December 13, 2019
T he C olumbia P ress
Senior Moments
with Emma Edwards
7
History in the Making
A look back at Warrenton’s top stories from The Columbia Press annals
White elephant gifts were an Weyerhaeuser sells mill to Hampton Affiliates
d . 2009
awkward burden in the past
t y
eC
Before I forget, here is Bet-
ty Kelly’s holiday walnuts
recipe that I promised.
First, stir together 1 1/2
cups white sugar, 1 1/2 cups
brown sugar and 3/4 cup
evaporated milk. Cook on
medium to soft ball stage
(240 degrees). Remove from
heat and stir in 1 1/2 ounces
brandy (the real thing} and 1
1/2 ounces pure vanilla.
Stir in 3 pounds walnuts
(shucked and halved). Spread
on a single layer of waxed pa-
per. When dry, put in an air-
tight container.
I don’t know about you, but
Dr. Seuss books were a fun
part of our children’s lives
when we were “growing them
up.” Recently, I ran across
one of his books written in
his 80s during a long illness,
“You’re Only Old Once.” I en-
joyed it and believe many of
us can relate to it. Here is a
sample:
“This small white pill is
what I munch at breakfast
and right after lunch. I take
the pill that’s kelly green
before each meal and in-be-
tween.
“These loganberry-colored
pills I take for early morn-
ing chills. I take the pill with
zebra stripes to cure my ear-
ly evening gripes. These or-
ange-tinted ones, of course,
I take to cure my charley
horse. …
“I take three blues at half
past eight to slow my ex-
halation rate. On alternate
nights at nine p.m. I swallow
pinkies. Four of them.”
Children’s book? One re-
viewer wrote, “Well ... not
immediately. You buy a copy
for your child now and you
give it to him on his 70th
birthday!”
Not so long ago, I was at
one of those fun Christmas
parties where we were giv-
en large baked potatoes and
got to dress them ourselves
from the many little dishes of
favorite toppings. Included
was a favorite of mine: a big
dish of chili and sour cream.
The food was followed by a
white elephant exchange of
gifts. I got in a conversation
about what white elephants
have to do with Christmas.
It seems Christmas is the fa-
vorite time for this rousing
game.
Researching the origin of
the white elephant gift ex-
change, I learned that in
Thailand and other Asian
countries, white elephants
were regarded as holy be-
ings, possessing powers of
prosperity, fertility and pow-
er. Elephant owners, usually
kings, excessively pampered
the live white elephants.
If the king didn’t like an
assistant, he might gift him
with a white elephant. What
at first appears to be an honor
becomes a financial burden,
as the recipient is expected to
pamper the elephant because
someone might want to wor-
ship it. The death of such a
magnificent creature spelled
disaster.
Thus, the white elephant
lives on in many ways. It has
come to symbolize a prized
possession whose mainte-
nance cost exceeds its worth.
Of course, over the years,
humor has entered the choice
of something we no longer
wish to keep and on and on.
Admittedly, it’s a fun game.
Christmas is a time for fun
games, too.
en
ears ago
• A Warrenton firefight-
er is arrested for stealing
$20,800 from the Warren-
ton Firefighters Association,
a nonprofit organization that
awards scholarships and
oversees the agency’s annual
Christmas food drive.
• Warrenton author Sue
Glen’s new book, “Images of
America: Warrenton-Ham-
mond,” is released.
• Weyerhaeuser’s Warren-
ton sawmill closes and is sold
to Hampton Affiliates.
• Two people are found
dead after a house fire in the
400 block of Northwest First
Street. Police believe Joseph
DeWilde, 73, slit his wife’s
throat, then set the house on
fire. Karen DeWilde, 69, had
filed for divorce the previous
month.
d eC 1999
t Wenty years ago
• Warrenton Business Asso-
ciation is exploring the possi-
bility of constructing a fishing
pier at the city park adjacent
to Hammond Marina.
Senior lunches
Monday, Dec. 16: Spa-
ghetti with Italian sausage,
broccoli, romaine salad, ice
cream.
Thursday, Dec. 19: Roast
beef, mashed potatoes and
gravy, mixed vegetables, to-
mato-vegetable soup, bread
pudding.
The Warrenton senior
lunch program is at noon
Mondays and Thursdays
at Warrenton Community
Center, 170 SW Third St.
Suggested donation is $6
for 55 and older; $7 for
those younger. For more
info: 503-861-3502.
• Heavy rain causes a cul-
vert pipe to fail and create
a 6-foot-deep sinkhole on
Northwest First Street be-
tween Elm and Date avenues.
• The Port of Astoria will pe-
tition the city to vacate King
Street and restrict entry to its
property along Youngs Bay
and will install a gate at King
Street after receiving com-
plaints from the fire depart-
ment about fire hazards from
mounds of debris.