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Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 6, 2024 


PATCHES & 

MISS BEAN

Female Besties

Born approx. 2023

Can two little girls with their 
own purr-sonalities, go from 
rags to riches?

Once upon a time there were 
two little stray kittens in 
dangerous areas. One was 
found behind an apartment building, and one was in a 
construc-tion zone. Luckily, our volunteers scooped them 
up, and now they are thriving in a wonderful foster home, 
where they have become best bud-dies. We’d love for them 
to be adopted together and have a happy ending.

Patches is a beautiful calico! She’s rather shy and likes to 
stay and watch from behind the scene. Then, when she’s 
sure of things, she can be lured out to “catch the bird” 
(feather wand). She’s a good jumper! She also likes to sleep 
next to her foster mom and be petted.

Miss Bean is a shiny tuxedo who enjoys the limelight. She’s sweet, friend-ly, active and playful. She 
absolutely loves to “catch the mouse,” (mouse toy on a wand). Bean is a good friend to Patches and 
helps Patches to be more confident.

They both have a clean bill of health from the vet and are ready for their new forever home, which 
should probably be more on the quiet side, with either older children or adults. It may take them 
some time to get used to their new environment, but they will come around and be soooo worth it. 

They are good little girls and promise not to be any trouble! 

See more of Patches and Bean at Lifeline for Pets: Patches: https://www.lifelineforpets.org/patches.
html; Miss Bean: https://www.lifelineforpets.org/bean.html. You will also find our adoption 
application. Please come and meet these two sweethearts!


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is an educator and author. He authored “Extreme Simplicity” which tells his story 
about attempting to live self-reliantly in the city. More information about his books and 
classes at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


EXTREME SIMPLICITY: HOMESTEADING IN THE 
CITY

"EXTREME SIMPLICITY: HOMESTEADING IN THE 
CITY" is perhaps my favorite of the books I have written because it is like 
a personal diary of how my wife and I worked towards our goal of "living 
lightly on the earth," even though we had a small budget and lived in a small 
Highland Park home.

 

We were doing what our Appalachian friend used to describe as "living country in the city." 
We pursued all aspects of self-reliance, and wrote about it. We moved into what was probably 
the most neglected house on Burwood Avenue, and we were attracted to the neighborhood 
because of our work with the self-reliance-oriented non-profit, WTI. 

 

Starting as soon as we moved in to our new home in 1986, we began task by task with limited 
income. We used our front lawn to grow food, we recycled our wash water, collected rain 
water, had chickens, a duck, bees, and a pig, had solar water heating and solar electricity, a 
wood stove, and we planted fruit trees and food everywhere.

 

We describe our efforts to do "integral gardening" on every bit of usable land, to produce 
food (for people and wildlife), medicines, fragrance, shade, and useful tools. We describe the 
details of what it meant to raise earthworms, chickens, rabbits, bees, a goose, a pig, and our 
dogs in their typical suburban back yard.

 

We took the reader along their journey to installing a wood fireplace, solar water heating, 
and a solar electric system.

 

 Though there is much "how to" in this book, it is full of personal stories and rich reading of 
the learning they experienced along the way. There is a section on recycling, and a unique 
section about the economics of self-reliance.

 

Here are some excerpts from our “Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City” book.

 

 WOOD FIREPLACE

Our freestanding fireplace has completely transformed our home. We would strongly 
encourage anyone without one already to seriously consider installing one. On very cold 
nights, we had been using those small electric heaters that really drive up your electric bill. 
The fireplace made the house really feel like a home, and we now are uncertain how we got 
along without it.

 

In our case, the transition to wood heating was fairly easy, because we had plenty of firewood 
readily available. We were actually doing a neighbor a favor by cleaning up and carting off 
large amounts of dead and fallen wood from his property. Our first season of firewood came 
entirely from our weekly cleaning of his yard, just for the cost of our labor. How's that for a 
win-win situation?

 

TIME AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Many people today believe that they're spending all their time working, yet with very little in 
return. Unfortunately, such realizations may come too late to be remedied.

 

We think that the Amish people have the right idea when they keep their schools and work 
close to home. They don't have to go a long way to a job, thereby avoiding wasted time 
and energy, unnecessary expenses, and disconnection from their community. They can 
protect their families from undesirable influence, and there is the added bonus of having 
youngsters nearby where they can learn a trade from an early age. The Amish are firmly 
committed to valuing "quality of life" over all the stuff that our modern society deems 
important or indispensable - car, home entertainment system, fancy clothes, foods bought 
for "convenience" and prestige rather than fresh garden flavor and nutritional value.

 

4 MAGIC WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION

Once, during a period of homelessness before we were married, Christopher was engulfed 
in thoughts of "poor me" and "I'm destitute," and he could scarcely see a way out of the 
darkness. Dolores provided him with a simple set of practical tools that anyone can use if 
only they choose to do so. Here are four "magic" ways to improve your financial situation:

 1. Never waste anything.

 2. Continually improve your personal honesty.

 3. Leave every situation or circumstance better than you found it.

 4. Tithe to the church (or organization) of your choice.

 

We know that these are genuine practical solutions. We have heard people say that they 
cannot make these efforts - such as tithing, or improving an environment - because "we are 
poor." Our perspective is that they have their reasoning backwards. They are poor because 
they do not engage themselves in the world in these ways. Logical thinking leads to erroneous 
conclusions when the premise is false.

 

3 STEPS TO HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EFFICIENCY

 

1. You can do without some 
electrical devices.

This will probably involve 
changing your behavior, for 
instance, thinking twice 
before switching on an 
electrical tool or appliance 
when a non-electric alternative 
will work just as well or better.

 

2. You can learn to use 
your existing devices more 
efficiently.

 This step, too, requires 
changes in habit, but once 
you've understood the 
extra expenses caused by 
inefficiency and waste, you'll 
feel good about it - plus you'll 
save money by practicing 
efficiency.

 

3. You can purchase new 
appliances that render your 
household inherently more 
energy efficient.

 This step requires initial 
outlays of money, and in some 
cases higher short-term expenses, but with certain especially wasteful appliances, the best 
way to save energy and money is to immediately replace the old, wasteful model.


Pet of the Week

 Ready for adventure? Aaron sure is! 
This one-year-old husky is bursting with 
energy and eager to join an active family. 
With striking brown eyes and a plush coat, 
Aaron is not just handsome but a bundle of 
enthusiasm waiting to be unleashed!

 Aaron loves outdoor activities like hiking 
and playing fetch, making him the perfect 
companion for someone with an active 
lifestyle. Despite his high energy, Aaron 
is incredibly affectionate and will make a 
great buddy.

 Volunteers at Pasadena Humane have 
been working on basic training cues with 
Aaron, and he’s a star student. He’s learning 
a bunch, and seems to enjoy performing, 
especially with the right motivation 
(treats!).

 If you're looking for a fun-loving, 
adventure-seeking companion, Aaron 
is your guy! Come meet him and let the 
adventures begin!

 Aaron and all other dogs over 6 months 
old can be adopted for only $25 from 
April 4 – 14 during the Love is Blooming 
adoption promotion at Pasadena Humane.

 The normal adoption fee for dogs is $150. 
All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, 
microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. 

All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, 
microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 New adopters will receive a complimentary 
health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag 
filled with information about how to care 
for your pet. 

 View photos of adoptable pets and 
schedule an adoption appointment at 
pasadenahumane.org. Daily adoption 
appointments can be scheduled online. 
New adoption appointments are released 
every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 
Walk-in adoptions are available every day 
from 2:00 – 5:00.

 Pets may not be available for adoption 
and cannot be held for potential adopters 
by phone calls or email.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com