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Mountain View News Saturday, June 28, 2025


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

 [Nyerges is an educator and the author of over two dozen books including “Urban Survival 
Guide,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Foraging Californai,” and other books. More information at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. ]

GARDENING FOR MRS. KOHLER


Remember the 3 babies 
we featured last 
month? They’re 3 
months now and about 
ready for delivery so 
we thought you’d like 
to see them again. I’ll 
start this week with 
little JACK, but if you 
can’t wait, you can see 
all 3 on our website. 
Little Jack was so sweet for his photo shoot! He is 
a real snuggler, and purr-factly content to be held 
and kissed! Yet, he’s playful and often joins in the 
fun antics of his siblings. We prefer that you adopt 
2 together or have 
another young kitten 
at home. This age is 
also fine to be introduced 
to a nice doggie. We take care of vaccines, spay & 
neuter, testing, microchips, and more! 

Please go to our website to submit your application to 
meet them, https://www.lifelineforpets.org/babies.html. 
Hurry and don’t miss out on their kitten cuteness! Born 
4/1/25.

[This is excerpted from Nyerges’ book of childhood stories, “Watermelon Dreams,” available 
from Amazon.]

 

Occasionally, if I needed money, my mother would suggest that I call Mrs. Kohler 
to earn some money doing her gardening. Mrs. Kohler always had something for me to do whenever 
I happened to show up.

 

Mrs. Kohler seemed old even when I was 7 or 8 years old. She was a very large woman with elephant 
feet who was usually very stationary in a large chair. When she moved, she moved very slowly with 
the aid of a cane. She wore layers of “old woman” clothes that swished as she moved. 

 

“I’m coming,” she’d yell after I knocked on her door. 

 

“Do you have any gardening I can do?” I’d ask.

 

“It doesn’t look like a gardener has been here, does it?” she’d reply in her indirect fashion. 

 

“I want the walkways swept, and all the weeds in the front and driveway pulled. I want all the dead 
flowers raked out from under the camelias, and I want the trellises fixed in back, and I want the 
weeds pulled out….” She’d go on and one like this for 10 to 15 minutes, point to the tools, and then 
disappear inside.

 

I’d first work the front yard by pulling the weeds, raking everything up, and then sweeping it all 
clean. Then I’d work the driveway, then the back. I always raked the ground clean to the dirt under 
her many camelias out back.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you how to pull weeds?” she’d yell. I never tried to answer her question 
about what my mother did or did not teach me. Her yard was very different from ours, and we 
never needed to be concerned about weeding.

 

Once I pulled out a bush way in the back that she claimed was her pie bush.

“Didn’t your mother teach you anything?” she scorned. “Didn’t your mother teach you the difference 
between a weed and my vegetables?” she added. She later told me that she made delicious pies 
from the “huckleberries.” Much later, I realized that there are two plants commonly referred to as 
huckleberries, and one of them is a close relative to the black nightshade plant which is a common 
weed in our area. When I saw the nightshade huckleberry years later in a friend’s garden, it had 
much larger berries and larger leaves, clearly a cultivated plant. I am still convinced that I pulled the 
black nightshade plant from Mrs. Kohler’s yard, and that I was justified in pulling it because I was 
instructed to “pull all weeds.” 

 

Finally, after four to five hours of boring tedium, I’d march back up her backsteps in my triumphant 
but humble posture, and knock. I’d then wait several minutes for a response. 

She’d slowly shuffle to the door, and seem surprised when I told her I was done.

 

“So soon?” she’d ask. I wondered how long she expected me to toil in her quiet but complicated yard. 
I didn’t answer, and she slowly descended the wooden back steps for her inspection. She usually 
just did a quick inspection, then we went into her kitchen. I’d be sitting in an old-fashioned chair in 
the corner of the stark kitchen. The smell was like a house that was unoccupied and not lived in. I 
never detected the odors of cooking, of coffee, of soups, and other odors we commonly associated 
with a family kitchen. 

 

Mrs. Kohler then asked me how long I worked, and how long, if any, I took for lunch. She’d then 
take 10 minutes or so to figure out what to pay me. Then she’d pay me, and she’d tell me, “Now, give 
some money to your mother, some to the church, some to your savings account, and some to the 
poor, some for your college education….” And she’d continue like that, and I’m thinking, you’re only 
paying me seven dollars – are you kidding?

 

After I departed, I usually went directly to a store and spent it all, and had very little money left over 
for my mother, the poor, the church, or my non-existent savings account. So I never saw working for 
Mrs. Kohler as any sort of a career, and even found it distasteful for “quick cash.”

 

Aside: Though Mrs. Kohler always seemed old, she died in the 1980s at the age of about 100. My 
mother had been a nurse for Mrs. Kohler and had been an administrator of her estate. Frugal old 
Mrs. Kohler turned out to be worth over $1 million – mostly from oil stocks – and she gave it all to 
the Catholic Church, minus minor fees to handle her estate.


Pet of the Week


Kylo is a spunky 4-year-old black Labrador 
Retriever who is full of personality. He came 
to Pasadena Humane as a stray, and while he 
may still be working on his basic commands, 
his enthusiasm for life is undeniable!

Kylo loves his walks, enjoys the outdoors, 
and is very curious about the world around 
him. He has a gentle temperament and his 
affectionate side shines through once he feels 
comfortable. He is a fun and energetic dog who 
will need a little patience to adjust to his new 
environment, but once he does, his personality 
is evident.

His loving nature makes him a great 
companion for an active individual or family 
who is ready to enjoy all the fun he brings. 
Adopt sweet Kylo today!

The 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 10:00 – 5:00. 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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