Valentine's Day on the horizon

WET AGAIN--As I begin this column we are seeing raindrops and winds are headed our way, but hopefully they won’t be too bad. I hope all of you took precautions to batten down the hatches as you never know when one of those watches can turn into a full scale warning and by then, it’s too late! Looks like soggy weather every day this week but one, so keep the hip boots handy. We might need them!

With winter just getting started, it’s important to be stocked and ready for any storms that may come our way. We’ve had freezing temperatures and a lot of snow in February before, so it pays to keep attuned to the weather. Being prepared is half the battle.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from January 14-20 are Jan Silvestri, Russ Durrah, Kim Neilson, Jerod Moore, Elaine Robinson, Rick Nelson, Brittney Robbins, Beryl Curtis, Trystan Mendez, Terese Carroll, Bruce McClain, 67’er Don Marsyla, Ann Brown, Tim Hanigan, Shanna Havens, Bernice Ellison Tover, Holly Pedersen Norton and Shane Pedersen turns five next Monday.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Gary and Vickie Bergseng, Dale and Margaret Strueby and Bob and Patty Ohrberg, in spite of the rain, enjoy your special days everybody!

COMING UP SOON-- On January 23, the Skamokawa Grange Hall will be filled with music with a WHS band concert and dessert social fund raiser. Erin Turner is spearheading this event and we hope you’ll come and fill the house to help them raise the money they need to travel to the state basketball tournament. Some of those performing for you will be several Skamokawa locals, like Andrew Emlen, Kathleen Morgain, Sheran Parker and Erin herself. Also from around the area are Randy Williams, Samantha McClain, Madeline Rooklidge, Darla Mead, Lydia Bouts and the choir from Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on Puget Island. There will be other performers as well, so where else can you see and hear all this talent at one time for just a donation to get in? You can’t, so please support the band and have a fun evening at the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 7 p.m., January 23.

NEXT MONTH--Half of this month is already gone, so here goes another year, ticking away. Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it, and once again, you’ve got an opportunity to support the fair and take your sweetie out for a great steak dinner. The Valentine Diamond Dinner will take place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on February 13. They’ll be serving steaks off the BBQ once again, along with a glass of wine. Some nice items will be on display and you can win if you hold the lucky ticket, so buy a bunch and be a winner of a piece of real diamond jewelry!

LOOKING AHEAD--After filling up at the crab feeds coming up the first two weekends in March, you might need to take off a couple of pounds, and what better way to do that than come to the Skamokawa Grange Hall and do some contra dancing. We haven’t gotten this cemented down yet, but keep that third weekend in March open and we’ll see how it all turns out.

GREAT TIME--Speaking of good times, the first family movie night at the Skamokawa Grange Hall last Saturday night was a great success. We had about 60 people enjoying the show and I had to admit, the fact that my grandson was in one of the movies put on by the kids in Lisa Frink’s WSU Wahkiakum Co. Extension media program, was an added bonus. It was good to see everybody out and about, and of course, we love to see the grange being put to good use. Mike Rees and his wife Jane were behind this movie set up and with the help of the Extension, we had just the right projector to show the kids’ short films prior to the main event, which looked great on the big screen.

Next time we have a spot open, we’d like to have some more of the kids’ films and maybe some cartoons and a good comedy. If you are a young person and have a great idea for a show that you think will go over good, call and let me know; we want to hear what you’d like to see and how we can make this family movie night even more enjoyable for everyone. Thank you to everyone who attended!

GOOD THOUGHTS--We want to send our sincerest get well message to Joann Reed, who was taken to the hospital recently. We wish her the best and hope she is able to come home soon. Also, Marshall Pedersen took a tumble back in New Jersey and wasn’t feeling so hot. We hope he opts to stay off ladders for awhile. He says it’s zero degrees back there with the wind chill factor, so it’s definitely not my kind of place--brr!

FIRST GAME--Luke Sechler played a great game in his first game of the season, as he made eight points in the last half of the game. While the team lost, they had rallied late and ended strong and made it a close game, so new coach Kyle Sechler felt pretty good about his first game as a coach instead of a player. Dad Pete Sechler was also on the bench and tried valiantly to keep his coaching opinions to himself. Now I’d like to have seen that!

NOT TOO EARLY--I hope you will think about making Valentines to give away next month. Every year there is a Valentines for Vets program. You can mail them to the Veterans hospital of your choice, and they are always appreciated. If mailing Valentines isn’t your thing, why not make some up for the folks at the nursing home; I’m sure they’d appreciate it. This is a great project for Sunday school kids, 4-H kids and of course, all of us grown ups as well, so get that red paper out and start cutting away. Send a heart and make somebody happy!

OUT OF THE PAST--Back in 1945 this week, it rained and blew all week until the last day, which was cold but clear and everyone was happy that the rain had stopped for a bit. Elsie Everest went to the show that week and saw “Passage to Marsaille” which she thought was very good. The smelt business was booming and Krist Pedersen was staying busy with the businessmen from Seattle buying up smelt here. A photograph taken through the gun sight on a carrier pointed at another carrier made the paper, and it just happened to be the ship, “Intrepid” which R. Marshall Everest Jr. was serving on at the time. On the radio, the Everests listened to the inauguration of President Roosevelt--his fourth term!

In 1965, the weather was completely different as it was lovely all week long until the last day, when a warm, light mist fell, but it had been great every day before then. Ralph Everest was still not feeling well and it was off to the doctor for him again; he was feeling too poorly to go to church that week. Grandma Elsie really enjoyed the new folks at the Sunday service. One couple just coming from Naselle, the Ivan Joneses, were most enjoyable she said. It was off to the Harmony Club that week for Elsie Everest and 11 other ladies. Florence West hosted the group and they had a very nice afternoon. The Dorcas club met as well that week and they had 14 people there with Reverend Nelson speaking to the group and showing an interesting slide show. The raspberry shortcake served afterward was declared “delicious” by one and all! On January 20, the Everests watched the 36th Presidential Inauguration on television of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The new 56 year old President caused quite a stir when he broke security by jumping out of the limo he was in, and with long strides, joined the band of his SW Texas alma mater, and shook the hands of the four girls who were holding the banner; quite a surprise and honor!

All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest’s diaries.