MILDER/THEN COLD?--We had a few days of warmer temperatures around here but still had some freezing mornings in West Valley, so it hasn't exactly been a heat wave! Still, it's certainly better than the massive flooding, snowfalls and freezing rain episodes that were happening in other parts of our country. I am hoping that my weather app is really wrong, as it says we could get a little more snow by the time you read this, but just in case it's right, take it easy out there!

INTERNET WOES--It seems like whenever it's time to turn in my column, our internet goes out, and sure enough, that was the case once again last week. It was also out the day before, so that was even more annoying. Just as I was about to give up on getting my connection back, and had printed out my column and was headed to town with it in hand, lo and behold it came back on! Still, these long outages make us all realize how much we depend on having internet connections, as everything we do these days seems dependent on it, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing! Here's hoping for no problems this week.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Feb. 2-8 are Kyle Gribskov, K.C. Garrison, Courtney Zurick, Varsha Martin, Nicole Emery, Grant Johnson, Alyssa Montgomery, Bob Montgomery, Ed Stornetta, Bailey McKinley, Kathy Tarabochia, Pam Moore, Terrie Eaton, Terry Ostling, Betty Brons, Bret Hart, Jessica Vik, Maddox Moore, Troy Kyle, Alexyss Baldwin, Madilyn Freeman, Aunika Rose Taylor, David Pedersen and Scott Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Jason and Jamie Rainey, Mr. and Mrs.Randy Montgomery and Mr. and Mrs. Dan Cothren; enjoy!

FRIDAY MOVIE--This week's Friday movie, Feb. 3, will take place at 7 p.m., at the Community Center at 101 Main Street in Cathlamet, and the movie audience rating is for All/PG-13. No children under 12 allowed without a parent.

FEATURED--If you're a member of the Sons of Norway, Helgeland Lodge #30 of Cathlamet, you might have noticed a familiar face and name in the January issue of the "Viking" magazine, which all lodge members receive every month. That person was WHS graduate, Tyler Gorley! He is the grandson of lodge member, Gwen Gorley, and he received a $1,000 scholarship from the lodge, which was co-funded by the lodge and another donor this last year. Congratulations to Tyler!

CORRECTION--Last week I respectively sent my condolences to the Phil and Jerry Corbin families, on the loss of their grandson and son, Kyle. My apologies for an error in that piece, as while Kyle was indeed a young man, he was 25 years old, and not 17. His services were held this past week in Yakima and his brothers in the motocross world, the Tieton Highlanders Vintage Motocross group, paid their respects to him by gathering together and riding their bikes in his procession. A very nice tribute indeed.

COMING UP--This Saturday, Feb. 4, there is to be a dinner at the Skamokawa Grange Hall to benefit the Wahkiakum Fairgrounds. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m., and the cost is $25.

On Feb. 5, which is Super Bowl Sunday, there are bound to be great food items at both the Roadkill Saloon (360-606-0179) and the Duck Inn, so come on down and check them out. Here's to your favorite team winning. My son's fraternity brother, Stacey, is the scheduling manager for the Patriots so we feel we need to back him up a little, so that's the way I'm leaning.

On Feb. 11, the Roadkill Saloon will have their Valentine doings from 7 to 10 p.m. For all the bingo lovers in the county, the Norse Hall on Puget Island will be the place to be a little earlier that same evening, beginning at 6 p.m., for their monthly bingo games. Doors open at 5:30.

On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, it will be a day that the guys certainly don't want to forget if they have a lovely lady they'd like to keep happy, so why not venture down this way and check out the specials at the Duck Inn. Call 795-6055 with any questions or to make reservations.

SCAM ALERT--Have you gotten a phone call from what appears to be a local cell phone number lately? Have they asked you "Can you hear me?" If you say yes, you may have just set yourself up for the latest in scams, as these people record your response, and then use it to okay charges on things that you did not order, and then they threaten you when you say you didn't order it. Don't be fooled or threatened. First of all, if you get that call, hang up and report it to local authorities and secondly, if you already got one of those calls and said yes, watch your phone bills and other statements closely, and do not be intimidated by their threats to "pay up or else." Tell them you're turning them in, and then do just that, and don't pay them. The scam is hitting our area already, so be wary; and spread the word!

SICK, SICK--I am hearing from more and more people that they have been feeling lousy, and some were going on a month of feeling bad, so I sure feel for all those who have been under the weather for so long. I had my own six week stint with a couple of bugs, and it is no fun! While we feel bad for all the grown ups who are suffering, we really feel for those little ones; scary stuff when they're running such high fevers and are so listless. Here's sending get well wishes to each of you who are still dealing with one kind of illness or another. With deaths skyrocketing in the state of Washington from the flu, don't take any chances and seek help sooner than later. Pneumonia is also claiming many lives, so here's hoping we can escape these medical pitfalls and all stay healthy.

RECAP--The Crab and Oyster Feed at the Rosburg Community Hall was definitely a success this past Saturday, with a full house and lots of great tasting crab and oysters, with all the side dishes and dessert to boot; there were no complaints on the food, that's for sure! Rounding out the evening were the King Brothers, who have a great sound and who we first met at the Duck Inn, and so they are always a great group to listen to. It appeared that a lot of tickets were sold for the various give away items. A full drum of tickets is always a welcome sight to the people who are trying to raise money for the American Legion, Deep River Post #111, so they can continue their good works. Kudos to the men and women behind the scenes and all the kids that joined in to help deliver oysters and dessert! This is always a great time to get together with old friends, a time to reconnect with some we only see occasionally and to meet new folks as well; a fun, fun time indeed! Happily, the weather was great and there was no standing in the rain or having to worry about flooded roadways, or a snowy ride home; it was perfect!

OUT OF THE PAST--In 1947, the end of January had some good and bad things going on for the Ralph Everest family. Sadly, Avis Walker, sister-in-law to Elsie Everest, passed away at the early age of 44. She left behind her husband, George and three daughters: Mrs. Joyce Mott, Mrs. Jeanine Walters and Barbara Walker. The two sons of Ralph and Elsie celebrated birthdays, with George's on the 23rd and Marshall's on the 25th; he turned 21 that year. The Junior Matrons met at the home of the Everests with Marian Healy as the hostess. A lovely luncheon was served after a lengthy business meeting. They agreed to hold the next meeting at the home of Beth Bernath in Feb. On the last day of January, it was cold and snowy and a big storm came in, which closed the local schools. The local kids were busy having fun with their sleds and playing in the heavy snow that fell all day.

On the first day of February, it was very stormy still with lots of power problems. In spite of the weather, it was not enough to keep everyone home, as there was a March of Dimes dance and it seems everyone was going! The following day, it was much nicer and Grandma Elsie and Mary Ann Risk went to the movies. That day, Mr. and Mrs. K.P. Howell Jr. became the parents of a little girl they named Nancy. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Foster were the maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents were Mrs. and Mrs. K.P. Howell Sr. of St. Helens, Ore. Feb. 3 was another nice day and it was a big day for George Everest, as it was his last day in the Navy. On Feb. 7 and 8, it was " like Spring," so everyone enjoyed the nicer weather after the snowy and stormy end to January. Sadly, on Feb. 8, a Mrs. North of Skamokawa, drowned, and also a Mr. Plunket passed away. The day ended with dinner at Jim's Cafe for the Everests and daughers Carol and Marian were in for coffee, accompanied by Grace P., Inez D. and Mary Anne R. They had a grand visit. All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diary.