The moutains in California are still burning

Important Fire Information from Senitor David Cogdill.

Dear Constituents,

As you are aware there is a wildfire burning in the Midpines area. As the Senator for this area, I am extremely concerned for the communities affected by the fires. My office is in communication with Cal Fire and Office of Emergency Services representatives on scene, and will send updates as they become available.

Evacuations:

Mandatory evacuations are in effect for various roads between Mariposa, Midpines and Greeley Hill.
As of last evening the following roads are in the evacuation area: Texas Hill Rd., Dogtown Rd from Texas Hill Rd to Schilling Rd., Schilling Rd to Hwy 49N, Michaeloaks Rd. with road closure beginning at Hwy 49N.
An evacuation order is also in place for the Midpines community.
Evacuation warnings are in place for residences in the immediate area of the fire. This includes parts of the communities of Mariposa, Midpines, Greeley Hill, Coulterville, and Briceburg.
This is the latest update from Cal Fire as of 12:00pm, Tuesday, July 28, 2008:

Approximately 29,600 acres have been burned.
4000 residences are threatened at this time.
25 residences and 270 outbuildings have been destroyed.
The fire is 15% contained.
PG&E has turned off power to approximately 1000 residences at the request of Cal Fire. Most of these residences are in areas already evacuated. The utility company is bringing in generators in the Yosemite Valley and El Portal areas and will add customers to that source as soon as possible.

Additionally, here is important evacuation information:

For evacuation information call 209-966-1133. Mariposa Elementary School has been opened as an evacuation site.


The SPCA is not accepting any more animals however animals are being accepted at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds. The Mariposa County Animal Control phone number is 742-4300. Animals at the SPCA facility on Highway 49 north have been moved to a ranch in Ponderosa Basin. Call 966-7766, 628-5793, or 742-3407 for information on locating a pet.
Here are some important tips if you need to evacuate your home.

First and foremost, it is imperative that, if given the order by law enforcement personnel, you follow all evacuation orders immediately for your safety.

Fires like this are extremely unpredictable so it is important that you plan ahead in case you need to be evacuated at the last minute. An evacuation checklist can be an important tool to ensure you have all necessary items during an evacuation. An evacuation checklist should contain the following:

Critical medications.
Important personal papers, photos.
Essential valuables.
Pets and livestock transports, limited amount of pet food.
Change of clothing, toiletries.
Cell phone.
Critical papers and effects in fire-proof safe.
If you think you may be evacuated, here are a few important tips:

Park your vehicle facing outward and carry your car keys with you.
Locate your pets and keep them nearby.
Prepare farm animals for transport.
Place connected garden hoses and buckets full of water around the house.
Move propane BBQ and appliances away from structures.
Cover up. Wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, heavy shoes/boots, cap, dry bandanna for face cover, goggles or glasses.
Leave lights on in the house–door unlocked.
Leave windows closed–air conditioning off.
For updated information contact the Mariposa County Sheriff's Event Information Line at 966-1133, or visit the CAL FIRE Web site at:
http://www.fire.ca.gov/index_incidents_others.php


Sincerely,


David Cogdill
Senator

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There was also a earthquake today, but as of noon today no one was hurt. It was 5. something and centered in L.A. country in the moutains there.

Happy Birthday to my daughter!!!

Happy Birthday to my daughter Sarah!

My Birthday day girl.

She turned seventeen today.

*Sniff sniff*

With her B-day card.

With her Birthday present a lap top computer.

I thought she needed one for school and found on one sale at Wal-mart.

We took her out to a Vietnamese restaurant called Kim's, and she had pan fired chicken curry.

My girl loves curry.

I tried my hand at making curry this last week, and it didn't turn out too bad if I do say so myself. But Sarah still wanted some more curry for her

B-day.

Happy Birthday my darling daughter.

I hope you had a great day.

Thursday's Thirteen: The color Gray

I'm in a gray mood, so please bare with me while I plunk down my thirteen gray things.

1. Charcoal gray is the color of our new '04 Camry.


2. Brush steel gray is the color of my lap top.


3. Dark gray is the color of the lap top I bought my daughter for her B-day that is this Saturday.


4. Gray is the color of my mood since I found out I have to have dental work; ie a crown and a filling unless it breaks while the dentist is working on it.


5. Gray is the color of the fillings that keep breaking my teeth. Kids take it from Auntie Jan, brush your teeth. A cavity is really bad especially when you get old like me, and your old fillings from those long ago cavities are breaking your teeth.


6. Gray is the matter that is between your ears.


7. G-r-e-y is how your spell Gray while living in the UK and Australia.


8. Gray is the color of the pen encasing my permanent marker.


9. Gray is the color of my silver rings when they tarnish.


10. Gray is the color of the bottom of my shoes.


11. Gray is the color of the Tule fog that come to the central valley in the fall and winter time.


12. Gray is the color of my character Seth eyes in Windswept Shores.


13. Gray is the color of ash.

Dentist Appointment

I'm still a little shaky inside.

I just went to the dentist today, and instead of the usual you hardly have any tartar and see you next year. I hear, "doctor can you check such and such tooth and this one too?"

Then it was "there's a crack on your upper back molar and it's black which is a sign of decay. I'm sorry but you'll need a crown on this one and a filling on the one directly over from it too."

Crap!

I already knew about the crack, but thought I could dodge it for another year. BTW, I do take excellent care of my teeth, this was from an old filling from like grade school.

You see boys and girls if you don't brush your teeth when your young then you get cavities, and then you get really big fillings in your teeth. And then when your old like me your teeth break around your fillings, and you have to have a crown. And believe me you don't want that do that. SO take it from me, brush your teeth!

I hate needles, and the thing I really hate the most is having a tooth drilled on.

And the absolute worst is having an upper tooth drilled. My head rattles, my vision blurs and I get a horrible headache. Not to mention a shot sight reaction too.

Crap, and another bill!

We just bought a car, and I splurged and bought my daughter, who's birthday is this Saturday, a new lap top for school. And now on top of that another bill.

At least I made arrangements to make payments. I do have insurance but it a cleaning, six x-rays that they took today, a crown, and a filling. That kind of test the insurance right there. But at least it covers 80% and that's wonderful because all that was probable over a thousand dollars.

Yeech!

Thursday's thirteen; Allergies

I've been complaining about my allergies, so today's Thursday's thirteen is allergies and why I hate them.

1. Sneezes that explode out of my nose.


2. Dripping wet nose. I feel like a wet nosed dog.


3. Swollen sinus that make me sound funny.


4. Allergy eyes that are so bad I can't drive the car to get some medicine, and have to send my forgetful husband instead.


5. When I try to sleep at night I feel like I'm drowning.


6. My allergies trigger my asthma and I can't breath.


7. Can't sleep.


8. Can't see or breath.


9. I pee my pants when I sneeze.


10. I also pee my pants when I have a coughing spell.


11. I have to take stronger meds than I'm use to and feel woozy.


12. The meds make my mouth go dry.


13. The last complaint is . . . my air purifier that I use so I can breath is too loud to let me sleep!

Something new

Okay we did it.

We're in dept.

Because we bought a car.

A '04 Toyota Camry. Charcoal grey in color with light grey interior.

We got a decent price too.

But *sob* I had to say good-bye to my old Cadillac.

It look sad when we left it.

Little better

I'm a little better today.

Yesterday I felt well enough to go to the store and get some stronger medicine. I had been using claritin which usually works for my regular allergies, but this was a real bad allergy attack because of the smoke from the fires that have filled up our valley like a gigantic punch bowl. The pollen count has been especially high and grasses mostly. I have hay fever.

Oh yes, mowing the lawn was a b-a-a-d idea.

But I had too, because no one else was going to do it. Then I ended up with a major allergy and asthma attack and I couldn't breath, sleep, or see (allergy eyes).

SO I decided I need the strong stuff. I bought claritin-D. I had to sign for it and show my ID even though it is an over the counter medicine.

There are these new rules because apparently you can make meth out of it.

Me make meth?

I wouldn't know what the stuff was if you showed it to me.

Quick post

Two weekends ago I had posted about having a terrible sinus headache and going car shopping.

Well I got better.

Foolishly I thought I could do some yard work, and went and mowed the side yard.

I've been sick for a week.

Allergies, icky sick allergies.

I have a sinus headache, runny swollen nose, watery itchy eyes, and a cough because my asthma decided to join in on the fun.

I'm feel a bit better today, until I got my period.

I think I'll go to bed now.

Thursday's thirteen; Fourth of July

Thursday’s thirteen; Our Fourth of July

1. The fourth of July is my nation’s national birthday.
2. There were originally thirteen states, which makes this perfect for Thursday’s thirteen.
3. Only two people signed on July 4th; John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2. The last signature was five years later.
4. July 4, 1776 the declination of independence is drafted and sighed, though it is not signed all at once. In May 29, 1890 the last one sign; the state of Rhode Island.
5. Thomas Jefferson is the author of our constitution was our third president, and our first red headed one.
6. Croatia was the first country to recognize the United States as an independent country.
7. France and Spain donated 1 million livres in arms to the United States to help with our fight for independence.
8. Our national anthem “The star spangled banner” was written in 1812 by Francis Scott Key.
9. Our country stretches literally from sea to shinny sea. In the east we are bracket by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. List of all fifty states;Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Marianas Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Virgin Islands Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
10. The ones not directly connected are Alaska and Hawaii.
11. Hawaii is the only state that had a king and Queen.
12. Fifty white stars on a blue background, and thirteen red and white stripes make up our national flag.
13. A penny minted in 1727 was our first coin to have the words “United States of America”. It also had the motto “mind your own business.”

A rant

I don't usually do these but I'm just not feeling well.

So here's my rant.

My allergies are going nuts.

There is a state of emergency for my state of California, because of all the wild fires that are all over.

And all that smoke has filled up the central valley where I happen to live. I have asthma too and the smoke is making my head and chest hurt.

Saturday I felt like I had a metal band around my head and a ten pound weight behind each eye.

My husband has new hours at work and some times he has to get up at four in the morning.

And he wakes me up.

Then if that's not enough my landlord shows up just as my husband is leaving for work at five am, and runs a noisy tractor that knocks and belches diesel fumes.

All that smell goes right into my bedroom window where I'm trying to go back to sleep---with a headache.

That's been going on for weeks now.

Then my husband gets it into his head that we need a new car now!

What's the rush?

I know our old car is old. I know it's a big car and uses a lot of gas and it knocks and sounds like it's falling apart.

But it's paid for.

He got an okay for the loan, and started looking for cars.

Is there anything more boring then looking at cars at a car lot?

I'm not feeling well. I'm not sleeping enough.

Okay maybe I could have acted better to the sales man that want to walk us all over hell and gone, just to look at the same car the other guy has.

But I'm tired and it's hot. It's was over a hundred this past weekend.

And then my husband finds it the perfect car.

But I want to think about it. Can we aford the payments? Hmm. "Can you give us till the morning to decide?"

He said, "Yes we could."

The next day my husband called the sales man four times and couldn't get him.

Then he finally got the manager. "Yes we still have it. Come on down and it's yours."

We have to drive to Fresno another town. Then when we get there "Nope sorry that one sold this morning."

And they're so damn happy when they said that too.

Yet I'm the one who is rude?

Hey, I kept my cool but I did storm out of there.

Now we have to start over.

I want to tell my husband you go look for another damn car and just tell me when it's over.