Skamokawa News

WET ENOUGH. By the time you read this, I am hoping we are still afloat and drying out a bit. Man, oh man, has it been pouring or what? The ole atmospheric river started in on us on Saturday, Feb. 22 but it is supposed to quit long before you read this. I sure hope it does because this is miserable. By the time you get this paper, we are supposed to be dry for a couple of days, and that sure would allow my webbed feet to dry out a spell. At any rate, I hope we didn’t sustain too much damage from flooding, slides or any other bad thing that could happen during these periods of excess rain. If you’re new here, this happens from time to time, and I do hope you weren’t caught unaware and wound up having to bail water or stay home or, worse yet, go out and get supplies in all this. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are ready for spring to arrive. Just three weeks to go. Hope we can keep our heads above water until then.

SLIDE ON KM. When I was speaking of slides and things in the paragraph above, I had no idea that this particular scenario would actually show up. In the late afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 23, a slide brought down a big tree across SR 4 up at milepost 22.2. Many folks were able to see it because it happened close to where the WSDOOT camera is. The highway was closed while folks waited for the DOT to show up. Since the tree came down between the two side roads, many could still get around it because of the loop at the top of KM. Anyway, it got all cleared up in a couple of hours, but it’s just a reminder that when we travel this highway and this mountain, slides and rocks are always a concern so be mindful when out and about on SR4.

SPECIAL DAYS. Those celebrating birthdays from Feb. 27 through March 7 are: Mary McLaughlin, Debra Holland, Audrey Petterson, Sara Fletcher, Taylee Britt, Tina Robinson, Cheyenne Metcalf, Ava Johnson, Elliot Johnson, Jessica Thomas, Dagmar Adams, Alexa Phillips, Becky Barth, Tom Henderson, Mitchell Bonds, Scott Hendrickson, Jessica Hoven, Maiya Kiest, Karyn Beech, Missy Edwards, Neriah Homes, Ian Turner, Tony Parker, Felicitie Rismoen, Mason Reed, Karalin Reynolds, Krystal Ellison Zickefoose, Judy Pedersen, Jonas Owen, Justin Gotchall and 67’er: Kathy Bond Peek. Happy Anniversary wishes go out to: Brandon Bennett and Kyla Meacham, Mr. and Mrs. Doug Peek, Mr. and Mrs. Dean Holmes, Brian and Spring Doiron, Adam and Sara Fletcher, Ron and Annette Miller, and Brandon and Debbie Chamberlain. May you all have wonderful celebrations!

MEMORIAL REMINDER. For all friends and family of Linda Roseberry, just a quick reminder that her Celebration of Life gathering will be this Saturday, March 1, down at the covered area at the Elochoman Slough Marina at 3 p.m.

CHANGE CLOCKS SOON. The day to “leap forward towards Spring” is almost here and we will be switching to Daylight Saving Time on March 9. Not this weekend, but the following one. We’ll be changing all our clocks ahead one hour before going to bed the night of Saturday, March 8 so folks won’t show up to church on Sunday at the wrong time. In case you didn’t already know, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday of March every year, regardless of the date. Of course, I always hear rumblings of changing this every year to one way and leaving it, but who knows if we ever will. Some states have already done away with the changing clocks routine in the fall and spring, which can be confusing if you live or are traveling there, so it would be nice if we were all either changing them or not!

REDMEN HALL OPENS NEXT SATURDAY. I mentioned this before, but once again, a quick reminder that the Friends of Skamokawa will be opening the historic Central School/Redmen Hall/River Life Interpretive Center on March 8 at noon. If you have the time, consider heading that way to check it out. You may already be down this way for the Flea Market at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds, which starts at 9 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m. You can hit them both up in one trip! There are super finds at the fairgrounds for anyone who may be setting up a kitchen/house for the first time on a budget. You can also check out all the new books and local items like soaps, cards, and more. Don’t forget about the clothes and goodies at the Skamokawa Store right across the street from the hall. Here’s to you having some fun shopping down here in little Ole Skamokawa, where the views and shopping are great!

GET WELL. We heard that Philomena “Philly” Thomas has been unwell and has been in the hospital. She is finally out now and so we hope she continues to get better and stay out of there. There are way too many sick folks in there and she doesn’t need them for company, that’s for sure. So, take care and be well Philly. We are all thinking of you and wishing you a full recovery soon!

FINALLY MET. If you want to meet people, a trip to the Pharmacy seems to be the place to run into just about everybody; at least that’s what it felt like to me recently when I finally got to meet up with Nancy Nelson. Nancy started the Cathlamet Senior Friendship Group, which meets on Wednesdays at Our Savior Lutheran Church. It was nice to put a face to the name, and she said the same to me. We had a nice chat about this and that. Hopefully, I’ll get over that way to meet the other group members. I also found out that Nancy was about to celebrate her 70th birthday. So my belated Happy Birthday to her as she celebrated with friends this past Sunday. I’m sure everyone appreciates Nancy’s work with the Senior Friendship Group and the numerous side groups she has going. I imagine all those involved in this group/side groups are glad to have met new friends to share their hobbies. From what I hear, they have some awesome gabfests and lunches. Good job, Nancy! We need more like you.

GO MULES! Our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are still in the mix as I’m writing this. We are rooting for them at regional, district and state playoffs. While I’m unsure who is playing where right now, I hope the Mules basketball teams play well, and if they advance, the best of luck!

BLAST FROM THE PAST. As one month ended and a new month began back in 1990, February went out on a below-freezing note and March followed suit and began at a very nippy 15 degrees. Later in the week, it warmed up and rained quite a bit, but everything still seemed very cold after all the freezing days we’d had. This was especially true when I opted to measure our water line through “hill and dale” and was shocked to find we had about 2,500 feet of line. Frank and Carol Quigley gave us an old picture of the house before the remodel they did and the transformation was quite astonishing. My Mom, Carol (Everest-Pedersen) Smith stopped by with her cousin Joyce (Walker) and her husband, Orville Mott from California and we had a good visit and got to get more info about the Everest/Walker family.

In 1995, February ended the same as in 1990, with freezing temperatures in the twenties and March beginning the similarly. To warm my heart, though not my feet, I got a call from my grandson, Kyle Sechler, who wasn’t quite four yet, and we had quite the conversation. First, he told me that he liked going to pre-school because it was really fun and his teacher, Ellen, was very nice. It’s all good to hear, as you never know how the little ones will react to being away from home. Next, he explained that his dad had told him their cat, Dex, got married and that was why he was no longer around. However, even at three and a half, he knew better. He said to me, “Grandma Kay, you know Dex isn’t around at my house anymore, and Dad thinks it’s because he got married, but Grandma, I don’t think so, cause Dex is a cat and cats don’t get married, so I think he just ran away!” Ha, smart boy! After our conversation, I had a good chuckle, and it really made this grandma’s day.

The big news in the country this week was the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor on March 2, with seven astronauts on board. This would be their longest flight, spending 15 days out in space studying the universe. The STS-67 shuttle was to return to the Kennedy Space Center on March 17, 15 days and 13 hours after liftoff. Instead, it landed on March 18 after 16 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes, and 48 seconds. The crew had traveled 6.9 million miles, setting a new record. And that’s it from this week back in 1990 and 1995!