What's Happening in Stonyford: July 21

We're almost back to normal.

Our Mill Fire is under control; the air is clear of smoke. Stonyford had a very close brush with disaster. The fire came right up to the back door of several homes. They were saved by the extraordinary efforts of the firefighters. We had a fire engine sitting in our front yard with a crew of four on one day when the fire was raging.

One of the best stories was one day when the firefighters were backfiring, working behind our neighbor's house, hiis whole backyard was going to go up in flames. He asked the crew if they could save three of the trees there and they managed to do that.

The work goes on. Crews have already begun to repair some of the damage. They're starting on the bulldozer lines, and fences that were damaged in the firefighting efforts.

Anyone having concerns or questions may call the Stonyford Work Center, Mendocino National Forest at 963-3128.

A team is doing a full assessment of the fire, and will have a report next week. Some local roads affected by the fire will remain closed for awhile. East Park Reservoir was re-opened Thursday. Information regarding access to the forest or Letts Lake is available at www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino.

There is a possibility of a field trip into the burn area for us regular citizens. Date and time to be decided later. If you are interested, call Laurie Pearson at the Stonyford Work Center. She will be collecting names and let you know.

Through all this, the Sew What!? group has continued to meet. And I want to welcome four newquilters: Amanda, Mecca, Angel and Saxony. We had a full house last Wednesday. We will continue to meet all through the summer.

Now would be a good time for anyone who is interested in learning to sew. We are starting with how to thread a sewing machine and how to sew a straight line. Call me for information, 963-3050.

Tuesday Dinner at the Grange is back. We're not quite organized, and haven't decided what to serve for next week. But it's bound to be good. We always include drink and dessert for $6, serving from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

There will be Bingo at the Grange on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Our chickens and squirrels and deer are still doing fine. Larry has called a moratorium for a bit. Everybody eats!

Even the herds of elk and buffalo are fine. When the firefighters were backfiring, they spent extra effort to make sure the elk were out of the trees, and didn't get trapped between two fires.