The Jerry Seinfeld show was known as “The show about nothing”. My blog is rapidly becoming “The Blog about nothing”. Well… At least it’s the blog about the weather. Exciting stuff.
My whole life I’ve heard anecdotal evidence about how terrible the weather was in all of the thirties. When my ancestors would tell me that they had to walk ten miles to school and back through a foot of snow, and it was uphill both ways. I knew it was an exaggeration, but when they told me that they drove the Model-A Ford up the creek to get back home on to the ranch, I kind of believed it, but I thought that It might be like the Santa Clause story. It was only told to impress us kids and it probably didn’t happen.
As I grew older I heard more stories, and the dates had a tendency to coincide, so I started giving the stories some credence. I have personally seen the snow on the main street of Garberville over six inches deep, at least twice, but I remembered that I didn’t believe my ancestors, so what would make anyone think that I actually saw that.
A very, very deep freeze in 1933 comes up over and over again, and there are many stories of driving on the creeks and rivers that I know that it must be true. All of the thirties was known, or talked about as being years of incredible cold, and the stories are told from Miranda to Laytonville with nearly all the same dates. So something happened in the thirties.
One of my cousins that won’t say a word on my blog, just e-mailed me and told me this story. I’ll put it out there without his name on it, because he is just too shy. He’s always been kind of a sissy anyway…
“Ernie
Idle Parker told me one time that when he was a kid he would hire on with the Garberville to Harris mail stage to open and close gates. All 22 of them. This was so the horses didn't have to stop.
Kenny Parker told me he saw 18" of snow in Garberville in 1936 or 38, can't remember which year now as my memory fails me most of the time. Obviously this was before global warming.
“Jim The sissy”
“Jim the sissy” is legendary in his own right, I’d tell you how he kicked Paul Bunyan’s butt and ate his ox for dinner, but I’ll have to wait until he gets through being shy.
Thanks for the story Jim.
What I’d like to know is how does one go about accessing historical weather records like that, or the rainfall records of the floods, Or the high temperature records from the fifties when the summers were hotter than hell? There must be some one that knows that stuff. Who does that???
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I was wondering the same thing. I suspect it would either be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or the National Weather Service web site, but I haven't bothered searching, yet.
I can't help but wonder if this is one of the coldest winters on [at least some] record up here? It's freezing cold again today. But maybe it's just cause I'm getting older?
Fred, It's Global Warming. Get used to it.
Actually we joke a lot about Global Warming. There is obviously something going on with the weather. I'm just not sure I want to saddle mankind with all the blame yet. Another thing, I don't trust the "Carbon Offset" people all that much, it smells like a guilt scam to me.
I’ve tried to find weather stats on NOAA, and I’m sure that they have them, I just don’t know how to access them. I have trouble understanding anything that the Government does. But, they get paid the same whether I understand them or not, so I’m sure that they don’t care.
I read the blog and I ain't a sissy, anybody that can eat an ox is tough, I know, the ox was as tough as you might imagine.
Frank Landragen (sp) told me the rainfall one year was measured at 205" at his house. That is just west of Kings Peak.
Yeah, Jim the Sissy, that was the same year that Garberville had over one-hundred inches of rainfall.
I talked to Frank and Elsie, and their rainfall on top of Wilder Ridge is always just exactly double of what we get in Garberville.
I was on a call to Honeydew one time and just as I was about to get to the top of Wilder Ridge it started raining and I had to stop right in the Middle of the road, I couldn't see anything.
I agree Robin Shelly is smart, have her teach you how to use the comment box.
"Landergen" I looked it up. All the Old-Timers called him "Frank Lanigan"
Why do oldtimers insist on rattling on and on about the local weather. And worse, they have dates, statistics and death counts all memorized.
I think it's because the newcomers really don't have a hometown or county they can be proud of. Or, are part of this transient society and history of place isn't nearly as important as are politics of the day.
When was the last time you heard a newcomer from, say, Concord or Thousand Oaks go on and on about the history of their hometown? Or the cycles of weather for that matter.
Just saying.
Ernie,
Just so you know, I offered to help Jim The Sissy (ahahahahaha!)& he was too darned busy. Had to drive south in his fancy car or some darned sissy thing! I'm gonna have to get him to tell me that Paul Bunyon/ox story... I'm smarter than even he might think!
Beautiful weather today!
Get Jim to tell you about the eight bears with eight bullets story. He ate them too.
Getting back to how hard it rained on Wilder Ridge when I was stopped in the rain because I couldn't see the road. As it turns out, it was a good thing that I stopped, I was about 10 feet from going over the bank!
It looks like another beautiful day in the morning here also.
Except the weather forecast shows it being windy again. It was freezing yesterday with the bitter cold wind.
We call him Jimmy up here. I haven't heard The Eight Bears story (I shall refrain from making any Goldilocks jokes) but, as I recall, I ate my first piece of bear meat at his house in L'ville many years ago. Not my favorite food but I've never had it prepared so well as Jimmy did, either.
Last night the night sky was so clear that you see the color of all of the stars, and they were twinkling, just like in the poem. This morning everything is frosty and white. Brrrrrr....
When was the last time you heard a newcomer from, say, Concord or Thousand Oaks go on and on about the history of their hometown? Or the cycles of weather for that matter.
ALRIGHT!!! The gloves are off! Eko, you should be commended for staying here for your entire life. Especially impressive since trends point to the youth of this area wanting to leave.
I come from an area where leaving is not something that is typical. However, my family for one, has spent our fair share of time away from Ventura County. I have yet to go back, as my siblings in Arizona have not either.
I know where I am from, and how the racial tensions were created when the white settlers came to a place that was once Mexico, and the "locals" then had something to say. It has taken a few generations, but the cultural diversity of where I am from is a source of pride. I mean, how the hell do you think I get along with you locals? The "imports" where I come from provided ample training.
-boy
p.s. Ernie, if you ever need to feel better about what your blog means to your readers, stop by mine, and you will see the true Blog about Nothing!
Boy wrote,"I have yet to go back, as my siblings in Arizona have not either.".
NOT! You went back just a week or two ago on your vacation. You wrote about it on your blog.
How many times have you been back down there since you moved up here? You just can't seem to stay away from SoCal.
BTW, Ernie, just a thought on who might tell you where to look for weather records:
Try KIEM TV weatherdude, Jim Bernard. I called him some years ago and he actually answered my question on the air next day.
I just wanted to know, back then, if the it was colder than usual up here for a November (this was some years ago). I actually called the station when they were doing the news and he ended up answering the phone by mere coincidence.
And, yes, turned out that November was colder than average. I forget how much.
Not that you'd want to ask him just one question, except maybe if he knows of somewhere you could compare weather records. He might be able to point you in the right direction.
Actually Boy is the kind of newcomer that we like to see show up.
He likes it here, he has friends here, and he doesn't go on and on about how we screwed everything up. He doesn’t tell us that we talk funny, or that we call everything by the wrong names. Sometimes people like boy, who is a nice guy and likes it here, get’s hit with the brunt of the locals post-traumatic-wrath from being run over roughshod by most of the newcomers that show up here and ignore the fact that we had a working society here before they came. Some of our families even go back to the eighteen fifties.
Those are the kind of people that we resent, and we are still a little flinchy.
Thanks Fred, I'm not going to do it for a month or so because I'm quite busy now and have a few jobs to finish. But there is a whole bunch of weather records that I want to research. I'd Bet Kym Kemp wpuld know where to start, but I don't.
You're wrong "Boy", I read your blog all the time, I especially liked your posting on "Ernie's Service Station".
Although I WAS embarrassed and ashamed to find that I didn't have a link to your blog. So, as you can see over there on the left, I have added "BOY". But, while I was there on your blog, I was shocked to see no link to “Ernie’s Place”. Darn newcomers….
Thank You Ernie, I will correct my oversight on my blog Immediately!
-boy
Fred, I was referring to moving back, as opposed to vacationing. Very brief vacations.
-boy
Does this make me Kramer?
Nah!
I LOVE Kramer!
(:
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