txdon
Super Star Member
Kyle, Rick, Cold front finally pushed through slowly, 62˚F, North wind at 3mph. Total of light rain today .63", raining 622 minutes. I moved hub and the Tempest did not go off line today.
Good morning!!!!
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Buppies
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Thanks for sharing wngsprd
Prayers you are safe and sound RNG
Prayers you are safe and sound RNG
mostly_gas
Super Member
Good evening all. 69F for the start, rain, .9 inch in gauge, light wind. Rain for most of day, high was 70F at mid-morning. slow cooling expected to be about 60F. Men's meeting this morning, not much after that, boat cover shedding water 
Garmin app quit uploading activity to Garmin Connect. Chat session did not help and missed my nap
Covid update: Cooke 349 confirmed cases, 17 active cases, Montague 152 confirmed cases, 19 active cases, Grayson unchanged.
Ted missed your update while I was posting, looks great. So no revisions needed on fence unroller?
David congrats on new arrival
Drew have fun inside today
RNG glad you have everything ready for fire season, hope it misses you. fire link would not work for me just get a blank page
Chuck welcome to GM thread. no fun unpacking everything :welcome:
Eric depends on how picky the fish are that you are trying to catch.
Ron pretty flowers, more drone flying sound good
Drew glad you got your walk in.
RS plenty to do...
Ted snow already ?
PJ have a lot of years watching Gibson, Brock et all. Get some good guitar sound?
Don glad weather station is cooperating. Impressive that this is your first cedarcide canceled since April.
Billy enjoy your inside time.
RNG that was ugly
Drew looks good from here
Thomas glad you passed inspection
David(moss) good progress
prayers for all, especially Drew/move, Jay/Peg, Kyle's daughter, Mike, David(moss)/move, RNG/fire, and Country
stay safe and healthy, you all.
Garmin app quit uploading activity to Garmin Connect. Chat session did not help and missed my nap Covid update: Cooke 349 confirmed cases, 17 active cases, Montague 152 confirmed cases, 19 active cases, Grayson unchanged.
Ted missed your update while I was posting, looks great. So no revisions needed on fence unroller?
David congrats on new arrival
Drew have fun inside today
RNG glad you have everything ready for fire season, hope it misses you. fire link would not work for me just get a blank page
Chuck welcome to GM thread. no fun unpacking everything :welcome:
Eric depends on how picky the fish are that you are trying to catch.
Ron pretty flowers, more drone flying sound good
Drew glad you got your walk in.
RS plenty to do...
Ted snow already ?
PJ have a lot of years watching Gibson, Brock et all. Get some good guitar sound?
Don glad weather station is cooperating. Impressive that this is your first cedarcide canceled since April.
Billy enjoy your inside time.
RNG that was ugly
Drew looks good from here
Thomas glad you passed inspection
David(moss) good progress
prayers for all, especially Drew/move, Jay/Peg, Kyle's daughter, Mike, David(moss)/move, RNG/fire, and Country
stay safe and healthy, you all.
RedNeckGeek
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- Butte County & Orcutt, California
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RedNeckGeek
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Well, what a nervous 24 hours it's been. The Bear Fire, as it's come to be known, was started by lightning several weeks ago in the mountains south of Quincy, CA. Two or three strikes started fires that all eventually grew together, and the winds of yesterday and last night fanned them from 40,000 acres to 145,000 acres in the space of twelve hours. Along the way they covered over 25 miles, destroyed over 2000 structures, and took at least three lives. Once again, I'm fortunate my home is still intact, and I'm still among the land of the living.
Last night seemed like it would never end. The updates on the satellite map showed the fire moving this way, but because they came at irregular intervals, I was never sure how far or where they were going. So I was up every hour or so, peering through windows or walking around outside, looking for an orange glow that I hoped wouldn't be there. And until about 7AM today, the night was still black as coal, with the exception of gray ash that swirled and danced in the beam of my flashlight. About a half hour after sunup, the sky was still very dark, but it was a dark orange. Fire orange, not sun shining through the smoke orange. Yet there was less ash in the air, no sounds of exploding tanks like I heard the afternoon and evening before, and nothing but that orange glow to suggest there was fire nearby.
Sometime during the night, the Sheriff's fancy reporting page stopped working, and I really didn't know where the fire was. And I started to doubt my decision not to leave because it was all on the line now. I knew I should eat something, but the knots in my stomach had me wondering if I'd be able to keep it down. Then I got dressed in the Nomex pants and shirt I'd snagged at the uniform shop earlier in the year, laced on my boots, donned an N95 mask, put on my hat, and walked out the door. Pulled out the iPhone, opened the Home app, and hit the button for the sprinkler system on the roof. It sputtered and choked to life, a fine mist of water drops swirling in the light breeze, making puddles on the concrete and wetting down the walls. I let it run for a few minutes to get a better feel for the time needed for a good soaking, then shut it off, comforted that it worked like it has been, and was ready to go if the time came today.
I had two very large wood piles I wanted to get tarped, hopefully well enough to keep sparks and embers out of them so they'd keep me warm come winter. That help keep my mind off the fire, and the wind slacking off helped, too. The tarp that blew off the firetruck was almost big enough to cover the big stack, and three smaller tarps were enough to finish it and cover the pile of odd pieces that make such great campfire wood.
That done, I laid five hundred-foot hoses, one at each corner of the house, and the last down where the tractor and other implements were parked. I also rolled up the hose on the firetruck, as it wasn't putting out enough pressure to get the job done. My neighbor and former owner had threatened all summer to tutor me in it's use, but neither of us got around tuit, and my book learnin' wasn't good enough. Never mind, would'a could'a should'a ain't no way to get things done.
By then my appetite had returned so I fixed some lunch and shot a few text messages off to the neighbors to see how they were doin'. One was about to take a ride to see what he could, and promised to report back. Another gal's husband had cut short his trip (he drives a truck for Walmart) and would be back by evening. I texted him asking for a bunch of bananas if he was going to be stopping at a grocery on his way up. Nobody knew much about where the fire had been, and even less about where it was going, and none of us had even seen a fireman or deputy sheriff. None of us had heard any aircraft overhead, either, and neither of these things brought us any comfort. We're on our own here.
In the mean time, the Sheriff had seen fit to put us in an Evacuation Warning Zone, adding to the tension. Then the report came back from the driver, who had seen a handful of deputies at a local campground store. They told him it wasn't just a warning, but an evacuation. So much confusion at times like this. Didn't matter, as none of us planned on leaving anyway.
The night before the wind was blowing hard enough to rattle the steel porch roof and shake the sliding glass doors, and I could hear things bouncing off the glass. There was a layer of ash on everything, not like snow, but more like dust. And leaves. Dark, crispy, burnt leaves, scattered everywhere. Got a broom and five gallon bucket and started sweeping them up, ended up with half a pale. Normally I'd just toss them down the hill, but because I didn't want 'em coming back at the house on fire, they went into the garbage can instead.
All during the day the smoke took turns really packing it in and almost lifting, but as the sun headed down so did the smoke. The weatherman this evening said that was normal, and that most of the smoke wasn't from the Bear Fire at all, but from other fires to the south. Our smoke had already blown into someone else's neighborhood.
So that's how my day went, and tonight will be another string of half hour or hour naps, with quick peeks out the window and at the computer screen to keep an eye on the fire, which ended the day a couple miles east of here. Tonight's satellite picture shows the hottest red part surrounded by older orange, a hopeful sign that the calm wind wasn't helping the fire to spread. It also shows the even older yellowish gray outline of what the fire started out as just yesterday afternoon. Not sure what the next few hours will bring, let alone tomorrow, but I'm hoping for brighter days.
Last night seemed like it would never end. The updates on the satellite map showed the fire moving this way, but because they came at irregular intervals, I was never sure how far or where they were going. So I was up every hour or so, peering through windows or walking around outside, looking for an orange glow that I hoped wouldn't be there. And until about 7AM today, the night was still black as coal, with the exception of gray ash that swirled and danced in the beam of my flashlight. About a half hour after sunup, the sky was still very dark, but it was a dark orange. Fire orange, not sun shining through the smoke orange. Yet there was less ash in the air, no sounds of exploding tanks like I heard the afternoon and evening before, and nothing but that orange glow to suggest there was fire nearby.
Sometime during the night, the Sheriff's fancy reporting page stopped working, and I really didn't know where the fire was. And I started to doubt my decision not to leave because it was all on the line now. I knew I should eat something, but the knots in my stomach had me wondering if I'd be able to keep it down. Then I got dressed in the Nomex pants and shirt I'd snagged at the uniform shop earlier in the year, laced on my boots, donned an N95 mask, put on my hat, and walked out the door. Pulled out the iPhone, opened the Home app, and hit the button for the sprinkler system on the roof. It sputtered and choked to life, a fine mist of water drops swirling in the light breeze, making puddles on the concrete and wetting down the walls. I let it run for a few minutes to get a better feel for the time needed for a good soaking, then shut it off, comforted that it worked like it has been, and was ready to go if the time came today.
I had two very large wood piles I wanted to get tarped, hopefully well enough to keep sparks and embers out of them so they'd keep me warm come winter. That help keep my mind off the fire, and the wind slacking off helped, too. The tarp that blew off the firetruck was almost big enough to cover the big stack, and three smaller tarps were enough to finish it and cover the pile of odd pieces that make such great campfire wood.
That done, I laid five hundred-foot hoses, one at each corner of the house, and the last down where the tractor and other implements were parked. I also rolled up the hose on the firetruck, as it wasn't putting out enough pressure to get the job done. My neighbor and former owner had threatened all summer to tutor me in it's use, but neither of us got around tuit, and my book learnin' wasn't good enough. Never mind, would'a could'a should'a ain't no way to get things done.
By then my appetite had returned so I fixed some lunch and shot a few text messages off to the neighbors to see how they were doin'. One was about to take a ride to see what he could, and promised to report back. Another gal's husband had cut short his trip (he drives a truck for Walmart) and would be back by evening. I texted him asking for a bunch of bananas if he was going to be stopping at a grocery on his way up. Nobody knew much about where the fire had been, and even less about where it was going, and none of us had even seen a fireman or deputy sheriff. None of us had heard any aircraft overhead, either, and neither of these things brought us any comfort. We're on our own here.
In the mean time, the Sheriff had seen fit to put us in an Evacuation Warning Zone, adding to the tension. Then the report came back from the driver, who had seen a handful of deputies at a local campground store. They told him it wasn't just a warning, but an evacuation. So much confusion at times like this. Didn't matter, as none of us planned on leaving anyway.
The night before the wind was blowing hard enough to rattle the steel porch roof and shake the sliding glass doors, and I could hear things bouncing off the glass. There was a layer of ash on everything, not like snow, but more like dust. And leaves. Dark, crispy, burnt leaves, scattered everywhere. Got a broom and five gallon bucket and started sweeping them up, ended up with half a pale. Normally I'd just toss them down the hill, but because I didn't want 'em coming back at the house on fire, they went into the garbage can instead.
All during the day the smoke took turns really packing it in and almost lifting, but as the sun headed down so did the smoke. The weatherman this evening said that was normal, and that most of the smoke wasn't from the Bear Fire at all, but from other fires to the south. Our smoke had already blown into someone else's neighborhood.
So that's how my day went, and tonight will be another string of half hour or hour naps, with quick peeks out the window and at the computer screen to keep an eye on the fire, which ended the day a couple miles east of here. Tonight's satellite picture shows the hottest red part surrounded by older orange, a hopeful sign that the calm wind wasn't helping the fire to spread. It also shows the even older yellowish gray outline of what the fire started out as just yesterday afternoon. Not sure what the next few hours will bring, let alone tomorrow, but I'm hoping for brighter days.
sodamo
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RNG, that is way too much adventure and STRESS. You know we all here have your safety on our minds. Take care and be safe.
RoyJackson
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2020-09-10, 0336
64 right now...high in the low to mid 80's and a 50% probability of rain (which would be nice!)
I'd written a few days ago, I wanted to trim some lower limbs of a pine tree. The lower limbs were getting choked by a bunch of saplings (not evergreens). I'd cut most of the saplings out last weekend and yesterday I had a sudden stroke of energy when I got home from work and did most of the de-limbing of the pine. Even chipped the limbs. Got a bit more to go, but by that time I was getting hungry...I'll finish today (weather permitting, or by the weekend.
RNG...good luck to you...I truly hope your place stays safe.
64 right now...high in the low to mid 80's and a 50% probability of rain (which would be nice!)
I'd written a few days ago, I wanted to trim some lower limbs of a pine tree. The lower limbs were getting choked by a bunch of saplings (not evergreens). I'd cut most of the saplings out last weekend and yesterday I had a sudden stroke of energy when I got home from work and did most of the de-limbing of the pine. Even chipped the limbs. Got a bit more to go, but by that time I was getting hungry...I'll finish today (weather permitting, or by the weekend.
RNG...good luck to you...I truly hope your place stays safe.
Last edited:
Jim Shooz
Veteran Member
Good luck RNG cant really imagine the stress your going through. Hang in there
Buppies
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2011
- Messages
- 12,237
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- SouthWestern Virginia
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- Kubota L5240 EX mark 60 in 29 hp Toro 60inch Z Master 21 inch walk behind Polaris 900 hunter edition 30in toro walk behind
66 raining this morning one quarter in so far high of 80 today
Glad you are ok RNG sounds very harrowing
Prayers for riptides Jay and wife, Kyles daughter, RNGs safety Drew and all others
Glad you are ok RNG sounds very harrowing
Prayers for riptides Jay and wife, Kyles daughter, RNGs safety Drew and all others
mpham
Veteran Member
Good luck RNG and anyone else in the flames travels. Praying for relief and no more lives lost!
66 here going to 77. Was able to use the tractor yesterday moving a load of loam and flattening out an area on the side of my garage.
Working today close to home so should be able to get into some kind of trouble this afternoon! Will see what the day brings.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
27 Thomas days and moving fast!
66 here going to 77. Was able to use the tractor yesterday moving a load of loam and flattening out an area on the side of my garage.
Working today close to home so should be able to get into some kind of trouble this afternoon! Will see what the day brings.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
27 Thomas days and moving fast!