Crab & oyster feed at Norse Hall Saturday

MUCH DIFFERENT--This past weekend we saw some sunshine and much more pleasant conditions than the last one. No white stuff, yeah! It was nice to catch a break after all the snow and rain, which led to road closures and tons of trees coming down, so a huge relief there. Many parts of the county still have plenty of water standing around however, so I'm pretty sure they are not looking for the rains to return, which should be by the time you read this. Let's hope it's not much.

As this work week begins however, it's clear skies and sunshine, but that came with temperatures down in the lower 20s out here in West Valley, so I'm looking forward to the sunny skies later on, minus those nippy temperatures. Brr!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Feb. 16-22 are Chuck Parker, Vickie Reed, Mac Johnson, Jade Hauff, Milli Elven, Betty Brown, Brody Brown, Sara Buennagel, Angel Thompson, Rebecca Costillo, Cindy Grasseth, Dale Strueby, Angela Stensland, Gail Munson Steilgeman, MacKenzie Pedersen, Davd A. Pedersen, Kris Baldwin, Morgan Spieth, Logan Blain and Shari Gorman Parker. May all your birthday celebrations bring you much joy and happiness. Belated birthday wishes go out to Shawn Cortay. At least I sent birthday wishes on time via the computer, but failed to get her in last week's column!

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Stan Thacker, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Strueby and Steve and Stephanie Leitz; enjoy!

FRIDAY MOVIE--On Feb. 17, there will be another free movie at the Community Center in Cathlamet and I'm told it is a documentary for all groups to view. Movies begin at 7 p.m. and remember, all children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. As always, you can enjoy a pizza while you watch the movie, by calling Sharon's Pizza Mill and ordering ahead, and they will deliver it to you by 6:45 at the center, can't beat that! Call them at 795-3311 to get your order in.

THIS IS IT!--It's time for all you ticket holders for the crab & oyster feed to be held at the Norse Hall this Saturday, to gather up your cracking tools, your oyster shuckers, aprons and other items and head to the feed! Be sure to arrive at the appropriate time that you chose, as there were three seatings for you to choose from, so don't show up at 3, if you're holding a 5:30 ticket! This event is being put on by the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce and proceeds go towards things like the Bald Eagle Day festivities/fireworks, so it's for a good cause. Have fun everybody!

RECUPERATING--Our one time Duck Inn bartender/cook, Tyna Zink, has had to slow down a bit lately as it seems she broke her leg not too long ago. Luckily, her injuries are healing up nicely and it won't be long and she'll be back to her old self, so we were happy to hear she was doing better already. Being laid up and hobbled is not Tyna's style, so we know she'll be itching to be back to 100 percent real quick like, so watch out!

GOOD TIME--The Naselle lunch room area was full of food and lots of people this past Sunday as the American Legion Auxillary held their annual Smorgasboard there, and as usual, it was a hit. What's not to like with tables of salads, main dishes and multiple tables of desserts? Good job everybody! There were also silent auction items and raffles, so here's hoping you happened to be one of the lucky winners who got to come home with a prize! I got lucky at their silent auction and got a nice gift for a great price, so hey, I was happy as well as plenty full, so it was a good day all the way around.

LADY MULES--Our Lady Mules basketball team has been going great guns recently, so hats off to them. Needless to say, Peyton Souvenir has been a real driving force during their wins, so her stats are very impressive. The whole team is doing great, as you can't have a good team without team players, so these girls have really come together this year. Congrats to all of them for getting out there and working hard as a complete team! I have to have my column in prior to their game on Tuesday, but here's hoping they've won that one too. State: Here they come!

ORDER BREAD/PIZZA--If you like homemade goods, like breads, cinnamon rolls and flat bread pizzas, then why not give Don and Kitty Speranza a call and get your order in for these tasty delights? In case you're new to the area, these local folks operate a great place here in Skamokawa, called the "Inn at Crippen Creek Farm" and when they aren't serving guests, they are making these breads and things for you to order by Wednesday and pick up on Friday. So, contact them at 795-0585 today, so you'll be enjoying those tasty treats next Friday!

TIME TO BOOK--It's that time of year again, when we realize that the days are going by quick and it won't be long and there will be a huge amount of events taking place and people wanting to come and stay at our wonderful places here. Needless to say, with all those folks needing a room to stay during the Dollars for Scholars Rod Run on June 3, or the Bald Eagle Days in mid-July or the Wahkiakum County Fair in mid-August, it's time to make your reservations at our various places to stay. Check out the spots at Skamokawa Vista Park, the Skamokawa Resort or the various B&B's in the area, like the one above, Inn at Lucky Mud or Twin Gables B&B. Don't delay and get left out of these local spots for your company/visiting guests to stay; they are all great!

SAD TIMES--We certainly seem to be losing a lot of long time county residents, good friends and loved ones lately and this past week was no exception with the passing of Russ Smalley and Margie Moore. We send our deepest condolences to both of these families and their many friends as well.

I've known Margie "forever" and she was just a really great person to be around. Her sudden passing must be truly devastating to her family and beings we have a link between our families, we surely understand the pain that Bob, Cheryl and Wayne (Nancy) are going through. Margie's services will be held this Saturday, Feb. 18, at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church on Puget Island at noon, with a gathering in the lower part of the church afterwards.

I also heard that former Wahkiakum High School student, Harold "Charlie" Peppers, lost his wife a couple of weeks ago, so we were sorry to hear of his loss as well. Our sympathies go out to him and all their family members.

I got a call from my sister-in-law, Peggy Pedersen and she just learned from her friend, Jeannette, of another Winlock classmate of hers that passed away, so besides Joyce Cothren, whose services were held just this past weekend, they have now lost Marian (Gilva) Ross. Condolences to all who knew her.

FIRST BIG ADVENTURES--Luke Taylor Pedersen just had his first airplane ride at the ripe old age of six weeks, as his parents, Gabe and Annie Pedersen came to visit grandparents, Mark and Rhonda Pedersen in Vancouver, as well as other family members. Then it was time to hit the road and Luke made his way to the Oregon coast for his first time at the Pacific Ocean. He won't remember all these adventures, but I'm sure his parents will! The family is heading south to meet up with Annie's family, so I'm sure they are enjoying this dry time in which to travel with their little man. If all goes as planned, I understand they plan on swinging by our area on the return trip, so it will be good to see them once again.

OUT OF THE PAST--During this same week in 1947, it was "lovely, nice, beautiful and like Spring," so it was a good weather week indeed. It was a wild baskektball game when the Mules played against Kalama that week and 700 people showed up. Sadly, the Mules lost 32 to 28 but still, it was a great game. Ralph and Elsie Everest traveled to Portland with Krist and Carol Pedersen, where they visited George Walker, Elsie's brother, in the VA hospital there. They found that he was also being visited by Fibre log buyers and their wives, which was quite nice, and thankfully, he was feeling much better, so that was good news for the family. Elsie Everest attended the Pocahontas meeting, where the group held a joint birthday party for three of its members: Matilda, Mary and Elizabeth. Of much concern to the Everests was the strike notices put on file to the federal government by the 100,000 telephone workers in 23 states.

In 1957 this week, the week began with sunny skies but frosty mornings and it was all quite lovely for three days. However, by the third day, cold rain began but quickly turned into snow and by Feb. 20, there was "snow all over the place!" Of course, it was Open House night at the Grange and nothing like a little snow kept the town from attending, so there was a great showing of people and a good time. It was Elva and Elsie to visit Myra Morgan one day and they enjoyed some homemade bread and jam, and shared a lot of laughs between the three of them. A couple of days later, it was off to the PUD building where they were having a "broiler demonstration," and then it was off to the R. Bunn house for a meeting, and Lillie Andersen was nice enough to give Grandma Elsie a ride to and from the Bunn house. It was during this week that the Roger Munson family welcomed a baby girl, which they named Gail. On that last day of this week, it began with more snow, but then turned into rain, and then a horrible wind storm came in the night. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.