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

MILD TO FRIGID--As this week began, which was Super Bowl Sunday, the morning sunshine was a real treat, even if it was quite nippy out. Some places got down to freezing while others were just close. Considering we were told we might have snow or rain in the morning, it was definitely a nice treat to see the sun for a bit!

However, on Monday morning, many folks in the higher regions, like Beaver Creek, woke up to some "white stuff" and slick conditions so school wound up being postponed for a couple of hours. I was pretty surprised that we didn't get any out our way that day. Monday night saw temps of 27 degrees here, so baby, it was cold outside! They said rain was coming but as I wrap this up this Tuesday morning, it's beginning to snow, ever so lightly, so I guess we have to remind ourselves that it is still winter, so in spite of some early flower bulbs blooming, and occasional sunshine, we will still have to keep the warm coats, hats and gloves handy!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from February 6-12 are Bailey McKinley, Ed Stornetta, Bob Montgomery, Juslynn Kuljis, Terry Ostling, Ronnie "Chink" Cothren, Bret Hart, Tyler Havens, Ethan Havens, Lucas Havens, Alivia Lindsey, James Hoven, JoAnn Nortrup, Paul Schroder, Ken Zacher, Darrill Corbin, Shawn Cortay, Kim Jones, Mike Rust, Carlie Freeman, Aunika Taylor, Dave Pedersen, Scott Pedersen and Annette Healy Miller.

Happy Anniversary wishes this week go out to Mr. and Mrs. Randy Montgomery, Ryan and Breanna Lorenzo and Karen (Trimble) and Larry Brown. May all of your special days be enjoyed to the fullest.

NEW ADDITION--It looks like we have another Cothren to add to the birthday list, as Bob and Ellen Cothren are making sure we all know that they are mighty proud of their new grandson, Carson Robert Cothren! The young man was born Jan. 29 and weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19 inches long, and from the pictures I saw, he's a real cutie and definitely a keeper! Congratulations to Bob and Ellen and to this little guy's parents, Nathan and Aubree.

BABY SHOWER--Our family is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a great grandson, so we know all about "baby fever" and it's just such a great feeling! This past weekend, soon to be grandma, Felicitie Knight, joined her oldest son and soon to be parents, Austin Good and Nicole Coleman in Ellensburg, where they attended a baby shower put on by their friends, for the soon to be "baby Good boy"! That was certainly special and of course, we are all anxious for April to arrive so we get to see the latest addition to our family.

SUPER BOWL--No matter who you were rooting for, one has to admit, this past Super Bowl was pretty doggone good. With the score being tied at the half, and then a surge by the 49'ers in the second half, and the third quarter causing some angst among the Chiefs' fans, but then lo and behold, Kansas City came roaring back and took the prize! Considering it had been 50 years since they'd been able to pull off a Super Bowl win, that made it pretty doggone special for all those Kansas City Chief fans. It was also a real special day for their coach, Andy Reid, as it was his second Super Bowl win, and was his 222nd winning game all played on the special palindrome day as it was the second month, on the second day of the year 2020, cool! To top it off, the KC quarterback, Patrick Mahomes is the youngest winning Super Bowl quarterback to win the Most Valuable Player trophy. Anyway, having a game played like that was certainly better to watch than some of those slow, no scoring defensive games, or those high scoring, run-away games, which make for a pretty boring Super Bowl. My biggest disappointment, no Clydedales in a Bud commercial, what's with that?

FRIDAY MOVIE--Just a heads up on the free movie schedule at the Community Center in Cathlamet, as while there will be movies shown there the first two Fridays, there won't be the last two Fridays, so I just wanted to let you know ahead of time. This Friday, Feb. 7, the movie shown is an adult movie, that is under the Foreign drama/classic genre. The movie will begin at 7 p.m., at 101 Main Street and also features free popcorn, or you can bring in your own goodies.

THIS SATURDAY--No matter the weather, you can come inside the nice warm Youth Building just inside the Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds in Skamokawa this Saturday, from 9 to 3, and check out their monthly Flea Market. There's everything from vendors selling new things, to others who are cleaning their closets out prior to Spring Cleaning time and will happily sell their things at a bargain price. So, here's hoping you'll be stopping by, or maybe even setting up your own table!

CRAB FEED--As far as I know (as of this writing), the Crab and Oyster Feed at the Rosburg Hall will happen this Saturday night, Feb. 8. This is a major fundraiser for members of the American Legion, Deep River Post 111. As I write this, the highway is still closed but if you want to go to the crab feed in Rosburg, you'll have to go around.

CHOCOLATES--On Feb. 13, you will be able to get a box full at the Hotel Cathlamet's lobby at 69 Main Street for $20 and it goes from 3-7 p.m. This is the 20th Annual Chocolate Extravaganza hosted by the Charlotte House, and a program of the St. James Family Center, so the money raised goes for a good cause. Plus, this comes just in time for Valentine's Day, so it would make a wonderful gift! If you're one of those folks making chocolates for this event, you are reminded to have your candies turned in by Feb. 12 so they can get boxed up by those in charge.

VALENTINE'S DAY--You've got one week to dream up something special for Valentine's Day, so I hope you'll try out our local places for dinner, as they need our support and it's a great time to treat them to some extra business and give the cook in your house a break! Be sure to call for reservations as dinner specials and seating may be limited on this special day. For those that get their paper later than most, I'll be wishing you a "Happy Valentine's Day" this week; enjoy!

MORE LOSSES--Sadly, we have lost a couple more folks who we have known a long time, as Puget Islander, Francis Phelan passed away recently (Jan. 24) and her services were held this last Saturday. We certainly want to send her husband Mike and the rest of her family our deepest sympathies for their loss, as she was really a sweet lady. I also liked the fact that she wanted a "party" after her passing, so she was definitely my kind of gal!

Also, we learned of the passing of Franklin Moore on Jan. 27, but he was better known to most of us as "Buzz." He was a great, hard working guy and as one of the "good guys," he will be truly missed. Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife, Jeannine and their children: Debra, Terry and Greg, as well as the rest of his family. A private service will be held.

BACK HOME--We were happy to hear that Rick Foster was able to get home after being hospitalized and had to undergo some serious surgery. He still has some more to go but for now, he was quite happy to get back home. He hadn't been feeling so good for quite awhile, so while he was hospitalized, his family and friends came in and spruced up the place a bit so he wouldn't have to deal with trying to clean house upon his return. Needless to say, the family was very happy that so many helped out with donations of various things from shower chairs to beds and linens and other needs, so a big kudos to all of those that pitched in to help Rick out!

OUCH--Naomi Pedersen didn't have her week start out so great, as she wound up in a car accident when someone hit her from behind at an intersection, and sent her to the hospital. We were happy to hear that her two little kids were not with her, so that was certainly a blessing. We want to send her our heartiest get well wishes, as if you've ever been in a wreck, you'll know the full extent of this kind of trauma can be quite serious and painful.

PRAYERS--The family of Martha Backman are asking for your thoughts and prayers, as Martha recently suffered a stroke but, while she is back home, she is having a very difficult time. So, we want to send her some "get well" wishes and hope we hear some better news soon.

It seems some other folks are experiencing some headaches and flu symptoms, which of course, can be quite serious, so we hope all of you who have been under the weather, will be feeling better soon. Most of all, we hope if anyone is feeling poorly, that they stay home and don't spread "whatever" it is around to others, as those with weaker immune systems are unable to handle those kinds of illnesses. Here's to better health for those who are feeling poorly, and remember, we need to remember to wash our hands and sterilize our cell phones and other items we use, on a daily basis. We need to get those "bugs" before they get us. Take care, everybody!

OUT OF THE PAST--Back in 1950, the area was still reeling from a very cold and miserable January with lots of snow and cold, and whose average temperature was 29.4. There were 22 days that were below freezing and 11 days when the temperature never rose above freezing all day long! Thankfully, February was to bring some warmer rains and breaking up all the ice and snow, which was making quite a mess but better than the bitter cold folks thought.

The big excitement on Puget Island was that Mrs. Stanley Petersen and Mrs. Eino Tienhaara both reported seeing flying saucers as clear as a bell! This was not a single sighting but several sightings by multiple people from different areas. There were six people in all who claimed to have seen the flying discs, all of which were quite reliable witnesses and with different groups of them from four to 14, there was no doubt in their minds as to what they saw!

Miss Rita Jeanne Rose had her picture in the paper as it was announced that she would be married to Ben Lundberg in the Spring.