Food banks are all open for those in need

MIXED BAG--Last Friday saw us enjoying a truly stunning day with temperatures reaching in the mid-70s and boy, that was nice! But, what a difference a few hours makes, as we woke up Saturday morning to a cloudy and damp morning. It wasn't a whole lot of rain but it dampened things down a bit, so the pollen wasn't so thick, the dust wasn't blowing around and I think all the plants and freshly mowed grasses all enjoyed the "drink" they got. Beings we had dry weather by Saturday afternoon, folks were still able to get out and about, so it wasn't too bad of a day really. This work week began dry and sunny so I'm hoping you've been enjoying the sunshine as the current forecast is showing that we may have quite a few days of rain coming. While that might not make everybody happy, it's actually a good thing for our high level of fire danger right now and for the newly planted gardens as well.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 23-29 are Nathan Kincaid, Emma Helms, Susan Kuhn, Marie Allen, Macie Helms-Masterson, Alyanna Brown, Mike Snow, Kent Martin, Kelly McClain, Debbie McClain, Shannon McClain, Devyn Lindsey, Delaney Doumit, Seth Doumit, Sarah Doumit, Anita Hoven, Carol Danker, Carrie Backman, Caren Chandler, Darren Olsen, Jenna Engle, Mike Swift, Shawn Woods, Tom Blalock, Max Scudder, Aaron Bernard and Olive Zickefoose.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Mr. and Mrs. Kent Martin, Ed and Nancy Granger, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Paulsen, Mr. and Mrs. Justin Robert and Robert and Melody Blain will be celebrating 25 years this week, so congrats to them. Enjoy your special days, everybody!

NEW ADDITION--This family couldn't be more excited, as the most recent member of the family finally decided to show up and make me a great grandma for the very first time! Mr. Kaiden Emmett Good came into this world last Thursday at the stroke of midnight, April 16 and this dark haired, round faced, thumb sucking little guy truly made his Mom, Nicole and Dad, Austin Good, absolutely thrilled! Needless to say, we offer up our heartiest "Congratulations" to the new parents. This baby boy wasn't so little either as he weighed in at eight pounds and was just 18½ inches long, so he truly was a little chunk, but a most welcomed one for sure! His appearance made Felicitie Knight and Brian Good grandparents for the first time as well, so a lot of firsts happened last Thursday. The happy couple and their new baby boy are making their home in Rock Springs, Wyoming so it may be awhile before his grandparents and this great grandma get to visit, especially during this restricted travel time. Virtual hugs and kisses is all we can send for now, but we are ever so happy for the technology that has at least allowed us to see this latest bundle of joy right away!

GET WELL--We'd like to give a "Get Well" shout out to our friend, Johnnie Peyrollaz, as he took a fall recently and broke his hip. Having this happen is bad enough in good times, but during this time of restrictions due to the virus concerns, it makes things extra tough as his wife, Cloida and family could not be with him.

Just a reminder to all of us to try and stay accident free right now, as it's really a very poor time to have to be hospitalized. Take care, everyone!

BACK HOME--Speaking of being in the hospital, we were happy to see that Linda Elliott posted that her hubby, Brian, is back home again after having to have surgery. Linda wasn't allowed to be there during his stay, so I'm sure she was very relieved and happy to finally be able to go and pick him up and as everybody knows, there's just "no place like home!" Sending out more "stay well, get better every day" wishes to Brian as he continues to recuperate.

NOT MUCH--As our state is still supposed to be on the "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order during this COVID-19 pandemic, it goes without saying that pretty much all of the planned events and gatherings for this month and even the next, have been canceled. This includes the "Tidy up the Town" event for Cathlamet that was scheduled for this Saturday. I guess everyone will just have to put all their energy into cleaning up their own lawns and flower beds and make their neighborhoods look good, and then when the "all clear" happens, it will be time to bring in the troops and spruce up the town!

MUSEUM--Our Wahkiakum County Historical Society has also had to postpone their opening of our local museum in Cathlamet, which usually occurs during the first weekend in May. However, with the state's mandatory closure of non-essential businesses until May 4, that usual opening wouldn't be possible. With no guarantee that our closures might be lifted, the WCHS board opted to refrain from posting an opening date, and will just remain closed until they are given the green light to open.

Needless to say, not being able to open and bring in revenue is truly a hardship for our museum, so if you'd like to help them out with a donation, you can mail one to: WCHS - 65 River Street - Cathlamet, WA 98612.

THINGS TO DO--In spite of all the places we can't go or the things we can't do right now, there are still plenty of things that many of us can still do. Some of these things are indoor things during the cooler, damper days, like tackling those stacks of photos with no names on them; or making some homemade cards for a loved one that would love to get some "happy" mail; or rearranging the pantry or other kitchen areas. It's also a great time to do that spring cleaning so you could go through your closets and give those clothing items you no longer wear to the local clothing bank. We have one located just to your left as you head up Fern Hill Road in Cathlamet, which is the first left turn after you go east past Gragg's market. Actually, the list of to do things is endless, from reading a good book to working on puzzles or writing down your family history or little tidbits of interesting things your grandkids may not know about you and might never know if something happened to you. It's amazing how many questions we seem to have after someone has passed away, like what was their favorite color or flower and what was it like on their wedding day, etc. So, this is a great time to ask those questions or jot that information down in a booklet somewhere.

For those of us with yards, there is rarely a day that couldn't be spent trimming a bush, weeding a flower bed or planting some seeds to make a new flower bed, or planting some things for a vegetable garden. If you're handy with a hammer and nails, you could make a planter box or a birdhouse, or just take a walk through your neighborhood and gather ideas from what others have done. While there is a lot of negativity going around while we are social distancing, our kids and our pets are loving the fact that they get some much needed extra attention for a change, so, here's to focusing on the things we can do, while staying safe for ourselves, as well as for others. Let's hope the coming month of May finds our country "on the mend."

FOOD BANKS--Just in case you didn't know, and are truly in need of food, we have several food banks in our county. You will need to contact them to see if you are elgible to benefit from these programs but it would be worth your while to find out if you are indeed struggling to feed your family right now.

The Wahkiakum Food Bank is located at 42 Elochoman Valley Road and is open on Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m. You can call 360-795-3407 for more information.

On Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, there is a food bank located at St. Catherine's Church at 400 Columbia Street, and you can call 360-795-8725 if you'd like to see what their requirements are.

On Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., you could go to the Helping Hand food bank at the Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 3 Fern Hill Road, Cathlamet but you'll need to call ahead at 360-749-3511 to make sure you qualify and to arrange for you to get things brought out to your car.

On the west side of KM, you have the West End Food Pantry that is located at Johnson Park at 30 Rosburg School Road, and they are open on Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m., and can be reached by calling 360-465-2722.

As always, we hope that only those who are truly in need will use these resources, as we are a small community/county with limited resources. If you'd like to help out some of these food banks and make a donation to help fill their shelves at ths time, I'm sure they would appreciate a call from you.

Do you need help in getting these groceries? The Wahkiakum Lions Club members are offering to deliver food to you for free, so if you're unable to drive, your car is broke down, or for some other reason, give them a call and they'll see if they can't get you the food you need. Call 971-278-1495 or email them at wahkiakumlionsclubhelpinghands@gmail.com.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, the last week of April started off nice, then got cold and wet and even hailed one day, but ended up nice the last couple of days. Some areas back in the Everests' former home state of Minnesota were having terrible flooding, which only got worse and more widespread as the week went by. The local PTA put on a really nice Variety Show at the grade school and Mary Mason and Grandma Elsie went together and had a really enjoyable time. The following evening, the Rebekahs got together and had a birthday party for O'Dessa and the group gave her a lovely purse as a gift. The Wests invited the Everests for dinner and they had a very enjoyable evening.

In 1960 the week began wet but got nicer after a few days. The big event this week was the 25th anniverary party held for Krist and Carol (Everest) Pedersen at the First Lutheran Church on Welcome Slough on Puget Island. There were 150 people in attendance and included three ministers. Reverends Edwin Peterson, Elmer Strand and John Turner. Mr. Julius Wendt was the master of ceremonies and Mrs. Wendt read a poem that was given to Carol by her Mother, Elsie, on their wedding day. An organ solo was played by Mrs. Hans Fluckiger, Jr., and a piano solo was performed by their daughter, Kay Pedersen, while a vocal solo was performed by Mrs. Norman Nepsund (Frana) accompanied by Mrs. Fluckiger (Georgia Hollar Fluckiger.) Later on towards the end of the week, on a really nice day, George and Ruby Everest took the Ralph Everests for a drive around the area, and went out to the old Crown Camp with a stop to visit "ole Ed Miner" too. (The George Everests often used his place down by the river to camp and I can clearly remember being placed on top of one of his massive horses in his very small barn!) All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.