Celebrate St. Patrick's Day this weekend

NICE/THEN WET-- Last week we had a few super sunny days after the morning fog went away here in Skamokawa. I heard lawn mowers going and saws running and hammering going on. Only part of the weekend was good though, as the rain moved in Saturday night and it was a pretty soggy Sunday. My daffodils are just about ready to bloom so I'm hoping that the warmer temperatures make those buds pop open. Unfortunately, it seems like they no sooner bloom and we either have heavy rains that pound them to ground, or a late frost that has them drooping. I’ll just hope neither happens this year.

  SPECIAL DAYS-- Those celebrating their birthdays this week are Connie Bassi, Lucy Bosch, Gaylene Johnson, Randy Hoven, Pat Kehrli, Carol Wegdahl, Wade Parker, Leroy Wika, Lance Souvenir, Mariah Souvenir, Katie Turgeon, Cathy LaBerge, Colin Stewart and Gene Healy. Here's hoping all your birthdays are just wonderful this week. Belated birthday wishes go out to Gladys Mace and Karen Lawrence. Hope your special days were great.

Happy anniversary wishes go to Tracy Carroll and Serene Snow, Layton and Pam Elliott, Dan and Jen Cochran, and Bill and Shelley Olsen. Enjoy your special days.

  NEW ADDITION—I send my congratulations to Skamokawa residents Ginger Schmitz and Jacob Collins on their new baby girl born last week. The new little miss joins a big brother, Max. Maternal grandparents are Tim and Sharon Schmitz of Skamokawa. Congrats to them as well.

ST. PAT'S-- This is the time to be wearing green, as St. Patrick's Day is this coming Sunday. I'm sure all corned beef and cabbage lovers will be ready to chow down on the traditional Irish dish. The Sons of Norway are serving it at Norse Hall on Puget Island on Saturday. Dinner will be served from 5 to 6:30 p.m. If you're waiting to eat your Irish meal on St. Paddy's Day, you can head to the Duck Inn on Sunday to try out their plate of corned beef and cabbage.

  SERVICE-- Reminder to all those who knew Ray Wood: his daughter Jessica wanted me to mention that her dad’s service will be held this Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Heritage Bible Church located at 193 North Welcome Slough Road on Puget Island. There will be a potluck gathering held in the kitchen/dining area after the service and anyone who knew Ray is invited to share this time with the family.

  NICE VISIT-- My great nephew, Adam Pedersen, along with his wife, Samantha, made a trip from Maryland to Washington recently. Sam got to enjoy a West Coast baby shower with her friends and family in Vancouver. While they were here, Adam's Dad, Mark Pedersen, brought the couple to Cathlamet to visit his folks, Ralph and Peggy Pedersen and I got to stop by and give them hugs and well wishes too. The couple is expecting a baby girl in June.

  CHURCH USE?-- The members of the United Methodist Church here in Skamokawa are wondering if there is a group, organization or other interested party that would have an idea or a need for the use of their church during the week. Would someone like to hold cooking classes there, or a sewing group, scrapbooking classes, soup kitchen, card playing or other possible uses? Give Randi Curtis a call at 795-0628 if you're interested.

  DISCOUNT-- The Columbia River Kayakers are sporting brand new kayaks at their new location at the Inn at Skamokawa Landing building on Steamboat Slough. They are having a Wilderness First Responder course at the Skamokawa Grange Hall in May. If you register before April 8 you can get a nice discount, so check out their website for all the details or contact Mark Whitaker or Andrew Emlen for more information.

  BUSY TIMES AHEAD-- Starting March 22 there will be something to keep you busy all weekend long. With Easter coming early, it's time to play Easter Bingo at the JA Wendt multipurpose room and just maybe, you'll be winning the main course for your Easter dinner. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and bingo starts at 6 p.m. Tickets will also be on sale for a dollar each for the grand raffle prize of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. This is a fundraiser for the Wahkiakum County Fair.

On March 23, all those who are interested in taking part in this year’s Follies, are asked to come to the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 3 p.m. so we can start working out songs. I’d like to issue a special invitation to the youth involved in Rock ‘n’ Roll Congress to consider taking part in this three day musical and comedy revue taking place the last three days of June. It's always great fun, so spread the news!

  On March 24 it's time to come down to the Skamokawa United Methodist Church for their annual Hosanna Musicale, which begins at 2 p.m. A free-will offering will be taken and the money raised will be given to the St. James preschool program. You can't have a gathering without some refreshments, so the ladies of the church will be treating everyone to a variety of goodies after the program.

  SKAMOKAWA GRANGE-- Sometimes the best made plans have to be cancelled and last Monday the Skamokawa Grangers had to cancel their meeting due to illness. The bug seems to be amongst us and hopefully we will all be well soon.

However, on March 25 the grangers are planning to hold a Pomona meeting prior to the regular 7 p.m. meeting and 6:30 potluck, so we'll hope all goes well that day.

  VENDORS-- The Skamokawa Grange will be having another Vendor's Market at Skamokawa Vista Park at the end of July. We’re hoping for good weather and a big crowd, so contact me to get your name on the list of vendors for a $10 setup fee. Keep July 27 in mind as a date to head to Vista Park for some good deals, a tasty pie or other goodies, along with some unique homemade items.

  GET WELL-- I'd like to give a shout out to my cousin, Karla Kyle, who wound up in the hospital last week and is recuperating from surgery. It sounds like the cold bug has struck several people in the area, as well as a grandson in Seattle, so I wish everyone a hearty get well soon so that we may all enjoy the upcoming holidays ahead. Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!