Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2017)
October 20, 2017 T he C olumbia P ress 6 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards Caterpillars as weathermen Our local caterpillars are predicting a wet and unusu- ally cold winter. Walking home from senior lunch on Monday I stopped and studied a few of those beautiful little creatures. So far, the black is winning. I checked out my Old Farm- er’s Almanac, which is a thick little booklet-size magazine that’s printed once a year. It is probably most familiar to us older seniors, since it has been in print since 1792. Here is the legend: “The woolly bear caterpillar has 13 distinct segments of either rusty brown or black. The wider the rusty brown sec- tions (or the more brown seg- ments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. The more black there is, the more severe the winter.” Another miracle that I had forgotten is that when spring arrives, these woolly bear cat- erpillars spin fuzzy cocoons and transform inside them into full-grown butterflies or moths. So much to think about! And guess I forgot to tell you that the proceeds of that granny square afghan raffle go to the Warrenton Senior Citizens Inc. meal site build- ing fund. A few years ago, a gentleman named Jim Do- nahue went on to heaven and left our meal site $25,000, establishing an actual build- ing fund. A step toward his dream and the dream of many of us seniors so one day it could become a reality. Just a place for Warrenton seniors to hang out any day of the week and drink coffee and maybe shoot a game of pool or play cards. Daily lunches and bin- go, too. Fun to “dream on.” Another thing I was think- ing about. You know most of us take a pill or pills to keep our arteries open so we won’t have a stroke and for various other ailments. But what do I take to avoid being hurt by a terrorist? Or a tornado? Or a wild fire? I like to listen to a preacher by the name of Dr. David Jer- emiah on Sunday mornings while getting ready to go to church. Last week, he spoke of the peace we can have with God and peace from God and the peace of God. (I took notes.) Anyway, he stressed that we should not let the news of the day steal our peace. That meant a lot to me as I am, admittedly, a news addict. When I let worry take over, perhaps when a tsunami is threatened, or another crisis is around the corner, I need to call upon God and deter- mine to rest and relax in His peace. I like to let my mind wan- der. My hubby loved the crust of every slice of bread plus the heels. I cut them off. Why don’t bread makers of- fer us crust-less bread? You know, like “paper or plastic,” we could have “crust or no crust.” When I host my Pinoch- le Club, I like to serve little sandwiches and always cut the crust off. Think of what a time- and labor-saver crust- less bread would be. Howev- er, the birds would be sad as they enjoy the crust. Homework for your grand- kids: How many legs does a caterpillar have? (Answer next week). Hint: Why was the caterpillar late for his soc- cer game? Answer: He was putting his tennis shoes on. Emergency: Clatsop EOC preparing for ‘The Big One’ Continued from Page 1 just forget,” Van Winkle said. At Camp Rilea, Clatsop County’s EOC houses up-to- date electronics powered by a self-contained electrical system. Computers connect with radios that “feed” a tall tow- er glistening with curiously shaped antennas, some of which seem designed to, well, scare off Martians. Funded by the county after the De- cember ’07 storm, the EOC and its tower sit on a foun- dation comprised of volcanic rock to give it better earth- quake survivability. In a crisis, a local profes- sional Incident Commander with a small support team would meet at the EOC. Pretrained volunteer hams would be activated to run the radios for getting the word out to emergency crews in the area, as well as to other EOCs far away. Other licensed operators would be sent around the area for mobile communica- tions helping to link various responders to the Incident Commander’s team at the EOC. The scheme is so well proven that law enforcement, fire and rescue, the Red Cross, FEMA and even the military value local amateur radio volunteers in major di- sasters. Prominent use of computers in Saturday’s drill reflected a modernization of the image of a radio operator franti- cally trying to get in a word through the chaos of Martian sightings all over the state. The PCs run an email-like program called Winlink, which controls external smart boxes that in turn op- erate the radios. “Amateur radio digital communication modes such as Winlink allow operators to send and receive email via radio transmission,” said Christopher Paddon, a volun- teer ham with the EOC’s Aux- iliary Communications unit. “During a disaster, when cell towers are down and Internet is unavailable due to overuse or outage, digital radio is the preferred method of commu- nicating critical information quickly, accurately.” One of the key benefits is the automatic recording of all messages in and out. It’s all very formal. When the team composes a mes- sage, a ham at the EOC types it into Winlink, then trans- mits it. Inbound messages are printed. All messages are filed for use later to evaluate and improve local emergency operations. Saturday’s crisis simulation was three hours. Apparent- ly, the Martians were dis- couraged after realizing they couldn’t sneak into town without word getting out. Kicker comes in form of credit this year A more than $463 million tax surplus was confirmed by the Office of Economic Anal- ysis earlier this month, trig- gering a tax surplus credit, or “kicker,” for the 2016 tax year. The surplus will be re- turned to taxpayers through a credit on their 2017 state personal income tax returns filed in 2018. There won’t be any kicker checks issued as in the past. Taxpayers are eligible to claim the kicker if they filed a 2016 tax return and had tax due before credits. Even if you don’t have a filing obliga- tion for 2017, you still must file a 2017 tax return to claim your credit. For more info, call 800- 356-4222. Senior lunch menu Monday, Oct. 23: Baked chicken, cornbread dressing and gra- vy, green beans, coleslaw, apple cake. Thursday, Oct. 26: Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, broccoli soup, key lime pie. The Warrenton senior lunch program is at noon (doors open at 10:30 a.m.) Mondays and Thursdays at Warrenton Community Center, 170 SW Third St. Suggested donation is $5 for ages 55 and older; $7 for those younger. For more information, call 503-861-3502. AGENDA CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WARRENTON MEETING TUESDAY October 24, 2017 – 6:00 P.M. Warrenton City Commission Chambers – 225 South Main Avenue Warrenton, OR 97146 This is a Preliminary Agenda. A final Agenda and full meeting packet will be available on the City’s website at www.ci.warrenton.or.us after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 2017. REGULAR MEETING BUSINESS • Police Officer Oath of Office and Badge Pinning Ceremony – Offi- cers Beem & Crutcher • Consideration of Change Order No. 1 - Gray & Osborne, Water Me- ter Replacement Project • Consideration of Purchase of F-150 pickup truck – Public Works Warrenton City Hall is accessible to the disabled. An interpreter for the hearing impaired may be requested under the terms of ORS 192.630 by contacting Dawne Shaw, Deputy City Recorder, at 503-861-2233 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting so appropriate assistance can be provided.
