Time to prepare for winter weather

SO-SO--As we ended one month and began another, the weather was a mixed bag of either sunshine, gorgeous out, like last Friday, or rain, which consumed a good deal of Saturday. Halloween, which was Sunday, began quite nice and didn't cloud up until the latter half of the day. However, November began with a very wet and miserable day, which caused "lakes" to form in a big hurry. If this is a sign of things to come, it looks like we'd better keep a close watch on our creeks and streams as we don't want to be caught unaware in a flood situation. We've gotten a little break mid-week with some nice temperatures but they say the rain will be pretty steady for the last half, just in time for elk season to get underway.

HALLOWEEN--I hope you had a great Halloween celebration. The Duck Inn was full of folks in costume and it was great fun as there was a wide array of terrific costumes. However, it was Georgie Whittaker who took first place in her "Oompa Loompa" costume as it was a "new" look from those we've seen before; congratulations to her.

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on Puget Island held their very first "Trunk or Treat." Folks decorated the trunks of their cars in various Halloween scenes and they had quite a few great looking trunks. Kay Cochran was posting pictures and it was a real treat to see them. Great idea!

OVER--I think we will all be very happy that the political calls and mailings will have come to an end this week. From the looks of comments online, I'm not the only one and voters seem to be so angry about them that they have actually refused to vote for anybody and that's certainly not a good thing.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from November 4 -10 are Brad McNally, Anna Kuhn, James Tuner, Greg Parke, Marsha Souvenir, Ryan Vincent, Ginger Moonen, Jessie Hoven, Bill Schwarze, Diane Tischer, Carol Carver, Kennan Linsdey, Nicole Kaattari, Kim Havens, Jordyn Kaattari, Mike Parker, Clayton Moore, Lynda Jensen, Ray Lindsey, Chris Bernard, Elizabeth Davison, Denise Fuller and James D. Pedersen. Here's to wonderful birthday celebrations to one and all.

Happy Anniversary wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wegdahl. Enjoy your special day!

CONGRATS--We'll be adding another name to the birthday list once we find out what it is, but in the mean time, we want to say congratulations to Don and Kitty Speranza who became grandparents for the first time to a baby boy born October 30. Congrats to his parents as well. Hope to find out all the details later!

THIS WEEK--If you want to learn how to make lefse or buy some lefse, the Sons of Norway members will be at the Norse Hall for three days, starting today (Thursday) through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Susan Kenner Brown says you can contact her for more information at 849-4476.

If you'd like to learn how to make your own special cards, there will be classes held at the new "Tis the Season" store in Cathlamet starting this Thursday (tonight) and every Thursday this month. Check with them for all the details.

THIS SATURDAY--It's the Lions Club's "Walk-n-Knock" food drive this Saturday. Please have your bags of donations ready by 9 a.m. If you've got a dry spot to leave them on your porch, you can label them and leave them there to be picked up, but if not, we hope you'll be home and have your donation handy when you hear that knock on your door. If you'd rather, you can drop your things off at 42 Elochoman Valley Road. Please, no perishables or home-canned items.

NEXT MONDAY--All Skamokawa Grangers are urged to come to the next meeting, which will be this Monday at 7 p.m. We will hold our election of officers that evening. We will celebrate the new posts with coffee and cookies.

If you're thinking about joining the grange, this would be a great time to attend, as we'll be able to start off our dues at the beginning of the new year. Won't you please join us? We are trying our best to keep this grange hall open for the community as it has been a very valuable asset for many various functions--high school fund raisers, car show set up place, fair fund raisers, entertainment venues, as well as birthday and anniversary parties, etc. It's the only building in our area with a big enough space to hold a lot of people, with a nice stage for performers, a huge movie screen for those power point presentations and which has an access ramp for the handicapped. We hope you'll join us in our efforts to keep the doors open! If you don't feel like you could join an organization at this time, but would like to help, you can send a donation to the Skamokawa Grange #425 at P.O. Box 123, Skamokawa, WA 98647. Thanks!

NEXT WEDNESDAY--The Wahkiakum Fair Board will meet at the River Street building in Cathlamet on November 10, you are welcome to attend. It sounds like the group will be holding their annual Valentine's Day dinner, so keep that in mind because the way time is flying, it will be here before you know it! Helpers are always welcome for this event.

NEXT MONTH--Once again, the Skamokawa Grange #425 and the Skamokawa Fire Department will join together and put on a "Free" community spaghetti dinner, weather permitting of course. Last year it had to be cancelled due to our extreme freezing weather, so we're hoping that won't happen again and we'll be able to join in some singing, some goodies for the kids, some gift items to be raffled off and a great meal along with some friendly chatter among friends and neighbors. This is all planned for December 11, and we hope to see you there! As is the usual custom for these "free" events, donations will be accepted to offset our costs.

UNDER THE WEATHER--We're sending "feel better soon" wishes to Judy Garrison, who found herself in the hospital this week and to Gwen Good Ronninghaug, who like me, is not feeling her very best right now and is dealing with a clogged head and earaches. Bob Kerstetter has been in and out of the hospital so we hope he gets to feeling better as well. Dorothia Farmer is feeling better right now and we want her to know we are thinking of her.

SYMPATHIES--We send our condolences to the family of Travis (Traverse) Burdick who left this world on October 26. Locally, he leaves a sister, Margie Moore of Cathlamet and a sister, Trena Ashe of Rosburg. He also leaves three other sisters, Merita, Joann and Patricia. He had two children, Ryan and Jennifer and also three grandchildren. A (potluck) celebration of his life will be held at the Women's Club at 835 21st Avenue in Longview this Saturday at 1 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made in his name to either the Columbia Regional Cancer Center or Cowlitz Humane Society. Travis was also a fellow 1967 classmate and his death brings the class loss up to five now, counting from our Freshman year at WHS. Again, our sincerest sympathy to his family.

OUT OF THE PAST--In 1960 during this same week, the weather was beautiful; nice and clear and enjoyable all week until the last day, then it poured all day long. On that nice Friday evening, Cathlamet played Naselle at home and won 20 to 6; the town was happy! Grandma Elsie wasn't feeling good; she said she thought there was just too much excitement going on between family doings and election things. Of course, that didn't stop her from ironing, sewing, baking bread and making out Christmas cards or going to vote. John F. Kennedy won a close race on that election day, November 8.

In 1965, it was a different kind of weather week with mostly all rain and only one nice day on November 9, that was the same day the Northeastern states experienced a massive blackout, which included 80,000 square miles and affected 30 million people! On November 10, "twisters" hit Rainier and Centralia; an 18-foot water spout was spotted on the Columbia River and heavy hail fell in Longview. The Alfred Petersons had celebrated their 50th annniversary on October 14 in their home in Longview after being married in South Dakota and coming to Longview in 1943. They had nine children: Frank, Robert, Donald (who married Margaret "Peggy" Pedersen, Bernie, Gary, Marie Krambeck, Delores, Rozella and Goldie Kehrli. Sadly, Alfred passed away on Novemeber 4. Miranda Stordalen, 72, passed away on November 5. She was born in Minnesota but had lived in Cathlamet since 1936, she was survived by three daughters: Inez Mathers of Cathlamet, Ethel Kondra of Kelso and Harriett Hayes of Sheridan, Ore. Glenn Palmer was a happy guy that week--he got a four-point buck, his first. Twenty-two people came to the home of Krist Pedersen that week to help him celebrate his birthday, his first big party ever. He was was 52. All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.