Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend

MIXED BAG--I no sooner turned in my news last week and the weather took a turn for the worse and got pretty wet and pretty windy and some areas wound up losing power, while others had trees coming down, but it really depended on where you were as to how bad it was. Some of the days that were forecast for being miserable, were actually half-way decent, meaning part of the day was dry and sunny, while the rains poured down later on, but that beat a whole day of nastiness, so that was fine with us. Considering the flooding going on in other parts of the west coast and back east, I'm guessing we're feeling pretty lucky with these half and half days!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from March 10-16 are Mark Whitaker, Jami Rainey, Quin Bassi Sr., Rhiannon McNally, Teah McNally, Rick Kuljis, Azery Gribskov, Gretchen Mahitka, Karen Lawrence, Kelly Zink, Colin Stewart, Lucy Bosch, Mary K. Cothren, Mary Thomas, Carson Cothren, Al Harris, David Cothren, Grace Helms-Lampitt, Paul Ehrensberger, Brandi Arness, Steve McKinney, Kim Beaston, Veryle West, John Vik, Amy Bernard and Gene Healy. Here's hoping you all have wonderful birthday celebrations!

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Tracy Carroll and Serene, and Ray and Terri Slape this week. Here's to some fantastic anniversary celebrations for you guys!

MOVIE REMINDER--There is another free movie this Friday night at the Cathlamet Community Center. This is a great inspirational sports movie, based on a true story, and I really think you'll enjoy it. Kevin Costner is great in it! Every Friday at 7 p.m. there is a new movie so I hope you're able to check one of them out; a very cheap date night! There is a stipulation you should remember however, as children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Feel free to bring in your own favorite snack to enjoy if you wish.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME--Before you hit the sack this Saturday night, be sure to "Spring Ahead" as it's Daylight Savings Time and you need to set your clocks ahead one hour. Just in case you didn't know it, this practice started a long time ago and it was Benjamin Franklin who thought it up, with the United States adopting it clear back in 1918. It's been changed over the years and now we "spring ahead" in March instead of April and "fall back" on the first Sunday in November instead of at the end of October like we used to do. Either way, if you're not a lover of DST, you can blame Ben for it!

CUB SCOUTS--The Cub Scout Pack #556 wants to let you know that they meet every Friday night at the Skamokawa Grange Hall at 18 Fairgrounds road at 6 p.m. They would love to have more scouts in their pack, so if you'd like to join them, you are invited to come down any Friday evening and learn all about scouting.

SKAMOKAWA GRANGE--Speaking of the Skamokawa Grange, they will hold their second meeting of the month March 15, and they too want to invite you to join them. They gather at 6:30 p.m. for their usual potluck with the meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

NEXT THURSDAY--It's time for "the wearing o' the green," as St. Patrick's Day will be here next Thursday, March 17. Don't be caught not wearing any green as those who opt to forego it, may wind up being pinched; ouch! I'm not sure who started that little custom, but I'm not fond of that one so I'll just go ahead and don some green and keep the pinchers at bay! Be sure to head to your local eateries who will be serving the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner and if you opt for a beer, you're bound to see it green instead of amber colored on St. Paddy's Day!

NO MUSICALE--I got word from Randi Curtis earlier this week that unfortunately, due to health reasons, there would not be a Hosanna Musicale held at the Skamokawa United Methodist Church this year. We were sorry to hear that as it's been taking place for 30 years, but often things, like health issues, make putting these events together just impossible. This has always been a fund raising event for the St. James Family Center, so it's a double loss, with no entertainment for us and a loss of funds for them. Beings they provide such a great service for our community and you're going to miss out donating money during the musicale, you can still send a donation to them anyway; just mail it to St. James Family Center, 1134 Columbia Street, Cathlamet, WA 98612. It would truly be appreciated.

Randi did say that there would be a tradtional meal served on Maundy Thursday, March 24, but if you'd like to attend, you need to contact her at 795-0628 in order to assure there will be enough food prepared for those attending. There will be special Easter services which are early this year, as they fall on March 27 and all are welcome to attend.

FIRE--I was headed to the Skamokawa store to get a few things when I saw a lot of fire trucks and smelled a lot of smoke, and was saddened to see the charred outside area of the home across the bridge and slough which housed Blake Peacock and his family, and had once been the home of former Skamokawa columnist, MaryAnn Madden. I was told that no one was injured in the fire and that the outside porch areas look a lot worse than the inside does, so that was some good news. Still, it seems that the smoke smell can permeate everything, and of course, there's bound to be some water damage as well, so while we are glad everyone escaped this fire, we certainly feel for this family as they deal with the mess left behind.

Hats off to the Cathlamet Fire and EMS teams, District 4 and Puget Island fire fighters who joined forces with our Skamokawa crew to help fight this blaze. We often take our wonderful volunteer fire fighters for granted until something like this happens, and we are mighty grateful that they are here in our time of need. If you'd like to serve your community and become part of our Skamokawa team, they hold meetings on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., at the blue fire house at 49 East Valley Road near the county fairgrounds.

NEXT MONTH--If you're one of those folks who loves the water, loves to be out on a kayak and wants to learn a little more and see a little more, there's going to be some great things coming up real soon at the Columbia River Kayak center. I know this may seem early but it's just a month away and the way the days are flying by, it will be here before you know it! Besides, if you want to join in the Wilderness Medical Courses that start April 9, you really need to get that reservation in as soon as you can so you can be sure to get into the class/course that you want and get the best rooms available. You can contact CRK by calling them at 360-747-1044 or check out their website at http://www.columbiariverkaying.com or email them at: info@columbiariverkaying.com to get all the information you need.

RECOVERED--No matter how old our children get, they will always be our "kids" and we'll always worry and fuss over them, so I know you parents will be able to relate to the phone call I got recently that went like this: "Hey Mom, it's me Pete. I'm calling from the hospital in San Diego, but I just want to let you know I'm going to be just fine." Oh yea, that does wonders for a Mother's heart! Trust me, after hearing that he'd gotten into a cycling accident, and the angst of seeing a picture of him unconscious on the ground, being untangled from a barbed wire fence, next to a steep hillside and seeing a huge rock stuck in his helmet and mentioning that he had to be taken from out of the desert hills of California to San Diego via helicopter, well, let's just say, that's not the best feeling in the world! However, after all was said and done, the concussion and broken cheek bone and smashed thumb seem to have healed up nicely and number one son, Pete Sechler is up and about and doing just fine. I have to admit, if he never rode a bicycle again, except in a stationary stand in his basement, it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit!

Let this be a lesson to all you kids out there; always wear your helmets when you're out riding, as in a flash, even the most experienced riders can find themselves in a serious situation. Had Pete not been wearing his helmet, it is extremely possible that the outcome of this accident would have ended much differently.

SAYING GOODBYE--Our family said goodbye to our beloved Lori Ann (Pedersen) Finkas this past Saturday afternoon, and it was if the good Lord knew we had enough to deal with already and so He let the sun shine that whole afternoon. The church was packed to the rafters and there were people standing along the walls as Lori was a much beloved person with a big heart and a helping hand to anyone who needed it. In her final written wishes, it was in typical Lori fashion, that she ask that we not wear drab, dark clothing at her services and wished instead that we would wear bright colors, crazy hats and even musical t-shirts. As you can tell, not only was she a very organized young woman, but one who was also still looking out for others even after she was gone, as she didn't want us to be too sad. Besides being a great wife, mother and grandmother, she was also a dedicated worker at St. John Hospital, a Sunday school teacher and she was also a fund raising co-ordinator and more, so she was truly one of those people who put herself out there and was loved and respected by all who knew her. Her cousin, Brenda (Madsen) Sargent led the service with the perfect blend of inspiration, recognition, religion, memories and humor which helped us get through this difficult day. Lori's only son Ty was brave enough to get up and speak and while he was overcome with emotion at times, he knew his Mom wouldn't want us to all be sad and gloomy, so he included a little of his Mom's sense of humor, when he had us all stand up and give the person next to us a "hip bump"; something she often did to him. It was just the dose of levity that she would have loved and that we all needed, so I'm sure she was smiling down from heaven when hundreds of people all "hip checked" in the church; just a "so Lori" moment. She will be missed but you can rest assured, she will not be forgotten; gone from this earth but never from our hearts.