August 11, 2021
Liz Writes Life
Shockingly, all the cars behind me
stopped -- and none were rear-ended! I had pulled over to the right-shoulder
fully expecting cars to fly past. But, they didn’t. The automobile (horse) race
had started back on the Scott Valley Highway 3 flat, when I was driving the
newly-posted 45 mph max speed that alerts drivers to the hard-stop where
Cal-Trans is building a new bridge over Moffett Creek. Two drivers had passed
me, but I diligently maintained my 45 mph. Yep, I did! The passers were just
one and two ahead of me, when we were stopped by the red light. The wait wasn’t
long. (These might be the first stoplights ever in Scott Valley!) The green
light flicked on and we drove the newly-paved Peach Orchard detour. Then,
rounding back onto Highway 3, we all pushed down on our gas peddles to get
up-to-speed for the climb over Forest Mountain.
By the time I reached the mile-long
flat outside of Yreka, I was leading a group of cars at the maximum speed of 55
mph. Maybe I was the only one not in a hurry that summer morning. All of a
sudden, I spied a mama quail and a dozen puff balls scurrying across Highway 3.
My brain kicked into gear. “No,” I didn’t want to run over or through this
little flock, so without thinking to put on my blinker, I pumped my brakes
several times and pulled right to the shoulder.
Amazingly, the two following drivers
slowed and the third pulled to the shoulder not far behind me. All the quail
made it safely across the highway! Whew!
Unfortunately, for most of those
drivers affected by my braking, they didn’t get to see the cute one-inch puff
balls running to catch-up to their mom. There have been several quail hanging
out at my house this year, but I have never seen tiny babies like these.
So, if any of you reading this were
affected by my slowing down for quail chicks on the morning of July 28th,
thank you for being willing to stop – especially when you didn’t have the
faintest idea what was going on! And, you didn’t see any deer running off the
highway, either.
A week later, I did have an
oh-so-close call with a buck. Nice set of horns, but he was pretty scrawny. It
was 5:30 p.m. and I was leaving Etna after taking my grandson to Kristy’s for a
haircut before the fair this week. Bryce is showing market turkeys through the
FFA program. His sister, Kylie, is taking a market lamb. Anyway, I was feeling
great thinking life was pretty good and gave the Chevy some gas as I was going
over Etna Creek Bridge on Highway 3. When lickety-split a buck comes galloping
up the bank into my lane. I slammed on the brakes. We were both startled. And,
then I think my guardian angel must have given him a swift kick in the rear,
cuz he made a big jump and we missed each other. Whew! I’ve been told to never
ever swerve – just slam on the brakes. If I had swerved off the road there, it
would have been a bad accident into the trees.
So, there you go – life driving in
Siskiyou County. Wildlife is everywhere and you never know when it will show up
in your lane! So, be aware.
Garden Report
The giant pumpkins are growing well.
Last week, I did a second pinching-off of all blooms and smaller pumpkins. I
wasn’t paying attention and a bee stung my hand. It was deep in a blossom. I
ran cold water on the sting and then applied Tea Tree oil and it didn’t swell
or itch. Yay!
I am continuing to irrigate the
vegetable plants twice a day. In the morning, I hand water and in the evening,
the soaker hose goes on for an hour.
Cucumbers are producing pretty well
and I have picked several big batches. All the zucs are being given away. I am
just not hungry for zucchini this year. Harvested some rhubarb for a friend and
picked dill for two other friends. One thing nice about August is that the
garden is looking lush, especially with the flowers along the edge and pink
hollyhocks growing all over. I realize I am very lucky to have sufficient water
for irrigation.
Fires
Sure appreciated the unexpected rain
on July 30th, but so frustrated and sad with all the lightning fires
and the resulting smoke. I’ve heard firefighters are in short supply. Because
of the Covid pandemic not enough people signed-up as firefighters and there are
so many fires that the firefighters are spread thin.
I saw on facebook, where Congressman
Doug LaMalfa met with CalFire and USFS and is working to cut through red tape
in Sacramento and D.C. to deliver more help to his district. He reported on
Aug. 5, 2021 that the Dixie Fire destroyed much of the town of Greenville.
LaMalfa said the devastation crushed his heart.
After conversations
with the State of California, he spoke with the White House Biden
Administration asking for the military to aid in firefighting. The CA. Office
of Emergency Services is working to make the official request, per federal law,
and the White House is expediting action to help.
“I thank all
involved for helping in our time of need,” said
LaMalfa.
Extra heartfelt
prayers are also needed. May God bless the firefighting personnel and our
government agencies to make good decisions.
May peace and calm be with you during
this time of threatening wildfires. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and
farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou
County. Columns from the past can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call
her at 530-467-3515.
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