Celebrate safely on this Fouth of July

MIXED WEATHER--This past weekend started a bit drippy for many of us and the "brief shower" listed on our weather apps lasted much longer for some of us, as often times we find that West Valley is "very special,"as in, "always different" than most, so we don't count on those apps to correctly forecast our weather! I hope the upcoming forecast is nicer though, as it may wind up that the weather will be wetter during the week but mostly sunny for the weekend, which I'm sure would be very well received for those with big BBQ or travel plans. Good-bye June and Hello July!

WELCOME--I am seeing an abundance of new people coming into the community and I certainly want to welcome you to the county! Puget Island seems to be getting a host of newcomers and I hope that the locals that are reading this, will not only make them feel welcome, but will encourage them to subscribe to this paper. Lots of people are heading to social media for the latest news, and that's great, but when moving into a small town, sometimes it's really helpful to read the local paper which may give you a broader perspective of what is going on around here and all the things that the county has to offer, which may otherwise go unknown. So, here's hoping that soon, our county will be able to move forward from Phase 3 to Phase 4 of this Covid-19 pandemic, and we'll all be able to enjoy our usual busy schedule of events in our area. For now, let's try to be mindful of others and work together to keep our businesses open and our county residents safe.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from July 2-8 are Dave Hjaltalin, Matt Helms III, Jaiden Mahitka, Patty Dursteler, Irene Martin, Debbie Kuller, Philomena Thomas, Lee Wages, Justin Hoven, George Exum, Sandie York, Chris Wika, Tony Carriker, Alex Bonds, Tyler Heagy, Danny Poe, Jordon Fritzie Collins, Dale Jacobsen and Nathan Chamberlain. Hope you all have wonderful birthdays!

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Hap and Dixie Anderson, Steve and Lorie Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Florek Jr., Gary and Pam Emery, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Howarth, Lance and Heidi Souvenir, the Mike Swansons, Paul and MaryAnn Ehrensberger and Greg and Cindy Lloyd. Here's to special celebrations on all your anniversaries!

FOURTH OF JULY--I guess you know, this weekend is the Fourth of July and while most of our big fireworks displays have been cancelled, there are sure to be smaller celebrations held here and there, so here's hoping that sunny forecast shows up for all those hosting some special events this Saturday. Currently, our local Lions Club is selling fireworks in Cathlamet by the BackRoadZ diner. Of course, we are being asked to be very careful with any and all fireworks. So please use extreme care and caution when you use them. There are always rules and regulations regarding fireworks (time of use) and one should adhere to all those. You can contact our local authorities if you haven't been able to find out what the restrictions are or go online or check out our Wahkiakum Co. Sheriff's Facebook page. Whatever you do, here's wishing you a safe and sane holiday weekend!

ANOTHER REMINDER--I hope everyone is enjoying the local Farmer's Markets around here, but if you've missed them, this is just a quick reminder that there is one held in Cathlamet at the Elochoman Slough Marina every Friday afternoon beginning at 3 p.m. Then on Tuesdays, you can come to Skamokawa, where another Farmer's Market is held at the Wahkiakum Co. Fairgrounds, inside the cleaned out cow barn, so rain or shine, you'll be under cover. Their hours are from 4 to 7 p.m.

THINKING OF THEM--We were sorry to learn that former local, Rena Brookshire Havens has had to undergo more cancer treatments, so we want to give a shout out to her and her family as we wish her the very best during her treatments. Hang in there Rena!

We also hope that Rich West is still steadily recovering from his long ordeal and we want him to know we are thinking of him and wishing him all the best and hopefully he'll be able to go home soon.

CONGRATS--I know this was not the graduation that the Seniors at WA-KI-HI had dreamed of, but I am so happy that you were still able to be up at the school and have a "virtual" graduation ceremony for those that could not be there, and a wonderful drive-by celebration as well. Here's wishing all of you "Congratulations" on your achievements during this difficult time and may your future shine brightly for those that work hard to achieve it. I say this every year, but a wise man once said, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression," so when you're out in the world, applying for a job, etc., make sure your "best you" is being portrayed to others. You've got this; onward and upward you go. Good Luck!

GRANDMA BRAG--Okay, as a great grandma, I just have to brag a little bit here. My great grandson, Kaiden Good, just learned how to giggle! I don't know about you but I think that hearing the sound of a baby laugh or giggle is just the most precious thing, so when parents, Austin and Nicole posted this momentous occasion online, it was just truly the sweetest thing to see and hear, especially in today's hectic world! I can hardly wait to see this little guy in person, but between the virus considerations and the fact that he's in Wyoming, it may be awhile yet, so "hooray" for technology; at least I don't completely miss out on all these great firsts!

SURPRISE--Leave it to a Mom (with a host of other family members) to pull off a great surprise baby shower, and the recipient, Dawn Macchione, couldn't have been happier! Dawn is expecting a baby boy next month and he will be joining a sister, Isabella. I have to say, the table, cake, gifts and photo-op set up were all just fantastic with its sparkling blue back drop. This was the second surprise shower for lucky Dawn as her "work family" also held a wonderful party for her a couple of weeks ago, which included a ton of good food and wonderful gifts. I think this baby is going to be decked to the nines!

GREAT CELEBRATION--Pete and Katie Sechler had a great past week as they not only celebrated Katie's birthday but also their 30th anniversary, which they spent in Georgia. They traveled to Atlanta first and visited with their son, Kyle and his wife, Suzy, who recently moved there and who certainly enjoyed the visit from the folks. The four enjoyed a trip to the huge Atlanta Aquarium and as a bonus for the "boys," their late and early birthday gifts came in the form of scuba diving with some massive whale sharks about 30 feet long, as well as with some 20 foot manta rays. While they thought it was thrilling, I had other words for it! The four also traveled to Rock City on Lookout Mountain, which is near Chatanooga and did some exploring of the area, which all looked fantastic, and exploring new places is always fun. After a few days together, it was off to Savannah for the Pete Sechlers, where they celebrated their special anniversary. I would have melted in the heat, which was around 100 degrees with 44 percent humidity but some people seem to love that sort of thing. But guess I won't be going there!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, July 2-8, the first six days were "lovely, beautiful, hot and warm with a nice breeze," while the last day saw rain. During the dry times, it was a time where forest fires were taking place, and of course, that was not good. It didn't happen often but Krist Pedersen came down from Alaska and planned to be here for a very rare 4th of July gathering, but his plane got delayed and he didn't wind up getting home until July 6. Going up to get him from the Seattle airport was wife, Carol, son, David and sister, Marian. They wound up bringing home their cousin Sue (Shane). It was during this time that Ralph Everest was in a lot of pain and having to go back to the doctor, while Jean Shane (Grandma Elsie's sister) was not doing well at all and was headed to the hospital, and then there was the war. Grandma Elsie's comment: "Great Life"a rare sarcasm. On June 8, President Truman named General Douglas MacArthur as commanding general of the United Nations forces to fight against the communist forces in North Korea. He was the first military leader to be in command of the 59 unified forces of the nations world organization.

In 1960, it was nice all week, albeit just a bit too hot when temperatures climbed up to 90 degrees at 11 a.m., on July 5 and reached 101 degrees by afternoon. The drugstore's thermometer, which had a bit more direct sun, was reading 122 degrees! The heat was wide spread with 650 deaths reported over the weekend. For the Everest, Healy and Palmer families, the "beautiful day" that week was just right for the marriage of Donna Healy to Glenn Palmer in Longview. The Everests didn't have a car and so good friend, Mayme Johnson took them to the wedding. Afterwards, they all went to the home of Marian (Everest) Healy for a family party. The Bob Shanes were there as well as the Bob McDonalds. The newlyweds headed east of the mountains and stayed at the Paradise Inn at Mt. Rainier on the way home. Upon coming home they found "quite a mess" as the groom's family had decided to "decorate" it for them.We can only hope the newlweds weren't as upset as Grandma Elsie seemed to be! Later on that week, Grandma Elsie went to Lelia Bunn's house where she met Mrs. Sorenson and her daughter, Nora Lee. In the evening, it was time to head to the Pocohontas meeting where they held their installation of officers. Gene Healy headed to Seattle that week to see about going to work for the telephone company. The last day was nice but there was a cold wind, just right for bread baking so the breeze could cool the house down. Mrs. Worthington and Mayme Johnson and granddaughter stopped by to visit that day as well. Everyone was still talking about the wedding and loved hearing all about it. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.