Evelyn Panning

You've found an existing home in Modoc County that you LOVE! Great.

How is the water in the well? Is it drinkable. You can have a well with a lot of sediment or even bacteria in the water. Make sure you get a potability test done.

Does the well put out enough water? Some wells put out very small 2-3 gpm (gallons per minute) and others could be big boys putting out 200 gpm. What are you faced with on this property? Get a productivity test done. Make sure that the test is run for approximately 2 hours to get a good idea of what the well can produce and make sure that it will not only handle your household use but any watering that you want to on the property. Redrilling a well can be very expensive.

Is the septic OK? In the 1980s county code allowed the installation of "steel" septic tanks - those babies rust. Today, they are no longer allowed. Is the septic system in good shape, has it been pumped? You want to get the septic system pumped AND certified. Replacing a septic system is a very expensive proposition. You don't want to get nailed with an additional $8,000-$15,000 after buying your new home.

If there are problems with the well and septic, don't be discouraged. It is possible for many problems to be corrected. But knowing ahead of time will help you create a budget for this new home. You may even get the seller to pay for corrections - it is always best to know ahead of time what you are facing.

Well, I never imagined that this would happen.

Last year I gave some thought to adding to my family -- no, not a child.

I thought about it and thought. Am I ready for this responsibility. It will be a lot more work. Then a friend of mine said that I need to call Luann. Now, I don't know Luann but I called her and visited her at her home. And still, I wasn't sure that I was ready.

But, my heart was won over. I simply couldn't resist -- must be my biological clock -- as many of you learned yesterday, I'll be 50 next week and the only "kids" I've had are my cats.

Well, now I have Bentley. Apparently a female pure bred chocolate lab got together with a Bad Boy Border Collie and produced a litter of 10, yes TEN puppies. The owner was going to have 7 of them put down -- but Luann came to the rescue. Out of 10 puppies, there was only 1 boy. Well, Luann and her sisters proceeded to bottle feed these babies on a regular schedule (not an easy task). I met the 3 that Luann had at her home when they were about 3 weeks old. They were so cute and cuddly. And I fell for Bentley right away. Over the next 2 weeks I went over to Luann's home and helped with feeding. By the time they were 5 weeks old, they were already on solid food and Bentley came home with me.

I had a lot of time to prepare for Bentley -- I cleared out the puppy section at a Petsmart. I realized as I drove home (the nearest Petsmart is 3 hours away - I had a lot of thinking time), there aren't as many cat aisles or options for cats as there are for dogs. I spent a whopping $1,000 -- oh dear, this was a sign of things to come.

And YES, I humiliated my poor little boy on his first Christmas.

Bentley is now 9 months old, weighs in at about 60 lbs, exuberant, enthusiastic, fun, good natured, too smart for his own good, and a wonderful companion. Right now he is curled up next to me -- his favorite spot in my office.

The wonderful thing about Modoc County is that this is DOG COUNTRY. Everyone here either has dogs or loves dogs. He comes to the office with me everyday. He goes around town with me everyday. And, he is great ice breaker no matter where I go. People are immediately put at ease -- after all, how can you be uptight with a squirming, wiggling, licking, lovable mass of puppy.

So, even though I vividly recall my terror as I drove home from Luann's house that Wednesday afternoon thinking "what have I done -- I have a dog!", and even as I still wipe out the dog aisle at Petsmart buying treats, toys and other interesting dog items, Bentley has become my daily companion and my AMBASSADOR OF GOOD WILL at my business.

I've lived in Modoc County since 2004 and every day I take a deep breath and Thank God that I am in this beautiful area.

I snapped this photograph a few weeks ago on a clear, sunny day. This is the Modoc County Courthouse-probably the most photographed site in Modoc County. And, yes, the sky really is this blue in Modoc County -- except, of course, when the fires send smoke our way.

And, to answer a commonly asked question, Yes, we do get snow in Modoc County. I was quite impressed with this snow storm outside my home a few years ago - I didn't grow up with this. I took this photograph from my living room window. Kinda makes you feel cold looking at this, doesn't it?

But, OH MY, the scenery here is breath taking ! (I had to climb a long way up to get this shot !)

And Spring brings forth a feast of color in a simple field of grasses.

I truly live in an extraordinary place. So much space, clean air, beautiful scenery and peace and quiet. We have ONE, yes ONE, stop light in the city of Alturas. No traffic jams or commuter traffic here.

I'll be posting more as I continue to explore Modoc County. It is my hope that you'll be motivated to visit Modoc County soon !