Scott Valley Snowpack at 16 Percent of Average

April 20, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Snowpack at 16 percent

So it is true! Our snowpack surrounding Scott Valley was measured at 16 percent of average on April 1, 2022. This is extremely daunting. The weather was relatively dry through March with unseasonably warm temperatures.

The local snowpack is measured by employees from the Klamath National Forest as part of the statewide California Cooperative Snow Survey program. This helps the State forecast the quantity of water available for agriculture, power generation, recreation and stream-flow releases for the year.

April 1^st is an important date, because early April is historically when the snowpack is at its maximum and provides the best data for the annual availability of water. Snow surveys are conducted early in each month of February, March, April and May. Sites have been measured for decades. The newest measuring site is on Scott Mt. and has been monitored for 35 years. The oldest site is at Middle Boulder, which has been monitored for over 70 years.

This year Middle Boulder #1 measured 1.5 inches. It is at 6,600 feet above sea level and has been monitored since 1946 and averages 62.4 inches on April 1st. Dynamite Meadow at 5,700 ft measured zero and averages 43 inches. Scott Mt. measured zero. It is at 5,900 ft and averages 47 inches. Etna Mt. did have 18.7 inches, but it typically averages 68 inches.

Yep, this is pretty sad. And this will certainly affect the stream flow in Scott River. Currently, Scott River is flowing at or more than 150 cubic feet per second at the USGS gage near Fort Jones. Farmers are irrigating their fields with their legal water allotments in Scott Valley.

Food supply shortage

Farmers and ranchers, along with their agricultural organizations, have been warning of a coming food supply shortage that could affect the entire world. The drought by both nature and government regulations in the U.S. West, along with worldwide supply chain problems on land and sea and then the Russia-Ukraine war is certainly creating a complicated mess.

To solidify the warning, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said recently that there will be “enormous” economic repercussions in the United States from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the near future. Yellen explained to the House Financial Services Committee that Russia’s invasion will also impact global trade and the flow of food and energy. That area normally grows a huge amount of the world’s wheat.

Yes, my opinion is that the U.S. must open its own pipelines and oil wells to become energy sufficient again. Be that as it may, I wanted to once again stress the need to have extra food on our shelves.

I am not encouraging hoarding, such as what happened with toilet paper at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. But, the media is reporting that people are purchasing less at grocery stores. My suggestion is to do the opposite. If you can find the extra cash, purchase an extra jar or two of peanut butter, cans of chili and baked beans, tuna, chicken, coffee, tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce. Buy bulk instant milk, oatmeal and dried beans. Oh, also noodles, macaroni, pancake mix, flour and sugar. Purchase extra meat, wrap it and put it in the freezer.

Purchase what you normally eat or are willing to eat as in cooking beans from scratch. I use dried beef broth, garlic and minced onion to add flavor to my pinto beans. It may be well worth having a cushion of an extra month or two of food and other cleaning, first aid and clothing supplies if the shelves go empty.

Teen Art Competition

Here is more information on the Congressional Art Competition. The submission date is this Friday, April 22, 2022. So, it isn’t too late! Contact our California Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s office, immediately, at 530-223-5898 for information on how to enter.

The competition is an opportunity for talented high school students to compete and showcase their abilities. Congressional districts throughout the nation offer this competition and the winners from each state are displayed for one year in the United States Capitol.

This year’s theme is: Planes, Trains and Automobiles. America’s Open Roads and Open Skies. A variety of mediums are allowed.

Last year, Ruby Churchill of Siskiyou County, won the Dist. 1 Congressional Art Competition with a composition of an old rusting pickup surrounded by brush and trees. It was titled: Left Behind.

This year’s winner will be contacted by May 3, 2022.

May peace and calm be with you this week. 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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Big Springs Irrigation District gets a win

April 13, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Big Springs Irrigation District gets a win

Friday, April 1, 2022, may have been April Fool’s Day, but a court decision on water usage was a serious matter. The court room was packed with a riveted crowd as Siskiyou County Superior Court Judge John Lawrence presided over a case brought by Big Springs Irrigation District against the State Water Resources Control Board.

On March 15, 2022, the SWRCB issued a Curtailment Order demanding Big Springs ID not turn on their wells this irrigation season. The farmers needed this water for their thirsty fields, so the District board voted to seek a Temporary Restraining Order (injunction) against SWRCB.

Starting in the 1950s, the District recognized the need for flow in the Shasta River and therefore invested in three wells to pump ground water and ceased diverting surface water which has worked well for farmers and the environment.  The Curtailment Order was the first time SWRCB exerted jurisdiction over the ground water wells in Shasta Valley.

Big Springs ID does not believe their well water affects the flows in the Shasta River. SWRCB claims the irrigation district wells do affect the Shasta River. This is the crux of the situation. 

The Emergency Drought Declaration by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the resulting “temporary curtailment” of agricultural water use began Aug. 30, 2021. The curtailment order is set to last at least one year until Aug. 30, 2022.

Attorneys for SWRCB asked for a change in venue – to a different county. This was denied by Judge Lawrence, so the proceeding of a Temporary Restraining Order by the District continued last Friday. Big Springs ID attorneys Darrin Mercier and Martin Andreas arrived well prepared.

After discussion and back and forth by attorneys, Judge Lawrence ruled in favor of a Temporary Restraining Order for the next month. Both sides were told to return to court on May 5, 2022 with more information, when he will make a final decision.

“This is a big win,” Ray Haupt, Siskiyou County Supervisor, told me later. “They got the TRO, so they can irrigate – at least for now.”

Then, I chatted with Big Springs ID attorney Martin Andreas, who is also a landowner and irrigator in the district. He told me there has “never been a problem until the state decided we were taking water out of the river -- without any proof that our wells were taking water out of the river.”

He added that the irrigators in the district were “relieved” they can irrigate without threat of a fine during April. Andreas said the irrigation water will also help wildlife by irrigating habitat. As he said this over his cell phone, Andreas noted two bald eagles were flying overhead.

Boy, I am thrilled about this win for the irrigation district. The state seems to be over-stepping its boundaries time and again. And the one thing that is forgotten in all of this fighting over water is the fact that agriculture is a friend to wildlife. The birds and other animals need water too!

Armed Forces to be celebrated

In celebration of Armed Forces Day, a “Lincoln Dinner” is planned for Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Miner’s Inn Convention Center in Yreka. Special guest speaker will be Army Specialist Alek Skarlatos, one of the three Paris train heroes that stopped an armed terrorist on a train in France in August 2015.

Quite a group of elected officials will be attending and several will be speaking. They are: U.S. Congressman Doug LaMalfa CA Dist. 1; CA. State Senator Brian Dahle, who is a candidate for the CA. state office of governor; Assemblywoman Megan Dahle; CA. U.S. Senate candidate Mark Meuser; Siskiyou County District Attorney Krik Andrus and Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue.

Prime rib for the dinner will be grilled by Dave Tyler. There will be a “no host” bar and a silent auction for desserts. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. at the Convention Center at 122 E. Miner Street in Yreka.

Tickets are $50 each and can be found at Bergeron Insurance Agency in Yreka at 347 Main St. Call 530-842-4400. Tickets are also available at both Solanos stores in Weed and Mt. Shasta or call Dan 530-918-7993. The dinner is hosted by the Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee. 

Art contest for teens

Congressman Doug LaMalfa announced he is accepting submissions for the 40^th annual Congressional High School Art Competition. This year’s theme is: Planes, Trains and Automobiles: America’s Open Roads and Open Skies.

For more information, call his Redding office at 530-223-5898. Deadline is April 22, 2022.

May peace and calm be with you this week. 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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Republicans to meet and Sites Reservoir update

April 6, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Republicans to meet

Reservations can still be made for a Ham buffet lunch during the Siskiyou Conservative Republicans meeting on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Grill Master Dave Tyler will be smoking the ham and the luscious desserts are by Jackie Twilliger. Lunch is $13. Call Annie at 530-842-2350 to reserve your seat.

Michael Kobseff, Siskiyou Co. Supervisor for District 3, is the featured speaker.  Meet and greet is at 11 a.m. with the meeting starting at 11:30 a.m. The meeting is held at the Montague United Methodist church at 150 S 12th Street in Montague.

Sites Reservoir receives funding

Last month, CA. Dist. 1 Congressman Doug LaMalfa announced the proposed Sites Reservoir is now eligible for up to $2.2 billion in low interest loans. For years, LaMalfa has pushed to build the Sites Reservoir that will be built as an innovative off-stream reservoir on the west-side of the Sacramento Valley in Glenn and Colusa counties.

Sites was initially approved by California voters in 2014 with some initial funding from Proposition 1. But, the lack of funding has slowed the project.

On March 17, 2022, LaMalfa announced the federal Environmental Protection Agency formally invited the Sites Project Authority to apply for a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program loan. So, Sites will now be eligible for up to $2.2 billion in low-interest loans, which accounts for 49 percent of the project’s cost.

Back in July 2021, LaMalfa and Congressman John Garamendi (D) led a bipartisan letter with other members of the California delegation that asked the EPA to allow the Sites Project Authority to apply for a loan through the federal program. LaMalfa was pleased with the support from EPA.

“We need Sites more than ever; our state is facing another historic drought. I’ve been a strong supporter of this project for years. It will provide water for over 24 million Californians and 500,000 acres of farmland,” said LaMalfa.

The Congressman added that the low-interest loan will “drastically reduce costs for consumers and make it affordable for taxpayers to get the water they need, even in dry years.”

Then a week later, there was more good news for funding Sites Reservoir. On March 24, 2022, the California Water Commission announced increased funding for Proposition 1 bond recipients and will include $38 million for Sites Reservoir. This will bring the total amount to $875 million from the Proposition 1 funds to the project.

For sure, this is great news. Hopefully, the needed funding will be found soon so Sites can be built. It has been decades since California has built additional water storage facilities. This drought is causing havoc, but someday it will rain again and California needs to be ready with increased storage abilities through our dams and reservoirs.

National Ag Week

March 22nd marked the beginning of National Ag Week. In California, a variety of agricultural businesses and groups held an event at the State Capitol. Megan Dahle, Dist. 1 Assemblywoman, attended the activities that included the California FFA and California Cattlewomen. One of her favorite stops was talking with an 11-year-old girl, Sophie, who has written a book inspired by agriculture. Yes, Dahle bought a copy and made sure Sophie signed it.

In a press release, Assemblywoman Dahle, reiterated that California’s agriculture is a multi-billion dollar – yep, that is with a “B” – industry, employing hundreds of thousands of Californians.

“Our state is home to tens of thousands of farms and ranches and over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California,” she said.

What a great way to educate folks about the importance of agriculture. Now we need to be sure and have enough water to grow all that food!

Garden

Some perennials are starting to grow in the garden, but there is no sign of any asparagus. Guess it has been too dry and I have not irrigated it.

Two weeks ago, I felt sorry for the garlic and rhubarb and gave them a good soaking. It wasn’t too far to drag the hose over from the frost-free faucet. The rhubarb was just peeking up. I was surprised to see about 15 garlic plants are growing. It was three weeks ago that my grandson, Bryce, helped me put horse manure on the garlic and rhubarb. It should have been put on back in December, so was happy that I finally got around to doing it!

May peace and calm be with you this week. 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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A state program could help farmers in Scott Valley utilize 70 percent of their legal water during drought

March 30, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Urgent help for Scott Valley farmers

With the unprecedented curtailment of all well water rights under the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWB) August 30, 2021 Drought Emergency Order, farmers in Scott Valley are facing a possible 100 percent loss of water for irrigation this summer.

But, help may be available: It is the possibility of farmers and ranchers being able to show how they can and will reduce their normal water usage by 30 percent. This is a voluntary option. The SWB curtailment regulations are tied-in to the water-flow of the Scott River. As the flow goes down in late spring, the curtailments will go up – likely sooner than later.

A few days ago, I talked with Sari Sommarstrom, who is a retired local watershed consultant. She said this option offered by the SWB could be what helps irrigators survive this year and maintain their livelihoods. The paperwork process of creating a plan is certainly worth looking into.

The Siskiyou Resource Conservation District, (RCD) is willing to serve as a “Coordinating Entity” for what the SWB will recognize as a “groundwater reduction Local Cooperative Solution” in the Scott River watershed.

According to information I have gathered, the Cooperative Solution is not a guarantee as each plan will need to be approved by the SWB. Also, the RCD needs to obtain the funding to administer the program and will also charge a reasonable fee to each participant as a cost-share contribution.

The next step for agricultural well users is to write a plan explaining how they will achieve 30 percent water reduction. Development and monitoring are important aspects of any farmer’s plan. If interested, Scott Valley groundwater irrigators should contact the RCD office in Etna as soon as possible for assistance. Call 530-467-3975.

There are a variety of ways to reduce water usage, it must be acknowledged that most will also reduce income and may greatly affect profitability.

Some of the options for water reduction are: Fallowing 30 percent of irrigated acreage; forgo a cutting or two in the hay fields; replace a hay crop with a lower water usage crop; change from flood to wheel-line; and upgrade from wheel-line to a center pivot.

Over the years, many center pivots have been implemented throughout Scott Valley. It is because this irrigation system does reduce the amount of water used. Farmers are always innovating. I also heard that some farmers have found soil moisture sensors to be quite effective in saving water.

A note to non-agricultural well users: You as a residential home dweller are not under this Emergency Drought curtailment. Last year, many of us received a letter from the state demanding we report our water usage from our residential well. Yep, it scared the heck out of us. And most of us complied. Apparently, (this is info I have received from several reliable sources and I have checked out the SWB website) the curtailment of water usage was directed at agriculture not residential home dwellers.

Garden

Spring is springing! It is so nice to see the explosion of pink blossoms on the ornamental plum trees. Several of my regular plum trees are also striking with their bright white blossoms. And the forsythia is gorgeous with bright yellow flowers. Unfortunately, one of my forsythia has just a few branches with yellow blooms and my other one is dead. Yep, not enough water.

Plants and fields are suffering. That last rain was helpful, but barely made puddles at my place. The drought is certainly causing great havoc.

My wildflower area under the pine tree still needed clearing, so I made a date with my 16 year-old grandson, Bryce, for some help. I picked him up after school and we cut and chopped the old dry perennials of fever few, iris stalks, Oriental poppies, cosmos, dahlia, Shasta daisies, yarrow, tansy, mint, asters and daylilies. We even pruned the two rose bushes. They were way overgrown! We even found a few blooming flowers under the dried vegetation -- violets and blue and pink bell-like blooms on lung-wort plants. The fever few, iris, tansy, daylilies and Shasta daisies are also trying to grow.

A few daffodils are blooming, but without the moisture they need the blooms tend to fall over. The tulip vegetation perked-up a bit from the rain and is about six-inches high. There may be a few blooms in April.

But with this drought, these perennials are not going to do well if I don’t start irrigating. I don’t have a system set-up that is frost free and don’t think I have the energy to attach hoses and drag them around throughout April and May like I did last year. Oh, to find the fountain of youth would be wonderful. Or some good rain storms would fix the problem!

May peace and calm be with you this week. 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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Ode to a bridge -- part 2

March 23, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Ode to a bridge Part 2

A few days later, I called Mike again to ask some questions about his Cramer family. He had told me several stories during our phone call – and on many other occasions. I hadn’t written anything down and needed clarifications. Mike’s great uncle Ira Cramer and his wife, Ruth, were living in the dove-tailed wooden plank house, on the Moffett Creek ranch, when he died in 1931.

Ira was holding his young daughter, Dorothy, and collapsed from a heart attack. Mike was told that Ira had just walked in the house after rolling or dragging a dead cow out of the barn. He was a big sturdy man. Family surmised he over-worked his body and blew-out his heart.

So, that dove-tailed wooden plank two-story house is likely about 100 years old. I took photos of it. On the east side, there is modernization -- a swamp cooler and satellite TV dish can be seen. I posted a photo on my LizWritesLife.blogspot.com along with last week’s “Liz Writes Life” article.

In our chat, Mike mentioned that I had misspelled Cramer in last month’s article about his great aunt Ruth Markon. It only has one “m” not two! Ooops, so sorry.

The history that Mike shares about his Cramer family is pretty amazing. Yes, Ira’s father was German, but born in New York in 1831. His name was George Lansing Cramer. Mike said he rode horseback out to California during the gold rush time period and settled on Moffett Creek at the bottom of we now call Forest Mt. He planted peach, apple and pear trees and the little county road is appropriately named “Peach Orchard Lane.” The ranch also served as a stage stop.

George met Emily Bills, who crossed with her family from Illinois by wagon train. She was expected to marry a man in Scott Valley, but apparently didn’t much care for him. Emily decided to elope with George in June 1863. They rode north fording the Klamath River, on horseback, and were married in Jacksonville, Oregon. The couple set up house and Emily gave birth to 16 children. Mike said they also adopted three orphan children. Wow, what a household that must have been!

One of those children was Mike’s grandfather Fredrick William Cramer. He and Ira along with brothers Harry and Charles went into business together. They operated a butcher shop named Etna Packers in Etna along with other businesses. Mike still has one of the old ledgers touting the names of the clients from back then.

Monday, March 7, 2022

Well, I will get back to my original plan of relating my drive up East Moffett Creek Road to obtain a photo of the nano-high-tech concrete bridge laid by Siskiyou County in November 2020.

Not long after turning off Highway 3, driving down Peach Orchard Lane to East Moffett Creek Road, I was stopped by a county flagman. The road crew was cleaning the gutter. It wasn’t a long wait and then I was given the slow sign. When I began to pass the grader, I recognized the operator. He is a life-long friend (went through Etna schools together) and was a good friend of my husband. Figuring there wasn’t any other traffic on this dirt road to irritate by stopping; I explained I was looking for the new bridge. Yep, it would be the third bridge crossing the creek. Quick, but nice reconnection!

It was maybe four or five miles, but it seems longer driving 25 mph on a dirt road. I saw the Duzel Road coming in with the new bridge. After parking, I surveyed my options for taking photos. The poor old barbed-wire fence had holes big enough that I could duck through. I wanted to get some side photos, which was easy because there wasn’t any water running in the creek. Ray Haupt had told me that the county did not pave the bridge, because the nano-tech concrete was expected to last 100 years. About 20 feet before and after the bridge, the road had been paved.

About that time, I noticed a young woman walking down Duzel Road with two dogs. She recognized me first. We had a nice chat and then I took about 20 photos.

The sun was warm. My window was rolled down, so I decided to drive back home over Duzel Road. I had never been on it before and felt adventurous! About a mile up this one-lane, but well-maintained dirt road I stopped. A woodcutter was cutting up limbs and the road was blocked. I didn’t want to bother him and decided to turn around at the widened corner just behind me. It was then that I noticed he was walking towards me. His dog had alerted him that I was there.

I stepped out of my Chevy Trax and was, again, surprised to be recognized. We both mentioned that we were much older than in our high school days over 50 years ago. He said he could move his pickup and I would be able to continue on the road, but I decided to retrace my path. I really wasn’t sure where Duzel Road comes out in Scott Valley and might adventure it other time.

My trip home to Callahan was uneventful: Didn’t run into anyone to talk to, even at the grocery store. So it seemed like a good time to reflect on life in rural areas. Driving down what should have been a lonely dirt road, held several surprises that made March 7th a very pleasant day.

May peace and calm be with you this week. 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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Old dove-tailed wooden plank house on Moffett Creek

  Ira Cramer had this dove-tailed wooden plank house built in late-1920s up Moffett Creek near Fort Jones, CA.  Photo by Liz Bowen on March 7, 2022.

New high-tech bridge and pioneer history

March 16, 2022

Liz Writes Life

Today I will share my life-adventure from Monday, March 7, 2022. This depicts a typical Scott Valley-rural-lifestyle-day, but will take a while to get to it, cuz there are several prefaces.

This story, actually begins 16 months ago, when I wrote my weekly column about a new technology that makes concrete lighter and super-strong using a newly- developed technology of nanocellulose wood fiber. It is also expected to last 100 years!

Grace Bennett, who is now retired from the Dist. 4 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor position, pushed to coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service through a grant to utilize the new technology -- locally. Ray Haupt, Siskiyou Co.  Supervisor for Dist. 5, was in his first term and worked with Grace on the project.

Ultimately, four very long concrete slabs with the new technology replaced a wooden-plank bridge over Moffett Creek in the East Moffett Creek and Scarface area. That was on Nov. 3, 2020 and Grace invited me to attend. I took photos of the crane that lowered the slabs in place. Scott Waite was director of Public Works at the time and Ben Haupt was Timber Management Officer at Klamath National Forest. Both were also involved as was Oregon State University at Corvallis and Knife River Materials, in Oregon, who actually manufactured the concrete.

Another aside: I later learned, from a contractor, that cement and concrete should not be referred to as the same thing. In the Nov. 18, 2020 article, I incorrectly referred to concrete as cement, which is an ingredient in concrete.

So, out-of-the-blue last week, I received a phone call from Angela Aguero. She was writing an article on the wood fiber nanocellulose technology for a trade magazine called “Concrete International.” Angela explains that the article is an introductory overview of nanocellulose concrete and why the industry should care. Through internet searching, she had found the Nov. 3, 2020 “Liz Writes Life” column about Siskiyou County using the technology in its bridge replacement.

Surprisingly, Siskiyou County may have placed the first bridge of this kind -- in the United States! She hasn’t found any others. Yes, Grace, Ray and Siskiyou’s partners were on the cutting-edge of actually implementing a real-world example for use of the concrete. Angela needed more information for her article. I gave her Grace’s name and phone number.

But, in our discussion, Angela said she could not find a photo of the completed bridge. Siskiyou Daily News published two of my photos from the placing of the bridge. Hum, without thinking, I offered to go get a photo of the finished bridge. Now for another “but” –  weather sites predicted snow and or rain for a few days, which meant dreary light from storm clouds. Not good for clear photographs. (And we certainly didn’t receive enough moisture!) I told her it would be Sunday or Monday, before I could get a sunny photo. Angela was on deadline, but said that would still work.

I remembered to take my camera on Sunday morning, when I went to church planning on making a quick drive out to get photos if it was sunny. Yep, I drove out there, but couldn’t remember how far up the bridge was located. Feeling skeptical of the first bridge, where I took photos, I went home. Later that evening, I emailed Ray Haupt to get his directions. I was embarrassed I didn’t find the bridge. He actually looked it up on Google maps and it was several miles further along East Moffett Creek Road.

On Monday morning, I also decided to call Mike Cramer, whose family once owned much of the area and still ranches there. He knows Moffett Creek well! And, his directions were the same as Ray’s only with Scott Valley descriptions. He recalled several of the cattle guards I would drive over; yep, go past the huge metal barn with several houses. He mentioned that his grandfather, Fredrick William Cramer, built the older house in the 1930s.

Then several more miles down the dirt road (maintained by the county), a road from around Duzel comes in from the west. The bridge can be seen right there crossing Moffett Creek. If I missed the turn-off (you can’t miss it) I would then go by a two-story dove-tailed wooden plank house – and that was too far. The house was built for his Great Uncle Ira Cramer, his grandfather’s brother.

A quick tidbit from Mike – the man that built the house was named Jack Paige or Page and charged $85. No, Mike wasn’t sure when the house was built. It looks well over 100 years old to me.

Well, I guess this will be a two-part story or maybe three-part story as I really haven’t started on my Monday adventure up Moffett Creek. So, I will do like the television shows before a commercial – leave you hanging!

I did post several photos of the bridge on my blog. Address is below. It looks like a regular bridge.

May peace and calm be with you this week. Smile – just cuz it makes you feel better!

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow!

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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