The Columbia Press
November 20, 2020
Senior
Moments
7
Off the Shelf
by Kelly Knudsen
with Emma Edwards
Things to ponder on those
dark and stormy nights
It was a dark and stormy
night.
I thought of that phrase as
I went to bed Monday night.
Was that credited to Pea-
nuts creator Charles Schultz,
author Charles Dickens, or
both?
The answer is yes. Both. But
it was not original to either of
them. The phrase was coined
by Victorian author Sir Ed-
ward Bulwer-Lytton in the
book, “Paul Clifford,” pub-
lished in 1830.
Charles Schultz taught
Snoopy, as well as Charlie
Brown, to begin their writings
with that dark and stormy
night phrase.
Schultz’s five children often
inspired his stories. Charles
Dickens (who, by the way,
had 10 children) borrowed
the phrase from Bulwer-Lyt-
ton’s book 112 years earlier.
We have enjoyed a few of
those dark and stormy days
and nights this past week.
When I was young, I loved
to sit on our porch (in those
days everyone had a good-
sized front porch) and watch
our Michigan storms.
We were taught that thun-
der and lightning was simply
God rearranging the furni-
ture and, of course, God had
to have the lights on. We
learned to love storms!
For those of us who have
lived here for many years, we
can’t help but remember our
2007 Advent Day storm.
The windows on my bed-
room were rattling last night
just as then, causing the
entire room to vibrate and
shake.
This Thanksgiving season, I
am reminded to be especial-
ly thankful for my nice warm
home that can weather such
storms to the realm of enjoy-
ment.
In Sir Bulwer-Lytton’s
book, he described the storm
quite adequately. Here is the
long, long first sentence of his
first chapter: “It was a dark
and stormy night; the rain
fell in torrents - except at
occasional intervals, when
it was checked by a violent
gust of wind which swept up
the streets (for it is in London
that our scene lies), rattling
along the housetops, and
fiercely agitating the scanty
flame of the lamps that
struggled against the dark-
ness.”
One of my favorite of Dick-
ens books is “A Tale of Two
Cities.” “It was the best of
times, it was the worst of
times . . .” And, this time of
the year, we’ll be reminded of
his renowned “A Christmas
Carol.”
I realize our tables will be
smaller this year with the
current restrictions. Life goes
on.
Read Ecclesiastes 3 and re-
member, God has made ev-
erything beautiful in its time
(past, present and future)!
And now I will join Snoopy
in wishing a heartfelt happy
Thanksgiving to all my fam-
ily and dear friends that I am
honored and blessed to have
in my life.
May this holiday season
bring love to your heart,
health to your body, and
peace and joy to your home.
Race Talks initiated mindful discussions
Warrenton Community Li-
brary hosted the six-session
Rural Race Talks facilitat-
ed by LaNicia Duke, which
wrapped up Nov. 4.
The talks began Sept. 23,
with community members
meeting via Zoom and in
person at Warrenton City
Hall and continued every
Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.,
with those attending learn-
ing how to talk about race. As
they talked, most discovered
core truths and values along
the way.
Tackling the subject is chal-
lenging, but LaNicia helped
the group feel at ease with
her outgoing, friendly per-
sonality, thanking the group
for showing up and being
willing to challenge them-
selves through the discussion
and learning process.
The first couple of sessions
focused on building rela-
tionships and trust among
the group, taking time for
participants to get to know
each other while creating a
healthy, safe place to listen,
learn and discuss.
Each session also took time
for one or two mindfulness
moments, led by a yoga in-
structor from Seaside. Mind-
fulness is a calming and
relaxing necessity for mean-
ingful discussions.
During the Oct. 14 meeting,
participants discussed race
as a social construct in the
United States, Oregon’s Ex-
clusion Law of 1844, and the
Racial Integrity Act of 1924.
Participants were asked,
“How do we unlearn social
norms and ideas that no lon-
ger serve us?”
At the end of that session,
LaNicia asked participants
to find and watch a mov-
ie about race in the United
States. One of the recom-
mended movies, The Best of
Enemies, was an eyeopener
for many. The movie is a true
story of the unlikely relation-
ship between Ann Atwater,
an outspoken civil rights ac-
tivist, and C.P. Ellis, a local
Ku Klux Klan leader. During
the racially charged summer
of 1971, Atwater and Ellis
came together to co-chair a
community summit on the
desegregation of schools in
Durham, N.C.
In the end, the two find
common ground and real-
ize they have more similar-
ities than things to divide
them, a theme that resonated
throughout the Rural Race
Talk sessions. Other mov-
ies watched and discussed
included, Just Mercy, Good
Trouble, Green Book, and
The Immortal Life of Henri-
etta Lacks.
Thank you to LaNicia and
all the participants for their
desire and dedication to dis-
cussing, learning and grow-
ing together.
A sampling of the com-
ments from participants:
• “I wanted to thank you for
the Rural Race Talk series. I
enjoyed them very much and
feel I came away with a better
understanding of race and an
improved perspective on how
we can have different views
and backgrounds but still
work together to make this
world a better place!” and
• “I cannot thank you
enough for bringing safe di-
alogue/forum to Warrenton
to have open dialogue about
such a tough topic. THANK
YOU!”
The library is interested
in hosting more community
conversations and discussion
forums. Is there a community
topic or issue you would like
to discuss? What social issues
impact our community?
If you have ideas for a topic,
please send an email to war-
rentoncl@gmail.com or call
the library.
Kelly Knudsen is director
of Warrenton Community
Library. She has a master’s
degree in library and infor-
mation science.
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON
FOR THE COUNTY OF CLATSOP
In the Matter of the Estate of MARTINE G. STARR, Deceased
Case No.: 20PB06971
NOTICE TO INTERESTED PERSONS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that James C. Casterline has been appointed
personal representative of the Estate of Martine G. Starr. All persons hav-
ing claims against the estate are required to present them, with vouchers
attached, to the undersigned personal representative c/o Lawrence, Law-
rence & Queener P.C., 427 S. Holladay Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, within
four months after the date of first publication of this notice or the claims
may be barred.
All persons whose rights may be affected by the proceedings may obtain
additional information from the records of the court, the personal repre-
sentative, or the attorney for the personal representative, Benjamin F. Law-
rence, at the above address.
Dated and first published on Nov. 06, 2020.
Benjamin F. Lawrence
Attorney for Personal Representative
Lawrence, Lawrence & Queener P.C.