice should be based on aesthetics, practicality, and just plain science.
New state recreation pass takes effect Friday

Beginning Friday, people planning to recreate on lands managed by three state natural resource agencies will need the new Discover Pass. The pass – $10 a day or $30 a year, plus fees in some cases – will give people access to almost 7 million acres of land run by the State Parks and Recreation Commission, state Department of Fish and Wildlife and state Department of Natural Resources.
Discover what everyone’s clucking about

Ruby is a sweetheart, little Mabel likes to hide and bossy Priscilla rules the roost – literally. The three chickens and their sister hens belong to Jason and Tishelle Ward and their two young daughters in the family’s Tacoma backyard.
You have to fight to get into this boxing class

Generally speaking, it’s good advice to avoid rooms tucked away in back corners of converted movie theaters, rooms filled with the sounds of grunts, loud music and the clinking of chains. In this case however, the room is the home of freestyle boxing classes, one of the most popular group workouts at Tacoma’s Allstar Fitness.
Vivid veggies, flashy fruits

The more colors of produce you eat, the more benefits you get, nutritionists say. Imagine a world where watermelons are yellow, asparagus is purple, oranges are red, cauliflower is orange and raspberries are gold.
Behold nature at Nisqually

Weekend nature programs at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge will resume this weekend. The refuge is used as a focal point for programs that study wildlife, botany, history and photography through the summer.
Radical Reels brings film tour to Olympia

The Radical Reels Tour, featuring some of the most high-energy films from last fall's Banff Mountain Film Festival, is coming to Olympia on Friday. This year's tour includes films on cross-country snowboarding, mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, skateboarding and kayaking.
Northwest Flower & Garden Show: 1,200 square feet of spring

Every February, something miraculous happens in the Washington State Convention Center. Spring arrives a full month early in the guise of the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.
Illustrating America

Norman Rockwell's coming to Tacoma. Original paintings and magazine covers by the iconic 20th-century illustrator will fill Tacoma Art Museum's two middle galleries beginning on Saturday, a 365-work traveling show from the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., that has Tacoma as its only Northwest stop.
Playing local, going global

They don't have a high-tech studio or backing from Clear Channel. But Quincy "Q. Dot" Henry and Maurice Thornton still reach the masses armed with only a couple of laptops, an Internet connection and a pair of microphones at Henry's Federal Way apartment.
• MORE: Click here for an in-depth look at some local music webcasts.
It's that time of year to sparkle

This is the time of year we think most about sparkling wine, as we look for a cork to pop to celebrate the holidays and welcome a turn of the calendar. Sparkling wine is delicious and easy to pair with food all year around, so it's a bit unfortunate that we pay attention to it primarily during the holidays.
A prize-winning ‘eureka’ moment

When Matt Bell learned about the National Park Service’s 2010 National Historic Landmark photo contest, he knew he wanted to shoot a scene from Mount Rainier National Park.
From rotten to romantic

In the old days of Hollywood films, a villain would have twirled his dark mustache as he tied a victim to railroad tracks. But Western Washington native and rising Hollywood star Cam Gigandet is tall, handsome, blond and clean-cut. And oh, yes, one heck of a bad guy.
Gobblegobblegobble: Part I

There are traditionalists when it comes to serving Thanksgiving turkey. They believe turkey should be prepped simply, roasted golden brown and served with a simple gravy.
THANKSGIVING RECIPES AND STORIES
• Turkey: Shiny, happy turkey
• No bird, no problem: Healthful and savory vegetarian dishes
• Squash: Hail the mighty (versatile) squash
• Plan ahead: Making time for Thanksgiving
Who ya gonna be for Halloween?

Don't be surprised when you open your door tonight to find a pint-sized green striped creature sporting a unibrow asking for candy. Just drop the Snickers in the bucket and say hello to Brobee. It's one of the characters you'll likely be seeing.
• Halloween Events | Halloween Costume Contest