The wind won

The winds on the day after Christmas caused their share of trouble for many of us. I know of two families who had trampolines for their kids. One family's was blown up into a tree, and sometime later blew back down. The other one blew about a half-mile down the road, through rocks and brush. It is just a memory for the kids, I'm afraid. A lot of people had their power flicker off and on for several hours. By our house, a power pole went down, leaving 15 of us with no electricity for about six hours (thank heaven for our auxiliary generator). Unfortunately, to replace that pole, power had to be cut off to even more homes for a few hours. Our thanks to Sierra Pacific's crew for their response and solution of the problem, especially considering the strong wind gusts they faced.

A giant step forward

After dealing with the slowness of a computer dial-up connection over antiquated phone lines, I was delighted to learn that a wireless DSL system is newly available in the Valley. It is also much more reasonably priced for startup ($150) and monthly fee ($49.95) than satellite service. A wireless tower has been installed on the Valley's west side and is ready to go. If you want to find out more or subscribe, as I have, call Schat.net at (760) 873-4377. My receiver is to be installed this week, so I'll let you know how it works and give you my new e-mail address in next week's column.

The Giving Tree

I spoke with a very happy Mary Hussman the other day about the success of the Giving Tree project that she organized. They were able to get gifts to children who would not have had a lot for Christmas. She sends a huge "thank-you" to the members of the community for their time and effort in buying and wrapping the gifts for Santa and his elves to deliver on Christmas Eve. In addition to her helpers mentioned in a previous column, she thanks Sarah Holden for organizing the delivery, Eric Buehrle, Beth and Gene Baxter, Tami Denhoff and the local Marines for additional toys and gifts they provided. It is great to see people help to make a difference.

This and that

n The Topaz Lake and Lodge fishing derby began on New Year's day. There are cash prizes of up to $1,000 for tagged fish caught, plus slot play at the casino for fish over 2 pounds. The derby will continue through April 15.

n For dogs used to living in a warmer and more humid climate, our dry air and cold temperatures with ice and snow can have a very harmful drying effect on their skin and paws. We were reminded of that this week when our neighbor's son and his dog came to visit. He would take the dog for long walks every morning, as he does at home. On the third day, the dog had three bloody paws. The skin on the pads of his feet had become so dry that they cracked and bled. Please remember this and remind your friends and family about it if they're bringing their pet for a visit, especially in the winter.

I hope your New Year's celebrations were fun and that the new year brings much happiness to you and yours.

n Lynne Katusich can be reached at lynnekat@gbis.com or (530) 495-2552.