Cold weather causes worry about water

WINTER IS HERE-- When the temperatures start dipping into the 20s around here and the highs are in the 30s, you know that winter has arrived in earnest. Those of us on private water systems wind up being obsessed by the temperatures of the days and evenings. The sunshine can lure you into thinking all is well with your water lines, when in fact, it's just a tease and you can still freeze up if your source is located in a shady, still-frozen parts of the woods. One must take extra care to keep those lines flowing. If you're out of power, a power plant can get the lights back on, but if you're out of water, that's another story entirely! While some would think we're a bit too concerned with keeping our water running, it is obvious that they don't have 2,500 feet of water line to deal with through creeks and valleys. If it were to freeze up, we'd be without water for a very long time. Freezing up might seem like no big deal to folks in the city, but out here in the sticks, it's a very big deal indeed!

SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating birthdays this coming week are Ann Brown, Theresa Kuljis, Bruce McClain, Brittney Robbins, Beryl Curtis, Trystan Mendez, Tim Hanigan, Shanna Havens, Inez Danielsen, Linda Seaberg, Brandon Burdick, Jolene M. Wright, Bernice Ellison, Elizabeth Frink, Trinity Thompson, Shane Pedersen and 67'er Don Marsyla. Happy Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Bob Ohrberg and Mr. and Mrs. Dale Strueby. Enjoy your special days, everybody!

NEW--Kelly Hammond was made a grandma again last week as her daughter Vanessa had a six pound, 10 ounce baby girl named Madison Rose. The little miss joins a brother, Avery, so now Grandma has a boy and a girl to spoil. Congratulations to one and all, including Great-Grandma Lore Twiet!

SAD TIME--Skamokawa lost a wonderful resident and artist this week with Dory Hicks passing. Dory had donated a Christmas tree to the Skamokawa Grange for years, had donated her artwork for various fundraisers, graced the walls of many musical revues with her art sketches and most of all, shared her smile with others. I send my deepest sympathies to my former classmate Mike Hicks and to his entire family. I hope you'll attend the gathering in her honor on January 26 beginning at one p.m. at the Skamokawa Grange Hall.

Also leaving this world this week was Cathlamet resident Agnes Toste, whose stepdaughter Mary Toste was another former WA-KI-HI classmate of mine in the Class of 1967. Needless to say, it's been a tough week for my former classmates. I offer my deepest condolences to them and the rest of their family members.

NEW HOURS--Skamokawa resident Carla Keilwitz, owner of The Video Store in Cathlamet, has posted new hours for her store. She is now open from 2-8 p.m. daily to serve you with lots of new movies and games. Carla also has a wide array of gift certificate choices for you, so with Valentines Day coming up, there's a nice little option for you to add to that card of yours!

BIG GAME--If you like to gather for the big Super Bowl football game, don't forget that you can enjoy the game on one of the Duck Inn Lounge's five television sets. There will be door prizes, snacks and more. Head there February 3 for the big game!

SICK, SICK--I am hearing a whole lot of people saying they are sick with either bad coughs, high fevers, headaches, bronchitis, pneumonia, bad colds or just feeling horrible, and all I can say to you folks is get well soon and please stay home. Some of these conditions can be life-threatening to the young and to the elderly. There have been multiple deaths reported in our state because of the flu, so it's nothing to fool with. Take care, everybody, and I hope those that have been down and out for the last couple of weeks are back on their feet soon!

EXHIBIT--From January 12 through March 10, The Legacy of the Columbia River Fishery exhibit will be displayed at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco. Skamokawa resident Keith Hoofnagle did a lot of the signage and artwork for it and Skamokawa resident Irene Martin did the pictures and such. It's a very nicely done presentation of a way of life that is sadly disappearing from our mighty Columbia River.

OLD TIMERS--The third annual Old-Time Loggers Reunion is coming up on January 26 from noon to four p.m. down at Appelo's Archive Center in Naselle. The 2013 honorees will be Johnny Berquist and Howard Laney. This event is a gathering of loggers young and old that would like to share their stories and honor those that came before them in the industry. Cake and coffee will be provided.

OUCH--Seahawks fans were down in the dumps the first quarter of the game last Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Then the team got their spark back in the second half and wound up ahead with 31 seconds on the clock. It seemed like Seahawks fans had gotten a comeback miracle once again, until the unthinkable happened. we lost with six seconds to go by a field goal that was missed but retried due to a way-too-late timeout by Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. It gave the kicker a chance to regroup, rekick and just like that, we lost. The only thing I can say about the game was that it was a thriller the last few minutes, but we all sure wish the outcome had been different- well, unless you are an Atlanta fan.

FOLLIES--Yes, it is already time to start thinking about the Smoky Water Follies in June. Director Adele Baker-Swift and musical director Sunrise Fletcher already have an extensive song list going, I hope you'll check that out on Facebook under Skamokawa Follies to see where your name landed. Or contact them via email or phone to get your assigned song to start practicing. This is always such a fun event, and we welcome all new talent that would like to try their hand at singing, dancing or some other talent. Just give the folks in charge a call and they'll add you to the show!

This is the Skamokawa Grange's one and only major fundraiser of the year and we certainly appreciate all those who take time out of their busy lives to help us out for these three days. If you're new to the show, please know that we have a very flexible practice schedule and it's only the last couple of weeks that we wind up needing to be together a little more, so you won't have to be at a rehearsal every weekend or a certain day and time. You can gather with the piano player or group on your own and then come together as time progresses.

The show is taking place on June 28, 29 and 30, with the first two shows being evening shows, and then the last one on Sunday will be a matinee. Tickets are $12 this year and we will have a family ticket available if you're interested in that. Hope to see you there!

FIRST MEETING--The Skamokawa Grangers met last Monday for the first time in the new year. We had a wonderful potluck dinner including homemade pizza by the Fletchers, so in spite of the cold, we got to warm up with some good home cooking. Our new secretary Donna Moody couldn't make the meeting as she was recuperating from a little tumble she took. We had three guests on Monday and we hope to announce them as members soon. We will hold a welcoming ceremony at our next meeting on January 28. We opted to go ahead and have a potluck at that meeting as well. Potluck starts at 6:30 p.m., but our meetings don't begin until seven. To avoid having any visitors sit in the cold and dark out in the parking lot for any length of time, I'll pre-warn you that due to multiple obligations and busy work days, our members show up just prior to meeting times.

NEW MEMBERS/DINNER--The Wahkiakkum Fair Board has a couple of new members as Jason Rainey and Kathy Durrah join the ranks at the beginning of this year. They will get to dig right in as the group's first fundraising event of the year, the Valentine Diamond Dinner, is coming up on February 9 at six p.m. at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. The new banners are up near the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet, where the $25 tickets are being sold, so buy yours today!

PROJECT--If any Sunday school teachers or school teachers or special groups want to put some smiles on peoples' faces, it's getting close to that time when valentines can be made and sent to those who would surely appreciate them. The Valentines for Vets program is a good one, but any nursing home or special needs group would surely love to receive some. Now's the time to get busy making them!