Temperatures in October along the Central Coast can range from the mid-60s to 100 degrees. Beautiful fall days, with daytime temperatures in the mid-70s and nighttime lows into the 40s, remind us how lucky we are to live here.

Last week, we were inundated with smoke from the fires burning on the southern end of the state 7 a small price to pay, compared to the poor folks who lost their homes and belongings to the record number of fires burning at the same time.

But the fires reminded me of a story my dad and grandfather used to tell.

Shortly after my mom and dad were married, they lived on the ranch with my grandparents. My grandmother Eileen used to take care of quite a few chickens, turkeys and rabbits. That, coupled with the fact that my grandparents also raised lambs and cows for their small dairy, provided plenty of fresh meat, milk and eggs.

I remember them saying, &#8220We did not have much money during the years leading up to World War II, but we always had plenty to eat.C

The fact that they relied on the chickens for food made it important to keep intruders like bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, skunks and opossums away from the chicken coop.

In the late 1940s and early /50s, there were quite a few more of those animals around Alamo Pintado 7 and fewer homes as well.

Raccoons seemed to be the biggest problem when it came to barnyard pests on the ranch. A pair could move into an oak tree, and pretty soon you would have half a dozen cheeky coons, as my grandfather used to call them, roaming around at night, seeing what mischief they could get into 7 including stealing eggs and killing chickens.

When the coons got too cheeky for their own good, it was time to go after them, usually at night when they were out.

My grandfather Sam and dad would get their lights and shotguns ready, along with the dogs living on the ranch at the time. They would usually chase the renegade coons up into an oak tree and dispatch them.

Sometimes the coons would get down into the hollow of an old oak tree and sit tight until the two coon hunters and dogs got tired and called it an evening, leaving the coons to chase another night.

One night, the two hunters came up with the idea of lighting one of those hollowed out trees containing the coons on fire. That would, of course, force the coons out and they would get rid of them. So, off they went to get some gasoline and matches.

I think they lit up a pretty sizable old oak tree in the hills just behind where we used to live; the hollowed-out portion acted like a flue and created quite a sight 7 enough of a sight that someone called the Fire Department to come and extinguish the blaze on Rancho El Alamo Pintado.

Well, sure enough, a couple of fire trucks pulled into the ranch, where the largest truck got off to the side of the driveway through the walnut orchard, which was just irrigated, and got stuck. The smaller truck made its way back to the burning tree.

The firemen asked the two coon hunters what was going on. After explaining the logic behind lighting the tree on fire, the lead fireman began to give my grandfather a lecture about burning trees at night, and he was mad about his big truck getting stuck in the walnut orchard.

My grandfather listened to the fireman for awhile, until he had enough of his attitude, and the two began a heated argument.

My grandfather Sam told the fireman he had &#8220no damn business on his ranch,C and if the Fire Department could not drive down the middle of a ranch driveway, they got just what they had coming to them when they got stuck.

During all of the commotion, the coons dashed out of the burning tree and ran away. In a couple of days the tree was finally burned up.

I believe my grandfather used our T-20 International Harvester tractor to pull the fire truck out of the walnut orchard the next morning.

Needless to say, there were no more attempts to burn the coons out of any more oak trees after that incident.

Well, here we are in November. I hope you can take some time to enjoy these next two magical months of the year. Don/t get stressed out by the holidays; enjoy them with your family and friends.

Remember, don/t leave any holiday pies in the window too long. A cheeky coon might just come along and borrow it.

Kevin Merrill is a vineyard manager for Mesa Vineyard Management in Santa Maria. He serves as president for the Central Coast Wine Growers/ Association Foundation and is a board member for the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com.

November 4, 2007