T'WAS HOT!--As this paper came out last Thursday, we saw our temperature jump to 87 degrees in West Valley and I'm telling you, that was pretty toasty for the early part of May! We weren't the only ones dealing with warmer temperatures and several areas saw record breaking heat for that day. The following day saw us with temps hitting 90 plus; wow! However, the weekend was a different story as we saw a big dip in temperatures, so the heat was gone but it was dry and decent, so Mother's Day was still quite nice. By the time you read this, we are supposed to have had some rain, and considering we really need some, we won't mind too much.

LIFTED--Unless things have changed since I started this column, the burn ban that was currently in effect, was going to be lifted as of yesterday (Wednesday), but this was contingent on the rainy forecast. Don't forget, you need a permit to burn, which you get at the courthouse, and then before burning, call the Sheriff's office so they can put you on their list, so that no unnecessary call outs to the fire dept. would be made. If you call them ahead of time like you're supposed to, you'll also find out whether it's actually okay to burn or not. Remember, windy days are not a good time to burn, and burning after dark is not allowed. Stay safe folks!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating special days from May 16-22 are Mike Iverson, Hannah Helms, Tayler Stornetta, Kris Parke, Tina Vincent, Courtney Helms, Lois Nelson, Jamie Nelson, J.T. Luthi, Frances Phelan, Nikki Hoven, Michelle Thomas Fladebo, Mike Phelps, Sheri Davis, Mark Phillips, Julie McKinley, Makayla Holland, Lexi Grasseth, Dru Grasseth, Travis Heagy, Kevin Wirkkala, Patrick Lee Thompson, Mary Jodi McClain, Deanna Healy Ahrndt, Lainie Ferguson, Brenda Nielson, Donna Palmer, Rian Blain, Rachael Reynolds and Brandon Chamberlain.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Deal and Cindy and Bill Faubion. Here's hoping you had wonderful celebrations. Belated annivesary wishes go out to Chuck and Heidi Beyer who celebrated seven years together this past Sunday!

ADDED--We got to add to our family this past weekend, as my nephew, Mark Pedersen, along with his wife, Rhonda, flew back to Cincinnati, Ohio where they attended the wedding of his youngest son, Jonas to his lovely bride, Bo Fu. The couple wound up saying their nuptials in the Cincinnati Art Museum, which made for a very special wedding venue. Also on hand for the special day, was Jonas' brother, Adam and his wife Samantha Pedersen, who traveled from Virginia to join in the celebration. Here's a hearty congratulations to the newlyweds and we wish them all the best! I'm sure Jonas' Grandpa Ralph and Grandma Peggy Pedersen were smiling down on them from heaven that day.

FRIDAY MOVIE--The Community Center located in Cathlamet on Main Street, will show a PG-13 movie on May 17, and it is listed as a comedy. As always, this is a free movie and comes with free popcorn, with all the movies beginning at 7 p.m.

THIS SATURDAY--This is the weekend for the Great White Tail Run so you'll need to meet at Skamokawa Vista Park to get your registration or pre-registration packets beginning at 8:30 a.m. The race begins at 10 a.m., and there are several categories. This is the 35th annual race, which is sponsored by the Wahkiakum 4-H group, so kudos to them for keeping this annual event going. You'll need to contact the Wah. Extension office (360-795-3278) if you'd like all the information or check out their website. Have fun, and here's hoping it's not too hot or too cold!

FOS--If you're waiting for a runner to finish up in the above event, (or want to go after it's over) why not head to the historic Redmen Hall, as the Friends of Skamokawa have a wonderful array of things for you to check out and they'd love to have you stop by. The River Life Interpretive Center is located on the second floor of the building, and provides a wonderful view of the area, and the gift/book shop on the lower floor has books from many local authors and gift items from local artisans, and they are open from noon to four, Thursday-Sunday. Contact 360-795-3007 for more info.

SYMPATHIES--I recently got a call from Bev England and she told me about the passing of her sister, Darlene Kagle Rafferty. This news should have appeared in my column last week, but obviously due to a "cut and forgot to paste" action on my part, it wasn't included; my apologies. Darlene was a 1957 Wahkiakum High School graduate who was living in Battle Ground at the time of her passing. Services have yet to be decided. Our sympathies go out to her entire family.

MEMORIAL WEEKEND--The following weekend will be Memorial Weekend and we hope you'll take extra care and caution over this always busy, three day weekend. Remember that post offices and other things, like banks, will be closed for the day. This is also a time when people head to the cemeteries and put flowers on their loved ones' headstones. Please read the rules for leaving flowers, and note that at Greenwood Cemetery in Cathlamet, it says there are not to be any artificial flowers left there from May through October as that is mowing season. There are also stipulations on the kinds of containers you can leave, so be sure to check the rule board for all the do's and don'ts. Live flowers in approved containers seem to be the most favorable option.

TWO WEEKS--The first "Cruizin' to the Fair" Car Show will be held at the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds on June 1. They have some cool t-shirts for sale and with a little luck, it will be a nice day for everybody to come down and check out all the cars! I hope you've heard that there's going to be a breakfast and a lunch available that day, and they're also accepting vendors to sell their wares as, so if you'd like to be part of the action that day, contact the fair office at 360-795-3480 and leave a message. It's always helpful when people leave messages to talk a bit slower so that those listening to the message can hear your name and phone number clearly and correctly.

STOP!--Recently, someone has been dumping their garbage at the recycling bins in Skamokawa, which is located near the Sk. Fire Hall. Please, whoever you are, just stop it! The trash belongs at the garbage dump just a few short miles on top of KM mountain, so if you were able to drive it to the bins, then drive it up a little further and put it where it belongs. The dump is open Thursdays and Saturdays. The cost is minimal in comparison to having the recycling bins removed from our area because of this illegal dumping! If anyone sees someone doing this, please report them immediately. It has been suggested that cameras be set up to catch whoever is dumping trash rather than recyclables and while I think that's a terrific idea, for now, let's all be vigilant and watch out for those who may be doing this.

GET WELL--It sounds like we have a couple people that could use some get well wishes and one of those is Gary Bergseng, who is recovering from some broken ribs, so we hope he mends quickly and feels better real soon. Also Sherry Ostling says she's been dealing with the flu, so that's not so neat and we hope she and other members of the family are all doing much better by now. Then there are all the folks who found themselves suddenly all clogged up, losing their voices and having pounding headaches, all due to the massive amounts of pollen in the air, so we feel for all of you, as allergies and sinus infections are definitely miserable. Here's to one and all feeling better from whatever's ailing you right now!

MOTHER'S DAY--I hope all you gals had a wonderful Mother's Day and I know some of my neighborhood gals sure did, so that was great to hear. Nicole McKinley certainly appeared to have a great day, as she said she got breakfast in bed and some awesome plants and hanging baskets that came from Skamokawa Gardens Nursery, so you know those were pretty, and the kids were cleaning the house and taking care of the lawn and well, you just can't be unhappy on Mother's Day with all that going on!

Former resident, Kelly Nettles Recupero, who now lives in Australia, was having a great time recently and a very special Mother's Day, as she was able to meet with her kids and grandsons in Hawaii. How fun is that? Along with her hubby, Louis, not only did they have a truly wonderful family vacation, but she had a fantastic, dream come true kind of Mother's Day.

Kerrie McNally had a busy and fun weekend, as not only did her family and friends hold an early, special 70s themed birthday party for her but she also got to be with her kids to celebrate Mother's Day. Anytime you're with lots of family members and good friends, it's a good day!

Theresa Kuljis is another one of those super Moms who seems to be everywhere and doing everything, including adding to her family, so it was only fitting that her Mother's Day included getting many wonderful cards and bags of goodies!

Katie Sechler got to enjoy some daughter time over Mother's Day weekend, as she and hubby flew down to California for a few days, and then came back home to enjoy her gifts from the other kids. The only down side was that Katie loves the heat, and it was actually hotter in Seattle while she was gone, than it was in Calif!

This Mom got to enjoy cards, gifts and phone calls from the kids along with a movie and dinner date with hubby, so I had a great day as well. I hope all of you ladies in the area did too!

Don't forget: It's Dad's turn next month, so don't forget to plan something special on Father's Day!