Redmen Hall to close for winter on December 18

COLD ENOUGH?--We've dried out recently but with that dryness came some bone-chilling temperatures here in our neck of the woods. I am not a lover of the 20-something temps but I have loved the blue sky and sunshine that warmed things up to the 40s! I hope you're all faring well during this bitter cold and you've taken the proper steps to insure that you don't freeze up around your house and your animals are tended to accordingly. Considering the fires raging in California and the snowy conditions in many parts of the midwest and south and northeast, I guess we can't complain much. Considering Valdez, Alaska was getting 10 inches of snow an hour at one point, I'm more than happy to be dealing with our kind of weather!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Dec. 14-20 are Abby Buennagel, Breanna Smith, Eileen Duffy-Tietje, Jim Webb, Melanie Quigley, Angel Brown, Riley Brown, Kristen Souvenir, Hilary Price, Jimmie Lou Cleveland, Sandy Bergseng, Erik Anderson, Kellie Kay Masters, Ron Hendrickson, Rhiana Hendrickson, Donna Olsen, Kimmie Wright, Zachary Stewart, Barbara Moore Johnson and 67'ers Don Seaberg, Elaine Rolf and Sharon Servis.

Those with anniversaries this week are Brian and Misty Havens and Roger and Jo Reed. Enjoy your special days everybody!

REMINDER--Just a quick reminder that the services for Wade Parker will be held this Saturday at 2 p.m., at the niche at the Greenwood Cemetery in Cathlamet. Again, our condolences to his entire family.

FOS--The Friends of Skamokawa would also like to remind you that this is their weekend prior to closing for the winter, so be sure to head up to the River Life Interpretive Center and Gift Shop in the old Central School/Redmen Hall while they are still having their Holiday Open House. They will be open this Thursday (today) through Sunday, Dec. 17, noon to four, so go up and catch a look-see at all the handiwork of the various crafts people and other artisans that we have around here! If you'd like more information, contact the hall at 360-795-3007.

GOOD NEWS--I was so pleased to hear that my cousin, Donna Healy Palmer, is now doing better and while she's out of the hospital, she's still in a rehab center, but she's doing much better. Thanks so much for all the prayers said on her behalf. We are all hoping she'll be able to come home for Christmas as she's already been allowed to have a day pass and spent some time away from the center, so that's very encouraging news indeed!

Also, Susan McClain Kuhn had a knee injury but it is now feeling much better, so that was good news.

NOT SO GREAT--On the flip side of good news, was that my neighbor, Jamie Kincaid, had a little incident which involved a horse, and wound up with a very swollen knee. Thankfully nothing was broken, but I know first-hand how those knee injuries go and while they may not be broken, they are still very painful and certainly slow a person down. We wish her speedy healing and a full recovery real soon!

I also heard that a former Wahkiakum County resdient, Kelly Nettles Recupero, is under the weather with the flu, which certainly is no fun. We hope that by the time St. Nick is due in her town in Australia, that she'll be feeling much better!

ELEVEN DAYS--The countdown to Christmas is definitely on its way, and I'm hoping everyone is enjoying all the tree trimming and the baking and all that goes into making the holidays merry and bright. Giving to others is also a wonderful way to share in the fun of Christmas, so please do so if you can. However, if you're not able to actually give a monetary or other physical gift, remember that being kind to someone, or sharing a smile or giving a hug doesn't cost a thing and that it just may be the special gift that someone is needing right now. Most importantly, don't forget to give yourself a KISS this Christmas: "Keep It Simple Silly!" (Some say "Stupid," but I find that just a tadbit harsh.) At any rate, here's to making some more wonderful holiday memories in the days ahead!

LOOKING AHEAD--After all the Christmas hoopla is over, there will be plenty of New Year's Eve parties going on, but after that, a good chunk of us will be ready to put aside the turkeys and the ham and have ourselves some fun cracking crab and busting open those succulent oysters! The annual American Legion Crab & Oyster Feed will be held at the Rosburg Hall on January 27, so don't miss out on this really fun event! If you haven't been there before, there's raffle prizes, live music and all that delicious crab and tasty oysters, so mark that down on your calendar today. You'll also need to bring your own crab cracking and oyster shucking tools. Contact Dale Rose or Ken Elliott for more information.