The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

FREEZING COLD/WET--From the sounds of it, many folks knew it was cold, as their power bills really took a leap this past month, and they were right as it's been down to 11 degrees here! After several nights of freezing tempertures, one just gets chilled to the bone! Of course, warming up also meant rain, and even that wasn't exactly warm, so one is still having to bring on the blankets, turn on the electric blankets and even break out the hot water bottles! However, considering what I've seen in other parts of the country, we are quite fortunate, as we haven't been dealing with minus temps or several feet of snow, so while it seems hard not to grumble, things could have been a whole lot worse! Again, another time to take stock of how prepared we are for inclement weather events.

Speaking of that, as this week begins, a flood watch has been issued and by the time you read this, you may have already been feeling the effects of this. This also depends on the amount of rainfall as there's a big difference between two inches of rain or six, so let's hope it was one of the lesser amounts.The watch also came with a high wind warning and I do hope that doesn't materialize as falling trees can pose some especially hazardous travel.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Jan. 19-25 are Theresa Kuljis, Bruce McClain, Sharon Schmitz, Laura Bennett, Shonna Havens, Sharon Buennagel, Trinity Thompson, Leslie Sullivan, Shirley Mae Toney, Tim Hanigan, Chris Danker, Bailey Danker, Linda Seaberg, Bill Olsen, Brandon Burdick, Jessie Fritzie Collins, Kasey Thomlinson, Baylee Olsen, Wayne Cochran, Kyli Prestegard, Carol Cothren, LeeAnn Bonds, Jolene Wright, Elizabeth Frink, Brenda Bonny Faber, Jody Kephart, Jody Baccellieri, Reese Noelle Brown, Bernice Tover Ellison, 67'er Don Marsyla, and belated wishes to a couple other 67'ers Enid Martin Fountain and Wayne Olsen. Hope you had wonderful days!

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Michael and Nikki Danker, Kelly and Louis Recupero and Chuck and Natalia Barton. Enjoy those special days everybody!

BUSY TIME--Last Saturday was sure a busy one, as not only was there a flea market and sale at the fairgrounds, but Jan Silvestri celebrated her 80th birthday with her family and friends at the Norse Hall with a nice big cake and lots of cookies with coffee and punch, so along with the decorated tables, it was real nice.

Also that day, Gary and Vicky Bergseng were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the Duck Inn with their family and friends, and so a hearty congratulations to them! Their kids, Lori and Eric, were present along with many others.

The Russ Durrahs were also celebrating his birthday that day, so it was truly a busy Saturday around here!

Sadly, that was also the day that the family and friends of Terry Irving had come together to say their last good-byes. Due to the weather, the service had been moved from a graveside service to the Dowling Funeral Home. Again, our sympathies to the entire family.

If you weren't at any of the above mentioned doings, you might have been just staying home and gearing up to watch the Seattle Seahawks with your friends, but with a horrible loss to the Atlanta Falcons, there was not much celebrating going on I'm afraid. Needless to say, that was not what most of us expcected and so their loss brought about the end of their season.

LOCAL STATION--The dedicated folks who man the little blue fire station on East Valley Road, here in Skamokawa have had a very busy year. According to Jon Peterson, they responded to 69 call outs last year, and already this year, have had half a dozen, so we want to thank them for their dedication and service. Also, this might be the time to make sure your insurance covers emergency services, like the life-flight helicopter that is often used for serious cases, and if not, they can clue you in on how you can obtain access for this service for a reasonable cost. Their meetings are on Thursdays at 7 p.m., if you care to find out more.

THIS SATURDAY--From 1 to 4 p.m., the family of Ralph Pedersen will host a celebration of life (potluck) gathering at the Norse Hall on Puget Island, and they will welcome all those that knew him to come and share their memories of him. Whether you went to school with him, were a fellow fisherman of his, or logger, or a neighbor past or present, we hope you'll come by, even if it's just for a little while.

NEXT SATURDAY--The American Legion's annual Crab and Oyster Feed will take place next Saturday night, Jan. 28, so I hope you've gotten your tickets and plan on heading to the Rosburg Hall, where good food, good music, great raffle items and fun all take place! Call Dale Rose for tickets 360-465-2234, Ken Elliott 360-465-2274 or Nick Nikkila at 360-465-2595 to see if they still might have a ticket or two left! Let's pray the weather co-operates for this fund raising event for the Deep River Post #111 as they do a lot of good work around here.

MORE TRAVELS--Mark Whitaker has been a busy guy this year, as it wasn't too long ago that he came back from Iceland after teaching some wilderness courses there, and even more recently, he returned home from Virginia. While he was there, he got to experience some snowy conditions as well as us here in the PNW, so that was kind of a surprise, but hey, he really got to show off his stuff and put his students through some tough conditions as they learned what Wilderness First Responder courses were all about. By the time Mark was done, there were 20 new WFR and five recertified members at the Virginia Commonwealth University. It sounded like he had quite a trip home and a bit of fun trying to find his car in the long term parking lot in Portland, cause you know, those snowy covered cars all look about the same!

READY TO PLAY--Linda and Larry Spieth are anxious to see their daughter play some softball for Sacramento State next month, where she will play third baseman. Morgan is currently studying psychology in school, but she's also experiencing her first season with the Hornets, and will definitely enjoy her first game I'm sure, as it's going to be in Honolulu! They will be up against Oregon State. I have no idea why two teams living next door to each other have to travel across the ocean to play ball, but hey, I am guessing her Mom has already booked some tickets to head that way herself, as what a great place to get away from the cold and enjoy your daughter's opening season game! Go Mo!

SYMPATHIES--We want to send our deepest sympathies to Rochelle (Jason) Wallin, as she just recently lost her sister at an all too young age, so our condolences to her and her entire family.

Sadly, we learned of another loss last week, and that was Art Bryant who is the father of Kathleen Morgain, who operates the Twin Gables B&B here in Skamokawa. I haven't seen Art in some time, but when I did, he always had a great smile and gave the best hugs! We are glad that he was able to live a nice long life, as he was 90 years old, and was able to share that with his loving daughter, who has our sincerest condolences on the loss of her wonderful father. Sympathies are extended to his entire family and his close friends as well.

IT'S WORKING--A big thank you goes out to all of you who heeded the Kiwanis Club plea (and mine) for more Christmas items to help restock for this next holiday season, where they will once again set up a table at the St. James Family Center to raise funds for their group. Between letters and ads and a few lines in my column, Carol Danker was happy to report that people have been showing up at Linda Barth's insurance agency. Needless to say, we hope you'll keep on cleaning out your closets and donating those Christmas items that you no longer need. So, it just goes to show that people are reading The Wahkiakum Eagle and advertising in it, is indeed beneficial for all involved! It also shows that we have wonderful community members who are willing to share and help one another once they find out that the need is there.

LOTS TO DO--Next month you'll be able to enjoy a special dinner put on to benefit the fair on Feb. 4, so watch for further info on that.

The following week, there will be some Valentine doings with food and dancing at the Roadkill Saloon, so if you haven't been by there yet, maybe that will get you there. The fun evening is happening on Feb. 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but you can contact April during the days they are open for their menu and other info at 360-606-0179.

The Duck Inn will have their usual Valentine Dinner specials so contact them at 795-6055 for more info or to make reservations.

If you weren't able to go to the Crab and Oyster Feed in Rosburg this month, you can head to the Norse Hall where the Wahkiakum Chamber will hold their big feed, with three separate dinner times, on Feb. 18. There are always lots of raffles and prizes given away there as well.

If you want to check these events out further, you can contact the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, either on their website, Facebook or by calling 795-9996.

LOOKING AHEAD--The Class of 1967 will hold their 50th class reunion after the Bald Eagle Day parade on July 15. Here's hoping that all class members will help spread the word and join us at fellow classmate, Dale Jacobson's house near the marina, next door to the dentist office on that day. While many like to have a fancy, expensive type celebration, the gang opted for a no fuss, no muss kind of potluck gathering and that sure works for me! As we get older, easy seems to be the way to go, so I hope all 67'ers will mark that day on your calendars and show up; pictures of kids and grandkids included!