Two Letters from Alicia

From Tuesday, 6/24/08:

Here's a report on my day. The outpouring has been incredibly inspiring! Please forgive the myopia of this update, I've been here at home all day, without news of the larger situation.??Just want you to know what's happening on my little front.

So, the thunderstorm ignited a bunch of fires all over Mendocino County, as well as quite near where I live. Last night when I drove home from town I could see three glowing patches burning on the ridge that stretches along the north side of Greenfield Ranch. It's eerie to see fires so

close, visible from my driveway! Yesterday my neighbors and I were gathered out at the houses most threatened by the fire closest to the Ranch, some defending the fire break at the burn line and others helping build fire breaks at the houses. Today, Cal Fire told us to get things together at our own places, so that's what we did. As far as I know, as of now no houses on Greenfield

have burned.

My dear friends Behr and Jama came down from Humboldt last night to wake up early this morning and start limbing. They worked almost nonstop all day! My house is at the top of a fairly steep forested slope covered with spindly and tightly growing fir trees, Yikes!So we limbed everything we could up to as high as we could, dragging limbs into the meadow in front of my place and trying to keep the fire on the ground and out of the tree tops if it comes through. Mid-morning, a group of young folks neighbors arrived with tons of energy, roving from house to house to help out.

Jutta, Seth, Sam and Jennifer worked for hours limbing and hauling, while Toby kept the equipment running (and brought coffee, thank the lord!). After that, Guy showed up with his crew and a huge bulldozer, and scraped a beautiful (in its way) 20-foot swath of fire break between me and the forest behind my house. Calvin, Dave Hawley, Tommy, and Leo all pitched

in clearing out stuff from under the house. Kiri brought pizza (and more coffee, yay), and Haille and Max pitched in, especially fixing my phone when the dozer accidentally snipped it. I can't thank these folks enough, I am soooo grateful, it is humbling!! Everything is topsy-turvy and strange, the house looks totally different, and so does the future. But hopefully the fires will pass without destroying homes out here, and CalFire will get a handle on this crisis soon. If not, I am deeply inspired by the cooperation and energy of my community, and I know we will come

together to help anyone who faces loss from the fires.

So that's it for now. I'm not planning to evacuate until I have to. The next steps for me are to keep working around here tomorrow, nurse my yellow-jacket stings, and to mobilize when the calls come in, if they come in, to go and defend fire breaks at neighbors' homes. Jude's safe in town tonight with pops. Thanks again to everyone for the help and love. I can't wait to have you all over to celebrate when the fires are out! love, alicia

Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:41:49 -0700

This is such a strange situation. It's kind of like life, but totally not at all too. Now everything is about getting ready.The night time wind is kicking up something fierce right now, which is unnerving. Today CalFire held a briefing for the Greenfield community at the Ranch House, and lots of us crammed into the main room to hear news that was neither good nor bad

about weather patterns and possibilities. We have not been evacuated yet, and no one is really sure what the fire up the canyon will do. My neighbors down the hill Meca and Yarrow, who have a spectacular homestead with many mature fruit trees and decades of restoration work up the canyon that is burning, now have a fire truck stationed at their house. If the fire comes to them, it will not be long before it jumps the creek and heads up to us. Like many others in the County, we cannot depend on firefighters to stop it, as their underresourced efforts are focused on defending structures while having to let fires burn.

We have been working hard to prepare our house, thanks so much to Toby who pushed past reason today, even pulling the chicken coop out with a rope tied to the back of his truck, go testosterone yay!!! But tonight Sequioa emailed that the Ranch House is not defendable, and if that is the case I don't see how my house could possibly be. Still we prepare. If nothing else, all the trash I've been meaning to clean up is out of my back yard at last, and my homestead looks great--even if it's only for a couple of days.

Jeanette writes that most of Montgomery Woods is gone, but Orr Springs is safe. I hauled more bags and boxes to town tonight, and felt the unease of possible homelessness as my stuff got piled up in corners of Toby's house. Journals, clothes, photos, books, recordings, what is important? Tonight I sleep at home, visualizing this awesome cleansing fire getting

tired of itself and burning out. We'll keep on it tomorrow. Lots of people are in this same situation tonight in Mendocino County, and I keep getting stories of amazing cooperation and resolve. Good luck to everyone, may the fire side-step us as it goes by! Lots of love, alicia