Easter will be celebrated very differently this year

STARTING OFF--As this week began, we actually had a pretty nice day this last Sunday. At least it was decent enough here to get the lawn mowed and do a lot of other outside things, so that certainly helped with our cabin fever and kept us occupied during this time when everyone is being asked to stay home. From the looks of it, we may actually have a pretty dry week, although I always expect that forecast to change without warning! At any rate, very warm temperatures during the week, so let's hope this nice forecast comes true, as it was a tadbit nippy last week, like with night time freezing; brr! We are all ready for the sunshine and warmth.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 9-15 are Andrew Emlen, Brent Mahitka, Bryan Ledtke, Kael McKinley, Wendy Westover, Rafael Gilbertson, Janna Doumit, Pat Dennis, Trygve Gilbertson, Patrick Thacker, Nikki Danker, Sara Brown, Mike Crouse, Chris Doumit, Hudson Heiner, Aspen Cothren, Savannah Burdick, Stephanie Olsen, Phil Doumit, Sean Miller, Janine Helms, Sylvia Blix Link, Misty Shook, Carolyn Pedersen and 67'er Sherrolin Mace Powell.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Greg Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Tim Parker and Mr. and Mrs. Mike Johnson.

Here's hoping all your special days are able to be made special in spite of the current conditions. Thank goodness for social media, Skype and Facetime, etc., as connections from afar can still be made during this "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" time! It's not the same as being together but for now, it will have to do.

NEW ADDITION--Our family added a new member to our list last week, as Ty and Kendra (Kincaid) Finkas welcomed a new baby boy on April 2. Yay! The little guy wasn't all that little, as he was eight pounds and one ounce and was 20 inches long, and his name is Barrett. He joins his older brother, Jensen at their home in Longview. The baby being born on this day, meant that my brother and his wife, Frank and Carolyn Pedersen, not only have a grandson who was born on April 2, Nathan Pedersen, but now they have a great grandson born on the exact same day; double celebration indeed! Congratulations to Ty and Kendra and "Welcome to the Family" little guy! We can hardly wait to meet you first hand.

HOLIDAY--If you're reading this on Thursday, then you know that today is Passover, and tomorrow is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter. Beings we are supposed to be practicing "social distancing," this means our Easter dinners are only to include those that live in our house, which could mean a pretty small group for dinner this year. On the bright side, that would mean no massive amounts of cooking, house cleaning or kitchen cleanup will need to be done, so while we may miss our big family gatherings, it's the best Easter gift you could give yourself right now; distance and good health!

NEW POSTMASTER--I understand that we have a new Postmaster in Cathlamet with over 20 years of experience and we'd like to welcome her to our area. If you happen to be down at the Cathlamet post office, we hope you will say hi to Patty Palmer, and we hope she enjoys her job here in our little county!

NEED HELP?--Some folks are afraid to go out to the grocery stores right now, or maybe they have no way to get there, so if you or somebody you know needs a bit of help, there's a solution for you. The Wahkiakum Lions Club is offering Helping hands for free grocery delivery to your home. You can call them at 971-278-1495 or email them at wahkiakumlionsclubhelpinghands@gmail.com for the details. Here's hoping they can be your "legs" and "wheels" when it comes to getting you the groceries that you need.

CURBSIDE SERVICES--Also, don't forget that you can contact the Cathlamet Market (36-795-3511) or the Cathlamet Pharmacy (360-795-3691) and arrange to have your needed items brought right out to your vehicle. That's definitely a good way to get the your neccesary items and not have to go inside either store during this time of social distancing.

MOTHER ASKS FOR HELP--Jonnie Lawson Knowles has asked me to spread the word about providing masks for her daughter, Kristi, who is a paramedic and firefighter in Florida. It seems that they could use some of those homemade masks and so if you or your group can sew, Jonnie would surely appreciate the help. I know that my neighbor, Amy Hone has already donated some but hopefully others can do so as well. You can contact Jonnie by phone at 360-795-3946 or by email: jonnik47@hotmail.com and you can talk things over about what she needs, how to get them picked up, mailed, etc. Thanks to all those who are helping!

DEVASTATING NEWS--We were so shocked and saddened by the news that a former Island girl, and former Wah. Co. dispatcher, Kelly Nettles Recupero passed away in Australia this last week. Our hearts just ache at the loss of this sweet, much loved and wonderful daughter to Mary, sisters to Terri and Kim, wife of Louis in Australia, mother to Kristina and Bryce and grandmother, not to mention a real jewel to all her many other family members and good friends. There are no words to express how sad we all are, but we offer our sincerest condolences to all of Kelly's family during this extremely difficult time.

MORE LOSSES--Not only did we get the sad news about Kelly but we also found out that long time resident, Cora Irving, passed away this past week as well. According to daughter, Sheryl, her Mom passed away on April 2 and she would have been 94 in September. She and her husband Tom have been here "forever" and Tom, who is now 97 plus, survives her at home. We send our sympathies to their entire family.

ANOTHER LOSS--April 2 was also a sad day for the Good family, as Harvey Good of Kelso, passed away that day as well. Harvey would have been 86 years old a little later on this year and leaves behind his wife, Shirley, of almost 58 years, as well as several daughters and many other family members, including a brother, Arnold of Lexington. Our deepest sympathies go out to Shirley and the rest of the family.

CHALLENGING TIMES--These are challenging times and I'm sure none of us had any idea that our lifestyles would change so drastically and oh so quickly from just a month ago. Many folks are comparing our "Stay Home/Stay Healthy" order to a quarantine, but I hate to tell you, they are vastly different. If you are a person who is truly quarantining yourself in your home, then kudos to you, but for the most part, there are still many people who are going out and about. Trust me, under a strict and true quarantine, that would not be allowed.

Currently all of us non-essential people are allowed to go to the store and go to get our medications, etc., but we are encouraged to make these shopping times as brief and as infrequent as possible. It helps by planning ahead for at least a week and buy what you need but if you do go inside a store, it's not a time to wander around "shopping." Just buy what's on your list and leave. More and more of the bigger stores are beginning to limit the amount of people they allow in at one time, so the others will be waiting outside for their turn, so please be considerate and get your things and leave so someone else can come in. This is not the time to use the store as a place to socialize and this certainly shouldn't be the time or place for a family outing.

With a second person being diagnosed with COVID-19 in our county, I would implore you to rethink some of your habits and change them in order to keep you and your family safe. If we do have to go out, we are being advised to wear a mask, and be sure to wash our hands often and use hand sanitizers in between. C'mon folks, we can do this!