Mules are off to a good start to season

MIXED BAG--Well, this past week we've certainly had a variety of weather and some of it was great. Then came Sunday! Wow, that was quite an impressive thunder event we had and if you add a touch of lightning and a brief power outage, along with some heavy rains, it made for quite an interesting day! Looks like we're in for some cooler weather with fairly moderate temperatures for most of this week, except for Thursday (today), when temperatures are back in the summer time range. I guess we may need to keep the fans and AC units going just a little bit longer.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 19-25 are Jay Mace, Tracy Carroll, Sam Longtain, Monte Longtain, Shona Heywood, Dillon Hoven, George Bates, George Wilde, Laura Lee Norris, Ty Norris, Leah Clark, Bob Ohrberg, Ken Bunn, Dan Turner, Barbara Shaver, Edith Erickson, Bruce Holland, Karla Kyle and Lori Kyle. Here's wishing all the birthday people a wonderful day!

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Dan Keilwitz, Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Parker, Mr. and Mrs. John Burdick and Mr. and Mrs. Phil Vik. Enjoy your anniversaries everybody!

MULE POWER--Last Friday night the mighty Mules kicked the visiting Winlock Cardinals real hard and handed them a huge loss as we beat them 41 to 0. Congratulations to the Mule team, which seems to be powering up that Mule Train spirit with a full load of steam. Let's keep the Mule Train rollin' this week as we head off to play the Adna Pirates this Friday night on their home turf. Go Mules!

BRAG ALERT--I can't help but brag just a tadbit about three of my grandsons who are currently playing football, as they all seem to be having a great start to the new football season. The "I can't believe he's a senior grandson," Austin Good, has had a couple of great games to start off his last season of football as a Mule, as he's racked up quite a few yards carrying the ball and made some touchdowns as well. His younger brother Bryce is doing just fine as an eighth grader for the Warriors, and Luke Sechler in Seattle has been making all kinds of runs and touchdowns as his seventh great team up there is on a winning streak as well. Way to go boys!

MORE MULES--The Lady Mules volleyball team will be playing at Napavine today, then varsity alumni only on Saturday at home, then Monday in Toldeo and then at home against Morton/White Pass on Tuesday. Go girls! The cross country team will be away at Onalaska today, Sept. 19 and away again next Thursday at Morton/White Pass. Here's to great games and meets this coming week for these teams!

FOS--The Friends of Skamokawa had great weather last Saturday evening to hold their annual Wine Tasting and Auction fund raiser. As usual, there were lots and lots of silent auction things to bid on and auctioneer Brian McClain did his best to get those live auction items moving. Serving up the delicious food this year, was a new service here in town, "Jack and Jill Catering," who we all know as locals Ginger Schmitz and Jake Collins. They did a terrific job! The grange was adorned with many flowers, cattails, grape vines and hydrangeas, along with the colorful dahlias donated by the Kaste family, very nice and done up by Kristin Lee. During the event, there was a "paddle raise" which brought in cash donations to help with the replacement of the foundation beams that Redmen Hall needs to have replaced in the future. It's through the generosity of local folks who really make this event the success it is, so I do hope you'll support each of our local businesses who took part in it. Of course, there are many individuals who pitch in as well, whether it is by donating something or working to set it all up, so kudos to all of them, as this is a big task. Pam Emery was the lady in charge this year so she can pat herself on the back for a job well done. If you missed it this year, we hope you'll mark down the second Saturday in September for next year, which is Sept. 13.

THIS FRIDAY AT THE "O"--For the three musicians that make up the new group, "Blind Luck Combo," it is time to throw a CD party to promote their music, and the group felt that an evening at the Oasis Tavern on Fairgrounds Road was just the place to do it. The group consists of locals Andrew Emlen and Sunrise Fletcher, with "almost local" Jeffrey Reynolds rounding out the group. These three are really gifted and it's so great that they want to share their talents with us, so we hope you'll join them this Friday night, Sept. 20, for an entertaining evening.

If you can't make it down here to hear them play, then maybe you will have time to head to the Pioneer Performing Art Center in Cathlamet on Sept. 28 where the group will be showcasing their talents at 7 p.m.

NEW SPECIAL--In case you missed their ad in last week's paper, the Duck Inn is now having some special breakfast prices for us seniors, so if you're in your golden years, you can "eat cheap" during the hours of 8 to 11 a.m. Sometimes we just need a little something to go with our morning coffee, so there are now a select number of side items that you may purchase for just 99 cents.

Also at the Duck Inn, there will be a live band performing this Saturday night, Sept. 21, so with live music both Friday and Saturday nights at either the Oasis or the Duck, Skamokawa will be hoppin' this weekend!

CANCELED--The Skamokwa Grangers are wanting to remind all members, and possibly any drop-in guests, that their usual Monday night meeting on Sept. 23 has been canceled. The first meeting in October is scheduled for the 14th. The Pomona meeting for the area will be held at the Skamokawa Grange on Oct. 28, beginning at 5 p.m., with a potluck to follow and the Skamokawa Grange meeting to follow that at 7 p.m.

BEING PREPARED--It's that time of year when we think more about being prepared in case a disaster strikes, as around here, it's our winter rains that seem to cause a lot of havoc, such as flooded roads and rock, tree and mud slides. While we should be prepared year round to take action quickly, it seems we focus on the winter months, even though disaster can strike anytime. There are different kinds of things you need to keep on hand, depending on whether you're making a vehicle safety kit or a personal survival kit. Most of the items are common sense type things, but the biggest problem is that we often wait until the disaster strikes before we start gathering things up. Emergency managers urge you to make a "grab and go" kit, where you already have items to keep you warm, dry, hydrated, fed and cared for and informed (radio) as well, so if you haven't put that together yet, now's the time to think about doing so. There are many great kits available these days and with Christmas coming, it's also a great gift to give someone. Being prepared can take some of the panic out of a situation, and being ready to go in a moment's notice can also save your life, so give this some thought as the fall and winter months begin their descent upon us. When packing the usual items, like a flashlight, food, water, meds, toiletries and such, don't forget to add a whistle to your kit as it can be a real life-saver in an emergency. Then when we get all done, pray we never have to use these kits, but it's better to be safe than sorry!