The Columbia Press
September 30, 2022
7
History in the Making
Senior Moments
A look at Warrenton’s top stories from
The Columbia Press annals
with Emma Edwards
Getting things sorted. Whew. Warrenton PD will add sergeant’s position
I never knew that the ex-
pression, “slip me five,” re-
ferred to shaking hands.
The expression was popu-
lar back in the 1930s. I was
around then, but probably
too young to understand
what it meant.
I’ve never been excited
about shaking hands, per-
haps even less so having lived
through the pandemic.
Handshakes have been
around for thousands of
years and deemed very im-
portant in some parts of soci-
ety. Some believe personality
traits can be determined by
the strength or weakness of a
handshake.
Since the pandemic, I no
longer shake hands and
doubt that I ever will again.
Lessons learned during the
pandemic seem to stay with
us.
We now have the fist-to-fist
greeting. I don’t mind that
one, although we’ve learned
from the medical experts fea-
tured on TV and in newspa-
pers that it’s best to avoid any
skin-to-skin greetings.
Isolation and quarantine
lessons are especially pow-
erful. Maybe more so for us
seniors. Remember the end-
less hand-washing as well as
the fearful times when we
just didn’t have all the an-
swers?
Perhaps some of those pan-
demic moments have given
us new resolve and determi-
nation.
I have been determined to
sort my storage tubs full of old
photos for the last 40 years.
You’ll be happy to know that I
have begun the monumental
task of decoding and sorting
my photos.
I even did a little research
and found a post by a blog-
ger named Caroline Guntur,
who refers to herself as The
Swedish Organizer. It gave
me a place to start. She sug-
gests sorting by chronology,
theme, and sequential order,
or by combining methods.
I did a retake using the
chronological order. Then I
sorted by family. So, first I
had my six children and their
families. That gave me my
first six shoe boxes.
Then, I put all the old black
and whites into another box.
Other categories for boxes
include babies, cars, houses,
travel, animals, Christmas,
other holidays, church and
on and on. Oh, and another
was for throw-aways, such
as landscapes in locations I
don’t have a clue about.
I soon realized that I was
very bad at writing on the
backs of photos the “who,
what, when, where, and why.”
It’s probably a good idea to
get a stamp made with those
five “W”s on it and simply fill
in the “W”s you think are rel-
evant at the time.
Sorting would have been
so much easier had I (or
my kids) done that! I have
many grandchildren, greats
and great-greats, and there
are many baby pictures that
I simply cannot identify. It
would have helped even if
only the “who” was filled in.
“How about our digital pho-
tos,” you ask. Good question.
Maybe I’ll figure out a way
to sort my own 8,000-plus
digital photos.
Wish me luck! We seniors
love challenges!
September 2017
5 years ago
• A landscaped plaza and
community gathering place is
planned for the corner by the
Warrenton Post Office and
Dairy Maid at the four-way
stop. The VFW Fort Stevens
Post has raised money for a
veterans monument as the
plaza’s centerpiece.
September 2007
15 years ago
• Preston Polasek, Warren-
ton’s new city manager, takes
the city’s helm. He grew up
in Kelso, Wash., and was city
manager in Clatskanie for
five years.
• Volunteers have begun
work on a new off-leash dog
area at Carruthers Park.
• All fuel sold in Warren-
ton will be subject to a new
3-cents-per-gallon tax to pay
for local street repairs and
maintenance. The agreement
with the Oregon Department
of Transportation allows the
agency to collect the tax on
behalf of the city.
Senior meals
Tuesday, Oct. 4
•
•
Meatloaf
Mashed potatoes and
gravy
• Peas and carrots
• Apple pie
Warrenton’s eat-in senior
meal program is organized
by Warrenton Senior Citizens
Inc. and is at noon on Tues-
days at Warrenton Communi-
ty Center, 170 S.W. Third St.
Suggested donation is $6.
Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for
socializing and coffee.
Trish Nevan/The Columbia Press
September 2007: Volunteers who recently started building
the new off-leash dog park at Carruthers Park are, from left,
Suzanne Cannon, Sally Freeman, Jann Luesse, Jim Scheller,
Barry Smith and Gail Galen, shown with her dog, Mando. Elita
Tom is kneeling in front.
September 2002
20 years ago
• Warrenton Community
Library receives four new
Gateway computers and a
laser printer through the Bill
and Melinda Gates Founda-
tion.
• Clatsop County Drug Court
celebrates its first graduating
class, with three members.
The court is an alternative
to prosecution for offenders
who admit a drug problem
and want help; the charge is
dropped upon completion of
the program.
September 1997
25 years ago
• Warrenton city commis-
sioners approve a sergeant’s
position within the Warren-
ton Police Department. Chief
John Greisen said it’s import-
ant to have a second-in-com-
mand during evening hours
and to help in counseling,
training and scheduling.
Special columns in The Columbia Press
Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards
Week 1: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer
Week 2: Financial Focus with Adam Miller
Week 3: Off the Shelf from WCL
Week 4: Here’s to Your Health from CMH
This Week: History in the Making