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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Some people dream about living big, full lives, and others actually manage to do it.

That’s how those who knew and loved Clifford Hellgren think of his 81 years of life.

Hellgren is a man who is remembered as having a big heart, a big voice and a big smile.

Talented and charismatic, he was, his daughter Audrey Atkins recalls, both a renaissance man and a bit of a rascal, with a great sense of humor and a devoted sense of fun.

Expert with a chainsaw or whipping up something fantastic in the kitchen, “He could just do anything,” she said.

“I don't know anybody that disliked him. Everybody loved him,” said his best friend and life partner, Dennis Pluth, who recounted what a thoughtful and generous gentleman Hellgren was.

The full details of the crash that took his life on May 18 still aren't exactly clear to his family, who said they've been told by the California Highway Patrol that the investigation is still under way.

Hellgren had been crossing Sulphur Bank Road in a 2013 Kubota RTV 900, a small utility vehicle, while feeding livestock that morning when he was hit by a driver later arrested for driving under the influence, as Lake County News has reported.

However, the abrupt end to his life, as devastating as it has been for those who loved him, isn't the measure of the life he led. At his May 24 memorial service, hundreds of friends came out to share stories of his big, expressive life, and its impact on them, his family said.

Almost always in motion, Hellgren worked hard his whole life, but he balanced that work with a fair amount of play and adventure.

Pluth recalled Hellgren's warmth, his kindness and the way he would greet people with a smile, hug or handshake.

Hellgren was the grandson of Swedish immigrants. His parents, Hugo and Edith Hellgren, came west to California, where he was born Oct. 24, 1934, in Nevada City. The Hellgrens had a big family, with five sons and four daughters.

When he was still a child, his family moved to Lake County. Pluth said Hugo Hellgren worked in the Sulphur Bank Mine.

“We've known them forever,” Pluth said of his family and the Hellgren clan, who he had met when he was still a child.

“They were a very musical family,” Pluth recalled, noting that Edith Hellgren played the piano and Hugo Hellgren played the fiddle at local dances that Pluth's parents attended.

He said the Hellgrens lived in Burns Valley and Cliff Hellgren went to Burns Valley Elementary School and Lower Lake High School. Pluth went to East Lake School, but all of the children would meet up while going to the movies in Lower Lake and stopping by the candy store that used to sit on the town's corner.

As they grew up, Pluth said they drifted apart. Hellgren married Dorothy Joan McHenry, with whom he had daughters D'Anna, Audrey and Roxann.

Hellgren spent four years in the Navy, most of it stationed in Hawaii, Pluth said. Later, Hellgren worked with his brother in heavy construction.

“We met up again probably in 1960 or sometime around then when we both got back into Lake County,” Pluth said.

During their time together, Pluth said Hellgren worked for 26 years for Brassfield Enterprises as ranch manager, cook and horse wrangler at High Serenity Ranch, before it became a winery.

When hosting people at the ranch, Hellgren was known for making tall and tasty banana cream pies and filling the table with delicious, down-home cooking. When they visited friends' homes, Pluth said the hostesses often wrangled Hellgren into coming into the kitchen to make his fantastic gravy.

Hellgren cooked like his mother – without measuring anything, just eyeballing it – and had a highly developed ability for identifying the ingredients in things he didn't cook, according to Pluth.

He loved the outdoors, horses and riding, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. Hellgren and Pluth would travel all around Northern California and even up to Alaska for fishing. Hellgren also was an abalone diver and known for his abalone dinners, Pluth said.

Hellgren also spent many happy times with his longtime girlfriend, Toni Cochran of Clearlake Oaks. Atkins said her father and Cochran also fished and traveled together, and shared “a lot of good quality time” over some 30 years.

He was active in many local groups such as Lake County Horsemans Association and Lake County Sheriff's Posse, and had twice been president of the Clearlake Oaks Lions Club.

He also was extremely patriotic, and loved his country, Pluth recalled.

And, then, of course, there was the music.

Among Hellgren's many talents, the one that for many will be how they remember him most is for his musical ability, and it was a big part of his life.

Hellgren was an outstanding singer who had a huge fan club. Pluth said he was a “Marty Robbins clone” who knew and admired the famed country singer.

Pluth recalled going to Sparks, Nev., where Robbins was playing at the Nugget, and hitting a $75 payout on a dime machine. Hellgren had been fretting about getting a good seat to see Robbins, but Pluth made sure to tip well and got them down front. When Robbins came out, he saw Hellgren and greeted him from the stage.

Hellgren also would open for Hank Williams Jr., who was so impressed with him that he invited him back out to play with his band, Pluth said.

He would go on to receive the Top Country Music Award for Northern California Top Male Artist in 1977, a key achievement in his musical career.

Pluth recalled Hellgren's amazing energy. After working all day in construction, he would bartend at a saloon in Lower Lake. He became known as the “singing bartender,” and would have people packed three or four deep to hear him. “He never had time to bartend.”

For another decade and a half, Hellgren enjoyed a huge following of fans who came to hear him play on Friday and Saturday nights at the Oaks Corral, a venue that stood where Nylander Park is now, Pluth said. He also played for the local firemen’s dances.

With his big following and talent, Hellgren could have pursued a professional music career. But he chose not to, despite people wanting to back him, Pluth remembered.

Pluth said it may have been a fear of failure in attempting to enter the tough music industry. Hellgren often said he would do an album one day, but another year would pass, and his album hadn't become a reality.

Or, maybe, it was that life in Lake County with Pluth on the Homestead Ranch was really where he was happiest – the place where he was most at home, and where he often was off riding around after the cows with one of his dogs.

“He always named his dogs after presidents,” Pluth said.

There was Herbert Hoover, who died. Most recently there was Abraham – named, of course, for Lincoln – a devoted border collie who went everywhere with Hellgren.

As he got older, Hellgren would still sing a bit – mostly while up working out in the weight room – and if people pleaded with him, Pluth said.

Once he retired, Hellgren still stayed in almost constant motion. “The ranch pretty much took up all his time,” Atkins said.

Until the end of his life, he had been in great physical shape, working out daily and planning to live to 100, joking with his children that he would outlive them, Atkins said.

He would be up early in the morning to feed, with Abraham at his side. Atkins recalled how much her father and his dog loved each other.

Abraham was with Hellgren on the day of the crash. “He was going across to do the morning feeding like he always did,” said Atkins.

Hellgren often told people to be careful when crossing Sulphur Bank Road because of the way people speed through the area, both Atkins and Pluth said.

“I know he was very careful about crossing that road,” Atkins said.

She added, recalling the day of the crash, “It was one of those phone calls you hope to never get.”

Abraham, who was thrown from the vehicle and injured during the collision, is recovering, Pluth said. Atkins had wanted to bring Abraham to the memorial service but ultimately he stayed home. Pluth said the dog hardly moved for the first 10 days after the crash, and remained by the side of the bed where Hellgren had slept.

Abraham is doing better these days, Pluth said. However, he continues to look for his friend, and whenever a car drives up, Abraham goes to look, expecting that maybe Hellgren has finally come home. “He's still looking for him.”

In the month since his death, those who remember Hellgren have shared their reminiscences and favorite memories with his family.

Pluth estimated he must have received 80 sympathy cards in Hellgren's memory.

As for how he is doing, Pluth said he's managing and is doing OK. He and Hellgren's nephew recently placed a memorial cross for Hellgren at the roadside near where the crash took place, played Marty Robbins' “El Paso” and had a few drinks of whiskey in a little spontaneous ceremony.

Hellgren was predeceased by his former wife, Dorothy McHenry, as well as by most of his siblings, with the exception of Blossom Wade, his youngest sister, who lives in Upper Lake.

In addition to Wade and Pluth, Hellgren's survivors include his three daughters, D'Anna Langhorne and her husband Brian of Clearlake, Audrey Atkins of Lakeport and Roxann Weiper and husband Tom of Clearlake. Survivors also include seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and his innumerable friends, including Toni Cochran.

Those who wish to donate in his memory are encouraged by the family to make a contribution to a favorite organization in Hellgren's name.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Are you looking for a nursing home for yourself or a loved one?

People go to nursing homes for different reasons. They may be sick or hurt and require ongoing nursing care. They may have had surgery and need time to recuperate. Or they may have chronic care needs or disabilities that make long-term nursing care a necessity.

Many communities have nursing homes. But how do you pick one that’s best for you or your family member in need?

The first step is to learn about the available facilities in your area. You can do that in a number of ways.

■ Ask people you trust, like your family, friends, or neighbors if they’ve had personal experience with nursing homes. They may be able to recommend one to you.

■ Ask your doctor if he or she provides care at any local nursing homes. If so, ask your doctor which nursing homes he or she visits so you may continue to see him or her while you’re in the nursing home.

■ If you’re in the hospital, ask your social worker about discharge planning as early in your hospital stay as possible. The hospital’s staff should be able to help you find a nursing home that meets your needs and help with your transfer when you’re ready to be discharged.

Medicare provides a handy way to check out local nursing homes, using our Nursing Home Compare Web site: www.Medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare .

Nursing Home Compare provides a wealth of information on quality of care and staffing levels at more than 15,000 nursing homes certified for Medicare and Medicaid patients throughout the United States.

One excellent feature is the star rating system. Facilities can receive from one to five stars, with five stars being the highest rating. These star ratings give you a quick snapshot of the facility.

Keep in mind that Medicare covers short-term nursing home stays following hospitalization, but generally doesn’t cover long-term care stays in a nursing home. Medicare coverage of home and community-based long-term care services is very limited.

Medicaid covers long-term nursing home stays, and may include coverage of home- and community-based services (HCBS). HCBS provide opportunities for people with Medicaid to get services in their own home or community.

These programs serve a variety of groups, including people with mental illnesses, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and/or physical disabilities.

But a nursing home may not be the best option. A variety of community services may help with your personal care and activities, as well as with home modification and equipment to support you staying at home.

Some services, like volunteer groups that help with things like shopping or transportation, may be low cost or may ask for a voluntary donation. Some services may be available at varied costs depending on where you live and the services you need.

These home services and programs may be available in your community:

■ Adult day care;

■ Adult day health care, which offers nursing and therapy;

■ Meal programs;

■ Senior centers;

■ Friendly visitor programs;

■ Help with shopping and transportation;

■ Help with legal questions, paying bills, and other financial matters.

How do you find such local services? Try the Eldercare Locator, a guide to help older adults and their caregivers connect to services, including long-term care services and supports.

Visit www.eldercare.gov or call 1-800-677-1116.

Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare’s acting regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Crabbing from shore with a launcher?

Question: While crabbing from shore with a rod/reel/crab snare, I was not having any luck. I noticed a guy on a paddle board with a crab trap just past my maximum casting distance, and he was catching crabs no problem.

Would it be legal to launch a crab snare, attached to the line of a rod and reel, with a catapult, trebuchet, water balloon launcher or similar device?

If only I could get it out 10 more feet or so I feel I would have better success. (Ivan M., San Francisco)

Answer: There are no Fish and Game regulations that prohibit the use of a device to send your terminal gear out to locations beyond where you can cast. However, you might want to check local (city, county, state beach, etc.) ordinances for the beaches where you will be crabbing prior to using one of these devices. Some people use kites or remote controlled boats for this purpose.

Can retired peace officers countersign a deer tag?

Question: I was reviewing the persons authorized to countersign a deer tag recently and was wondering if you could clarify whether peace officers (salaried and non-salaried) are authorized?

If so, can retired peace officers also sign off another person’s deer tag? I have been told yes and no by two different wardens. (Mike D., Salinas)

Answer: Retired officers are not authorized to countersign deer tags. The only people authorized to countersign deer tags are those people listed under California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 708.6., which include:

(A) State:

1.    Fish and Game Commissioners
2.    Employees of the Department of Fish and Game, including Certified Hunter Education Instructors
3.    Employees of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
4.    Supervising Plant Quarantine Inspectors
5.    Junior, Intermediate and Senior Plant Quarantine Inspectors

(B) Federal:

1.    Employees of the Bureau of Land Management
2.    Employees of the United States Forest Service
3.    Employees of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
4.    All Uniformed Personnel of the National Park Service
5.    Commanding Officers of any United States military installation or their designated personnel for deer taken on their reservation
6.    Postmasters and Post Office Station or Branch Manager for deer brought to their post office

(C) Miscellaneous:

1.    County firemen at and above the class of foreman for deer brought into their station
2.    Judges or Justices of all state and United States courts
3.    Notaries Public
4.    Peace Officers (salaried and non-salaried)
5.    Officers authorized to administer oaths
6.    Owners, corporate officers, managers or operators of lockers or cold storage plants for deer brought to their place of business

Question on abalone start time

Question: I know that the start time for abalone diving is now 8 a.m. If it takes me 15 minutes to swim out to the spot I want to start diving for abs, can I enter the water at 7:45 a.m. and not make my first dive until 8 a.m., or does the law mean that there is no entry into the water at all until 8 a.m.? Thanks, (Don C.)

Answer: Abalone may be taken only from 8 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset (CCR Title 14, section 29.15(b)(2)).

Although “take” includes the pursuit of abalone, as long as you are just swimming on the surface out to your dive spot and don’t begin your actual searching or diving down for these mollusks until 8 a.m., you would not violate the start time.

What determines wanton waste of fish?

Question: What would be considered deterioration or waste of fish?

I understand that leaving them on the shoreline or in a garbage can would be waste, but would it also apply to using the whole fish as fertilizer or something like that? (Zach T.)

Answer: Anglers are expected to make reasonable efforts to retrieve and utilize any fish taken.

It is unlawful to cause or permit any deterioration or waste of any fish taken in the waters of this state (CCR Title 14, section 1.87).

Although most fish taken under the authority of sport fishing licenses are utilized for human consumption, the regulation does not prescribe how fish are to be used.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a new group of primarily big dogs needing homes this week.

This week's dogs include mixes of American Staffordshire Terrier, Corgi, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, pit bull 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.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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”).

Pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix is now listed as urgent, having been available for adoption since May 11.

He has a short brown coat.

Shelter staff said he does not jump and is very friendly, walking well on a leash, showing no food aggression, and allowing handling of his mouth, ears, paws and tail with no problems. He also enjoys a good tummy rub.

He would do great in a home with no cats.

He's in kennel No. 28, ID No. 4850.

Male terrier mix

This male terrier mix has a short blond coat.

He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 5155.

'Max'

“Max” is a male Labrador Retriever mix.

He has a short black coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 5176.

Female German Shepherd mix

This female German Shepherd mix has a classic short black and tan coat.

She's in kennel No. 10, ID No. 5065.

'Lil Mama'

“Lil Mama” is a female pit bull mix has a short black and white coat.

She's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 5083.

American Staffordshire Terrier

This male American Staffordshire Terrier has a short dark coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 14, ID No. 5194.

Shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix

This male shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix has a black coat with tan and white markings.

He's in kennel No. 19, ID No. 5215.

'Sammy'

'Sammy' is a female pit bull terrier mix.

She has a short brown coat with white markings.

She's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 5214.

Male Corgi-shepherd mix

This male Corgi-shepherd mix has a short tan coat with white and black markings.

He's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 5166.

Labrador Retriever mix

This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short all-black coat.

He's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 5158.

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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An ancient space rock discovered in a Swedish quarry is a type of meteorite never before found on Earth, scientists reported June 14 in the journal Nature Communications.

“In our entire civilization, we have collected over 50,000 meteorites, and no one has seen anything like this one before,” said study co-author Qing-zhu Yin, professor of geochemistry and planetary sciences at the University of California, Davis. “Discovering a new type of meteorite is very, very exciting.”

The new meteorite, called Ost 65, appears to be from the missing partner in a massive asteroid collision 470 million years ago.

The collision sent debris falling to Earth over about a million years and may have influenced a great diversification of life in the Ordovician Period.

One of the objects involved in this collision is well-known: It was the source of L-chondrites, still the most common type of meteorite. But the identity of the object that hit it has been a mystery.

Ost 65 was discovered in Sweden’s Thorsberg quarry, source of more than 100 fossil meteorites. Measuring just under 4 inches wide, it looks like a gray cow patty plopped into a pristine layer of fossil-rich pink limestone.

The Ost 65 rock is called a fossil meteorite because the original rock is almost completely altered except for a few hardy minerals – spinels and chromite.

Analyses of chromium and oxygen isotopes in the surviving minerals allowed the researchers to conclude the Ost 65 meteorite is chemically distinct from all known meteorite types.

By measuring how long Ost 65 was exposed to cosmic rays, the team established that it traveled in space for about a million years before it fell to Earth 470 million years ago.

This timeline matches up with L-chondrite meteorites found in the quarry, leading the study authors to suggest the rock is a fragment of the other object from the Ordovician collision.

The original object may have been destroyed during the collision, but it’s also possible that the remains are still out in space.

Meteorites may have influenced evolution

Researchers think that about 100 times as many meteorites slammed into Earth during the Ordovician compared with today, thanks to the massive collision in the asteroid belt.

This rain of meteorites may have opened new environmental niches for organisms, thus boosting both the diversity and complexity of life on Earth.

"I think this shows the interconnectedness of the entire solar system in space and time, that a random collision 470 million years ago in the asteroid belt could dictate the evolutionary path of species here on Earth," Yin said.

The study was led by Birger Schmitz, of Lund University in Sweden. Yin, of UC Davis, together with his postdoctoral fellow Matthew Sanborn, made the very precise measurement of chromium in tiny mineral grains within the meteorite. Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa analyzed its oxygen isotopes.

The new findings strengthen suspicions that more recent meteorite falls on Earth do not represent the full range of rocks drifting through the solar system.

Yin said there is potential to better understand the history of our solar system by collecting meteorite fragments preserved in Earth’s ancient rocks.

“If we can go back even further in time, we may eventually be able to find some of the true building blocks of Earth,” Yin said.

The research was funded by NASA, the UC Office of the President and a European Research Council Advanced Grant.

Becky Oskin write for UC Davis.

“Plants are thought to be alive, their juice is their blood, and they grow. The same is true of trees. All things die, therefore all things have life. Because all things have life, gifts have to be given to all things.” – William Ralganal Benson, Pomo

“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” – Gary Snyder

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Indians who resided in Lake County hundreds and thousands of years ago – the Pomo, Miwok, Wappo, Yuki and Patwin groups – all employed multifaceted political and social structures.

According to the book, “Before the Wilderness – Environmental Management by Native Californians,” compiled and edited by Thomas C. Blackburn and Kat Anderson, research has shown that, today there is a better understanding “of the subtle, complex, and efficient manner in which native people managed, maintained and effectively transformed various habitats and their constituent resources.”

The most obvious way the land was controlled for their use was by fire – specifically, controlled burns.

This was a way for new plants to spring forth, certain animals in the ecosystems could be enticed to the regenerated burn areas, insects could be controlled and the undergrowth was considerably lessened.

This time-honored method aided in hunting. Another benefit of control burns was a reduction in wildfires.

All of these groups had complex reasons to manipulate their surroundings, which was woven into successive generation's customs and mythologies. There was always a protocol for the taking of plants and animals in the environment, be they used for shelter, food or medicine.

The blue elderberry, sometimes called a tree, but actually a shrub that is 6 to 25 feet tall, was an important plant in times past. Then, specialists in each group or tribe knew how and when to prepare foods and medicines.

It is very important to know how and when to prepare wild foods, as there have been many instances of illness due to modern-day foragers' consumption of plants found in the wild.

The leaves of the elderberry shrub grow in leaflets containing five to nine saw-toothed leaves.

Elderberry's prolific flowers show up during the months of May and June, and they are off-white, flat clusters about 8 inches wide.

The berries are dark blue with a powdery “blush” covering them, and grow in thick clusters. Once, the roots were used as a poultice for cuts and the flowers were dried for a medicinal tea. Elderberries were once consumed as a fresh fruit, late in summer months.

The buckeye tree or horse chestnut tree can be seen growing on slopes and canyons. This deciduous tree can reach a height of almost 40 feet. Buckeye trees have been determined to have a long lifespan- some, up to 300 years!

When it is flowering, the tree is fragrant with off-white to pink-tinted inflorescences standing out from the tree like so many bananas. The seeds are unmistakable, mahogany brown, around two inches in diameter, and smooth.

Characteristically they hang from the trees in late summer or on into early winter. The fruit is poisonous unless prepared with the greatest of care.

The Coast Miwok called it “ree ah'- te” and used its toxins to stun fish. The Pomo and other tribes collected buckeye seeds when their staple, acorns was low. Then they had to boil and leach the seed meats for days before it was ready for consumption.

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.