Numerous people are gone, but will be remembered

WET/COLD--We ended one year and began another with a couple of things in common: they were both freezing cold and they both delivered outstanding sunrises and sunsets, and I mean just extrodinarily gorgeous ones! I was happy to see the 20 degree temperatures go away, but I was wishing that the warmer temperatures didn't come with quite so much rain, but that's the way it goes around here. Of course, as we started this work week, we began with some heavy sleet in some areas, which caused school to open a little late, and caused some very dicey situations.

PREPARED?--Beings winter has just begun, and weather conditions can wreak havoc of various kinds out here in the country, I hope everyone has gotten their emergency preparations taken care of, which includes extra food, fuel and all other supplies one might need in case you wind up house-bound for a bit! In case you hadn't heard, the three day (72 hours) kit that had been recommended, has been extended. Some said you should have a week worth of supplies, whereas others said two weeks.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Jan 10-16 are Jason Rainey, Vanessa McClain, Kara McNally, Jan Silvestri, Kim Webb, Russ Durrah, Roy LaBerge, Frank Strueby, Patty Calvert, Bill Mahitka, Ryan Burdick, Criss Luthi, Holly Lindsey, Joey Moore, Cindy Lloyd, Elaine Robinson, JoAnne Poppe, Jerod Moore, Holly Pedersen Norton, Ty Finkas and 67'ers Ed Bussone and Enid Fountain.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Gary Bergseng and Mr. and Mrs. Glen Holt. May all of your special occassions be as special as all of you are!

FRIDAY MOVIE--The movie being shown on Jan. 11 at 7 p.m., is a drama/comedy suited for adults. Contact the center for the title. No children are allowed to attend on their own if they are under 12, and all movies come with free popcorn along with the free admission.

PROUD FOLKS--Local owners/operators of the Inn at Crippen Creek Farm, Don and Kitty Speranza, are quite excited and proud of their son, Dave, as it seems he will be on a music tour in the United Kingdom this coming month, with "Sam Reider and the Human Hands." I understand they make some fantastic music together, so if you happen to be "jumping the pond" this month, you could check them out on Jan. 19 in London, Jan. 20 in Whitstable, Jan. 25 in Glasgow and Jan. 26 in Barton. While Don might just be a little biased, (he assures us he's not!), he says this group is amazing! Good luck and happy touring to Dave and the rest of the group members!

SAID GOOD-BYE--It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of one of Skamokawa's well known gentlemen, Hoby (Hobart) Thacker. His passing on Dec. 22 wasn't known to me until after my column for the prior week was already due, so I didn't get a chance to mention it prior to his services, which were held this past Saturday, Jan. 5 at the Skamokawa Methodist Church. Hoby was well known for having "Hoby's Store," which is now the Skamokawa Resort's General Store, but to all of us who have been here awhile, well, we often refer to it as "Hoby's." However, those who grew up here probably still call it Silverman's! At any rate, Hoby was just a really lovable guy and everyone I've talked to recently seemed to agree...."nice guy, friendly guy, great guy, wonderful man" and so on. Hoby recently turned 95 and while I hadn't talked to him recently, the last time I did, he may have been in a wheel-chair but he was still perky and definitely still the same friendly, nice guy we all had come to know. Our sincerest condolences to his family which includes his two sons, Pat and Mike and daughter, Linda as well as a brother, Jim, with many grandchildren and great grandchildren and other extended family members. If you'd like to make a donation in Hoby's name, you can send it to the Sk. Methodist Church.

MORE LOSSES--It was sad to hear of the passing of Rick Sedy, who just recently died from injuries he suffered in a terrible accident involving the dump truck that he was driving which crashed near Carrolls. He operated his own business, Richard Sedy Trucking LLC and he was well known by many and was a close friend of former resident, Mike Phelps Curry. We certainly send our condolences to all of his family members and close friends.

I also heard from Linda Boldt Larsen, that her nephew, John Boldt Jr. recently passed away, and the young man was only in his 30s, so that's always extra sad. We send our sincerest sympathies to Linda and her family.

Also, many of us who have been around awhile, will remember Dewey Smith who worked in the doctor's office in Cathlamet alongside the Avalons for years, and you may have known his wife, Jean, as she worked at the Pharmacy for a long time. While they may be already gone, we just heard that their son, Scott recently passed away as well and we send our condolences to his family.

SERVICES--The late wife of Wahkiakum High School alumni, Wayne Gross, Sharon, will be remembered at a Celebration of Life, potluck gathering this Saturday, January 12, from 1 to 4 p.m. This will be held at the American Legion #155 in Longview, which is located at 1250 12th. Again, our condolences to Wayne and the rest of his and Sharon's family members.

In case you missed the notice, Robert E. Wegdahl passed away on Dec. 23 and a celebration of life gathering will be held for him at a later date. However, if you'd like to make a donation in his name, you can make it in care of the American Legion #155, at the address in the above paragraph.

GET WELL--There have been a host of folks under the weather lately so I'd like to send some "Get Well/Feel Better Soon" wishes to Dawn Macchionie who has had the flu, Sherry Stewart who is recovering from some surgery, Kay Cochran who has not been well lately, and some other folks who wish not to be named but are dealing with a variety of health concerns. We trust you'll find comfort in knowing that there are many people thinking of you and hoping your conditions are improving.

FIRE--We certainly feel for Bob and Sabrina McNally as they had a fire at their home in Cathlamet at the end of the year and of course, they have suffered a lot of loss due to the fire, smoke and water damage. They could certainly use the community's help right now, so if you could help out, that would be great. If you're one of those people who gets on Facebook or does things online, like donating to a GoFundMe account, you can donate to them that way or they have been registered at Target, so that you'd know exactly what they need and can choose to purchase something there for them. All help would be appreciated.

NEW LOOK--I got to see the WHS Mule Wrestling team's new uniforms and I thought they were just totally awesome! Very artistic and eye-catching and I'm sure all the wrestlers are enjoying this new look!

The Mule teams have been having some ups and downs, but these days, as long as I don't hear of an injury, I'm just happy they were able to participate in a sport and are representing our school in a positive way. Kudos to all of the kids on our various WHS teams, as we all know they work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to be on them. Go Mules!

BIRTHDAY PARTY--On Dec. 29, a couple dozen of my family members and friends met in Longview to celebrate Frank Pedersen's 80th birthday. Frank just happens to be my only living (full blooded) brother so it was pretty special and I was glad we got to celebrate his special day. We had wanted it to be a "fake family reunion-surprise birthday party" but that didn't really work out but oh well, it turned out okay anyway! His wife Carolyn, had suggested the guests bring a pair of socks for the birthday boy as kind of a gag gift, as beings his birthday was so close after Christmas, he always complained that while growing up this was all he ever got for his birthday. Needless to say, it was kind of fun as he opened bag after bag, and we just slammed him with socks! I made sure that he got a nice pair of Husky socks, as two of his kids graduated from UW, so I knew he'd like those. Several family members couldn't attend due to being out of town or having had recent surgery, or had to work, etc., but we were happy to see cousin Dave Pedersen come down from Seattle, as well as Pete and Katie Sechler.

We found out that Frank and Carolyn's daughter, Cindi, would soon be heading to live in Germany for a couple of years, so we were happy to gab a bit with her before she joined her other half, Jeff, way over yonder! She told us that they are trying to find an apartment with a kitchen, as it seems that many German citizens take them with them when they move! Now that was news to me, but it seems they are moveable/removable things and are just swapped out; how interesting.

We also found out that the Gabe Pedersens will be adding another family member this year, so that's exciting news. We can only hope that Gabe and Annie's son, Luke, who celebrated his second birthday the same day as his great uncle, will be as excited!

NEW YEAR'S EVE--While many folks were out celebrating the New Year in various places, this writer was home on the couch and watching some of the festivities on the television and then listening to all the "booms" in the neighborhood at midnight. I swear, somebody lit off a stick of dynamite, as one boom was louder than all the rest! We all know that the cows and horses nearby are not too fond of that kind of noise and are prone to spooking, which could cause them a lot of harm if they tried to jump a fence or a creek to get away from it all, so luckily it didn't last too long. At any rate, we hope you had a good time New Year's Eve and we can all hope and pray for a better year ahead, as this has been a pretty rough one for a lot of people.