Current Meher Mount caretakers Ellen Kwiatkowski and Eric Carlson didn’t have to ask twice. When they suggested we fill in for them and care for their sweet dog Oday while they were away winterizing their Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield, WI, we immediately said, “Yes.”
The plan was for former Interim Caretaker Cassandra Bramucci to cover the first week of Ellen’s and Eric’s leave, and we would take over on October 30th for another seven days.
We should have known it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride when, on the day we were set to drive up to Meher Mount from Oceanside (about 180 miles south of Ojai), we received a message from Cassandra advising us against driving up that day due to strong Santa Ana winds.
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One day while working at Meher Mount, I heard Sam Ervin call to me, “Margaret, come look at this.”
Feeling it wasn’t something I wanted to see, I said, “No.”
Sam replied, “Yes, you have to come look at this.”
Again, I said, “No.”
He insisted, “Come look at this it.”
After six months of repairs, clean-up, and small fix-it jobs turning into big fix-it jobs following the 2017 Thomas Fire, I just didn’t want to discover one item that needed attention. But, I knew I couldn’t escape. I went to take a look.
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The following is a reprint of an article from the Ventura County Star published on April 30, 2018, about Baba's Tree, the 2017 Thomas Fire, and re-purposing the wood from the tree.
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On December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire – the largest wildfire in California’s history – burned Baba’s Tree leaving large deposits of ash from the tree.
Ten days later, Cassandra Bramucci emailed, “I'm feeling a sense of urgency to preserve the ashes from the tree as soon as possible - I sense rain will be coming soon.”
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A humorous story wherein Margaret Magnus and Sam Ervin attempt to get a new car for Agnes Baron at Meher Mount sometime in the late 1970s/early 1980s..
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