FIRE SAFE PROPERTY INSPECTIONS HAVE BEGUN IN MI WUK VILLAGE

Property inspections began this morning, Friday, May 30th, in Mi Wuk.  

Cal Fire crews, as well as a few community volunteers coordinated through the Mi Wuk Sugar Pine Fire Protection District, began to inspect properties on the northwest perimeter of Mi Wuk, adjacent the fuel breaks and debris piles created during the Rim Fire last year.  Those piles will most likely be burned during rainy or snowy weather for the safety of all.  Crews will be forming clearance rings around the debris before burning commences.

Inspections will continue throughout the community during the next month.  Please do what you can to make Mi Wuk firesafe.  It benefits us all.

What are the inspectors looking for?

• EVIDENCE that cleanup is in progress in earnest
• DEAD OR DYING VEGETATION must be completely removed unless otherwise specified
• needles, leaves or other vegetation on roofs, gutter, decks, porches or stairways
• limbs or trees adjacent or overhanging buildings
• leaves, needles and grass within 30 feet of all structures, including decks, stairways, etc.
• trees, brush, branches and limbs 15 feet from the ground and 100 feet from all structures
• Logs or stumps embedded in the soil:  remove or isolate from structures and other vegetation
• Grass beyond 30 feet from structures: mow to max 4 inches in height, may stay on the ground

• LIVE VEGETATION to be thinned or pruned:
• Mountain misery/bear clover within 30 feet of all structures: remove completely
• Mountain misery/bear clover between 30 and 100 feet of structures; prune overhanging trees to 15 feet
• Brush, shrubs, grounds-covers, seedling/sapling trees:  thin, prune, and space 
• Mature trees:  prune up at least 6 feet, more on slopes

•  OTHER:
• Stove pipes, chimney outlets:  remove limbs and trees within 10 feet
• Stove pipes, chimney outlets:  cover with 1/2" mesh screen
• propane tanks:  clear 10 feet around and 15 feet above
• woodpiles:  clear 10 feet around and 15 feet above
• non-vegetative flammable material:  remove or clear around and cover with fire resistant material

When you see either Cal Fire or the volunteer inspectors in your neighborhood, feel free to ask them questions about the clearing requirements.

Be sure to ask if you have special needs. 

There are several brochures and documents about being fire safe at our Mi Wuk Sugar Pine station,
Fire Station 77 on Highway 108 as well as a list of service providers.

Remember, these inspections are a step towards our safety as individuals and as a community.  They are not any sort of a punishment!

THE ROYAL FLUSH CRAPPER DERBY IS COMING TO TWAIN HARTE on JUNE 7th

The only reason I know about this event is that I was invited to participate in the Craft Fair.  It would be lovely to see some familiar faces!

My set-up:  Hand Stamped cards, gift and 3-D items as well as retired stamps, buttons and bows (well, ribbon actually) for sale.

This is the Twain Harte Rotary sponsored FIRST ANNUAL ROYAL FLUSH CRAPPER DERBY & CRAFT FAIR, so let's give them some support.  There will be two outhouse races/heats; the "vehicles" must adhere to strict specifications and will be propelled by humans.  No motors.  The outhouses must be functioning!

It's also the first Crapper Derby on the West Coast.  The winner of our Derby will have the privilege of competing in the national finals in Virginia City in October 2014.

If you're in Mi Wuk on June 7th, add the Crapper Derby to your calendar.  

 

Also coming up:

PANCAKE BREAKFAST:  Fourth of July Weekend, Saturday, July 5th

Rescheduled CHILI COOK OFF:  Saturday, August 2nd

CHIEF FULLER CRAFT FAIR:  Labor Day Weekend,  August 30th

SPAGHETTI DINNER:  Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, August 30th

RATTLESNAKES - DROUGHT IS BRINGING THEM IN SEARCH OF WATER

YESTERDAY our 9 month old kitty, Ginger, got bit by a rattlesnake.  We saw her shortly after it happened and I took her down to Twain Harte Veterinary Clinic where Dr. Ordway took great care of her.  She's back there again this morning getting another dose of flushing liquids through her body to help protect from organ issues, keep her blood oxygenated, and dilute the venom. 

 It's hard to get a photo of a drugged, ticked off kitty who doesn't like the bandage on her leg and doesn't feel 'herself'.  But--little cheeks are swollen and face is a bit puffy.

Fortunately, it seems as if Ginger pulled back as the (probably small) snake struck out at her and she had only a few marks on her face.  But there was venom injected.   She looks like a chipmunk with the swelling of her cheeks.  There is also bruising inside her mouth, 'behind' the bite marks.  This bruising is typical of a snake bite.

That's as far as my education goes.  But---keep a check out in your yards.

• in brushy areas
• near water sources -- they're thirsty and look for prey near water since they're thirsty too
• under your decks where it's cool and perhaps damp

Do you know that:

• a dead rattlesnake can bite you?  Being a cold-blooded animal, it takes longer for its nerves to stop doing their thing.  Same for dead alligators and snapping turtles.  How embarrassing would it be to be bit by a dead rattlesnake, alligator or snapping turtle?
• the decapitated head of a rattlesnake can bite you?   If you were to pick up a head, the same reasoning applies........the nerves could be still 'doing their thing'.  It's a reflex, it can bite and there's still venom in the mouth!  OK?

From the Mi Wuk Ranger District:

• be sure your grass (grasses) is/are trimmed low
• watch where you walk, especially when crossing streets
• when you move a rock or wood, lift it AWAY from you, exposing what might be under the rock on the far side from you 

That's all for my rattlesnake scare.  Be alert.  They're more prevalent at lower elevations but they're certainly in our area as well.

REMEMBERING "CRICKET"

I'm sure there are many people who drive east on highway 120 toward Yosemite, Sonora, Twain Harte, Mi Wuk Village and beyond who remember Cricket the swaybacked horse who stood sentinel along his fence to add a smile to our drive.

I found this article today; it's from July 20, 2010.  This morning we were explaining to our 5 and 7 years old grandchildren about the roadside tribute and why we always tooted our horn when we passed "Cricket's Corner" and memorial.  So, when we got home I 'googled' it!



The paragraph breaks are mine to make it easier to read.

A lone horse stands by the fence watching traffic.  This was a common scene for many eastbound travelers on Highway 108 as they traveled between Oakdale and Knights Ferry on their way through the foothills.  Many did not know her name or her circumstances, yet they adopted her in their heart just the same. ‘Cricket’ was a buckskin mare that belonged to the late Walt Taylor.  A horse, like its owner, that has become a legend in her own right. 

At the age of 36 years, Cricket passed away in 1993.  An exhibit paying tribute to the buckskin mare will open on the evening of Thursday, July 22 ([2010] at the Oakdale Cowboy Museum. According to Museum Director Christie Camarillo, the exhibit “Remembering Cricket” is the first of its kind for the museum. 

Camarillo shared that for many years the museum has displayed a few photos and a T-shirt donated by the Taylor family memorializing the well-known mare.  “So many people have come by the museum and shared their memories of Cricket as they travel up the hill,” Camarillo said.  “Now, what we are seeing is the passing down of (the story to) the generations.  People come to visit the museum and their children know the story of Cricket and how their parents would look for her on their travels as children.”

Just prior to the 2010 new year, Taylor, a local rancher and cowman, went to meet his horse at the age of 81.  Taylor had lived in the Oakdale area all his life and, being in the cow business, he had many good horses and dogs.  However, he was also known as the owner of Cricket, the notorious buckskin mare that stood along the fence on Highway 120/108 just east of Oakdale. 

After Taylor’s funeral services, the flowers and wreaths were gathered and placed along a familiar setting where, many years earlier, flowers and wreaths had been placed in memory of Cricket. It seemed life had gone full circle with Taylor and his buckskin mare.  

Camarillo wrote an extensive piece about Cricket in an issue of the museum’s newsletter earlier this year, outlining details of the ‘life and times’ of the mare.  “It was late 1959, at a Sales Yard in Nevada that Walt Taylor, purchased a two year old buckskin mare.  What would transpire over the next 51 years is a story that continues to be carried down through the generations.   Cricket came to the Taylor ranch where she was trained to be an all-around ranch horse.  She was a smart horse and was known for sizing up her mounts pretty well.  If she carried an experienced rider she would perk up and perform as good as any good horse would.  However, if she thought she could get away with something she would take advantage of the opportunity; dropping her head to graze and pulling the reins from the rider.  

Walt’s son Pat Taylor, recalled a time when they were gathering cattle in Merced and his younger brother was riding her. “When we arrived at the corrals, Cricket and my brother were no where to be seen.  We went looking for them and found my brother had fallen asleep atop Cricket and she was just standing there eating grass.”  Cricket helped raise Walt’s kids, the neighbor kids and later his grandkids. “I won my first buckle on her at the Angels Camp Jr. Rodeo,” recalled Pat.

“As Cricket matured and got up in age, Walt retired her to a 320 acre pasture between Oakdale and Knights Ferry where she had plenty of feed, water and oak trees for shade.  No one really knew why she decided to spend most of her day along the fence …” Camarillo wrote.  To the novice, she appeared lonely, seeking companionship.  To a cowboy, she appeared to be catching the breeze as it came off the hillside.  The breeze not only kept her cool, but kept the flies at bay as well.  


“She was just a ranch horse,” Pat said.  “She just did anything.  She was a good cuttin’ horse and babysitter to all the grandkids.  “She was a horse that had worked hard all her life,” he added.  “When she was retired she was free to roam 320 acres of pasture land with shade from oak trees and peacefulness.  She had the life.  

”In 1993, Cricket passed away and the family made the decision to bury her near “her” spot along the highway where she enjoyed standing for so many years.  

Camarillo’s article continues:  “The Taylor family began to receive many inquires about what happened to Cricket so they asked the local newspaper to run a story and Walt erected a cross where Cricket stood.  The word was out; the friendly buckskin mare was gone.  Then by the dozens, flowers, wreaths, cards and letters were being placed on the fence in her memory.  ”The sentiments, Taylor’s companion Virginia Gibson told Camarillo, were “overwhelming.  ”But it didn’t stop at just expressions of loss and sympathy.  As Camarillo noted in her article: “Over $1200 in contributions were received and donated to help children learn to ride through the Faire Breeze Youth Ranch and the CARE-ousel Therapeutic Riding Program.  “Since Cricket had helped so many children learn to ride, it felt appropriate,” Virginia said. 

A memorial Cricket T-Shirt was also created to raise funds for the two organizations.  ”According to Camarillo, she approached Walt Taylor with the idea of an expanded tribute to Cricket in late fall of 2009.  By mid-December he stopped in to see Camarillo at the museum to follow up.  “He got this huge grin on his face and said, ‘Okay let’s do it’, ” Camarillo shared. 

When Taylor passed later that month, Camarillo along with museum volunteers Twainhart Hill and Sharon Getchel, decided they would see the project through.  A tribute, to not just a horse, but also to a cowboy and a community of people who had embraced the unassuming mare for many years.  

As the story goes, many passersby never actually knew Cricket’s name until the cross was placed by her standing post. Travelers would assign her their own special name and watch for her as a marker as they would make their travels through the area.  “She was there every time people drove by,”  Taylor said in a 1995 Oakdale Leader article.  “She was a character,” son Pat recalled of the sway backed beauty.  “She did not like to be tied up.  If you tied her up she would pull out of the hitching post and break the halter.  But if you placed her next to the post and left her untied, she’d stand there for hours.  

”Hill and Getchel have been the primary coordinators in compiling the memorable exhibit.  The two women shared that while they were not in the area during Cricket’s tenure, they have been amazed by her following.  “Reading through all the letters,”  Hill said, “and the Face Book posts, there is such a following for so many different reasons.”  “The excitement people would get when seeing Cricket,”  Getchel added, “it’s really special.”  

“What the story of Cricket shows is how everybody is connected,” Taylor’s younger son David said.  He shared the story of how he left the area for college and was stopped one day on campus while wearing the infamous Cricket commemorative T-shirt.  “The person asked me how I knew Cricket,”  David said through a smile.  “I told them, well it’s my dad’s horse.  ”Of the many items that will be on display during the exhibit, one includes a quote from Walt Taylor,  “She’s not a fancy horse, but she’s a durable old gal.”  

 And so … a horse, a cowboy and a legacy continue through the walls of the museum and the minds of many who were fortunate enough to know — or know of — Cricket and her owner. 

 For additional information on the exhibit, Camarillo may be contacted at (209) 847-5163. Memories of the mare can be posted on her Face Book page.

Now doesn't that just make you smile~

 

LINK TO MY MOST RELIABLE WEATHER SOURCE:

And here's my favorite National Weather Service site for a pretty much pinpointed forecast for Twain Harte/Mi Wuk/Sugar Pine area.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=38.08052761936274&lon=-120.18562316894531&site=sto&smap=1&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text#.Uzgu6V66CFd



CURRENT CONDITIONS:  May 20th, 3.02 p.m.

Looks like it'll be a nice Memorial Weekend.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE? YES, SONORA PASS IS **CLOSED** AGAIN

05/20/2014 9:19 am PST     B.J. Hansen, MML News Director 

Several popular mountain passes are closed this morning due to high country snow.

Caltrans reports that Highway 108 Sonora Pass is closed at Kennedy Meadows, and Highway 4 Ebbetts Pass is closed at the Mt. Reba Turnoff.  In Yosemite National Park, Highway 120 Tioga Pass is closed at Crane Flat.

Caltrans reports that the passes will reopen once the weather permits and crews remove debris from the highways.

--------

What a year!  I think this is the third time Sonora Pass has closed in the past 30 days or so but I haven't been writing it down like I usually do.  If you've been keeping record, let us all know.

Drive safely.  And have a safe Memorial weekend.  Remember, we still have Rim Fire tee and sweatshirts available at the Fire Station on Hwy 108 during regular business hours, 8-5.  Contact me if you happen to be up here at other hours:  blythek@mac.com or 209-352-1059.

SNOW ON MAY 19th??? AT 7000' LEVEL.

May 19, 2014, 2.50 p.m.        From MyMotherlode.com:

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Sierra Nevada above 7000 feet for Tuesday from 11 AM to 11 PM. 

One to three inches of snow accumulation is expected. 

Scattered snow showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday morning will become more numerous by Tuesday afternoon.

Scattered snow showers will be possible again on Wednesday.

If traveling in the mountains, carry chains and be prepared for delays or road closures.

Written by Mark Truppner.


Does anyone want to wager on Sonora Pass closing again???   What a strange winter/spring this has been!