Flea market and bingo on Saturday

MIXED--As we began this week, it was freezing cold and super foggy, but then the sun came out on Sunday. I think everyone was outside and enjoying those rays but then came Monday morning and in West Valley, we were socked back in with that thick, damp fog that makes your bones ache, so the forecast for the week, which says "sunny and dry" will be amazing if it holds up. I hope it does as I think an extended period of time soaking up a little Vitamin D will really help lift everyone's spirits!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those enjoying special days from Feb. 10-16 are Connie Shrum, Kevin O'Conner, John Thompson, Sherry McCormack, Alex Vegvary, Ron "Chink" Cothren, JoAnne Nortrup, Paul Schroder, Ethan Havens, Lucas Havens, Wendy Havens, Austin Havens, Mykall Stensland, Angela Stensland, James Hoven, Selah Hoven, Brandon Souvenir, Derek Phipps, Kim Jones, Shawn Cortay, Blake Hess, Carlie Freeman, Hailey Blain and 67'er Pam Lazor.

Those celebrating anniversaries next week are Ron and Elaine Britt, Ryan and Breanna Lorenzo, David and Julie Black, Christie and Ray Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry DeBriae, Mr. and Mrs. Troy Gorley and Mr. and Mrs. Mark Fladebo. May all of you enjoy your special days!

FLEA MARKET- BINGO SATURDAY--The monthly Flea Market at the fairgrounds will take place from 9 to 3, so head this way to get some treasures, or get a table for just $10 and sell your own things!

That evening, head to the Norse Hall on Puget Island to play some bingo as doors open at 5:30 and games begin at 6 p.m. Tell all your friends and head that way for a fun evening and cash prizes. You can contact Jan Silvestri or Susan (Kerry) Brown if you have questions.

GAME TIME!--We all know that this Sunday is the Super Bowl, so who do you have picked as your big winner? If you go to the Super Bowl Party in your area, your team might not win, but you could be the winner of one of the great prizes they're offering, so head on down and support your local businesses and have some fun. Maybe you'll be a lucky winner too!

LAST BIG HINT--Monday is Valentine's Day, so if you haven't planned or bought or made anything special for your loved one yet, this is your last hint that you need to be getting on the stick as time is flying by! Whether you make your own card, or buy some flowers or just give them a big hug, I'm pretty sure any gesture of love and kindness will be truly appreciated.

So, no matter what you do or where you go, here's wishing you and yours a very Happy Valentine's Day on Monday!

DROP OFF GLASSES--The Wahkiakum Lions Club is pleased to announce that they've added another very convenient place to drop off your old glasses, at the Chevron Station on SR 4 in Cathlamet. This is a great way to dispose of your old glasses and give others in need a chance of receiving a low cost/no cost pair.

AT THE SK. GRANGE--If you like photography and would like to take a class on how to get those perfect pictures, there will be a class held at the Skamokawa Grange Hall on Feb. 24 from 2 to 4 p.m. This is an "Intro to Photography" class presented by Puget Island photographer, Rene Westbrook. The cost is $20 and they are asking people to pre-register. This is being put on Facebook via Randi Byers on Cathlamet Area News so your comment would be how you register. However, it appears that you can also contact them via email at speakupwahkiakum@gmail.com or call 360-215-5281.

HUGE SUCCESS--I was so happy to hear that the "Gift of Warmth" event went so well, and as of last Friday, the Puget Island Fire Dept. Auxilliary cleared out their donations of warm clothes to those in need, and anything that was left over, was given to the clothing bank. Kudos to all those who thought up this idea and of course, a huge thank-you goes to the community for pitching in and donating, as well as to the River Mile 38 Brewery for hosting a place to drop off items in Cathlamet; totally awesome all the way around! I was told by Sherrill Bollen that they plan on doing this again this December, so as Spring comes around and you happen to see winter items on sale, it might be a great time to grab a few things while they're cheaper and stick them away.

This PIFD group will also take part in the PIGYS sale at the end of June, so if you've got some great items but don't want to have to try and sell them, and they're just too good to go to the dump, be sure to contact them as they'd love to take your items. They'll start collecting in April, just in time for that Spring cleaning you're going to do. I know where my extras are going!

SMALL WORLD--I know many folks aren't too fond of some social media sites but I have to say, I was so happy to be on one this past week when a lady named Rene Mourelatos posted a picture of a cookbook on Facebook that she found in a box of books that had been in a sale up in Toutle. She had taken it back to her home and wondered about its previous owner. Sheryl Irving McMahon spotted it and tagged me in her post, as it happened to have belonged to my Mom and step Dad. How cool was that? I got to chat with Rene and she was more than happy to see that it got back home and to a family member, so very sweet of her. I can't thank her enough!

SAD NEWS--Dave Halfmoon and his wife Ramona had been in the hospital for quite some time but she finally recovered and was able to come home. Sadly however, Dave had been in the hospital since Dec. 27 and was not as fortunate; he died Feb. 10. We had all been thinking of him and saying our prayers on his behalf, especially on his birthday, which was January 31. His daughter, Becky Rivera, posted a song on Facebook called, "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill and if you've ever heard it, you know that it was just the perfect song. Our sincerest condolences are being sent to his wife and children and all of his other family members that loved him so deeply and who he had loved with all his heart in return. He will truly be missed.

SERVICES THIS SUNDAY--I would also like to send my condolences to Robert and Linda (Wendell) Clark who lost their daughter, Crystal last month. She had just turned 52 in October. Her services will be held this Sunday, Feb. 13, at Riverside Park, 1820 Westside Hwy., which I believe is technically Lexington, although it was listed as Kelso earlier. Again, our sympathies go out to her entire family.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1942, Daylight Savings Time began and it was not on a Saturday night/Sunday morning either; it was early Tuesday morning, February 10! It was pouring rain and foggy that day and all the war news was bad so it was a very depressing day. All of England was in an uproar after German ships slipped out of sight and got to their home port! Actually, most folks were not very happy with the handling of that situation. The fall of Singapore came that week and while everyone expected it, it was still sad and dismal news. Carol, Ralph and Frank Pedersen all went to Astoria to see Peder Pedersen who was in the hospital and still recovering from pneumonia. One thing about Friday the 13th that year was that it was a beautiful day and the new Montgomery Ward catalog showed up at the home of Ralph and Elsie Everest, which was always a delight! The Healy children got to check it out when their folks, Leon and Marian came for dinner that night. On the 16th, it was time to head to the Lodge meeting where the group celebrated the birthdays of Mary Irving, Anne Kullama and Mathilda Hansen.

This week in 1952, the week started out pretty nice but then it got stormy and nasty and by February 12, the folks in the area woke up to snow on the ground. The week was cold until the last day, Feb. 16, when it got nice that morning but the joy in that was short lived as it snowed again that night. Some regular workers were out sick at the telephone office that day so Telephone Mgr., Elsie Everest called in daughter, Carol Pedersen, to fill in for awhile. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diaries.