Heidi St. John open house on Tuesday

NICE START--We are starting this column on a very sunny Easter Sunday and wow, that couldn’t have come at a better time as it’s always nice to have a special holiday be a pleasant one. It’s especially nice considering that the couple days before that were wild, with all kinds of Spring weather, as it “sprung” between rain, hail, snow, thunder, wind and that stuff called “grauple.” Considering many were dealing with snow last Sunday, April 10, this was a huge improvement!

Of course, this entire week looks to be on the wet side so please turn on those headlights, slow down a bit and watch for possible slides and road debris as some areas are still “moving” and if we get wind along with the rain, more things may become road hazards, like tree limbs and rocks. Here’s to safe travels to everybody who has to be out and about during these “Spring Showers!”

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from April 21-28 are Max Schmitz, Lisa Cothren, Eric Bergseng, Amy Everman, Steven M. Doumit, Jason Wallin, Rochelle Wallin, Jared Vik, Reagyn Watkins, Delaney Doumit, Seth Doumit, Marie Allen, Susan Kuhn, Macie Helms-Masterson, Mary Vik, Mike Snow, Kent Martin, Debbie McClain, Kelly McClain, Carol Danker, Alyanna Brown, Sarah Doumit, Myrna Apperson, Nathan Kincaid, Rachael LaBerge, Onya Remer, Melissa Garrett, Steven Linquist, Gwen Good Ronninghaug, Joel Peterson, Susan Shane Edminster, Olive Zickefoose, Max Scudder and 67’er Greg Lloyd. Here’s wishing all of you some memorable birthday celebrations.

Those celebrating anniversaries are Mr. and Mrs. Kent Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Paulsen and Ed and Nancy Granger. We hope you have some fun anniversary plans for your special day!

GREAT BIRTHDAY--Kaiden Good got to have a pretty special second birthday as his grandma Felicitie Knight was able to get away and flew to Utah to help him celebrate his big day. Fun, fun! This great grandma was unable to attend but thanks to Facebook, and other technology, I did get to see him open presents and enjoy his special day. Hopefully I’ll be able to celebrate the next one in person!

CONTACT NUMBER--If you have a correction or an addition for the Lions Club Birthday Calendar, now would be the perfect time to contact Renee Robert, 360-849-4003, in order to make that change so she doesn’t get overwhelmed later on in the year, which is when she’s busy taking calendar orders.

THURSDAYS--If you get the Wah. Co. Eagle and are reading this column in the morning hours of Thursday, you will still have time to come to the Skamokawa Grange Hall where Season Long and her group are hosting a free Community Breakfast, which includes biscuits and gravy and some coffee from 10 a.m. until noon. You can bring your own mug and maybe even bring a goodie to share and meet with your neighbors, or new folks in town, as we’ve all been isolated for awhile and it gives everybody a chance to come together for a bit. You can also enjoy some fresh fruits or veggies when they are made available, by the various food banks. To top it off, there are massages available at a cost of one dollar a minute and offered on a first come, first serve basis. There will also be some music lessons for the little ones from noon to 12:30. You really need to come down and check it all out!

Also, the group had only planned to put this on through the month of May but there has been so much positive feedback about this program, and a real need, that they hope to keep it going. Needless to say, your donations would be most helpful. You can check this all out by looking them up online at http://www.speakupwahkiakum.com or contact them directly at SpeakUpWahkiakum@gmail.com.

THIS SATURDAY--If you are looking for a unique gift for that knife lover you know, like maybe for Father’s Day or a birthday or even to put away for Christmas, then you should head to the Tsuga Gallery in Cathlamet this Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. These beautiful custom knives are made by the very talented Dan Westlind and would be truly treasured by anyone who received one. Of course, you may just want to buy a couple for yourself! Check them all out and chat with Dan this Saturday at the gallery located at 70 Main Street, in Cathlamet.

PUBLIC INVITED TUESDAY--The Skamokawa Grange Hall, located at 18 Fairgrounds Road, will be the place where you can meet Heidi St. John, who is running for Congress. This is one of those “meet and greet” things where you can meet with a candidate and discuss first hand, the issues you feel are important and just how she feels about them and her possible solutions to them. This event will take place next Tuesday, April 26 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

COMING UP--Next month, the Tsuga Gallery will host the works of the very talented & also local, Ruth Durrah Doumit. So mark May 7 on your calendar, when the “A-MaY-zing” Open House will be from 3 to 7 p.m., that day.

FOS--If you are looking for some great gifts here in Skamokawa, you have several choices as the Friends of Skamokawa have some wonderful things in their book and gift shop, and for all ages, too. If you want to assure somebody is there before you head that way, give them a call at 360-795-3007.

If you like Sasquatch things or some colorful t-shirts that mention Skamokawa, you can stop in at the Skamokawa Store and pick out all kinds of neat shirts and some warm sweatshirts for these chilly days along with some colorful and very useful socks. I had a lot of fun doing some shopping for myself as well as others these past few months!

More Skamokawa attire can by located at Skamokawa Vista Park.

TALENT--Some of the newer folks in the area are just learning about some of our local talented singers and performers around here. I have told them of the times we’ve had the “Smoky Water Follies” and how they had been held at the grade school and the Grange hall. and there were even shows and concerts at the Inn at Skamokawa Landing. Then there’s the story of how a popular group (Giants in the Trees) formed after they met at a “jam session” at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. There are many other performers as well, like Greg Parke and Andrew Emlen and his group, who have their own CD’s out. We just have an abundance of talent around here! Don’t you think it would be fun to get all of our talented folks together in the county and just have a big ole “Wahkiakum Music Fest?” Of course, everyone is pretty busy these days, but if you had the time, energy and could plan it, it would be a blast I think! Anybody willing to try to tackle that kind of project?

HEADED HOME--We were happy to hear that former Island girl, Lori Wika was out of the hospital and headed home, after a bit of a stay in the hospital. It seems Lori was going in for “just a procedure” but wound up having to have more than that and was in there much longer. She wasn’t too thrilled with the pain she was in but she was thankful she went in when she did as this other issue could have had some very serious consequences if it had gone unchecked. So, we are happy that she came through her surgery and is doing well enough to go home. Take care, Lori!

SAD NEWS--I got a message a couple days ago about the passing of Vivian Wika Olsen, and I was certainly sorry to hear that. I had just seen her in town a couple of days prior to that so I was pretty shocked. My sincere condolences to her entire family, of which there are many, as well as to her dear friends. She will be missed.

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1952, the first five days were “beautiful,” with the sixth being warm but cloudy, but that seventh day, it just poured down rain, but everyone truly enjoyed those first five days of gorgeous weather. Well, not quite everyone, as Leon Healy had to be taken to the Swedish Hospital in Seattle, where he underwent surgery on his back. He had suffered a terrible back injury in a logging camp three years prior and had been unable to work full time ever since then. After surgery, he was going to be confined there for five weeks they figured, so he was welcoming all cards and letters from his family and friends.

On the same day he had surgery, April 21, Krist and Carol Pedersen were celebrating their anniversary and another relative, Susan Shane, was having her 16th birthday. That was also the day that Tammy (Tammie?) Lyn Rose fell and broke her arm at school.

The following day, the Eli Doumits welcomed a baby boy into the family. Then two days after that, the Skip Robbins, the Dave Knoltons and the Kenneth Baileys all welcomed baby boys into their family. Quite the population explosion that week!

At the end of the week, the Everest/Healy family was feeling a little better as Leon Healy came through his surgery and seemed to be feeling just fine; a huge relief to all! All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diary.