I Am An Adventurer - Rattlesnake Avoidance Training

Let me say at the onset, I do not like reptiles.  Even lizards and little garter snakes, I will only view from a distance.  So when my son, Joe, invited us to come out to Acton to see the Rattlesnake Avoidance Training he was hosting on his property, I had mixed feelings.  This annual event is co-sponsored by Joe Altieri, 2^nd Home Dog Boarding, and Jill and Kevin Parnham, founders of 2^nd Chance Dog Rescue, Inc.   

Kevin and Jill Parnham, with Joe Altieri

Joe was hosting an Open House of his Boarding Kennel as well, so Jay and I decided to pick up some Open House Snacks and drive the hour and a half from San Pedro to Acton to support him.

Driving to Acton is like entering in a foreign land.  While there is no border to cross, once you turn on to the #14 Highway, you are in different territory.  The sky is huge, the air is clear, the pace is slower.  It is the high desert, with great expanses of scrub covered hills, unique sandstone rock formations resulting from prehistoric uplift of the San Andreas fault, and sporadic lovely white plumes of blooming yucca plants.  And, oh yes, rattlesnakes. 

The high desert!

Dog owners are especially concerned as summer approaches with its heat and lack of water which drives the snakes out from under rocks and presents a hazard to the inquisitive nature of domestic dogs.  But dogs can be trained to recognize and avoid the rattlers.

 

When we pulled into the parking area, things were already happening.  People had signed up for an appointment for the training.  There was the sign in station 

Jill working the sign-in station...the wind does blow in Acton!

and a set-up where dogs could receive rattlesnake venom vaccine injections provided by Sweetwater Veterinarian,  Dr. Caroline Conn, and her assistant, Natalie. 

Natalie and Dr. Caroline Conn

Then one by one the dogs were taken under the wing of Natural Solutions for their training.  Joel did the honors of placing the “muzzled” but alive and squirming snakes in the dog’s path while Anthony walked the dog through their paces to learn to recognize, by sight and smell, the deadly rattler.

Joel preparing the "big snake."

Anthony with his student!

It was amazing to watch as the dogs learned how to focus on the snake and then back away.  Many of the dogs were repeat trainees, coming back each year for up to 4 years of training.

And just to prove the point of the constant threat, while training, Anthony spotted and HEARD a “local” rattlesnake on the other side of the fence and Joel, with correct equipment, captured the snake and placed it in a container.

In the bucket you go!

We enjoyed talking to the various dog owners. Animal lovers are special people. We listened to stories of those who had lost their much-loved pets to snake bites. We heard accounts of how much they love living in the wide open spaces of the Antelope Valley.  We watched Jill interact with a young boy who translated for his father.  Their dog, Chita, had come loose and ended up at the kennel as a stray with no collar or identification. The boy and his dad were thrilled to find her at the Rescue.  Jill gave them vouchers to have Chita spayed so she can abide by the Animal Control laws and remain in Acton. 

Jill talking to Chita's happy owners!

While I found the training fascinating I was much more relaxed at the Open House for the 2^nd Home Dog Boarding Kennel.   

Joe talking with one of his customers.

This facility is amazing.  There is such an expanse of play yard for the “dog-friendly, sociable” guests to play with each other, run and climb on bales of hay.   

Joe and guests out in the play yard!

There are private kennel spaces for indoor dogs, each with its own access door to an outside play area.  

There are large fenced areas with dog igloos for outdoor dogs, 

a large dog run for any dog who “does not play well with others,” 

and even a little guest house where a family of dogs can stay together for a special rate.

And his clients love him and having such a wonderful, caring, clean facility for a “home away from home” for their pets.  At their request, he is also beginning to offer doggie day care for qualifying dogs.  

He says, “I don’t care if I am often strapped for funds.  I don’t need much.  Just so I can pay my bills and have my dogs.  Dogs are my life!”

My son has been a dog lover since he was a young boy, bringing home every stray dog in the neighborhood and begging to keep it.  Watching him interact with the dogs and his customers, it is clear that his is a labor of love. 

Joe with Buddy, one of his foster pets that was going to his "Forever Home" that day.

Check out 2nd Home's Facebook Page.  

I Am A Mother - A Trip To Visit Joe

Southern California is a wonderful place to live.  It is home to a very diverse population because within a radius of  60 miles you can find yourself in settings that fit any personality and life style.  

Yesterday we left our “paradise by the ocean” in San Pedro, drove through the urban congestion and energy of downtown Los Angeles, continued through the suburban neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley, over the Santa Monica mountains to the vast expanses of the high desert, with its big sky, vista covered with cactus and wildflowers, clean air, unique rock formations and nature for as far as the eye can see.  We were on our way to visit my son, Joe. He and Kimberly had just moved into a new house and we were paying our first visit.

Joe is my first-born…Primo…and of all my sons, he is the one with the most adventurous spirit.  He always tried everything first, from skateboarding to sky-diving to motorcycles.  He has lived in Germany, San Diego, Poway, and now Acton, CA.  Each location, while full of new experiences, did not seem to fit his spirit and he moved on, searching for a place he could call home.  We were eager to see and experience his new “digs,” and were bringing him and Kim the traditional Italian housewarming gifts of “il vino (wine), il sale (salt), il pane (bread) and la scopa (broom)” to ensure that their home would be filled with celebration, spiciness, sustenance and be rid of any bad emotions left by previous occupants!

After getting lost, even with our GPS, and finding ourselves on dirt roads leading to no-where 

"We're on the road to nowhere!"

we finally called them and Kimberly found us and led us to their new home.   

Joe greeting us!

What a delightful home they have created for the two of them.  Just walking in the front door, I was embraced by a sense of warmth, peacefulness and love.  

 

The living room, filled with personal treasures of each of them.

The desk....

Looking into the dining area.

Happy together!

They created this "statement of their philosophy!"

After a tour of the house, we went outside where Joe showed us the house-warming gift they received from their neighbors and good friends, Kevin & Jill…a rattlesnake catcher and a metal trash can to deposit the catch in!  Armed with the shotgun that Kim’s dad gave them, they are ready for snake season.   

Snake season is upon us!

Jay, the farm boy, was right at home carrying the gun on his shoulder.   

Surveying the surrounds...

We walked the property, saw the “dog house” and the play house, the cistern and well.  We even watched some local sheep wander on the hillside and listened to their “baas” filling the silence.   

Baa-baa....

They are living right next door to the 2^nd Home Dog Rescue where Joe serves as a board member and volunteers his time and his energy!  He loves it.

Behind Jay is the 2nd Home Dog Boarding and Rescue

Then we enjoyed some wine in their favorite place, the patio, and as we talked their seven other family members (5 rescue dogs and 2 cats) meandered around us, had their paws cleaned of little desert burrs while the rest roamed free.  

 

Joe chatting with newest rescue, "Fred," while Kim does some pampering!

Joe seemed so at home and so happy.  Kimberly was radiant and saying how she loved her “little house on the prairie!”  They described mornings, watching sunrise over the vista as they sip their morning coffee.  They are settling into a routine that feels good.

As I sat there and looked at them, my heart felt full.  All any mother wants for her children is for them to be happy, to be loved, to be at peace with their place in the world.  

 

Joe

Joe and Kimberly…we wish you much happiness in your new home and your new life!

I Am An Officiant…Celebrating Marc’s Wedding

Several months ago, Marc and Charlotte talked to me about their upcoming wedding.  They described what the ceremony meant to them and how they wanted to have a very personal and public witness of their vows to each other.  They also wanted an officiant who knew them both well and would speak for them of what they valued in their relationship and marriage…and they asked…would I be that person!  To say I was stunned would be an understatement.  They had done all the research, told me where to go online to become affiliated with a “ministry” and told me to complete the paperwork, agree to the stipulations, and obtain a license that would allow me to officiate at weddings in the State of California.  This was a role that, in my wildest dreams, would never have imagined performing and it turned out to be the most rewarding and emotional moment I have experienced as Marc’s mother.  The father of the bride imagines throughout his life, the day he will walk his daughter down the aisle.  The mother of the groom imagines sitting on the right side of the aisle, smiling nicely…not being the one to guide her son and his bride through their marriage commitment.  

In the state of California, anyone who is affiliated with a ministry can be licensed to celebration officiant and witness a legal marriage.  I became affiliated with the First Nation Ministry. I became familiar with the marriage laws of the state and promised to abide by them.

The entire experience was a once in a lifetime kind of thing!  Initially it was the conversations it allowed me to have with both of Marc and Charlotte leading up to the wedding.  Sharing on questions such as “What do you want your marriage ceremony to be? What is important about marriage?  What does commitment mean? What are your childhood memories that you carry with you to this day? Why do you love each other and what do you want to promise each other?” gave me a glimpse into their inner hearts and allowed me to incorporate their thoughts and values into the ceremony.

The rehearsal was great…Marc, being the event public relations guru that he is, had already formulated the structure of the wedding…who would walk in with who, who would stand where…but when the ceremony itself was to begin, he turned it over to me.

On the day of the wedding, The Grand patio in Long Beach was transformed into a Disney wonderland…with blue and silver color combinations highlighted by thousands of little twinkling lights.  It was Charlotte’s dream realized.  Her dad, Bossie, walked her down the aisle to the beautiful melody of “When You Wish Upon a Star”… she said she did wish upon a star for Marc.

Then the ceremony began and I was able to speak to them from my heart…to reiterate much of what they had told me while also interjecting some of the beliefs that I hold about relationship that come from my years of living. 

When it came to their vows, I was so moved by the honesty and candor with which they spoke to each other…they spoke from their hearts and they could have been the only two people in the patio.  

As I walked them through the forms of the ceremony, they looked at me so intently, listening carefully and I could see the child in my son’s face.  He listened and it was as if he said… "Yes, Mom…I promise I will do all that you say!”  

I was proud that I maintained my composure and didn’t dissolve into tears of the joy that I was feeling.  I only came close when I extended my hand and gave them a blessing…asking for all that I hope for their life together.

The rest of evening carried on in the same personal, intimate spirit.  Happiness reigned!  

 

Marc emcee’d the entire evening, introducing the various family members and friends who made toasts,

 

dancing the first dance and the dances with the parents, 

thanking everyone in such a personal way and finally even joining with his nephew Gabriel to surprise Charlotte by singing a duet to her.

 

The next day I completed my duties by signing their official marriage license and getting it to the country recorder’s office.

My officiant license is good for two years when it would have to be renewed.  I doubt that I would officiate at any other marriages, but the fact that I was able to do this for my dear, dear son and his beloved bride has truly been a highlight of my life.

Now it is a memory!  But it is a memory that fills my heart.  I now have two daughters-in-love and just like, Milli, Charlotte is amazing...and she and Milli have bonded as sisters.

All my children and grandchildren were present.  We were all functioning as a family unit while we walked with Marc as he passed another of life's milestones.  Michael, his brother and best man.

Joe his big brother, gave a great toast and kept Vito, the ringbearer, in line.

Joe giving a toast to his brother and Charlotte

Nikolas, his nephew was the troubleshooter, resolving minor issues that popped up and making sure all the seated guests were enjoying themselves.

Nik and Uncle Marc!

Gabriel entertained the guests with his fantastic duet with his Uncle.  Jay and Marc's father, Joe, sharing in the day.

Our Family!

Again I am left with the awareness of how fortunate I am and that it is family, and love, and being there for each, and encouraging, and acceptance, and rejoicing in each other's happiness that bring meaning to our life.

Thank you, Marc, for allowing me to be so intimately a part of your and Charlotte's day.

"May God bless both of you and your marriage…

May you enjoy a long and healthy life together.

May your home be filled with laughter, with good friends who stand by you, with the patter of little feet and with lots of photographs!

May Vito continue to delight you.

May you resolve any disagreements as quickly as possible.

May you always turn to each other in times of difficulty.

May your life together be one of growth and new discoveries.
May you always feel that what you have is enough.

May you always feel safe and secure in the love you have professed and shared today."