Have a safe holiday weekend, everyone

NICE--We had a nice weekend but while we had the sunny days, those evenings got pretty chilly so we know the seasons will soon be changing. While we had just a bit of a downturn on Monday morning, which brought a smattering of showers, it didn't last long and was decent the rest of the day. It also looks to be warming up for the rest of the week with some pretty high temperatures, so it looks like Summer isn't over just yet. I do hope you'll enjoy it while it's here as we all know what can happen here in the blink of an eye: Winter! Fingers crossed that we have a decent Fall to lead us into that "other" season.

BIG WEEKEND--This coming weekend is Labor Day weekend and naturally, it's a huge deal around the country, and our area is no exception as I'm sure Vista Park will be plenty busy! With more nice weather on the way, I hope those that are traveling are being extra cautious as there have already been multiple accidents on some of our nearby highways and roadways. One thing I noticed was, everyone wants to be in a hurry, and that's just not a good plan, so if you can't "pack your patience" along with your RV, boat or trunk, you might want to rethink traveling on this busy weekend. I know that while I was going exactly the speed limit, multiple cars and trucks flew by me like I was standing still, and on SR 4, that is not usually wise. Don't forget, if you're going out on the waterways, be sure and wear a life jacket. They don't do any good in the bottom of the boat. Here's to keeping safe this holiday!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 3-9 are Carla Keilwitz, Tristan Collupy, Glenn Wiest, Ed Johnson, Paul Toney, Janet Seaberg, Jo Reed, Jade Havens, Zarina Hoven, Dallas Goti-Burdick, Nichole Olsen, Bella and Lucca Hummel, Orville Lindsey, Nathan Takko, Shirley Rose, Troy Davis, Carey Johnson, Steve Wright, R.J. Brown, Amanda Poler, Donna Peterson Bernard, Scott Baldwin, Bill Chamberlain and 67'er Rich West.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Steve and Ruth Doumit, Todd and Kristen Souvenir, Mike and Carrie Backman, Gary and Naomi Havens, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lervick, Mr. and Mrs. Phil Anderson and Mr. and Mrs. David Lennsen. May all your special days be memorable.

NEW LISTING SOON--It looks like I get to add to the anniversary list before too long as grandson, Blake Sechler, second son of Pete and Katie Sechler, asked the love of his life, Michaela Jones, to be his wife this past week; hooray! The whole family was thrilled to hear the news, as Michaela showed off the "large sparkler" on her left hand that Blake presented to her on a special evening out on the town.

However, due to the current restrictions on large gatherings and the unknown factors in the near future, the couple is holding off on announcing a wedding date, but we're all keeping our fingers crossed that next year will be a better year and the couple can soon enjoy their lives together as husband and wife. For now, we'll just say, "Congratulations" to the happy couple on their engagement and we'll be anxiously awaiting their special day!

BAN IS STILL ON--The fire ban is still on and until we get some substantial rain, I'm betting it will stay on as everything is still extremely dry. A fire near Skamokawa Vista Park on Saturday brought out responders, along with DNR, and you can bet, with the wind blowing, lots of folks were concerned. Thankfully, everything turned out alright but we know that it wouldn't take much to have a real disaster around here, so please be careful with anything that could spark a raging flame.

While I know there are "legal firepits" that allow one to have a campfire, I'm not sure how those flying embers and sparks varies from any other fire, so again, your fire may be "legal" but is it really wise to have one? Please assess all risks prior to striking that match! When in doubt, contact local authorities.

MARKETS--It looks like the weather will be great for this Friday's market at the Elochoman Marina in Cathlamet, which takes place from 3 to 6 p.m., so they invite you to check them out. Vendors often vary, so if you didn't see something there last week, it may be there this week.

That also goes for the Farmer's Market here at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds on Tuesday. Their hours are from 4 to 7 p.m., and they also have varying vendors. They hope you'll stop by during those hours and see who is there. They are able to set up inside the cow barn, where you're out of the sun or the wind and heaven forbid, the rain, so they invite you to check their wares out on Tuesdays.

GET WELL--We were sorry to hear that Marsha Helms had to make a trip to the hospital recently and we want to send her the heartiest of get well wishes. Before I submitted my column, I was happy to hear that she made it home, so that was good news. Here's to finding out how to stay out of that hospital. Take care, Marsha!

SYMPATHIES--We got the sad news that former Wahkiakum County resident, Kay Buennagel passed away last week, and we were sure sorry to hear that. She was a real sweet woman and she lived a nice long life, having nine kids and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She and her husband, Charles (Charlie) had lived on Puget Island for many years and now they're both residing in heaven together. What great people they were. We want to send our sincerest sympathies to the entire Buennagel family.

UP AND RUNNING--Did you know that "Daisy Chain Floral" is now up and running again? Nicole Emery no longer has her storefront downtown on Main Street in Cathlamet, but she does have her own private studio from which she can once again offer her wonderful flower arrangements. We hope you'll give her a call at 360-849-4400 and set up a time to go in and check out what she has to offer. Remember, the holidays are coming. Here's to supporting local!

FOS--We're into September now, and usually we'd be getting all excited about going to the Friends of Skamokawa annual Wine Tasting and Auction, but as we all know, this type of event can't take place, so as a reminder to an earlier posting, the FOS will have a virtual auction in hopes to raise money for the hall this year. Your donation of items to auction off would truly be appreciated. This auction is taking place this year in October, and instead of just a one day event that you might not have been able to attend, this virutal auction will happen over nine days, from Oct. 9-18, so we hope you'll donate something for it, as well as joining in on the online auction. You can check out all the details online or you might want to contact the hall at 360-795-3007 as they are there from 10-30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also come by but you should call first as only a limited amount of people can be there at a time, so give them a call and check out Redmen Hall's Gift and Book Shop! Remember, there's only about 3 or 4 more paydays until Christmas, so it's time to stock up on some unique gifts from one of your local shops.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, it was nice, warm and hot all week long. On Sept. 3, the Hugh Ackersons welcome a baby boy, Michael into their family at three in the morning. Ralph Everest was still doing poorly so it was very helpful to have Ray Hatton bring a wheelchair over for him to use and some of the other fellow friends, set up a cable over his bed so he could lift himself up a bit. The doctor was coming by quite often these days. Mitchell Doumit even came by the house with a ballot so he could vote, beings he could not make it to the polling station. Billy Wise came by to visit one afternoon and Mary Ann Risk stopped by with a milkshake for him. The Faubions and the Wests came by to visit Grandpa Ralph that week as well. On Sept. 5 school started in Cathlamet. On Sept. 8, all the "kids" went to the fair and then stopped by the Everest house on the way home.

In 1960, the week began cool and then it even rained for a couple of days. The rest of the week was beautiful and very hot those last two days. Grandma Elsie worked at the msusem that Saturday and had nine people stop by. She worked again on Monday, a quiet day. Then she went home and canned peaches. A nice visit with Mrs. Heron took place after a hair appointment one day and then it was off to Grange the following day. Kathleen Wright and Grandma went to Jessie Sawyer's where they picked up some older styled clothes for the Grange party that was coming up. They visited with Reverend Sawyer who was 92, and while he had a very keen mind still, his left side was paralyzed. Marshall Pedersen was staying with his Grandma Everest one day while his Mom, Carol Everest Pedersen, was picking cucumbers at the Andy Fudge's place. Jean Shane came home from the hospital that week but she was continuing to need a nurse's care. George Everest called from Martell, CA to let his folks know that he was working and had a house lined up for the family to move into. Big changes were coming their way. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.

Here's to a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everybody!