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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Lake County and other areas of Northern California ahead of a storm that's expected to bring snow.
The agency said the advisory, which it issued over snow concerns, is in effect from 10 a.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Forecasters said snow is expected to result from the arrival a very cold airmass coupled with precipitation.
Light to moderate snow showers are expected in portions of Lake County along the Coastal Range, according to the advisory.
The forecast calls for the heaviest snow – from 6 to 18 inches – above 3,000 feet in elevation, while a few inches of snow is expected as low as 1,000 feet.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for snow to arrive in Lake County after 4 p.m. Sunday, and continuing through Tuesday night.
In the higher elevations along the Northshore, less than an inch of snow is forecast to fall on Sunday night, with the potential for up to 4 inches on Monday and another 4 to 7 inches on Tuesday.
In other areas of the county, including Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Lakeport, Lucerne, Kelseyville, Middletown and Upper Lake, snow levels are expected to be an inch or less on Monday.
Rain is forecast throughout Saturday for the entire county, with chances for more snow in the county's mountains on Thursday and Friday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
From the moment we enter the world, our lives are being planned.
Birthdays, holidays, coming-of-age celebrations, weddings, house hunting, becoming parents, college preparations, etc., consume our thoughts throughout the years.
Even planning for vacations takes up huge amounts of time. Our event preparations shouldn’t stop there.
How many of us really plan for what happens when we are coming to the end of our lives? Yes, people are becoming more involved in planning for retirement. Trusts are set up to provide for surviving loved ones.
We may even put together an advance directive, thinking this will take care of any questions that arise when we become ill.
Yet, often, it ends there. We don’t go the next step. We don’t tell our loved ones what we would like done when we become terminally ill. We don’t tell them what kind of funeral or service we want. We don’t pick a mortuary and make arrangements in advance. We simply don’t take our planning to the final step.
The hardest thing we have to do is acknowledge our mortality. Yes, we know that someday we’ll die; but we really don’t give much thought as to how that is going to happen.
Hospice Services of Lake County is attempting to lift the taboo about addressing the issue of end-of-life conversations, in many cases creating a positive impact on the quality of life at late stages.
The organization has initiated the “My Life, My Way” campaign.
The campaign encourages community members to begin thinking about end-of-life decisions and to take steps such as having the conversation with health care providers and loved ones, completing advanced care planning documents, and determining how they would like to be memorialized and celebrated at the end of life.
A few months ago, Hospice Services of Lake County’s medical director came to me with an idea for a postcard that people could take to their doctors to let them know they would like hospice care in the event of conditions that would likely result in death within six months.
The “My Life, My Way” postcard was developed along with a business card carrying the same message.
The cards have been circulated and handed out at events for the past few months. They are available from Hospice Services of Lake County.
Working in hospice, I have seen the struggles that family, friends and others have when making the important decisions at the end of life for their loved ones. Hospice works with them to get the arrangements made.
However, think of how much more of that final time can be spent with loved ones. Instead of running around making funeral arrangements, we can spend time together reminiscing about the good times we shared. We can spend time mending fences with others. We can concentrate on making sure we are ending our lives our way.
So I ask each of you to think about how you would like to spend your last days of life. Write it down. Make a plan. Share it with your loved ones. Help them know what you want done. It’s your life. Live it your way.
Consider, too, the better quality of life that comes with such planning and with the services provided by Hospice.
You and your loved ones deserve the type of care and compassion that comes from Hospice Services of Lake County’s dedicated staff: managed pain, caregiver support, personal attention, spiritual support, emotional support and much more.
For more information, contact Hospice Services of Lake County by calling 707-263-6222, or visit www.lakecountyhospice.org .
Cindy Sobel, RN, MS, is director of Patient Care Services for Hospice Services of Lake County, Calif.
“People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.” – Anton Chekhov
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's been a winter-wonderland Lake County-style recently, replete with frozen puddles, frost swirling on windshields and lacy, frost-embroidered leaves.
You don't have to look far to enjoy nature's art palate of fanciful design. Frost visits during damp, wintry conditions, when moisture freezes into branches and fractals – those mathematical symmetries.
Since winter has just recently begun, we may be fortunate to enjoy a variety of frost types, including rime, hoar, window, black, and white frost to name but a few.
Nature did a great job of providing many plants and animals with the ability to withstand freezing temperatures. They instinctively “know” to prepare, hibernate or fly south.
A large variety of insects, like the mourning cloak butterfly has the ability to hibernate during the winter. Many other types of insects, along with spiders, survive the cold months as larva or eggs.
Now is the time of year to find the cold-resistant, red toyon berries growing, which provide wintering birds and deer with a bit of nourishment.
The toyon is a hardy, perennial shrub found in oak woodlands as well as chaparral habitats. Robins enjoy the berries, as do turkey, hermit thrush and cedar waxwings.
Since toyon berries are low in calories and protein they are not as hardy a fare as seeds for the animals, but they do have their place in the animals' winter survival food selection. Since these plants are drought-tolerant they make an excellent choice as an ornamental garden plant, too.
Plants have many ingenious methods of winter survival. Some plants die back to preserve themselves, and others use their circulatory vessels to keep frozen sap from “stopping up” their systems.
Here in Lake County we enjoy a temperate climate, so that most animals do not need to hibernate. Our black bears do not usually hibernate.
Some bats do hibernate here, however, finding comfy tree bark, under deck umbrellas or attics to spend the winters when their prey, insects, is hard to find.
Reptiles and amphibians hide out in winter in the safety of burrows, old logs, and sometimes in the bottoms of ponds throughout the winter.
The ingenuity and endurance of plant and animal survival never ceases to amaze.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As the new year arrives, Lake County Animal Care and Control's shelter is filled with dogs needing loving homes.
This new year's day dogs include mixes of American Bulldog, Australian Cattle Dog, beagle, border collie, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, golden retriever, husky, Labrador Retriever, Miniature Pinscher, pit bull, Shar Pei, shepherd and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Miniature Pinscher
This female Miniature Pinscher has a short black and tan coat and a docked tail.
She's in kennel No. 2, ID No. 6696.
Male Chihuahua
This male Chihuahua mix has a short brown coat.
He's in kennel No. 3, ID No. 6701.
Male Chihuahua
This male Chihuahua has a short brown coat and has already been altered.
He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 6732.
Shepherd-beagle mix
This female shepherd-beagle mix has a short tricolor coat, and has been waiting a long time for a new home.
She's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 6517.
Terrier-Shar Pei mix
This male terrier-Shar Pei mix has a short black coat with white markings and floppy ears.
He's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 6505.
Female husky
This female husky has a medium-length red and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 15a, ID No. 6698.
Border collie-Australian Cattle Dog
This male Border collie-Australian Cattle Dog has a short black and white coat.
He already has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 6710.
Golden retriever-shepherd
This young golden retriever-shepherd mix has a medium-length gold and black coat and floppy ears.
He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 6711.
Pit bull mix
This female pit bull mix has a short tan and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 18, ID. No. 6671.
'Rusty'
“Rusty” is a senior male German Shepherd.
He has a long black and brown coat.
He's in kennel No. 19a, ID No. 6715.
Beagle mix
This female beagle mix has a short red coat.
She's in kennel No. 20, ID No. 6727.
Male pit bull
This male pit bull has a short blue and white coat.
He has been sponsored and is available for free to an approved family.
He's in kennel No. 21, ID No. 6665.
Labrador Retriever-pit bull
This male Labrador Retriever-pit bull mix has a short blue and gray coat.
He's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 6706.
'Max'
“Max” is a male Shar Pei-pit bull mix with a short black and white coat.
Shelter staff said he already has been neutered, and would do well in a home with no livestock.
He's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 6629.
Male shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix has a short tan, black and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 26, ID No. 6630.
Labrador Retriever mix
This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.
He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 6684.
Yellow Labrador Retriever
This female yellow Labrador Retriever has a short coat.
She's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 6705.
'Tina'
“Tina” is a female American Bulldog with a short white coat.
She's in kennel No. 32a, ID No. 6708.
'Dolly'
“Dolly” is a female American Bulldog with a short white coat.
She's in kennel No. 32b, ID No. 6709.
Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier
This male Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier has a short black and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 6707.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The year 2017 is beginning with fireworks.
No, not those fireworks …
We’re talking about a lightshow from shattered comet 2003 EH1.
According to the International Meteor Organization and other forecasters, Earth will pass through a stream of debris from the comet on Jan. 3, 2017, producing a shower of meteors known as the Quadrantids.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is one of the most intense annual meteor showers, typically producing meteors at a rate of more than 100 per hour from a point in the sky near the North Star, also known as the shower’s radiant.
The 2017 Quadrantids are expected to peak around 1400 UT – or around 6 am PST. The timing favors western parts of North America and islands across the Pacific.
The peak of the Quadrantids is brief, typically lasting no more than an hour or so, and it does not always occur at the forecasted time. Observers everywhere are encouraged to be alert for meteors throughout the dark hours of Jan. 3.
“Extra motivation to go out and view the Quadrantids is provided by the shower's reputation for producing spectacular fireballs,” said Brian Day of NASA’s Ames Research Center. “Not only are these fireballs memorable visual events, but also they are of scientific interest. Anyone can participate in a citizen science effort by reporting his or her observations. ‘Fireballs in the Sky’ is a free app that makes this easy. It is made available by Curtin University in partnership with NASA.”
Although Quadrantids can be numerous, they are observed less than other well known meteor showers. One reason is weather. The shower peaks in early January when northern winter is in full swing. Storms and cold tend to keep observers inside.
Another reason is brevity. The shower doesn't last long, a few hours at most. Those willing to brave the elements while keeping their eyes on the skies could be rewarded with a spectacular show!
The source of the Quadrantid meteor shower was unknown until December 2003 when Peter Jenniskens of the NASA Ames Research Center found evidence that Quadrantid meteoroids come from 2003 EH1, an "asteroid" that is probably a piece of a comet that broke apart some 500 years ago.
Earth intersects the orbit of 2003 EH1 at a perpendicular angle, which means we quickly move through any debris. That's why the shower is so brief.
Quadrantid meteors take their name from an obsolete constellation, Quadrans Muralis, found in early 19th-century star atlases between Draco, Hercules and Bootes.
It was removed, along with a few other constellations, from crowded sky maps in 1922 when the International Astronomical Union adopted the modern list of 88 officially recognized constellations. Although the Quadrantids now fly out of the constellation Bootes, the meteors kept their old name.
Quadrantid meteors: they come from a shattered comet and an extinct constellation.
That sounds like they are worth a look. Bundle up for chilly meteor viewing on Jan. 3. It’s a great way to start the New Year.
For more news about backyard astronomy, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov .
WHY HIM? (Rated R)
The holiday spirit always lingers for a while right into the start of January. Some of the films capture the festive mood better than others. “Why Him?” might not be one of them.
In fact, the closest this James Franco film gets into the spirit of Christmas is when he discovers that his misguided attempt to have a tattoo of his girlfriend’s family on his back is actually a portrait image complete with the “Happy Holidays” greeting.
But then you’ve probably already seen this bit from the ubiquitous trailers that pretty much string the best comedic scenes into one incomprehensible package of random acts of lunacy and mayhem.
Franco’s Laird Mayhew is a socially awkward Silicon Valley tech billionaire who is on the opposite end of the spectrum, at least culturally, of his girlfriend’s Midwestern family.
Bryan Cranston’s Ned Fleming is the straight-laced owner of a printing company in Michigan that’s struggling to complete in the digital age.
At Ned’s birthday party, his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) joins the event via Skype to send well wishes to her dad from her Stanford dorm room.
The Flemings, including Ned’s wife Barb (Megan Mullally) and son Scotty (Griffin Gluck), and their party guests are surprised by the unexpected introduction of her new boyfriend in the buff in the background.
Distraught that his daughter has been hiding a boyfriend, Ned begrudgingly agrees to travel with the family to the West Coast in order to meet her first serious boyfriend during the Christmas holiday.
Ned is mostly shocked to find that Laird is not only about ten years older but is heavily tattooed and wildly inappropriate in his coarse, vulgar manner of casual conversation liberally sprinkled with profanity.
But much worse is to come when Ned faces the meltdown of his life when finding out that the wacky, unfiltered Laird wants to propose to his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) on Christmas day.
“Why Him?” turns, as you expect from watching the trailers, into a generational battle between Midwestern rectitude and stereotypical California oddball weirdness when Ned and Laird go mano a mano, at least metaphorically.
This cultural divide is understandable given that Ned treats his loyal employees like family, while Laird lives on a “smart home” estate where farm animals roam free and has an eccentric houseboy named Gustav who acts like Cato from the “Pink Panther” films.
Most of the other characters get lost in the shuffle, and in the end, “Why Him?” does have its moments of inspired lunacy, but the gratuitous nature of crude jokes begin to wear thin long before the film ends on an incompatible saccharine note.
TV Corner: 'The Mick' on FOX Network
The same production team that brought the long-running FX network comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” to fruition performs similar functions for another primetime comedy, “The Mick,” on the parent network of FOX.
Not surprisingly, Kaitlin Olson, who held her own with the three guys running an Irish tavern in Philly, seems the perfect fit for the degenerate, two-bit hustler from Rhode Island who has spent her entire life shirking any semblance of dependability.
Olson’s Mackenzie, or Mickey to her friends, is introduced wandering through a supermarket, sampling packaged goods from chips and whipped cream to underarm shavers and talcum powder before dropping off a six-pack to a bum with a shopping cart.
Her so-called boyfriend Jimmy (Scott MacArthur), referred to by Mickey only as “my guy,” tags along on a road trip to the rarefied atmosphere of upscale Greenwich, Connecticut.
The occasion is for Mickey to unexpectedly drop in at a fancy lawn party hosted by her estranged sister at the mansion shared with her billionaire husband and three spoiled kids.
In a surprising turn of events, the FBI raids the high-society function to arrest the high profile couple for tax evasion, and Mickey suddenly becomes the unwilling guardian for the high-maintenance children who quickly assess that their aunt is not up to the task.
The oldest is 17-year-old Sabrina (Sofia Black D’Elia), a snooty brat who flaunts her sexuality with a hunky twentysomething carpenter who goes shirtless while working around the house.
Then, there’s the annoying middle child Chip (Thomas Barbusca), an arrogant, entitled 13-year-old nerd who does not know how to make friends at school, let alone to connect with girls even on a platonic level.
Third child Ben (Jack Stanton) is only 7-years-old but he seems keenly interested in whatever the adults are talking about. He also swipes Mickey’s birth control pills because he overhead that they were magical.
What Mickey, an unsuitable parental figure, is asked to do reminds one of a similar role once played by John Candy in a feature film, but unfortunately Mickey doesn’t quite have the same mix of empathy and humor required to make the central character anything more than predictable.
I could be wrong about this, but “The Mick” does not seem likely to have the longevity that was afforded to Kaitlin Olson’s previous TV comedy set in Philadelphia.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.