Skamokawa store and Duck Inn are closed

WET ONE--This past weekend was fairly soggy and not exactly the kind of weather one wants in order to get out and take a walk to get a bit of fresh air. Hopefully the forecast of nicer days will come true and we'll all be able to get out in our yards and work a bit, although for us allergy sufferers, we have to decide between fresh air full of pollen or take more meds and hope for a clearing of our minds, and maybe our clogged noses! As the work week begins, we've had wind, rain, hail and sunshine, so I'm guessing Spring is just showing us her diversity right now, as on this Monday morning, her mood seems to change every few minutes!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 2-8 are Vaal Gribskov, Dana McClain, Marissa Longtain, Tim Parker, Kylie Thacker, Janet Bryan, Paul Vik, Patti Phillips, Ashlee Olson-Blouin, Brian Doiron, Randy Vik, Michaela Phillips, Matt Wright, Nicole Schubert, Whitley Wirkkala, Leeandra Aragon, Judy Wilde, Jean Kenner who is turning 92, Karen Bell, Nathan Pedersen, Mikayla Bell, Samantha Ahrndt and 67'er Keith Lawrence.

Belated birthday wishes go out to Peyton Helms who turned one year old last Wednesday!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mitch and Keri Moonen, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Bonny, Mr. and Mrs. Don Wages and George and Judy Bates. Have wonderful moments together this week!

FORGOT--Wow, how could I forget April Fools Day yesterday? Considering this has been a time of many trials and tribulations during this massive health scare, I'm not sure if pulling jokes on people would be well received or not. If you did pull a prank on somebody and you got a laugh, let me know; if you pulled one and it was not well received, let me know how that all came about as well. It should be interesting to hear those stories!

GOOD NEWS--Don and Kitty Speranza are the proud parents of son Mark, who was sporting a 4.0 grade average at college this semester. Mark isn't a kid anymore, but no matter your age, if you go back to school and come back with good grades, you're super pleased with yourself and one's parents are delighted as well, so good job Mark!

MORE GOOD NEWS--We were all hoping and praying that 13-year-old Greydon Luce would recover from his accident last week, and by golly, we are happy to report, that he did indeed get out of the hospital and is once again at home. In case you missed it, he had previously been life-flighted to a Portland hospital after a spill on a four wheeler, so we are thrilled to hear he has been able to come back home. Many thoughts are with him as he continues his recovery.

SAFE TRAVELS--This wasn't the best of times to be traveling across country to a new home and a new job, but grandson Kyle Sechler and wife Suzy, managed to get from Washington to Georgia without any major difficulties, although one cell phone did not fare so well! At any rate, we were very happy to learn they managed to get to Atlanta in one piece, get all their furnishings for their new place delivered and are settling in just fine. It doesn't hurt that they are away from our rain and dreariness and enjoying some sunshine and some very pleasant 70 degree temperatures.

GROWING UP--It's hard to believe, but I just got a graduation announcement from "little" Sara Buennagel, who will be graduating from President William McKinley High School in Honolulu, Hawaii this May. It hardly seems possible to comprehend, as I'm sure she's only three still; at least, it seems that way to me, and I'm sure her folks, John and Sharon are thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, with all the current restrictions, making a trip over to witness her special day won't be possible, but of course, we wish her the very best as she heads out into the big wide world! Maybe by May things will have calmed down a bit and her journey will begin on a brighter note.

CURBSIDE SERVICE--Now that our Skamokawa Store has closed, as well as the Duck Inn, we are even happier about the fact that the Cathlamet Market has offered a no contact way to provide us with groceries. Just give them a call and they will round up your order for you and bring it out to your car. Kudos to the store and all the workers there for helping us all out during this time of needing to stay home but yet, we still need some groceries now and then. You can call 360-795-3511 with your order and find out how to pay and then they'll contact you with the time that it will be ready to get picked up. Remember, try to plan ahead a bit so you aren't making multiple trips, as these workers are quite busy and helping us out as fast as possible.

RETRAIN OUR BRAINS--It's being said that most of us have been reacting to the virus in ways that are helping us avoid getting it. That's a good thing, but really, with this virus having so many days of incubation and the fact that we could actually have it for a long time before we even knew that we had it, well what we need to do is to focus our actions much differently: like, pretend we actually have it, and then act accordingly! See how that would affect your actions.

If we were to have measles or chicken pox, which are very visible, then, wouldn't we stay home? Sure we would. Unfortunately with this virus, we could indeed have it, and just have no physical signs of it, so we continue to go out and about. This is why we need to retrain our brains and stop ourselves from leaving home as much as possible. Yes, we need food and yes, we have to have our medications, but unless you are an essential worker, the rest of us can really help out by doing our part to stay put. If we stop moving around, the virus will stop traveling, so let's all try to do our very best to just stay home and see it as staying safe instead of thinking we are being forced to stay home!

GOOD REMINDER--After this is all said and done, maybe you will be more understanding of your Mom, Dad, Grandma or Grandpa that may have been placed in a nursing home and you've always been too busy to ever go by and visit. Maybe you're getting a taste of how they felt just having to sit there day after day with no one to talk to. You might even understand why your pets act the way they do. Just maybe this isolation routine may be a real wake up call for us all!

PREPPERS--By the way, for all of you who were making fun of the "doomsday preppers," just remember, they didn't have to run out and panic buy anything, as they had already been prepared for times like this. A big pat on the back goes to all of you who were prepared with weeks of everything to survive these troubling days, which as we can see, can happen at the drop of a hat. Those who grew gardens and canned their food and those who raised their own animals or went hunting and had plenty of meat on hand, I applaud you as well. It's the preppers and the survivalists of this world who will not be out panic shopping and spreading this virus, so hats off to you for your preparedness!

Of course, had this time of isolation occurred due to an earthquake, I hope you know, that there would have been no running to the store for supplies as roads would have been buckled and trees and power lines down, etc., so this is just one more lesson for us to remember, as we just never know when our world can be turned upside down in an instant.

DOING THEIR PART--Former residents Phil and Nancy Corbin, are pretty proud of their family members, as their daughter is a nurse and working long hours during this medical crisis, and their son Frank has a wife and a daughter who are also nurses and working hard too. So, we want to thank them for their long days and sacrifices, as well as all the folks we know in our own area who put themselves at risk to save others. Doctors and nurses are true heroes during this difficult time.

However, let's not forget to say "Thank you" to all the essential workers out there, which includes everyone from the store clerks, to the stock personnel, to the clean up crews, to the truckers and everybody that is still providing services for us. We are so very grateful for all that you are doing!