NICE WEEKEND--We ended October last Saturday and it was very nice and sunny during the daytime, albeit a bit nippy in the evenings, but that's okay, as at least it wasn't wet and nasty out, which made it much better for all those trick or treaters that were out and about on Saturday! To top it off, we got to start our new month of November on Sunday, with an extra hour of sleep as well, so hey, that's always something to be happy about! I don't know about where you live, but we started this new month with freezing temperatures at our house (which was not forecast), so I hope you had your plants all winterized. It looks like we have some rain for a few days mid-week, but it's possible we may have another dry weekend, so that would be great!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 5-11, are Ginger Moonen, Greg Parke, Nicole McKinley, Jordan Kaattari, Jessie Hoven, Marshal Souvenir, Gary Quigley, Anna Kuhn, Ryan Vincent, Diane Tischer, Carol Carver, Jesse Hom, Chelsea Paulsen, Skip Irving, Mike Parker, Charlie McClain, Tiffany Tischer, Jeff Hedges, Lynda Jensen, Ray Lindsey, Jonnie Knowles, Jasmine Brown, James Turner, Mark Helms, Patty Hosley Shanahan, Linda Palmer Spieth, Elizabeth Davison Bach, Chris Bernard and James D. Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this coming week are Ed and Sue Edminster, Brittney and Jesse Haddix, Mr. and Mrs. Garland Budd, Mark and Terri Slape and Kari and Tony Martin. May your celebrations be unforgettable this year!

DRESS A GIRL--This Friday, Nov. 6, Pearl Blackburn and her group of seamstresses will be at the Jabbershack from 1 to 2 p.m., on Main Street in Cathlamet. If you'd like to help them in their efforts to make a dress for those who have never had one, here's your chance. The material and pattern will be provided and I'm told this is a pretty basic design so you don't have to be an expert seamstress. This is one of those things where "many hands make for light work" so the more that can help out, the faster the group can get a shipment of these out to those in need. They plan on meeting on the first Friday of each month at this time and yes, masks are required and things have been set up so that social distancing is possible. If you have any questions, please contact Pearl at: dressagirlpearl@gmail.com. Happy sewing, everybody!

THIS SATURDAY--Don't forget, the traditional way of holding the annual Lions Club Walk'n'Knock program, which meant going door to door, is not going to happen this year, but there will be drop off boxes at various places around the area where you can donate food. Also, you can head over to the Puget Island Fire Department this Saturday, Nov. 7 and drop off your donations from 8 a.m., to 4 p.m. I urge you to please stop by and donate your food items to this group, whose donations to our local food banks is desperately needed this time of year. For more information you can always contact Renee at 360-849-4003.

Also, the Lions Club Helping Hands group can help you out if you need your groceries delivered to you, so call 971-278-1495 or email them at wahkiakumlionsclubhelpinghands@gmail.com. If you happen to see Mike Backman or Carol McClain, you can ask them for info as well.

NEXT WEDNESDAY--November 11 is Veterans Day and we want to honor our military personnel, both past and present, for their bravery, their courage and their sacrifice to our country. According to the USDVA, there is no apostrophe in Veterans Day as it is not a day that belongs to veterans and therefore, not required, although often mistakenly used. According to their website, "When the Color Purple Comes Together" that is the color that is worn when honoring Vets. At 11 a.m., on Nov. 11, a color guard, which includes members of every branch of the military, goes to the "Tomb of the Unknowns" and renders honors to America's war dead. A wreath is placed there and a bugler sounds taps as well. The day originated as Armistice Day in 1919 but Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance and then in 1938, it became the national holiday that it is today. To all our Veterans out there: "Thank you for your dedication, your strength, your courage and your sacrifices that you made for our country."

SYMPATHIES--We heard some sad news from a fellow classmate this week, as Sharon McKie told us of her Mother's passing on Oct. 30. Donna McKie was a wonderful, kind lady and had lived a full life her entire 94 years in sound mind and body until just recently. We truly feel for Sharon and the rest of her family and want to send her our sincerest condolences on the loss of their dear Mother. Due to the family members being scattered here and there, as well as the current circumstances regarding social distancing, a service will take place at a later date.

For those of us who grew up here in the 60s, you would have probably known the McKie family, as Donna's husband was Ernie McKie, who was the basketball coach that took our Mules all the way to State and won the championship back then. That was quite a feat!

MORE NEW FOLKS--I'm not sure where all these folks are hanging their hats but I'm seeing more and more postings on Facebook about people who are saying, "We're new to the area." Wow; amazing! Some are wondering who they can get to do remodeling and some want cement work done and another needs electrical work done and others are concerned about making friends and what there is to do here and what things are available for them to do. If you've moved from the city and expect city things, well, you're going to be in for quite a shock, so I am hoping that you did a bit of research before coming out here so you don't get too upset by what all is not here! No, there's no taxi and no Uber and no gyms and no theater, no roller rink and no fast food delivery services, etc. So I hope that's not going to make you too unhappy. Also, if you expect quiet, depending on where you are, that could be an issue too, as loggers get up early and their trucks can be a bit noisy and if you moved next to a guy who cuts wood for a living, well, his sawmill or chainsaw could just ruin your quiet day. Then there are the animals, which are plentiful and often very noisy, from the howling of the coyotes to the bawling of the neighbor's cows or their barking dogs, which can be stressful.

If you want to fit in, please feel free to join one of the many clubs and organizations in the area (stop by the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce for a list) and if you're young and fit, well, our volunteer fire departments would love to have you show up at one of their meetings on Thursday nights and sign up! That's a great way to meet people and become a much needed and beloved member of our community. I know the Friends of Skamokawa would love new members, as would the Skamokawa Grange and Skamokawa Fire Department, and the Woman's Club in Cathlamet is inviting you to join them, as are the Blooms, which is a group that puts up all the pretty flowers and decorations around town and well, the list goes on and on!

Once we can get over the current Covid restrictions, there will be lots of events and planning and other things to do, as we have a wonderful Wahkiakum County Fair, a Kite Festival at Skamokawa Vista Park and Bald Eagle Days and the Grays River Covered Bridge dinner and Christmas events too, so don't despair, I'm sure you'll find something to do here that suits your fancy! If you don't actually want to join a group, you can always be a sponsor to one of the events here, as we always need those people to help and monies to put on these various groups and all donations are truly appreciated.

At any rate, here's hoping you'll all get settled in okay and enjoy your new home here as much as all of us "old timers" have. Welcome!

OUT OF THE PAST--This week back in 1950, it was election time and the Republicans swept the four most controversial offices by a large vote in Wahkiakum County. Robert Wiester was the big winner for Sheriff; Robert Irving took the Auditor spot; County commissioner in the first district was won by Stanley Tholo and the third district was won by Theodore Swanson. The huge winner for the Prosecuting Attorney was Mitchell Doumit, whose opponent only got three votes. The county had an over 50 percent voting return, which was considered a good turnout.

Twelve WHS students enrolled at the University of Washington: Julia Emery, Allan Nilson, Mike Doumit, Helen Durrah, Beverly Fritz, William Fritz, John Gibson, Marian Lockwood, Robert Goodfellow, Don Marinkovich, James Osborne and Robert Strand.

The "79'ers" met at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Swanson who held their annual party which was all about greeting guests by a bewitching witch, and invited in to the room decorated by black cats and other spooky Halloween things and of course, they served up some "witches brew" to boot! Harry Hendrickson provided the music on his accordion. Prizes for best constumes were awarded to Frank Durrah and Mrs. Frank Badger.

All this according to my Grandma Elsie Everest's diary and the special edition of "The Eagle." You could call them at Phone 39!