Saturday is Veterans Day and Fair Flea Market

CHILLY OUT--Last week ended quite wet and a bit chilly, and for some areas to the north of us, as well as in the mountains, the "white stuff" was falling! Classmate, Greg Lloyd, said it was snowing pretty good up there in Everett and others said it was getting quite white out, to which I responded with a "Keep it up there please" request! I hope you used that extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning to snuggle down under the covers and stay warm!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 9-15 are Jordyn Kattari, Jonnie Knowles, Pat Ohrberg, Mark Helms, Ashley Helms, Tiffany Tischer, Jeff Hedges, Shannon Moore, Jeannine Moore, Ray Lindsey, Ty Briscoe, Virgil Cothren, Mike Parker, Jasmin Brown, Andrew Prestegard, Lynda Jensen, Roberta Trotter, Zachary Stewart, Denise Fuller, James Pedersen, Julianne Bell and LuAnn Davison. Belated birthday wishes to Kaden Chevalier, who is Kerrie McNally's grandson, and to April Murdock who celebrated her day last Sunday; sorry I missed them!

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Garland Budd and to Jim and Karen Blain. Enjoy your special days everyone!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The free movie this week at the Community Center in Cathlamet is a comedy. Movies always start at 7 p.m., and come with free popcorn or you could bring your own. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

MULES--The final game of the Mules football season didn't wind up quite like they wanted it to, as they took a big hit from the visiting Rainier Mountaineers last Friday. However, the Mules had a good season and have many reasons to be proud of their team this year. Congratulations for giving Coach Hansen his 100th win and being good examples of the word team. I know that for all the seniors and their parents, it's a bittersweet time for you, but try and remember the good times and you'll always have some great memories to share later on in your life.

THIS SATURDAY--It is the monthly Flea Market time at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds this Saturday, so don't miss out on any treasures that they may have for you. They are open from 9 to 3, and there are many vendors who are selling a wide array of items. They hope to see you there!

OVER THE HILL--It will be time to head to the Rosburg Hall on Saturday morning, Nov. 11, as it's time for their annual American Legion Breakfast at the Rosburg Hall. Contact Ken Elliott at 360-465-2274 for further details.

VETS--This Saturday is also Veteran's Day and we want to recognize all of our Veterans out there! We truly appreciate all those men and women, both past and present, for their service to our country.

HAD FUN--It was work but it was also fun, as the lefse makers were out in force at the Norse Hall during this past week. Leroy and Dawn Wika didn't mind spending their anniversary with us, as Dawn was rolling dough and Leroy was keeping busy at the griddle, as he browned up those rounds perfectly! Linda Wright made sure she made more lefse recipe copies to hand out as many of the newbies wanted to try it out at home, after watching first-hand how it was all done. Virginia Ostling was head chef in the kitchen when it came to making the dough, but quickly took several others under her wing, as Mary Gustafson and yours truly were making the dough for the first time. Linda had done this before and Maureen Zacher-Bockius seemed to know her way around the whole operation pretty well. Sue Bussone Johnson was rolling and frying and stepping in wherever needed and Jan Silvestri is always trying to handle four griddles at a time, as well as keeping the rest of us in line, as Fred Ostling, Cheryl Nelson, Dawn W., Karen Healy, Sue J. and Mary G. took turns rolling out the dough.

By Saturday morning, there were as many sore muscles as there were new people coming to check out the whole process again. When Earl Johnson showed up with several of his kids, I thought they'd just watch for a bit and then take off, but oh no, they were hands on in every aspect of the lefse making. It was wonderful to interact with these kids who had such a terrific work ethic already; how refreshing! For many of us, we know Earl from Naselle's only gas station, as he owns "Johnsons' One Stop" station. There were many others who stopped by to check out how the lefse was made and several others helped out that day and we truly enjoyed and appreciated all their help!

BINGO--Speaking of the Norse Hall, the members of the Sons of Norway will hold their monthly bingo games on Saturday evening, Nov. 11, so if you'd like to buy some of the Norwegian goodies, you could come and play a few games of bingo and buy some lefse, etc., at the same time! Bingo is held in the lower level of the Norse Hall and the doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the games beginning at 6 p.m. Cash prizes are awarded so come on over to the hall and try your luck at winning a little extra cash for the holidays and get some tasty goodies for the upcoming holiday season at the same time!

MUSEUM--The Wahkiakum County Historical Society will hold their annual membership meeting and luncheon on Nov. 11, so if you're a member, you're asked to join them that day. They will meet at the Julia Butler Hansen house and will begin with the luncheon about 11 a.m., and that will be followed by a business meeting.

ST. JAMES--For one day only, the St. James Family Center will be the place to be as they hold their annual St. James Christmas Bazaar, entitled, "A Country Christmas." This will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For those of you who are new to the area, the center is located at 1134 Columbia Street. This event has everything, from lunch with clam chowder, chili, hot dogs and more on the menu, to live music, featuring the WHS Choir from 11 to noon and then Fred Carter who sings along with his guitar from 1 to 3. There are going to be all kinds of homemade items for sale, with jewelry, soaps, art works of all kinds, crocheted items and more. There are eight large raffle baskets to try and win and you don't need to be present to win. One of the great things for the little ones, is the Children's Christmas Store, which lets kids 12 and under go in and buy things in the store for their loved ones, with nothing costing over a dollar, with a limit of five items. Santa's helpers will assist them with wrapping things up, so no adults are allowed in the store while the kids shop! We urge all of you to enjoy/support the bazaar as the proceeds go towards the St. James Family Center's programs for children and their families; a good cause indeed!

FOS--The following week, it will be time to enjoy the River Life Interpretive Center's wide display of many artisans and craftsmen, as these vendors will be showing off all their skills and hoping you'll take some of their works home with you. There is a wide array of items for sale, from cards to soaps and everything in between. The Friends of Skamokawa hope you'll come and check out their historic building (Central School/Redmen Hall) while it is all decked out in its holiday glory! Plus, they hope you take home local items to surprise your loved ones on Christmas morning. The holiday Open House begins on Friday, Nov. 24. Contact the hall for more information at 360-795-3007.

CHRISTMAS PARTY--As always, the Sons of Norway will host their annual Children's Christmas Party on the first Sunday in December, which will be Sunday, Dec. 3 this year, beginning at 2 p.m., and ending at 4. If you've got a little one, bring them over to the Norse Hall for a visit and a picture taking opportunity with Santa, and a fun time with coloring, writing letters to Santa, decorating cookies and more! This party is for children up to 10 years old. For further information, or if you'd like to help out, contact Karen Healy at 360-849-4411 or 360-431-4159 or Linda Wright at 360-749-7416.

SAD NEWS--There's been some sad times lately with a couple more losses since last week. One of those was Bill Munson, brother of a classmate of mine, Elaine Rolf, and who I've known since we were all little kids. He stopped by the 50th reunion of the Class of 1967 last July, so I was quite surprised to learn of his passing. He will have a military burial service at the Greenwood Cemetery in Cathlamet on Friday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m., with a Celebration of Life gathering (potluck) the next day, Nov. 11 in Kelso at the Family Healing Center, located at 1517 N. 4th Avenue. We send our sympathies to his siblings and his children and extended family members and friends.

We were also sad to have learned of the passing of Wayne Olsen last week, who was a member of the Wahkiakum High School Class of 1967. Wayne was an Army veteran and had joined the service with a couple of local boys, Greg Lloyd and Skip Irving, and who all moved to Denver, Colorado when they got out of the service for about a year. After that, they all went their separate ways but they still had ties to home and each other. We send our condolences to Wayne's family members and to his close friends. I understand there will be a gathering in Wayne's memory at a later date, yet to be announced.

NEW ADDITIONS--I got a nice update from former "slough rat" and classmate, Greg Lloyd and while he is saddened by the passing of many of our loved ones and fellow classmates, he also said he is witness to the cycle of life in his family, and so he is joyous in the fact that we can carry on and be happy for those coming into our world. Recently, he became an uncle once again, when his brother Dan's girls welcomed new babies into their households. It seems Dan and Barb Lloyd became the grandparents of Callie Lynn last Sunday, when their oldest daughter, Angie and husband, Shea had this new baby girl, who joins sister, Maddie. Then Dan's youngest daughter, Kari and husband, Ian, welcomed a baby boy, Blake Thomas into their lives just recently, so with a couple of new babies in their lives in less than a month, they are certainly happy and of course, Christmas will be even more fun with the little ones around! Congratulations to the grandparents, parents and to Uncle Greg and Aunt Cindy as well!