WHAT WILL WE GET?--As this week begins, the forecast is a mixed bag, with some saying we could get some snow and some saying it’s just going to freeze, while others are saying rain every day, so I guess we will just have to wait and see what shows up. As we all know, the weather can vary around here from Skamokawa to Cathlamet and even from valley to valley and day to day, so it’s just best to be prepared for the worst scenario and then hope for the best, as it’s much easier to deal with the worst if we’re ready for it. I’m not a lover of the snow but then again, temperatures hanging around in the 20s isn’t real easy to deal with either, as folks often find themselves off the road in a heartbeat when they hit a patch of black ice, so be careful out there!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Dec. 1-7 are Mike Linn, Tom Webb, Menoka Martin, Cindy Montgomery, MacKenzie Allen, Maria Snow, Hank Bassi, Dennis Reid, Julie Iverson, Darcey Bardsley, Jamie Jacobson, Johnny Burdick, Nolan Robinson, Willow Nortrup, Hollie Longtain, Paul Hoven, Gary Bergseng, Chris Barnes, Ryan Prestegard, Chase Heagy, Justin Watkins, Karen Bertroch, Rachael Cook, Kendra Finkas, Steve Finkas, Jonas Owen, Gabe Pedersen and Mark Pedersen.

Those celebrating anniversaries this week are Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Holland, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Dault, and Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Vik. Here’s wishing all of you with birthdays and anniversaries this week, the very best of celebrations!

THURSDAY ANNIVERSARY--It’s already been a year since the Free Community Breakfast began at the Skamokawa Grange Hall and they hope you’ll stop by this Thursday between 10 and noon to help celebrate their one year anniversary! This is a place where you can meet new folks, sit and chat and get acquainted, while you have a bite to eat, and of course, if you’d like to bring a dish to share, that’s all the better. Donations are always appreciated, but you’re welcome to come by regardless and hey, bring your favorite coffee mug and sit a spell and maybe you’ll make some new friends!

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR HERE--The area's bazaars are in full swing and if you’d like to continue shopping, you can head to the Wah. Co. fairgrounds this Saturday, Dec. 3 and take in all their vendors during their holiday bazaar. You can also do a bit of bidding if you opt to take part in their silent auction items with the winners of those being announced the following week at the Flea Market, which will be held Dec. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

DECK THE HALLS--While you’re down here for either or both of the above events, it’s also a great time to stop at the historic Central School/Redmen Hall building on the corner of SR 4 and East Valley Road, as they also have their Christmas doings going on there. I see lots of homemade goodies to purchase and it goes without saying, they hope you’ll do some local shopping to help out all our local vendors and our local organizations which help make our community as special as it is. You can contact the hall by calling them at 360-795-3007 or use their email fos1894@gmail.com.

CARDS FOR A CAUSE--This Saturday, Dec. 3, a card making event will take place at the Tsuga Gallery in Cathlamet from noon to 4 p.m., and you’re invited to come and make a card! The kids could even make one to send to Santa. Some folks will be making them to add to the “Shoeboxes of Joy,” so head that way if you’d like to be crafty and make your very own card!

NORSE HALL PARTY FOR KIDS--Don’t forget to bring your kiddos to the Norse Hall on Puget Island this Sunday, Dec. 4 from 2 to 4 p.m., as there will be goodie bags, cookie decorating, crafting, Santa and more, so don’t miss it! Call Jan for more info, 360-431-1705.

FIRE DEPARTMENT/SANTA RUN--Here’s another great “giving” opportunity as on Dec. 10, according to Ashley Brooke Tawater, the “Santa Run” will happen. They hope you’ll meet with them when they make their “run” around the area. If you’re new to the area, Santa hops on a fire truck and makes scheduled stops (to be announced) and people get to see Santa as they donate toys for the kids, food for the food bank and cash to help out filling in where needed. You can also donate toys right now at the box located at the Dollar General Store. If you’d like to hand Santa a check to help with his expenses, your check should be made out to the Skamokawa Fire Association. More info will be coming soon, but just know that this is always a great time to let the little ones see and hear lots of fire trucks and learn all about helping others as well!

THANKSGIVING--I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, as I know I did; there was no cooking for me! Yay! I just headed over to the Skamokawa Grange Hall where Season Long and her group of volunteers did all the cooking and the rest of us just brought a few things to go along with the huge trays of turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing and rolls, whew, it was a lot! At any rate, I got to really relax for the first time in ages and I also got to meet some new folks in the community, so that was great. I did feel a little bad that the huge influx of people that showed up last year, did not show up this year, as they were certainly ready for it, but I know those that did attend certainly appreciated all the hard work that went into this free community dinner, so Kudos to all of you; you were awesome!

NOT SO GREAT--While I was enjoying Thanksgiving, part of my family who had planned a big gathering, wound up being sidelined with a trip to the ER instead, so that was truly unfortunate. WHS graduate, and brother of mine, Frank Pedersen took a hard tumble and split open his mouth pretty bad, so their day was definitely not enjoyed much and they missed out on all the festivities with their son and daughter and their families, so that was the pits. We want to send him a big “Feel Better Soon” wish; and hopefully no more tumbles!

SHOEBOXES OF JOY--With the days winding down really fast, here’s another reminder that those in need, who may not even receive a gift from anyone this year, may well get one if Season Long and her merry crew get a little help from all of us. It’s time to wrap a shoebox and fill it with some goodies, like ornaments, personal items, treats, cards, etc., and deliver them to the various locations in the area. Boxes should be marked if they are for a man or a woman, or possibly one with sugar free treats for a diabetic, or one for a person with a pet, which includes a pet toy or treat. These boxes should be delivered to either the Bank of Pacific in Cathlamet, The Video Store, Patty Cake Coffee and Roasting store or the Duck Inn here in Skamokawa by no later than December 19. We hope you’ll help out. For more information, call 360-795-5208 or look up http://www.speakupwahkiakum.com/shoeboxes. Use your imagination and fill up a box or two today; you’ll really make someone’s day!

WARM CLOTHING GIVEAWAY--If you are in need of warm clothing, the Puget Island Fire Department is still giving away free coats, hats, gloves, etc., so head over and pick out what you need to keep you warm this winter. They will be there this Friday, Dec. 2 from 3 to 6 p.m., and again on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Also, if you have any children’s warm clothing items that you can part with, the gals in the Auxiliary say they are in short supply of those, so if you have some, you could drop them off in the bin at the PIFD fire hall or at River Mile 38 Brewery in Cathlamet.

THE GAME!--If you are a UW Husky fan, you were over-joyed to take the Apple Cup back from the WSU Cougars this past Saturday evening. While it was a pretty close game the first half and even into the third, that final quarter was really dominated by the Huskies, so I know all you Dawg fans were ecstatic! My immediate family has a lot of Cougs in it, so they were sorely disappointed, but my Pedersen crew also includes some Husky grads, so either way, a Pedersen came out a winner in this match up!

The other big game was held in Seattle on Sunday, which wound up in OT and sadly, had the Seahawks on the losing end of that game which certainly was up and down throughout the whole thing. It looked like the ‘Hawks had run out of steam at the end though so that game slipped by them. Let’s hope for a better outcome next week!

SYMPATHIES--We were very saddened to hear of the recent passing of Mary Spitzer Dominique on November 8 at the age of 89. I remember Mary very well and she always seemed to have a smile on her face. I also remember when she was on the front of the paper with her “Box of Love” creation back in 1978 and I just thought that was extremely creative and unique. There will be a Celebration of Life gathering this Saturday, Dec. 3 at Julius A. Wendt Elementary School in their multipurpose room at noon. My sincerest sympathies go out to her dear friends and family members, which include her children, a son, Jim and daughter, Signe. I’m so sorry for your loss.

NOT TOO HAPPY--Once again, those of us who depend on our phones and internet to work, were sorely disappointed when we found out that our provider was not operational; which happens multiple times a week it seems and almost always on part of the weekend. Some folks were in the middle of important telephone calls and were cut off, while others who depend on their internet to do their banking, bill paying or other things, couldn’t do that either. Frustrating is an understatement and when you go to pay your bill for services that we definitely are not getting, that’s a real hard pill to swallow! If you’ve been calling me to give me information and couldn’t reach me, well, that’s the reason; and you may have left a message that has yet to show up or may have just disappeared; grrr! Sorry!