Lolly Waggoner is very excited!-á Her daughter, who lives on the big island in Hawaii, is coming over for a visit. She will be here for a week and they plan on spending some quality time antique shopping. I asked Lolly if she ever considered moving to Hawaii to be closer to her daughter. She remarked that she had tried that twice but missed this area so much she had to move back. So her daughter travels to Sultan to visit her mom.
Ole and Marlene Carlson are taking a 15-day dream vacation in November. Can you imagine flying to Barcelona, Spain and then touring a whole list of European cities such as Paris, Rome, Florence and many more locations as the cruise makes its way back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.?-á They have booked a balcony suite onboard the ship.
Paula Thomas is quickly earning a lot of respect because of her dedicated work on the "Boomtown USAGÇ¥ project. She is going to be set up with a desk at city hall so that she can work uninterrupted. She also announced that she has been chosen to become a part of the Seattle Symphony Choral. She will be singing the National Anthem at the 3-on-3 basketball tournament on Saturday, September 7. We are all so excited for her.
New Eagle Scout Bryce Powell was honored by Mayor Carolyn Eslick and the city council for his work on our beautiful new kiosk. We are all very proud of it, and the fact that he earned his Eagle rank for working on it.-á Would you believe that Bryce is only 13 years old? The average age for Eagle rank is 16 or 17.
We also got to see Chief Monte Beaton sworn in by the mayor. The new chief showed a good sense of humor and seemed quite relaxed and confident as he attended the "Coffee with the MayorGÇ¥ meeting on Friday morning. He used to be the chief in Darrington before he came here. We wish him all the luck in the world with his new position.
The Lions Club Health Screening van was very busy. We had really great volunteers, and we couldn't have done it without them. How successful it will be depends on whether or not those diagnosed with issues seek additional medical care from their doctors or not. There were some serious problems shown.
We got to talk to a very interesting couple today, Robert and Janet Peterson. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 16, and what a sweet couple they are. They have four children and numerous other kids who would come and live with them for a while and then move on. Robert and Janet met at a dance hall, which were very popular places 50 to 60 years ago. This particular dance hall was called the Brown Derby. Robert was there hoping to find someone to dance with, and Janet was there on a blind date with a gentleman who didn't want to dance. So naturally, Robert asked Janet to dance with him.
One year later, they decided to get married, although neither one of them officially proposed. They just made the decision together. They were married in south Seattle and promptly started having babies. As Janet said, "There were three in diapers all at the same time.GÇ¥ Then a few years later they had their fourth child, Melissa.
About this time, Robert, who worked at Boeing, was transferred to Everett. Since they had already decided to live in small towns, they drew a circle around Everett on a map. The circle included everything within 30 miles of the city of Everett, and Sultan was selected. Their family included the 1,000th person to live in Sultan. They purchased the house they live in now, and have lived there for 42 years.
You can tell how loving Robert and Janet are by their pets, three cats and two dogs that are all very mellow and darling. Janet said that she is just a natural "mother type,GÇ¥ but Robert's love is special. He was raised in a very abusive manner except for a six-year period when he lived with foster parents who loved him. This was from the time he was six until he turned 12. He learned about giving and receiving love during that time, and that has influenced his life ever since.
He was born out of wedlock. His mom was poor and his dad was very prominent, and also married. Robert was born extremely cross-eyed, so the local Ladies Aid Society of North Dakota decided that his mother must have abused him severely in order for his eyes to be so crossed. They took Robert away from his mom and put him into the system in order to get him out of town. His mom was put into a mental hospital for two years. Meanwhile, Robert bounced around from orphanage to foster home and back to orphanage. He remembers being called "one of those little brats,GÇ¥ when he was around two or three years old. His eyes were operated on in 1938. Since at that time there was very little knowledge about his condition, and not the best antibiotics, he is lucky to have the vision that he has.
He went on to live in another foster home when he was six and lived there until he was 12. These folks were kind and loving to him, but unfortunately their farm went broke and they moved from North Dakota to Washington. Meanwhile a caseworker told Robert that it wasn't necessary for him to learn anymore, and it was actually time for him to work. At 13 he was placed on different farms as a farmhand and was allowed to sleep in barns during the summertime. He did this until he was 18 years old.
When he turned 18, Robert took the little savings that he had and followed his foster parents out to Seattle to start his new life.
Janet and Robert celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Pine Creek Nursery with 60 of their friends and relatives.
What a town, what a wonderful whole area this valley is.-áIf you want to meet some really nice people just go down to the Visitor's Center in Sultan or the V.O.A.-áBoth of these agencies cover the whole valley and eastward.
The Sky Valley Senior Center is reorganizing, so they are looking for volunteers who like a challenge. They need two servers, a baker, and a salad bar chef.-áDoes it sound interesting to you?-áJust go see Bonita or Marlene at the senior center. You will need a food handler's permit.
Speaking of the senior center, did you know that they have medical aids such as wheelchairs, raised toilet seats and walkers available for you to borrow if you find yourself needing one?
The Volunteers of America is in serious need of help also.-áIn just about every field that you can imagine; go see them if you want to help.-áThey also have three part time employment opportunities available.-áGo to Craigslist or their-áwebsite or call (360) 793-2400 to find out more.
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