Flooding season seems to be upon us

FLOODING--When I went to bed last Friday night, I was pretty sure what I was going to see in the morning--water, lots of water, and I was right, as it was even running over West Valley Road when it got light enough to see it! However, beings this is a common occurence when it rains hard around here, it is still sort of amazing to realize that one day we can see nothing but green fields with a few puddles in them and the next, we see no fields at all, only lakes!

Thankfully, by Sunday morning, things had calmed down and we even saw the sun. However, we seem to be "special" out here in West Valley, as it was raining and sunshining here at the same time, go figure! However, the water receded off the road, so we were happy to see that as the forecast had looked pretty grim, but that batch of nastiness missed us and gave us a bit of a breather, whew!

This is one of those times when I am so glad that we are stocked up and ready for whatever kind of weather we get, as having extra supplies at a time like this, makes having to "stay put" a little more comfortable!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 19-25 are Barry Brown, Matt Bennett, Larry Holland, Dana Montgomery, Marc McCoy, Susan Prestegard, Gunner Blix, Jessica Wright, Kyle Parker Jr., Cheryl Parker, Mike Brown, Kayli Quigley, Sharon Deaton, Sandy Everman, Michelle Rose, Toni Below, Harvey Good and Hank Ferguson.

Belated birthday wishes to Jonnie Knowles who celebrated her special day last Tuesday and somehow got left off of my birthday list last week. Sorry about that Jonnie, hope you had a great day!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Carl and Ruth Linquist, Jim and Bernie Mendoza, Virgil and Lisa Cothren, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Garrett and Sherry and Mark McCormack. Hope you have wonderful celebrations on your special days everybody!

BINGO ON FRIDAY--It's Turkey Bingo time, so head to the multi-purpose room tomorrow evening, Friday Nov. 20, and enjoy the fun with your fellow bingo lovers and help support our Wahkiakum County Fair at the same time. There will be prizes to win and turkeys too, so we hope you're one of the lucky winners!

GIFT FAIR--Let's hope the weather is better this weekend than last, so you'll feel like getting out to do a little shopping, as the St. James annual Gift Fair will take place this Saturday from 10 to 4 in Cathlamet. They will have lots of vendors, food and a place for the kids to shop. They hope to see you there! There is also a book sale going on besides all the other things, so if you're an avid reader, now's the time to stock up! Don't forget, one of our local authors, Irene Martin, will be there with copies of several of her publications, with the latest being "The Family that Never Threw Anything Away." Sounds like a great Christmas gift to me! Here's a little hint, all books on the book table will be half price after 2 p.m., but of course, for the best selection, you'll need to come early!

If you're new to the area, the St. James Family Center is located at 1134 Columbia Street. Go up Cathlamet town hill, go past the city park, then past the Jacobson Street intersection where the PUD substation is located, and then shortly thereafter, the center will be on the right. If you're on SR 4, turn onto Columbia Street across from Gragg's Market and the center is located about a half mile in at the first sharp corner.

TURKEY DINNER--If you don't feel like cooking Thanksgiving dinner, don't forget that the Duck Inn will serve turkey or ham between 2-7 p.m. next Thursday. If you have a big group you'd like to feed, be sure to give them a call so they can reserve the proper amount of seating for you that day: 795-6055.

SALE COMING--We always enjoy shopping at Gribskov Glassblowing, at 123 Middle Valley Road, and he's made it pretty much of a tradition to hold his big sale right after Thanksgiving, and while it hasn't happened every year, we are pleased that Kyle will be doing it again this year. So, if you've got some glass lovers on your Christmas list, head out Middle Valley Nov. 27 or 28 from 10 to 5 and check out his wonderful array of handblown glass items. From small items like Christmas ornaments to larger ones, like vases and bowls, you'll truly have a gift of artistry to either keep or give this holiday season.

HALL WILL BE READY--If coming to see Kyle's wonderful array of glass isn't enough to bring you to Skamokawa, remember that Redmen Hall begins its big holiday doings at that same time, so with lots of vendors and lots of goodies, this gives you one more reason to come by. Of course, there's also great cothing items, like sweatshirts and t-shirts and more at the Duck Inn, the Skamokawa Resort's general store and Skamokawa Vista Park, so shop your little heart out in Skamokawa this year!

67'ERS GATHERED--Several of my classmates got together last Saturday in Longview and from the sounds of it, they had a very good time. My plans were changed when West Valley Road went under water, and as we all know, it's not good for vehicles to pretend they are part of any scuba diving gear, so my car stayed high and dry in my garage instead. However, others didn't have any weather problems, so Elaine Rolf and Pam Lazor kept me posted on the events of the day, and so along with Nancy Jacobson Brady, David and Kathi West, Keith and Karen Lawrence and friend, Kathy and Dale Jacobson, they had a great lunch at Yan's and a lot of laughs and chatter as well.

The group said they set up the next get-together for January 9, which is the second Saturday of the new year, at the Azteca Restaurant on Washington Way, which is across the street from the Sterling Honda Motors business. Anyway, we hope all of you 67'ers will mark down the date and try to attend, and I'll hope that Mother Nature does not mess things up for me again!

DID YOU KNOW?--Just a little trivia: When looking at the 2016 calendar for the above gathering, I noticed that January, April and July all have the same dates for five Saturdays in those months. This past year, only January and October had the five Saturdays on the exact same dates.

VENDOR?--Do you have homemade, unique, lovable, sellable items that you'd love to earn a little cash selling? There are a couple of opportunities coming up as Redmen Hall will be having their big holiday Open House doings next Friday, Nov. 27, so you might want to call them and see if they've still got a spot for you. You can stop by Thursday through Sunday or call 795-3007.

Also, the first Saturday of the month is always Flea Market days at the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds, and they too invite you to come down and be a part of the selling and buying frenzy that comes with the holidays, so if you have Dec. 5 open why not come and be a vendor? If you don't have items to sell, come on down from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and see if you find some items to purchase. There's a wide variety. You can call Jean at 849-4360 or Patty at 795-3480 to be a vendor or get more info.

OPPORTUNE TIME--If you're one of those folks who have moved, then Thanksgiving is a great time to take advantage of letting your family and friends know about it, as a card with your holiday wishes would certainly be welcomed, as well as obtaining your new address. If Thanksgiving isn't going to work for you, then grab those Christmas cards and get them sent out during the first few days of December, so your friends and relatives will have your new address prior to them sending it to your old one. It helps everybody, including the postal folks.

Don't forget, if you're able, to send a little holiday cheer to our vets, or folks in the nursing homes or care centers or even an elderly neighbor who might really enjoy a special cheery card. They'll love it and you'll feel good for doing it!

EARLY--I'm going to say Happy Thanksgiving a little early as while next week's paper comes out early for those in this area, some of my friends and family members live far away so they wouldn't get the paper until after the big day. So, here's hoping all of you living "out there" have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

With early deadlines next week, be sure to call me by Sunday evening with any news that you may have to share, as all ads and news have to be turned in Monday by noon, Nov. 23, so I'll be wrapping my column up late Sunday so it can go out early on Monday.

OUT OF THE PAST--Back in November of 1950, the worst storm east of the Mississippi hit Ohio and other states, dumping between 12-28 inches of snow in various states, which paralyzed many towns, with Cleveland Ohio having a death toll of over 50, which brought the storm's death toll up to 229, which was just tragic. In New York, a terrible train accident was reported. Thanksgiving Day in Cathlamet saw gray conditions with pouring rain by late afternoon with temperatures dropping. The Everests gathered with their daughter, Marian (Leon) Healy and children, Gene and Donna. They held with tradition and after dinner, drew names for Christmas with the other family members included, like George and Ruby Everest and Krist and Carol Pedersen.

In 1960, the cold, wet weather of Cathlamet was left behind as the Ralph Everests headed to sunny California for Thanksgiving, where they would be eating turkey and all the fixings with son George and his wife Ruby. Tickets for two cost $44.80 but if you wanted a little added comfort, you coughed up another 75 cents for a pillow but dinner for two was just $6! After a sleevless top kind of day for Thanksgiving, it wound up raining for a couple of days in Davis, CA, and everyone was thrilled as they hadn't had much rain in the last three years so they thanked the Everests for bringing it with them! That week the nation celebrated as the John F. Kennedy family welcomed a baby boy into their family. All this according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.