Too Close For Comfort

As I write this installment of Life on the Farm, the Best Cali Hemp team, family members and fur babies have been evacuated from Milford a full week as of this evening. I received a message from a dear friend and retired battalion chief that I had worked with eons ago as a California Department of Forestry firefighter, laying out the weather that was coming in last Monday and saying we needed to be out by 1 p.m. Monday. This guy knows his fire stuff and would not have sent that if he wasn’t very concerned. We got everything pretty well in hand to evacuate and were prepared when law enforcement arrived about 5:30 p.m. telling us it was time to go. They asked if anyone would be staying behind. This question is asked so that they can leave a tag on the property entrance with a number on it which notifies fire personnel of the number of bodies that may need to be recovered. Richie is the one that decided, post LEO visit to stay, promising us he would leave at the first sign of trouble.

He did wind up evacuating I think it was Tuesday night. Watching the fire running down the mountainside in less than 10 minutes finally achieved that which I haven’t been able to get through to him. The power of fire is uncontrollable and to be taken seriously. The blessing is he understood it in that moment and left. This first-hand experience has given him new perspective, and I feel confident he won’t tempt fate. He has kept everyone apprised, both us and the public, via his posts on our Best Cali Hemp Facebook page and other social media. He has ensured the girls are surviving, finding ways to get them watered even though the well pump had crashed and wasn’t operational until Sunday, when the electrician could get through. Road blocks had prevented his earlier arrival. This has been a challenging time, but we’re still laughing and holding hope that all will be well. And so far, it is.

A big thank you to Amanda Eder for her videos that have kept us up to date in real time, and to our

first responders, firefighters from all agencies (this is of course a mutual aid event) and from areas far away who have shown up to provide protection, to our law enforcement, heavy equipment operators and every other person out there on the front lines. Their work is tireless, grueling and not something most would be capable of especially in these extreme fire weather conditions. Any one of you who would send the community and California prayers, positive thoughts and energy, we appreciate that and are grateful. We need all the positive you all are willing to send.

’Til next week, happy growing!