Monday, September 18

08:06 - Injured deer in Loyalton.

12:38 - Illegal burning in Sierraville reported.

14:21 - Property damage reported at a mining claim near Alleghany.

16:31 - People may have been trespassing at the Loyalton Mill.

17:13 - Suspicious person with a possibly stolen item in Sierraville.

19:41 - Legal camping and campfire near Verdi were mistakenly reported.

Tuesday, September 19

08:39 - Medical issue in Seattle was transferred to the proper authorities.

09:57 - Traffic hazard on I-80 near the Nevada border.

10:19 - Someone lost something in Downieville.

11:00 - Threatening issue reported at Loyalton High School.

13:34 - Sheriff’s Office provided information about an animal surrender.

Wednesday, September 20

06:41 - A test 911 call was placed from Loyalton.

07:53 - Medical emergency in Calpine.

08:16 - Welfare check requested in Sierra City.

08:32 - Report of unspecific threats.

11:27 - Sheriff’s Office was notified about a city-wide game being played by students.

14:04 - Lost drugs near S...

ALLEGHANY: September 18th - Firefighters trained. September 21st - P.R.C.S.D. meeting in Pike City.

DOWNIEVILLE: September 18th - Responded for a public assist. September 19th - Responded for a Medical Urgent Care incident; EMT Class. September 21st - Responded for an ill person who was air lifted to the hospital in Reno; SCSO requested the ambulance to stand-by; Fire Department meeting; EMT Class. September 23rd - EMT Class.

PIKE CITY: September 18th - Firefighters trained. September 21st - P.R.C.S.D. meeting.

SIERRA CITY: All's quiet.....no training, no meetings, & no emergencies...

SIERRA COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT #1 (CALPINE, SATTLEY, & SIERRAVILLE): September 20th - Medical response in Calpine. September 21st - Vehicle extraction training in Sierraville.

Dad’s Civil War Sword

I cannot recall exactly when my father told me the story of how he acquired his famous Civil War sword. He had collected junk and castoffs during his time peddling in western New York in the mid l920’s and found the sword in a pile of debris from a household somewhere around Elmira, New York. My father lived on and off for several years in Elmira, near his brother, Sam, who was newly married and had established a small grocery store business there. My parents were not yet married at that time. I picture my father --a handsome, tall, robust youth of around 18, a recent immigrant to the U.S., driving a wagon with a raggedy old horse. He would later graduate to an early l920’s Model T truck for his travels throughout upstate. My father relished that he had found this antique, valuable sword dated l864. He promised it to me as a child as I was the only one of my siblings to show any interest in it. My brother and sister perhaps knew better. Occasionally he would take m...

What’s New on the Shelves of the Downieville Library

Thanks to some kindly donations from local folk, plus a few loans from the Sierra City Library, there are several new items for your perusal in the Downieville Library. So, without further ado…

Fiction books

• Mumkin, by Stephen Cosgrove (easy reader)
• The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave
• Mrs. Brisby’s Remembering Game, by E.K. Davis (easy reader)
• Indian Two Feet and His Horse, by Margaret Friskey (easy reader)
• My Favorite Thing, by Gyo Fujikawa (easy reader)
• The Great Waldo Search, by Martin Handford (juvenile)
• Harvey’s Hideout, by Russell Hoban (easy reader)
• The Littlest Rabbit, by Robert Kraus (easy reader)
• Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger, by A.A. Milne (easy reader)
• Hello, Fire Truck!, by Marjorie Blain Parker (easy reader)
• The Firefighters’ Busy Day, by Richard Scarry (easy reader)

Non-fiction books

• What Do Animals Eat?, by Ruth Belov Gross (juvenile)
• How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith

Audi...

The Chickaree or Douglas Squirrel

Douglas Squirrel/Chickaree - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Last week I wrote about an amazing sighting of a Douglas Squirrel/Chickaree carrying its babies to a new nest. I'm happy to report that the babies are just fine! It appears that they are almost full grown and capable of feeding themselves! They are scampering up and down the trunk of the locust tree where their new nest is, as well as nearby trees, and occasionally stopping to eat a seed or tree bud. It's really fun watching them chase each other, and zip up-down-and-around the trees at high speed.The recently moved young Douglas Squirrels/Chickarees
Tamiasciurus douglasii

Douglas Squirrels/Chickarees mate in late winter and early spring. They are monogamous, and have only one mate per season. After 5-6 weeks of gestation, 1-8 altricial (naked and blind) kits are born. The average litter size is 4. The kits’ eyes open after 26-36 days. Kits stay in the nest for approximately 3 months, until they are weane...