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Mountain View News Saturday, January 25, 2025

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]

LIFELINE FOR PETS 

NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Our rescue is struggling. Three of our volunteers lost 
their homes, and several of us had to evacuate.

The ones that stayed did their best, and all the cats are 
okay, but we had to deal with staff shortages.

There is a a post on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/lifelineforpets.pasadena, 
asking if people feel like they want to help.

We have a Chewy Wish List on chewy.com or you can send a Petsmart gift card at 
petsmart.com, or just donate by using the Donate button on our website, at www.
lifelineforpets.org. 

We can use paper towels, and are okay for now with water, at least for a couple of 
weeks. 

We also are in need of adopters, or at least long-term fosters, which would help 
with the staff shortages and possibly enable us to take in more cats. 

People can find applications for adopting and fostering on our website, or they 
may email us at info@lifelineforpets.org for suggestions.

We don’t know the long-term effects of the smoke and toxic ash on the cats or 
humans. Such loss. Such devastation.

Darlene Papas


A LITTLE FIELD OF DREAMS

Excerpted from Nyerges’ “Squatter in L.A.,” book, the true story of how he lived as 
squatter for a year and a half. Available from Amazon as an e-book or hard-copy.

 

I was living in a small cinder-block house set on one acre of wild property, 
located at the end of cul de sac. I often felt like I was in a universe far, far 
away.

While I lived there, I practiced recycling of household wastes, did composting, water recycling, 
animal raising, and lots of gardening.

 

My garden never seemed highly productive but I had a few of the tall red amaranth plants, 
some squash, a corn patch, some greens, and wild foods. It was probably my first successful 
corn patch. I didn’t plant the rows of corn that you see so often in gardens and on farms. 
Rather, in my approximately 10 by 20 foot corn patch, I had corn more of less evenly spaced. 
I had wanted to try the so-called Three Sisters of the native Southwest, of corn, beans, and 
squash.

 

In the arid soil of the Southwest, the corn was planted first, and once it arose, beans were 
planted at the base of the each corn. The beans’ roots fix nitrogen and this acts as a fertilizer 
to the corn. Squash was then planted as a sprawling ground cover to retain the valuable scant 
moisture of the desert.

 

I planted my corn in what had been my wood chip patch, three seeds per hole about two 
feet apart. Corn came up, and then I planted bean seeds. Beans are usually an easy crop to 
grow, but not that many came up. Who knows, maybe my ducks ate them. I planted squash 
too. Not a desert squash but ordinary zucchini which did a good job as a ground cover and 
food producer. I loved the little garden, and at night when I sat at my plywood desk with my 
typewriter, I’d look out my window through the several feet tall corn patch to see the lights 
of the city below. During the day, little birds would flock to the corn patch and eat bugs. I 
enjoyed the fact that this little garden that I created with my simple efforts was now teeming 
with wildlife. It felt good just to look at it. It provided some food for my body, food for 
wildlife, and food for my soul.

 

Not long after I started this patch – it was near Thanksgiving – my friend David Ashley came 
by for a visit. David had already moved into the neighborhood from wherever else he’d been 
living. He came up to the top of the hill where I was a squatter to pay a visit. My housing 
status didn’t cause David to lower his regard for me.

 

I took David out into my garden, and we stood there talking about the mysteries and meanings 
of life. I pulled off a ripe ear of corn and handed it to him and picked one for myself.

 

“What’s this for?” asked David.

“To eat,” I responded as I began to peel off the leaves and hairs on my average size ear of corn. 
He took a bite of the sweet kernels.

“I didn’t know you could eat corn raw,” said David in a surprised voice.

“Yep, you can,” I told him as I chewed on my sweet tender kernels from my fresh-picked cob. 
David began to peel his and take some bites.

“Wow, that’s really good!” said David, chewing on more kernels. We stood there for a few 
moments, eating our corn, looking at the outside world through the stalks of corn that were 
taller than us. It was a quiet, special moment. We didn’t say a whole lot more, just stood there 
eating every last kernel, and looking down at the vast city of Los Angeles as if it were Emerald 
City.

 

Eventually, David left, and over the ensuing months, I would occasionally hear David 
excitedly telling someone about his surreal experience eating raw corn in Christopher’s little 
corn patch, our own little “field of dreams.”

WAYS TO HELP OUR 
ANIMAL FRIENDS:

 -- Los Angeles and Pasadena/Altadena have 
phone numbers for those needing help with animals 
left behind in fire zones. The city of L.A.'s 
number is 213-270-8155, and for Pasadena and 
Altadena, it's 626-577-3752.

 -- For those who have lost or found a pet, the 
city and county are partnering with Petco Love 
Lost, a free national lost-and-found pet database 
at https://petcolove.org/lost/.

 -- Earlier this week, the Department of Animal 
Services and the L.A. County Department 
of Animal Care and Control issued a joint call 
for residents to help animals in need and relieve 
critical overcrowding at shelters by adopting 
or fostering those without homes. More information 
is available at LAanimalServices.com/
about-fostering, and animalcare.lacounty.gov/
become-a-foster-caretaker.

 -- Pasadena Humane Society is shouldering a 
major share of the burden, housing many animals 
forced from their homes in the Eaton Fire. 
People can donate on their website at pasadenahumane.
org/about/get-in-touch/contact-
us/?campaign=431108. Additionally, PHS has 
a ``strike team'' that will check on missing 
pets. Those who have lost an animal can call 
626-577-3752.

 -- Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, in partnership 
with Friends in Deed Food Pantry, is holding 
a drive to collect pet food for victims of the 
Eaton Fire through Sunday at 695 E. Colorado 
Blvd. Contact: 626-449-5320 or 626-797-2402.

 -- The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
Animals has opened a Pet Adoption Center in 
west Los Angeles to house the pets of fire evacuees 
at 5026 W. Jefferson Blvd. Those displaced by 
the fires can call 323-730-5300 for more information 
on temporary pet housing.

 -- Bunny World Foundation, an all-volunteer 
rescue that finds homes for hundreds of unwanted 
rabbits from the L.A. shelters and other 
places, is in need of fosters and adopters to relieve 
the large number of rabbits evacuated from 
homes. To foster or adopt, contact info@bunnyworldfoundation.
org. To donate, visit bunnyworldfoundation.
org/donate/.

 -- Zooh Corner Cat and Rabbit Rescue has 
helped animals with special needs and disabilities 
for decades. They operated out of 
their own home, which is now gone in the 
fire. The public can help at gofundme.com/f/
help-cat-kevin-rebuild-after-fire-loss.

 -- Best Friends Animal Society has two locations 
providing dog and cat food to the community 
and is accepting donations at

bestfriends.org/emergency-response/
los-angeles-wildfires.

 -- A site promoting lost or found pets due to 
the Palisades Fire can be found at instagram.
com/palisadesfirefoundlostpets/, where people 
can post a direct message if they've found or lost 
a pet.

 -- Cleo's Critter Care in Pasadena has a wildfire 
evacuation fund, and can be reached at 
cleoscrittercare.com. People can also Venmo 
them with the message ``LA Fire Relief'' @
cleos-critter-care.

 -- The California Wildlife Center's clinic 
and facility are temporarily closed due to the 
Palisades Fire, but donations can be made at 
https://30583.thankyou4caring.org/donate.

 -- Donate to the World Animal Fund at worldanimalprotection.
us.

 -- Viva Rescue in Menifee has been helping 
rescue horses and other animals impacted by 
the fires, and can be reached at vivaglobalrescue.
org/?.

 -- The Humane Society of the United States 
has an ongoing Emergency Animal Relief Fund 
to ensure animals get the help they need during 
situations like this. Find out more at secured.humanesociety.
org/page/82188/donate/.

 -- PETA's Los Angeles office has pitched in 
during the wildfires,donating supplies to firefighters. 
The organization has a list of local vegan

businesses that have also helped out on its website, 
where donations are also accepted, at peta.org/
blog/vegan-love-unites-amid-los-angeles-fires/.

 -- An easy way to help for those who can't afford 
donations is to eave one or more fresh water 
bowls outside your home for displaced pets and

wildlife who haven't been able to return to their 
home areas.

626.355.1451c21village.com 
@c21village38 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra MadreSales - Leasing - ManagementServing the Community since 1980