Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, February 5, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 5, 2022 


INTERNET FOR YOUR PET 

Typically, when I think about the relationships 
I have with my four-legged furry friends, 
the furthest thing from my mind is the time 
I spend sitting at the computer or bent over 
my iPhone. In fact, I mainly think about how 
grateful I am to my kitty and canine companions, 
for their uncanny ability to get me away 
from the screen and out into the fresh air and 
sunshine! 

Happy Tails 

by Chris Leclerc 

Having said all that, I must admit that the internet 
has actually proven to be a fabulous friend to me 
as an animal lover, as well as to my pet pals, both 
my own and those I serve. For example, when I 
have a question about an undesirable behavior 
that is preventing a particular pup (not to mention 
me) from enjoying our daily walks, I can 
Google up a handful of YouTube clips and get all 
kinds of helpful hints on how to address the issue. 

The same applies to a question regarding a certain 
symptom that may crop up while I’m pet sitting, 
or perhaps even a query for breed-specific information 
that will help me get to know a new canine 
or kitty client better. So often, a little information 
goes a long way in helping me understand, assist 
and bond with the precious pets I get to spend 
time with. While I realize it is important to carefully 
screen the sources I subscribe to on-line, 
most of the time I’m able to get the kind of answers 
I need to help enhance my practice of working 
with animals. 

Indeed, the internet has proven invaluable to 
me and my pet-sitting/dog-walking business, as 
long as I reserve the “king’s ransom” of my day 
for that all-important one-on-one quality time I 
spend with each of my clients. Recently, as I pondered 
how thankful I am to have answers to pet-
care questions at my finger-tips via the internet, 
I thought it would be good to share a few of the 
website resources I’ve found, with my faithful 
readers. 

Here are a few websites from my “go-to“ list, that I 
hope you will appreciate and find helpful as well. 
Whether you’re looking for a pet pampering product, 
a skilled groomer, a sitter or walker, if you’re 
hoping to find a forever loving home for a dog or 
cat in need, or perhaps you are a potential new 
owner looking for a pet to share your life with. 
There’s a little something for everyone. 

RESCUE ME PET RESCUE (rescueme.org) is 
an amazing match-making website committed 
to connecting animals in need of forever loving 
homes, with qualified humans who will best 
care for them. Potential adopters can enter specifics 
such as ‘pet type’ (cat, dog, etc), breed, age, 
location and more, and the site searches its data 
base for the closest match. Linda Bunch, one of 
my clients here in Sierra Madre, had great success 
in adopting a beautiful ‘rag doll’ kitty with 
a larger-than-life personality on this site. “Ellie” 
has brought immeasurable joy to Linda and her 
husband, Craig ever since the day she joined their 
family. 

FREE ANIMAL DOCTOR (freeanimaldoctor.
org) is a wonderful website where qualified owners 
can list their pet photo and back story explaining 
the medical condition they are struggling 
with, and request financial assistance for associated 
veterinary costs to address the problem. Some 
need surgery, some need medication, others need 
teeth extractions. Whatever the case may be, this 
site offers kind crowd funding at its best for those 
owners who are doing the right thing for their ani-

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 


mals but happen to be budget-challenged during 
these difficult times. For donors, it is a win-win, 
knowing exactly who they are benefiting and the 
specific details about what need they are funding. 

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY (bestfriends.
org) Most folks already know this extraordinary 
non-profit no-kill rescue organization, but 
did you know their website is literally littered with 
interesting and helpful info about how to care for 
your pet? There are also beautifully written success 
stories posted by adopters that will warm 
your heart on the coldest of winter days. I always 
come away encouraged! While you’re visiting, you 
might even feel the urge to donate to their worthy 
cause. Details about the fabulous things they do 
to help the animals are laid out in easy-read format 
along with photos of the precious pets they’ve 
saved and successfully placed. 

PET SITTERS ASSOCIATES LLC (petsitllc.com) 
is actually my insurance carrier‘s website, but it offers 
much more than insurance to pet care providers. 
It is an excellent means by which a pet owner 
can locate a bona-fide, insured walker or sitter in 
their local area. All insured members have a featured 
profile page on the site, so potential clients 
can review pictures and biographies before they 
ever even have to make a call! 

LOST AND FOUND PETS OF ARCADIA-SIERRA 
MADRE-MONROVIA is actually a Facebook 
page created by local animal advocate, Colleen 
Conway-Sartinsky. I became aware of this networking 
page through Carol Canterbury a few 
weeks ago while helping an owner in the canyon 
find her dog. Fortunately, the owner and dog were 
reunited in short order through a post I placed on 
the SM Canyon page, but the Lost and Found page 
is such an important resource for all of us local 
pet owners. Be sure to log on to FB and “like” this 
great group! 

CUTENESS.com will captivate you during your 
down time, providing countless pictures of pets 
posing adorably. Select your favorite brand of 
cuteness from the drop-down menu and start 
scrolling! It’s hard to get out once you’re in. You 
can also subscribe to their newsletter which provides 
health hints, trendy products, tech toys, etc. 
for your pets. A fun social networking site designed 
specifically for pet lovers. 

DOGSTER.com is another social networking site 
for pup lovers, including an on-line magazine 
dedicated to all things dogs. You can subscribe to 
the magazine (hard copy or electronic) or just enjoy 
some of the site’s free features. You may also 
want to peruse the pages of adoptable dogs while 
you’re in there. Oh and by the way, if you are more 
of a feline fanatic, be sure to check out the sister 
site, CATSTER.com. 

I realize that some of these websites, apps and pages 
are already popular amongst animal lovers, but 
others on the list may be new to you. I hope you 
can benefit from some of the content, whether it 
be reading, subscribing or participating. Have fun 
surfing the net on behalf of your pet, and above all 
don’t forget to love and let live! 


THE LEADING EDGE OF TIME 

[Nyerges is an educator and the author of many books, including “Extreme Simplicity,” “How 
to Survive Anywhere,” and many others. More information is available at www.SchoolofSelfReliance.
com]. 

I have nearly always thought deeply about time, even as a young child. When I was 

10 or so and enrolled in Catholic school, the nuns and priests schooled us in the 

dogmas of the Church, such as “God has always existed,” and “God has no begin


ning and no end.” I don’t recall if my classmates ever exerted much mental effort to 

consider the application of the dogma that we routinely recited. I know that I spent 
considerable time wracking the nerve endings of my still-developing brain trying to see how something 
– anything – could have no beginning and no end.

 I had less trouble with the idea that something could have no end, since to have no end, a thing 
would simply need to continue to exist, endlessly, forever, continually. But to have no beginning? How 
does one reckon backwards? How far back is too far? A span of time called infinity, going backwards 
in time, seemed impossibly difficult to grasp. Regardless how far back in time one could go, that’s still 
not infinity, still not back to the “no beginning.” 

 Doesn’t everything require a beginning? Even God? There never seemed to be a rational way to 
extend backward into infinity. Something that never ends, of course, is equally without ration, but it’s 
slightly easier to grasp. The thing continues to continue. OK.

 In time, I had neither the luxury or desire to solve Catholicism’s most fundamental dogmas, and 
mysteries, as many more pressing and practical matters pressed upon my mind.

 As a teen and growing older, I often obsessed about my future. Not “the future,” but “my” future. 
Where will I be in 5 years? What will I be doing? Where will I be living? In time, this expanded into 
“the” future. What will the world be like in 10 years? Will we all be using flying vehicles like in the 
Jetsons? Will our food become nothing but pills? Will world civilization evolve and flourish, or will it 
devolve into a Dark Age?

 But a more fundamental question was: How will I know that I have arrived at the future? Thus began 
a lifelong consideration of the nature of time, past, present, and future.

 I remember some of the catch phrases from the 70s, like “Be Here Now.” I remember a guru who 
would say “Now is the only reality.” Of course, I expected gurus and their types to expound with 
abstract phrases, and even nonsensical statements that have no basis in the real world. And yet, as I 
passed through the hours of each day, finding myself back in school another day, finding myself getting 
ready for bed again, and observing the current experience, a very simple realization began to hit home 
as a fundamental reality. I realized that I never experienced the future. Never. Now, I don’t mean that 
on Monday when I think about what I might do on Thursday, and then Thursday comes and I do what 
I do. Thursday is the future from the Monday perspective, but when I experienced Thursday, it was in 
this moment. The moment of Now, the now that is the only reality. 

 As I move from Monday to Thursday, and from Saturday to Tuesday, and from March to June, I never 
experience the “future.” I only live and can only live in the leading edge of time, the now. It sounds 
abstract but every one must know that this is so. The sun rises, goes across the sky, sets below the horizon 
and thus measures our sense of time. Things change, things are born and they die, and yet, we 
never, ever experience this thing we call “the past.” We can recall it, and hopefully learn from, but we 
only experienced it as “the now.” And the flow of time and the changing of scenery continued, all in the 
Now. And we never, ever experience the future, because “the future” is simply an abstraction. When 
the supposed future arrives, we only experience it as a flowing moment of time in the Now.

 All this is not the mathematics of calculus, necessarily, but is the reality of our subjective experience 
of life.

 This knowledge of The Now informs me about so many things. For example, how dwelling on the 
past and all your mistakes can sap your energy and provide nothing useful. Or, dwelling on the future 
to the extent that you are not living fully in the moment, since your mind is elsewhere. We generally, 
collectively, do not fully live in the Now. 

 Multi-tasking is a bogus concept where we kid ourselves into thinking we can do many projects 
at once, as if we were running out of time! In fact, multi-tasking is nearly always doing more things 
poorly. It is a form of trying to be fully into the Now, but because we are not mentally focusing our 
attention like a laser beam, multi-tasking is not living the Now.

 Time is like a train that is constantly moving. It cannot be stopped, but just goes on. 

 What is the practicality of all the foregoing? I didn’t say to forget the past. Learn lessons from it. 
Identify what you did wrong, and what you did right, so you can always improve your actions. And I 
didn’t say that you should not plan ahead. You should and you must plan ahead so that you don’t just 
wander through life bouncing from thing to thing that “comes along.” Procrastinators live in an imaginary 
future that never seems to come, though they often say “I will get to it later.”

 Living in the moment and understanding that the Now is all we have for improving our lives is a step 
in the right direction on the path of our human evolution. 

Meet MORTIKA! 
Want a super sweet, friendly, af-
fectionate delight, who just wants 
to give love, cuddles, and purrs 
to everyone she meets? "Morti" 
is your girl! She's 8 yrs old and 
ready to be your Valentine and 
be-yond! Because she was raised 
in a very loving home, she only 
knows how to love and be loved. 
Her owner had to move far away and could not take Morti, so now 
we have her and hoping she'll be adopted or fostered quickly. Please share this beautiful, loving 
sweetheart. See more pictures and her videos on our website’s Adult Cats page. Submit the applica-
tion you'll find on our website: www.lifelineforpets.org. 
Pet of the Week 

 
Two-year-old Maya is playful and energetic, and lovesmeeting new people! She has a lot of puppy energy and needsa home where she can get lots of playtime and enrichment.
Maya also has a history of seizures, but she has medicationto help control them – and she loves taking her medicationin chicken or cheese. Maya is a sweet and happy girl whowould be a wonderful addition to your family! 

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

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

 
View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoptionappointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and newadoption appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 

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

ANNOUNCING THE SIERRA 
MADRE PLAYHOUSE SOLO 
SHOWS FESTIVAL; BEGINS 
FEBRUARY 25

 Sierra Madre Playhouse is beginning our return 
to live performances with a series of one-person shows 
that we’re calling the Sierra Madre Playhouse Solo Shows 
Festival. 


Covid-19 safety protocols in effect on performance dates will be observed. As 
of this writing, that means audiences will be masked and asked to show proof of vaccination, 
by vax card or digital record. Here’s what we have lined up for you:

 February 25-27, 2022: Billie: Backstage with Lady Day. Synthia L. Hardy stars 

as jazz and blues legend Billie Holiday. Billie talks about her life and times to reporters 

back-stage, before giving a concert where you’ll hear the hits that made her famous. 

Written by Synthia L. Hardy. Directed by Bryan Rasmussen. Synthia is backed by a 

four-piece live jazz ensemble.

 March 4-6: Frank Ferrante’s GROUCHO. Frank Ferrante returns to Sierra 

Madre Playhouse to perform his internationally renowned show as legendary comedi


an Groucho Marx, with stories, jokes, and famous novelty songs (Hooray for Captain 

Spalding!, Lydia the Tattooed Lady).

 April 2- 3: EINSTEIN! Writer-performer Jack Fry portrays young Albert Ein


stein, whose world is in turmoil as he fights to establish his Theory of General Relativ


ity, which would affect profoundly the technology of the 20th and 21st Centuries. An 

inspiring and true story.

 April 9-10: INDEPENDENCE: The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker. Combat 

veteran. Battlefield physician. Abolitionist. Suffragist. Feminist. American hero. Kathie 

Barnes stars as Dr. Mary Walker in the real, inspiring story of the first and only woman 

to win the Con-gressional Medal of Honor. Written and directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz.

 April 23-24: An Evening with John Wilkes Booth. America has a fascination 

with true-crime stories, and this is the most infamous true-crime story of all. The ques


tion re-mains: Why?

Stephen Spiegel stars as the notorious assassin. Written by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Clin


ton Case. Directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz.

 There you have it: A series of five shows starring five remarkable perform


ers por-traying five real-life individuals whose lives made a difference in the world in 

which they lived.

 Sierra Madre Playhouse Solo Shows Festival is produced by the Playhouse’s Inter


im Artistic Director Gary Lamb.

Tickets will be available either for individual shows or via a flex-pass subscrip


tion. Go to http://sierramadreplayhouse.org or call (626) 355-4318. The flex-pass sub


scription will offer you a break on ticket prices. 

Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre, 
CA 91024. This is just east of Pasadena. There is free parking available in a municipal 
lot be-hind the Playhouse, and in a lot across the street, as well as street parking. There 
are sev-eral dining establishments just steps from the Playhouse.

 The Sierra Madre Playhouse Solo Shows Festival: Your tickets to five nights of 
theatrical enchantment, LIVE on stage. Join us. 


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