Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2017)
December 8, 2017 T he C olumbia P ress 6 Senior Moments with Emma Edwards A look at six-fold symmetry I was slightly under the weather for a few days re- cently. My television helped pass the hours and, lo and behold, the North Pole movie was on. To my amazement, it was quite the treat. Lots of snow scenes and it was slightly sci-fi, but very entertaining. I wrote down a quote about the snow from the young girl, Clementine. “Even the smallest snowflake can turn into the biggest snowball.” Snowflakes have always fascinated me and this is one definition I found: “A flake of snow, especially a feathery ice crystal, typically displaying delicate six-fold symmetry.” Theologians tell us that the six-fold symmetry of a flake of snow is no accident, but is representative of the tri- une nature of God. Three of the six sides of the snowflake represent God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The other three represent man’s body, soul and spirit. A lot has been said and written about the snowflake. We love to show our chil- dren how to fold paper and cut many shapes into it producing snowflakes that us grandmothers and our grandchildren love to paste on our windows. I am sure we all have heard the expression “no two alike” in reference to snowflakes. Wikipedia, the online ency- clopedia, tells us that initial attempts were made to find identical snowflakes by Wil- son Alwyn Bentley, who pho- tographed thousands of them with a microscope begin- ning in 1885. He found the wide variety of snowflakes we know about today. (They have names.) By the way, reading further we find that Bentley lived until 1931 and never found any two snow- flakes alike. Snow is white by the time it reaches us, even though it is made of clear crystal. As it passes through the atmo- sphere, things happen. In further study, one could learn of the multitude of col- or shown in fine study of the snowflake. Anyway, fun for us to study some wintery day. So why did I share that? Our local meal site asked that we make sure they have our current phone num- bers in case of snow so they can call us. Cold weather is ahead, I’m told, so maybe you will have a chance to study a snowflake. I think that nothing creates a big smile on a child or an adult like sticking a tongue out to catch that first snow- flake. Enjoy! Senior lunch menu Monday, Dec. 11: Parmesan chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, tomato soup, apple pie. Thursday, Dec. 14: Thai shrimp, brown rice with peanut sauce, mixed vegetables, cucumber salad, bread pudding. 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. Giving: A way to get into Christmas spirit Continued from Page 1 number of hours volunteers donate per capita. Here are some ideas for those with giving hearts. *** Clatsop Animal As- sistance has its annual fund-raiser and holiday party from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Satur- day, Dec. 9. Hundreds of dogs and cats go through the shelter every year. Many simply got lost and aren’t claimed by their owners. But others have been given up, are hurt or have been abused and need to find new families. The nonprofit CAA, which works in conjunction with the county animal shelter, provides the funding for vet- erinary care and medicines, and also promotes adoption of the animals. This is their main fund-rais- er for the year. “We get success stories from lots of people,” said CAA President Marcy Dun- ning. “Dogs and cats have enhanced so many people’s lives. Dogs have been shown to improve the health of peo- ple.” The fund-raiser is free and includes a silent auction, raf- fle, bake sale and an opportu- nity to have pictures of pets taken with Santa. The party is in the Lovell Showroom at Fort George Brewery, 1483 Duane St., As- toria. Because county shelters are forced to take all animals left there, CAA’s work has meant all adoptable animals get to remain at the shelter until a family can be found. *** Warrenton Wish- es, a joint venture of the school district and Warren- ton-Hammond Healthy Kids, seeks kind-hearted residents interested in adopting one or more children in need of toys and clothes for Christmas. Residents also can partic- ipate by donating money to the tax-deductible organiza- tion. “So far, we have over 100 families with over 200 chil- dren in need of extra support this holiday season,” said Rosa Gilbert, family liaison and federal programs coor- dinator for Warrenton-Ham- mond School District. Community members and businesses can support the program by stopping by the Warrenton Grade School front office and “adopting” one or more children or by giving money to the cause. The gift drive runs through Dec. 20. For more information, con- tact the school’s office at 503- 861-3376 *** The Veterans of Foreign Wars post 10580 and Aux- iliary will have a potluck and “sock filling” for veterans and their wives who are in local nursing homes. Veterans and those who appreciate them are encour- aged to participate, especial- ly those who have a family member who’s a veteran in a nursing home. The sock filling begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Masonic Lodge, 66 S.W. Fourth St., Warrenton. *** Sunset Empire Trans- portation District will let you ride the bus with only a can of donated food for bus fare now through Christmas Eve. The offer is for rides on any fixed route bus in the county. No dented, rusty or out-of-date cans can be ac- cepted and neither will dry packaged food, ramen or gov- ernment-issued food. *** Here’s one for folks who want to help but don’t want to get out of the car. Mike and Teale Adelmann, owners of the D.K. War- ren House built by the town’s namesake, invite the public to stop by the house for an extravagant show. The entertainment starts at dusk every evening with syn- chronized lights and music. The house is at 107 N.E. Skipanon Drive, north of the four-way stop. After enjoy- ing this unique show, there’s a donation box in front to raise money for charitable programs of the Assistance League. *** The UPS Store hopes to de- liver the gift of reading to less fortunate children through a holiday donation drive for the Toys for Tots Litera- cy Program. The program was devel- oped by The UPS Store com- pany, the U.S. Marines and the foundation in 2008. All money donated local- ly helps purchase books for children in Clatsop County. Since partnering with Toys for Tots, The UPS Store net- work has raised more than $4 million to purchase books for underprivileged children nationwide. According to research, chil- dren who grow up in homes where books are plentiful go further in school than those who don’t. Children from traditionally low-education families can do as well as children from high-educa- tion families if they have ac- cess to books. The UPS Store in Warren- ton’s Premarq Center is ac- cepting monetary donations, providing the option to add a donation to the total pur- chase at check-out. To learn more, or to donate online, go to www.toysfortots.org/liter- acy.
