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Mountain View News Saturday, January 11. 2025

SAMMY

Sweet Sammy is ready to 
start the new year in a furever 
home! At just 4 months 
old, he is adorable. He is so 
sweet, and loves playing with 
his siblings. He is also very 
talented at napping. Sammy 
is neutered, vaccinated, and 
tested negative for FELV/FIV, 
making him healthy and ready to find a forever home.

Sammy will make a delightful companion for someone 
who can provide him with the love and attention he 
deserves.

Having a buddy helps kittens thrive, so if you can adopt 
him with one of his siblings, or if you already have a 
young feline at home, he would be delighted to join your 
family.

Has Sammy melted your heart? You may apply to adopt at lifelineforpets.org/mindys-kittens 
for a chance to come and meet him and his siblings. Don’t miss the chance to welcome 
this little bundle of joy into your life! What a great and fun start he would make for the 
new year!


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is the author of several books including “Self-Sufficient Home” 
and “How to Survive Anywhere.” He also leads wilderness classes every 
weekend. He can be reached at School of Self-Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


THE EVENT: At Dawn’s Early Light

A novel by Christopher Nyerges

Nearly 20 years ago I had a series of memorable dreams that seemed so real 
that I wrote down all the details when I woke up. This was a time in my life 
when I was worrying about everything, and I would often go to sleep hoping 
for a vision, or an answer.

Pictures came in my dreams, and little by little, I pieced the pictures together. I dutifully wrote 
down he details every morning, and eventually, I thought to myself, Hey, this might make 
a good story! I slowly wrote a fictitious novel based on these dreams which I now call The 
Event.

Though most of the dreams had to do with my personal life, the larger picture that I began to 
write about took on a life of its own. 

THE EVENT

In the novel, The Event, “something” happens one day. No one ever finds out what it was. 
Was it a comet that hit the earth? Was it plasma ejected from the sun? No one knows, but 
it killed off nearly everyone, unless they happened to be underground and stayed there for 
about three days.

The story that emerges is of a dark world, through the eyes of the main character who I call 
Rick. Rick survived because he stayed with his co-worker Tim, in Tim’s family cellar. Finally, 
Rick emerges and explores the world that now exists.

The story takes place in Southern California, from the Pasadena area, into Eagle Rock, and 
into Highland Park. Rick sees abandoned vehicles and dead bodies everywhere, and he cautiously 
seeks out the survivors.

In the Pasadena/ Altadena area, he finds that his wife survived. They had not been living 
together and Rick finds her in a hidden shelter that she created deep in her backyard. She 
knows the few neighbors who survived, and tells Rick that trucks came through the area in 
the days after the event, telling survivors that they had to get into the trucks and evacuate 
the area. Dolores just hid, and made her shelter and cooked soup, which she served to any 
friendly visitors.

Rick makes his way on foot through the Rose Bowl area, and through the Annandale Golf 
Course where he finds some drunken survivors who think Rick is coming to help them. Rick 
had been a famous physicist from Caltech, though now youthfully retired, and his picture 
was on the wall of the golf course office along with other famous physicists. The drunken 
survivors thus believed that Rick was there to provide some answers, though Rick was just 
passing through.

On his way to his old home and urban farm in Highland Park, which is northeast Los Angeles, 
he encounters homeless camps still surviving, he gets shot at, and he meets Jane, who was 
a former member of the National Guard. Together, they make their way into Rick’s destination, 
the old Fuller Farm, which had been a place to garden and farm in the city and learn 
about permaculture and self-reliant living.

Most of the folks at the Fuller Farm survived, though barely.

The story tracks a few other groups of individuals as well, most of whom end up at the Fuller 
Farm, and who find ways to work together now that there is no functioning larger society. 
The Event meant that suddenly there were no banks, no electricity, no functioning grocery or 
hardware stores. Indeed, there was nothing to spend money on, even if you had any. Though 
water is not an immediate problem, everyone knows that most of the water to Los Angeles 
came from over 300 miles away, and that they needed to plan for water.

The surviving society is also full of opportunists who want to control areas, and who are 
ready to fight and kill to take what they need. The story describes the gun fights and assaults 
that were the inevitable result of the battles started by those who wanted to forcefully acquire 
something they wanted or needed.. It’s not a pretty picture, but the survivors of the developing 
communities learn to set up perimeter barriers, and alarms, though they continue to have 
random and unexpected gunfights.

Of course, The Event is a work of fiction, and I do not possess a crystal ball as to what the 
future portends. This is the exploration of one scenario, and the mechanics for how a small 
group of people in L.A. County might survive under such adverse conditions. 

Six months after the event, it is apparent that whatever happened was very widespread and 
that things would not be going back to “normal” anytime soon. The two groups which this 
novel tracks, begin to assert their political identity and they take charge of their little emerging 
and growing communities. There are lots of twists and turns and setback, while there is 
still hope. Along the way, I was able to insert little hints about the things that people might 
need, such as a silcock key for accessing water, or the “vinegar of four thieves” for washing 
wounds.

I enjoyed the process of creating this as a movie in my mind and then writing what I was “seeing.” 
I hope that you enjoy it too, and find it both entertaining and educational.

The Event is available from Amazon.com as an e-book or hard copy book. It is 283 pages 
long.

Pet of the Week


Parker is a sweet and sensitive 2-year-old 
German Shepherd mix looking for his forever 
home. This adorable guy has been spending 
time with a foster family, and they have given 
a great report!

When Parker first met his foster family at 
Pasadena Humane, he was too nervous to 
even leave his kennel. But with their patience, 
kindness, and love, Parker has blossomed. 
What started as a weekend foster has turned 
into a longer stay where Parker has truly come 
out of his shell.Parker is a quick learner and 
eager to please. He already knows commands 
like “sit” and “leave it” and is respectful during 
mealtime. He’s fantastic on a leash and enjoys 
a mix of walks, hikes, and trips to the dog 
park. His favorite activities include cuddles, 
belly rubs, playing with toys, and showing off 
his goofy zoomies.He’s crate-trained, settles 
quickly when left alone, and even loves car 
rides. Remarkably, Parker doesn’t shed and 
is respectful of furniture—truly a dream 
companion!If you’re looking for a loyal, loving 
companion who’s full of potential, Parker is 
your guy. Help Parker make the leap from foster to forever—he’s ready to share his paw-
sitive energy with you!Parker and all other dogs and cats at Pasadena Humane have their 
adoption fees discounted until January 12 during the Welcome Home adoption promo! The 
normal adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, 
and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 2:00 – 5:00. For those who prefer, adoption 
appointments are available daily from 10:30 – 1:30 and can be scheduled online. View 
photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 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. 

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


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