The INDEPENDENT, January 5, 2006
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
Ahh –
time to
rest, re-
flect and
r e l a x
with a
cookie
and
a
cup of
h o t
choco-
late. Christmas has come and
gone. Only the trimmings and
leftovers remain. Company’s
gone, too, so I’ll wait till next
year to clean house. The rain
may hang around with its mud-
dy feet a while longer. Did San-
ta find you? He blew through
Portland a night early leaving
trash cans, leaves and tree
branches all over the place.
Have you ever played the
parlor game (that’s an old term)
“Cranium”? I’m too old for it or
completely out of the loop. I’d
rather pay Rummikub or
Scrabble.
Remember when you made
“T.V. Scramble”? Now you buy
Snack Mix. How long has it
been since you made your own
“Prune Cordial,” or your own
“Kahlua,” “Hot Buttered Rum
mix” or even your own “Russ-
ian Tea Mix”? Well – here’s a
Holiday Recipe for Happiness.
4 cups of Love
2 cups of Loyalty
3 cups of Forgiveness
5 spoons of Hope
2 spoons of Tenderness
4 quarts of Faith
1 barrel of Laughter
Take Love and Loyalty, mix
thoroughly with Faith, blend
with Tenderness, Kindness,
and Understanding. Sprinkle
with abundant Laughter. Bake
it with Sunshine. Serve daily
with generous helpings of
Love.
The ducks at the Lake say
“Thank You” to all that have
provided them with cracked
corn this winter. Larry says
those who want to can bring
the corn and he can store it in
his shed. They need the
cracked corn for body heat.
Bread is good but does not
produce the right nutrition. Are
the birds and flowers confused
or what? The Red-winged
Blackbirds are acting and flit-
ting like Spring is here. The
Wild Carrot is coming up all
over the place and the Dande-
lions are blooming.
A Happy New Year to all ex-
Vernonians that have moved
but keep up on the local goings
-on by subscribing to The Inde-
pendent. I appreciate hearing
from all of you.
Page 9
Vernonia Sports Report
Boys Basketball
It took the Loggers ten tries,
but they finally won their first
game. In the consolation game
of the Santiam Tournament
they beat the Monroe Dragons
61-50. Through the nine game
losing streak, the Loggers
fought hard, but always fell be-
hind because of careless play.
Coach Matt Blair told the team
after one frustrating loss that
the only way they were going to
get better was by focusing on
the positives, because you
don’t get better by thinking
about the negatives.
December 9, they traveled
to Gaston, and lost 73-62. They
came back from 33 down, but
could not pull it out. Senior Ben
Schorzman led all scorers with
26 points. December 16-17,
they played in the Cougar Clas-
sic, a four team tournament
hosted by Gervais, with
Clatskanie, Catlin Gabel, and
the Loggers. In the first game
Vernonia lost 65-50 to Gervais,
with Schorzman and Tim Hein
scoring 21 and 15 points, re-
spectively. In the second match
-up, they faced Catlin Gabel for
the second time this season.
The Eagles again prevailed,
winning 53-37. Schorzman (15
points) and Hein (13 points)
again led the team in scoring.
Schorzman was also named a
“Cougar Classic All-Star” for his
efforts.
The last game before Christ-
mas was played December 20,
at home against the Knappa
Loggers, the first game of
league play for either team.
Though it was hard fought,
Knappa won 77-44. Schorz-
man and Hein led the scoring
with 17 and 14 points.
In the Santiam Tournament,
December 26 and 27, the Log-
gers lost their first game to the
Santiam Wolverines by 19.
They won against Monroe,
coming back from eight down in
the third quarter to take their
first lead of the game 43-40.
Hein led Vernonia with a 20-
point effort.
Girls Basketball
Non-League games are a
time for working out a team’s
problems so, when they hit
league, they will be playing
their best basketball. So far, the
non-league season for the
Lady Loggers has been a
learning experience, with many
ups and downs. After defeating
Southwest Christian, they won
two more games, defeating
Gaston and Gervais. In their
past four games, however,
lackluster play has hurt them
and they’ve lost to Clatskanie,
Knappa, Santiam, and Monroe.
December 9 they dominated
a weak Gaston team, not letting
the Greyhounds score until late
in the second quarter. The final
score was 69-25. Senior Kristin
Cota had 15 points, leading a
balanced scoring day from the
field. Four of the five starters
scored in double figures.
SPECIAL OCCASION COMING UP?
Dianna’s Formal Affair
New Arrivals – Great Selection
Best Prices & Don’t Forget
We Rent Tuxedos, too!
33555 E. Columbia Ave. Lorelei Village,
Suite 211 Scappoose 503-543-0291
Hrs: Tues-Fri 10-5:30 Sat 10-4
N o w
O f fe ri ng
W ed d in g
I nv i t at io ns
& M o r e
www.diannasformalaffair.com
TUXEDO RENTAL, FORMAL & CASUAL DRESSES, JEWELRY & MORE
Computer Counselors
Doug Tesdal and Glenda Delemos
•
•
•
•
•
New Systems, Upgrades and Desktop Support
Virus Prevention & Protection
Digital Camera Support and Operation
Applications for both Home and Business
DSL and Wireless Network Set Up
503-429-4074 503-522-9663
E-mail: dougtez@comcast.net
E-mail: glendade@peoplepc.com
At the Cougar Classic, they
started off mediocre, but fin-
ished strong, defeating Gervais
49-41 to earn a chance at the
tournament championship. In a
league preview, the Lady Log-
gers matched up with the
Clatskanie Tigers, who had de-
feated Catlin Gabel the day be-
fore. The Tigers won 44-39, but
the Loggers face them twice
more in league. Junior Joreigh
Landers was selected to the
All-tournament team for her
play during the two days.
In the first game of league
play, the girls could not over-
come a hustling Knappa team,
losing 68-39. Senior Laura
Brookins led the team in scor-
ing with 11 points. There will be
at least one more match-up be-
tween these teams, January 21
at Knappa. At the Santiam tour-
nament, the girls fell behind
early and couldn’t catch up with
the Santiam Wolverines, losing
by six. The next night was the
same story; they almost came
back, but not quite. They bat-
tled the entire game, getting the
Monroe Dragons’ lead down to
four, but lost.
Wrestling
The wrestlers have been
busy the past two weeks, com-
peting in three tournaments
and hosting a home meet.
Coach Dominic Nardelli is very
pleased with the way they’ve
wrestled, too, saying that the
way they are improving is very
impressive.
December 10 the team trav-
eled to Scio, where they placed
fifth in an eight-team tourna-
ment. Junior Willie Hansen
placed second in the 175-
pound division. The Loggers
were home the following week,
on December 15, wrestling
Warrenton and St. Helens’ JV
team in a dual format. In a dis-
appointing showing, they lost
both match ups.
See page 19
V ALLEY V ETERINARY C LINIC
R ABIES
S PECIAL
8
$
50
T HURS 10 AM -5 PM • 58376 N EHALEM H WY . S. V ERNONIA
VERNONIA INN
Enjoy a quiet weekend with us.
FULL SIZE, IN ROOM
HOT TUBS
Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance
Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL
1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006
Gift Certificates Available
900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064
Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47)