Summer weather is hard to adjust to

HEATING UP--By the time you read this, we are supposed to be experiencing some hot, hot, hot weather and I can hear people complaining already. First it's too wet and cold and then it's too hot, it would have been nice to have a week of dry 75 to 80 degree weather, without going from one extreme to the other. A week ago we were down to 39 degrees one night! At any rate, make sure you take all the precautions that you should during this heat wave, as we will all need to keep our exposure to the sun limited. Wear sun hats, sun screen, drink lots of liquids, turn on the air conditioning and of course, no animals or children should be left in your vehicle any time for any reason. That seems like a no brainer but every year you hear of some poor child or dog that winds up being left in a rig and they either die or suffer from heat stroke. If you see a dangerous situation like that, call the police immediately! And folks with babies that have to be in the back seat and faced towards the back should remember, the sun can come in the rear window and cause your child to have a severe case of sunburn if you are driving for any length of time. A child can be very vulnerable to overexposure to the sun when put in that position. So enjoy the sun, carefully!

THE 4TH--Did you have a great holiday? Hope so! This past weekend sure was a mixed bag for weather as it really depended on where you were as to how good of a day you had. Here in West Valley it rained almost all day, I mean, heavy, heavy mist that soaked you through and through and the wind blew it in waves going by the window, so it was not nice outside until quite late. At least that part was good because I got to enjoy some fireworks at least, but the daytime hours were sure miserable. Of course, just a few miles east, people told me that they were working outside almost all day and either had a brief sprinkle or none at all. In the Longview/Clatskanie area folks told me they were wearing shorts and enjoying carnivals and rides and having a wonderful day. What a difference 20 miles makes! One thing we didn't have to worry about here was any fire danger so there was some good that came from the rainy day at least.

NOT ENOUGH?--If you didn't get enough fireworks this past week, you've only got to wait one more weekend and you can enjoy a great big display down by the marina, as Cathlamet hosts another Bald Eagle Day Festival with the theme: Power of Community, Saluting Heroes and Volunteers. This is a very fitting theme for this event and this community, as there are a great group of folks who put in numerous hours of volunteer work to help better our various organizations. Many of these folks have been doing that kind of work for years and years and as they age, it's imperative to get the younger generation involved. We know many but we could always use a lot more, so if you'd like to help out, just contact the Chamber or look in The Eagle and check out all the meeting times of the Fair, Lion's Club, Kiwanis, the granges, the museum, Pioneer Church, Redmen Hall, etc. There's plenty of work to go around, that's for sure! At any rate, we hope to see you July 17 for the parade on Main Street in Cathlamet and fireworks show in the evening, and everything in between and the Wooden Boat Festival the day after that. It promises to be a fun time!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 8-14 are Irene Martin, Patricia Dursteler, Brad Towery, Dean Takko, Mallory Bosch, Sunny Manary, Justin Hoven, Rose Carosa, David Shrum, Martha Backman, Justin Perkins, David Carosa, Megan Miller, Rose Jameson, Myrtle Gorley, Janell Seaberg, Dan Cochran, 67ers David West and Doug Wright and three of my grandsons: Bryce Good, Blake Sechler and Kyle Sechler, who will be turning 11, 17 and 19 respectively. The kids are growing up! Belated birthday wishes to fellow 67er Dale Jacobson who celebrated his big day last Friday. Sorry about that, Dale!

Happy anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Dana McClain, and Carol Carver and George Exum this upcoming week. Have wonderful celebrations, everybody.

THE BIRDS--Like my fellow columnist Trudy Fredrickson, I too had a whole lot of hummingbirds and then "poof!" they were gone. I can only assume they went to tend to their nests and had more natural food to eat, rather than being at my feeders night and day. They did drain those feeders quickly, that's for sure. Hopefully everyone is remembering not to make the sugar solution any stronger than four to one and after a short burst of that solution when they first get here, the amount needs to be cut to six to one so as not to damage their livers. I have to say, I've had a few more hummingbirds back in the last few days so maybe they've had their babies and need an extra dab of energy right now. Whichever, I'm enjoying watching them once again.

RUMMAGE SALE, HORSE EVENT--Are you doing some summer cleaning and have some good, used items that you'd like to donate? The fairgrounds will be bustling with activity on July 31 for the second part of their Silver Buckle Gaming Event. Besides being able to get in for free and watch the horses compete, you can stop in at the Youth Building and check out the rummage sale. You may just find the item you've been looking for, you never know! The more great items that people donate, the better the selection will be, no junk please! Of course, the Skamokawa Grangers would like to fix a great lunch for you while you watch the horses and check out the sale and would appreciate your support. More information? Call the fair office at 795-3480, leave a message and they'll get back to you.

STARTS TODAY--The two month event, Shanghaied in Astoria will start this Thursday at the ASOC Playhouse on Bond Street in Astoria, It is their 26th year of doing this and if you haven't been, we hope you can check it out in the next couple of months. This is a funny and fun musical melodrama, so if you enjoyed the recent Follies at the Skamokawa Grange hall, you'd like this show as well. It will run from July 8 to September 11 and you can get all the ticket information by calling 1-503-325-6104.

SAYING GOODBYE--As this paper comes out, many of us will be attending the funeral services of my mother's only sister, my Aunt Marian (Everest, Healy) Vik this Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on Puget Island. It was tough to say goodbye to the aunt that I have talked to and written to and spent time with my whole life and in these latter years, we had quite a few lengthy conversations about serious subjects, something I always enjoyed. With Aunt Marian having lived a nice long 92 years, it was time for her to say goodbye and be free from the health issues she'd been dealing with for some time. She slipped away on July 1 and leaves behind her wonderful husband Arthur Vik, and a son and daughter, Gene and Donna, and their spouses, and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins as well as several stephildren and their families. Ralph Marshall Everest Jr. of New York is now the only surviving member of the four children of Ralph and Elsie (Walker) Everest Sr.

ALSO GONE--Sadly, one of our former WA-KI-HI principals and superintendents is gone as well, as Mr. Spooner passed away on June 29. I can still see that slim man with the short haircut, dark rimmed glasses and suit with that bow-tie, zipping up and down the hallways and using that eagle eye to check out what was going on. Back in the day, we had pretty structured classes and it was a time of empty hallways between classes and he made sure they were! Walk, don't run; no chewing gum; don't be late; where's your excuse if you were late?; where is your hall pass?; lots of rules to enforce and he did that well. I always thought it was sort of funny that he called me "Miss Pete." Must have been the Pedersen name, I guess, and so while he was stern, he had that sense of humor that you got to see more of if you kept on his good side. Obey the rules and all was well! Our sympathies to his wife and children and all those who knew and loved him.