Lots of donation opportunities ahead

DAMPNESS--This week begins with a bit of moisture in West Valley and a big sigh of relief from all my plants and brown grass I’m sure! We started this Sunday with just a smidgen of rain in the morning hours but by evening time we had some “real rain” and it was almost surreal to hear the sound of some steady rainfall coming down as it’s been awhile. I’m pretty sure everyone who got some rain is happy that it definitely helped clear out the smoky conditions we had been having, so besides watering my lawn for me, it’s helped me breathe better. Looks like this won’t last too long but then we could get some more cooler and wetter weather by the end of the week; we’ll just have to wait and see.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Sept. 15-21 are Frank Bosch, Jay Mace, Tracy Carroll, Roger Reed, Sarah Phelps, Lori Bergseng, Penny Paulsen, Jim Spitzer, Gerry Brennan, Aiden Fletcher, Korina Hoven, Paige Nielson, Rudy Lopez, Gracy Brown, Terry Mathers, Mandy Giesler, George Bates, Jason Montgomery, Linda Roseberry, Jim Watkins, Bruce Holland, David L. Vik, Theresa Jacobson, Suzy Ekstrom-Sechler, Adam Pedersen and Susan Peterson Shook.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Dan Keilwitz, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Swofford, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Kensinger, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Wright, Mr. and Mrs. John Vik, Mr. and Mrs. David Noonan, Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Sittauer, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Traver, Adam and Samantha Pedersen and Kevin and Jessica Palmer. Here’s wishing all of you a wonderful celebration on your special days. Belated anniversary wishes go out to Jim and Darlene Almer who celebrated 45 years together this past Sunday.

THIS SATURDAY--Don’t forget the free public event being held at the Hope Center in Cathlamet, this Saturday, Sept. 17 at 2 p.m., where Dr. Eric Wagner talks about Mt. St. Helens before and after the big blast. I’m sure there will be many interesting things to hear and learn about this explosive event that took place right in our back yard so to speak.

GET WELL--We’d like to send some speedy recovery wishes to Tasha Stratton who recently had some surgery on her “wing” and we sure hope she recuperates nicely from that and is on the road to a full recovery.

SERVICES--Nancy Bielman has invited those near and dear to her daughter, Tracy Gisler Zuern, to a Celebration of Life Service in her memory that will be held Sept 24 in Chinook on the beach at 5 p.m., at her home. Tracy left this earth to become an angel on July 27, and according to her Mom, is now in a better place, pain free. You can contact Nancy through Facebook if you need directions. You’re asked to please bring a lawn/beach chair. We want to extend our sincere sympathies to Nancy and her family on the loss of someone who left this world all too soon.

GREAT IDEAS?--Have you come up with a great idea for a gift basket or other item to donate to the Friends of Skamokawa for their annual fundraiser that’s coming up Oct. 8-22? We know there are lots of folks who donate some great items every year and we can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with this year. We hope you’ll get those items up to Redmen Hall (360-795-3007) as soon as you can so they can start advertising your awesome auction items. Here’s hoping you get in on all the auction action by going to: http://www.32auctions.com/AuctionFOS2022 when the time comes! If you’d like to mail a gift certificate or monetary donation to the FOS, their address is: P.O. Box 67, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

A SPECIAL GIFT--I know folks hate to hear about Christmas already but there’s only a few paydays until then and folks need to really think about what they’re going to get those special people in their lives fairly early. One should even remember that they should mail packages early, like the first few days of December. Some folks seem to have everything and don’t want one more “thing,” so this might be the year to just donate to a worthwhile cause in their name, and then the organization would get needed funds and the person in question won’t have more "things” to toss later on. One of those groups that could use a helping hand would be our county museum which holds all of our county's history and many artifacts from the past. So, if you’re able, please send a donation to: WCHS (Wahkiakum County Historical Society) 65 River Street, Cathlamet, WA 98612. Also, more members and more volunteers are needed to man the museum on weekends, and help throughout the winter time closures on bigger projects, so call Kari at 360-849-4353 and find out all about it.

OTHER IDEAS--The Skamokawa Grange #425 is always looking for new members, more help and of course, donations to help raise enough money for a new furnace/heat source, so if you’d like to help them out, send a check to: P.O. Box 123, Skamokawa, WA 98647.

We all know how important our fire department is and if you’d like to help them out by making a donation to them, send your holiday donation or memorial contribution or a “just because” donation to Sk. Fire Dept., P.O. Box 145, Skamokawa, WA 98647. They are always looking for more volunteers so if you’re an able-bodied person who would like to help out your community, stop by their meetings on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., and check them out.

NOW IS THE TIME--Many items are needed for the Shoe Boxes of Joy that will be given away at Christmas time for those that may not get a gift otherwise, so now is the time to pick up a few things to make up a box or two. You don’t even have to donate a whole box of things, as you can just donate items and the gals will put together the donated items and make a box.

There are also those who put out barrels for the collection of warm coats, hats, scarves and gloves for adults and children who may need them this winter so we hope you’re able to pick up an item or two to help with either of those causes, or both, a little later on. Again, time’s flying so don’t wait too long.

FRIDAY AND SUNDAY--On Friday, Sept. 16, you are asked to honor our Veterans by flying our nation's flag for POW/MIA Recognition Day. For those of you who were in or who are currently in the Air Force, you may want to remember that Sunday, Sept. 18 is the birthday of the U.S. Air Force, formed in 1947.

BEING PREPARED--I always mention being prepared for power outages, which are fairly common in the winter, but this year, some homeowners experienced them this summer after power companies shut off power so as not to be a fire threat during extreme heat and wind events. So, while having a generator seems normal for winter, it now seems one should be prepared to keep your home powered through these hot summers as well, as nobody wants to lose a refrigerator or freezer full of groceries! Not to mention, if you need a medical device powered up to survive, then again, an alternative power source is necessary, so maybe you’ll want to put “generator” on your Christmas list this year! Remember, if you’re totally prepared for the worst, you’ll be able to remain calm, cool and collected and ride out any of these summer or winter emergency events a whole lot easier.

PHONE WOES--If you tried to call and couldn’t reach me, it may have been during the time when my phone was not working; like a lot of other folks in our area. Sometimes I wouldn’t know it for a day or two, but when you realize you haven’t been pestered by a million “robo” calls, maybe something is wrong! There was either no dial tone, or a dial tone but you couldn’t call out or the phone would ring and you couldn’t answer it. T’was a multiple choice of things happening and they seemed to have occurred two or three days every week for the last few weeks. Let’s hope this week is a better one!