Writer offers comments on life in Wahkiakum

To The Eagle:

After reading the letter from Elizabeth Brinker of June 21, I would like to address some of her issues with our little piece of heaven and the Grays River Valley, in particular. She did get two things right, it is beautiful where we live and, yes, everyone should ask questions, speak their minds and vote for new ideas and responsible leadership.

Lack of compassion for animals? In my years here, I have witnessed nothing like she alludes to. Unlike the city where people dump or lose animals all the time, they get picked up by animal control and euthanized instead of finding the owners or new homes, in our community those animals are picked up by locals, returned to their owners or to a local no kill shelter. Neighbors help each other out here. “Dead cows for days?” I personally think our local farmers take much more care with their animals than to leave a dead one lying in the field unless there were extenuating circumstances. Did she try to contact the farmer, or the dog owners?

“People don’t understand that guns are lethal?” Of course they do. Most families hunt, target practice and teach their children how to use firearms safely. Guns help put food on many tables around here and if you can’t shoot straight you could go hungry. Our kids and grandkids all learned gun safety at early ages and personally I think it should be something taught in schools, respect and responsibility for shooting firearms is a no brainer.

My advice to newcomers is to not abandon their logic or rationale, but to try and understand the long standing ideals of the locals. Why put your values and insinuations on everyone else who has lived here long before you? The history here is long and hard fought for, by the generations before us. They have made it a place for those looking for serenity and beauty to enjoy and they aren’t ready to accommodate the notions of newcomers who love the beauty but still want the luxuries and services they left behind after moving here, and strive to make it a part of our lives whether we want it or not.

With regard to civility and peace, we are closer to it here than where she came from.

I have only lived here for 18 years and still consider myself “a newcomer,” mainly because I don’t have deep roots (generations of family) yet. But I hope someday there will be, on this historical piece of property that I love.

Trudy L. Fredrickson

Grays River