First of all, let me congratulate all of the members of the Class of

2000 here in the Valley. Judging by what I have seen and heard and read, they

are a terrific bunch of young adults and we can all be proud of them.

I am especially proud of our three “library kids”: Aimee Aikin,

Erin Carter and Holly Goble. These three young ladies are commendable

examples of the people who will run our world in the future. They are

bright, personable, talented, and lastly they are pretty. The first three are

more important, but pretty is not to be sneezed at. I hear that at Senior

Awards Night, they walked off with scholarships and awards aplenty. We are

all very proud of them and wish them all the very best in their future

endeavors.

PPP

I spent a week down in Chinook with the Mountain Man. He has

been going down frequently to work on the place, and I finally took some time

off and went with him. It was a good trip. He mowed the lawn; I painted

woodwork. He cut brush; I planted a lilac bush.

We both painted the trim on the front of the house. You will be

pleased to know that we finally decided on a trim color. Since it is a cedar

house, we only needed to repaint the trim. We considered green (the original

color), we discussed blue, we talked about red, and the Mountain Man flatly

refused to even consider purple.

After much high-level discussion, we chose a color called “clay.”

Since this could be any color from dark gray to white, I will describe it as sort of

a rosy-brown-coral kind of color. It goes very well with the wood and is

not seen everywhere in town. We were especially glad we had decided

against green, because next to the cannery across the street they are putting up

a large steel building. It is green. Very green. The color I call “national

park green.” It is a nice building and

doesn’t block any of our view, but I don’t want people thinking we are related to

that building. We are no longer the “old cannery office.”

We are, however, something of a tourist attraction. Water Street is

not exactly a main drag, but traffic was steady the whole time we were

there. Our nice neighbor explained that everyone wanted to see two things.

The new cannery building, and what we had done to the house lately.

He assured us that public opinion was favorable. Apparently, the

town was afraid that we would either ruin the place further with junk cars

and no upkeep; or we would remodel it out of existence, and then paint it

fuchsia or traffic-cone orange. We were pleased to be acquitted of both

slovenly habits and bad taste.

My housekeeping may not be the best, but I would

never paint a house traffic-cone orange. Or perhaps,

since it is where it is, crab-pot-buoy orange would be a better description. It

is, after all, the same color.

PPP

I received a little card in the mail this week. It is about the size of a

business card. On one side it says “Peace and quiet on

Sundays.” On the other, it reads, “Please refrain from

using power mowers or other noisy equipment on Sundays so that out

neighborhood will be more peaceful.

It was sent to me as author of the Nuggets, so I am assuming this

person would like me to pass this along to my readers. Now this puts me in

a bit of a dilemma.

I can sympathize with the sender because lawn mowers, power

tools, and other bits of outdoor maintenance equipment can be very, very loud.

And in a fairly close neighborhood, your neighbor’s mower can sound like it

is mowing your living room rug. But I can also sympathize with the

over-loaded homeowner who works all week, carts his kids to sports and

runs errands on Saturdays. He doesn’t have any other time to do his yardwork.

So I don’t have an answer for this one. Maybe we could make a new

law that says no one makes noise before noon on Sundays. It wouldn’t be

any sillier than the one about carrying goldfish on the bus. I am sorry

the person that sent me this did not include their name so we could discuss it

more fully.

PPP

Summer Reading Club programs have started. Come by the library

for a program booklet. This summer’s theme of “Time Quest: Read

through the Ages” opens up a lot of territory for programs. There is something

for all ages, and this is a sure cure for the summertime blues.

The next program is on Monday, June 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

It is “Swashbuckling Knights.” The

Seattle Knights will perform staged combat in authentic costumes. This

program is for ages 10 and up.

And on Wednesday, June 28, join us for “Dragon Stew” at 2 p.m.

This delicious mix of puppetry, stories, games and crafts is for ages 3 to 8.

PPP

Thought for the Week: If someone is important to you, tell them

so! Now! Immediately! Before the chance to do so is gone. I have found out

in the last few years that if you wait for “just the right moment,” that

moment may not come before illness, or some other catastrophe makes that

moment impossible. So take a moment to tell someone how important they are

to your life. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Please submit items for

North Bend Nuggets to

Pat Simpson at P.O. Box 857,

North Bend, WA 98045,

or by e-mail to patsimps@hotmail.com,

or drop them by the library.