There is something to be said for growing up in the "burbs" and yet being able to milk a cow, hold a newborn kid goat, and understand where your food comes from. These are just a few of the wondrous things that are taught at the Pierce Farm and in the Pre-veterinary program at Pierce College.
To someone who has always held the dream of becoming a Veterinarian the Pre-veterinary program provides an opportunity to have hands on experience with a variety of animals, large and small. A student might get to assist in nursing a sick pig back to health; or get to go behind the scenes at a local zoo and experience the animals from a different perspective. The ethics of the veterinary field can be explored and then understood from every angle. The program also encourages its students to seek employment in local veterinary clinics where again, they get to experience Veterinary Medicine first hand. It also provides a wonderful jumping off point for its students allowing them the opportunity to immediately go on to prestigious Veterinary Colleges such as UC Davis and others across the United States.
For everyone in our community the Pierce Farm and its programs are a way to teach us. In a society where most children don't understand that there food does not just magically appear on the shelves of the grocery store or at their car window while driving through the fast food restaurant, it provides an understanding of where our food actually comes from. Our state is one of this countries largest agriculturally; and in order to preserve it our children must know how and why it got to be that way.
The Pierce Farm and Pre-veterinary program are near and dear to me because from a very young age I had that dream of becoming a Veterinarian. At the age of 42 the Pre-veterinary program at Pierce College brought me closer to it than ever before. Although I subsequently had to retire from the Veterinary field due to a congenital back condition, the 6 years that it afforded me were some of the happiest days of my life. I will forever remember the wisdom imparted upon me by Dr. Shapiro. The wonder of working with animals such as cows, goats, pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs was so precious.
Everyone who has this dream deserves to be able to pursue it, and yet due to state budget cuts in education the Pierce Farm is in danger. The number of animals have been reduced in order to insure their proper care. The cuts have also made it necessary to reduce staff on the farm. This one of a kind program for Southern California must not go by the wayside.
As a community, we must step in and help in any way we can. Adopt a cow through the Pierce College Foundation, and by all means, make a family day out of the annual Farm Walk which will be held this year on April 22 and only costs $5 for a day filled with wonderment, food and fun. For more information on how you can help go to: http://foundation.piercecollege.edu/
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy New Year! The Holidays in retrospect.
I hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday season.
It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. But sure enough the Holidays are over and we are left a bit sorer from all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning and entertaining.
Due to the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist and love to share the festivities with friends and family, I usually run around like a mad woman trying to make everything perfect.
In the past, every inch of the house is cleansed to a point that one could eat off the floor. Then every surface, nook and cranny is filled with decorations. Of course the perfect tree is purchased, trimmed by the master tree trimmer (guess who) and then is placed in the living room, where it becomes a major source for the need to vacuum. Meanwhile the baking is filling the house with the sweet aroma of at least 30 different kinds of cookies, breads, pies and candies. By the time Christmas day arrives, I am usually half crippled from wrapping all the gifts while sitting on the floor. The whole point of Christmas by now has been lost.
After being unable to move for a week after preparing the quintessential yummy Thanksgiving dinner a month before, I realized that things had to be done a bit differently come Christmas. A reflection on the reason for the season lead me to a different frame of mind and a list of ways to make any Holiday less painful and more enjoyable for anyone.
1. Hire someone to do your cleaning before the big day, or just do a little when you can. If someone is going to do a white glove inspection, I don't want them in my home anyway.
2. Do your Christmas or Hanuka shopping early and on line. That way you won't have to tote heavy gifts to your car or stand painfully in long lines. (a lot of on line sellers will even gift wrap for you, eBay has a lot of wonderful trustworthy merchants)
3. Set a limit on the amount you will spend and how many gifts each person will receive. No one gets hurt feelings, saves money and wrapping!!!
4. Buy a faux Christmas Tree. I know it seems like sacrilege, but no needles to clean up, no water for the animals to drain. Already filled with lights! Easy up, easy down.( FYI, fabreeze evergreen scent does not give the fresh tree smell you are hoping for.)
5. Limit the amount of decorations you place out. A few very elegant decorations and nice linens go a long way. Candles are great and easy too. Less to put away after the Holidays too.
6. Choose 1 or 2 favorite goodies to bake. There is no need to compete with Martha Stewart, and the probability is that somehow you will end up with enough Holiday goodies in your home to choke Miss Piggy anyway.
7. Make your Holiday meals simple. Either delegate dishes for guests to bring or order pre made meals from your favorite grocer. A big pot of homemade chili and good store bought tamales are a quick easy meal.
8. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Makes it more meaningful when Holiday tasks are shared.
The main reason for Christmas is to share Love with friends and family. The people with whom you share your Holidays usually know your limitations and that you live with pain and they are just happy to be with you.
I hope you were able to do some of these things this past Holiday season, and that you enjoyed it with relatively little pain.
May this New Year bring Peace to this earth and less pain to us all!
Feel free to add your suggestions to this list and to send me your comments and recommendations any time.
Lots a love in the New Year,
Mama Cyd
It is hard to believe that another year has come and gone. But sure enough the Holidays are over and we are left a bit sorer from all the decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, cleaning and entertaining.
Due to the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist and love to share the festivities with friends and family, I usually run around like a mad woman trying to make everything perfect.
In the past, every inch of the house is cleansed to a point that one could eat off the floor. Then every surface, nook and cranny is filled with decorations. Of course the perfect tree is purchased, trimmed by the master tree trimmer (guess who) and then is placed in the living room, where it becomes a major source for the need to vacuum. Meanwhile the baking is filling the house with the sweet aroma of at least 30 different kinds of cookies, breads, pies and candies. By the time Christmas day arrives, I am usually half crippled from wrapping all the gifts while sitting on the floor. The whole point of Christmas by now has been lost.
After being unable to move for a week after preparing the quintessential yummy Thanksgiving dinner a month before, I realized that things had to be done a bit differently come Christmas. A reflection on the reason for the season lead me to a different frame of mind and a list of ways to make any Holiday less painful and more enjoyable for anyone.
1. Hire someone to do your cleaning before the big day, or just do a little when you can. If someone is going to do a white glove inspection, I don't want them in my home anyway.
2. Do your Christmas or Hanuka shopping early and on line. That way you won't have to tote heavy gifts to your car or stand painfully in long lines. (a lot of on line sellers will even gift wrap for you, eBay has a lot of wonderful trustworthy merchants)
3. Set a limit on the amount you will spend and how many gifts each person will receive. No one gets hurt feelings, saves money and wrapping!!!
4. Buy a faux Christmas Tree. I know it seems like sacrilege, but no needles to clean up, no water for the animals to drain. Already filled with lights! Easy up, easy down.( FYI, fabreeze evergreen scent does not give the fresh tree smell you are hoping for.)
5. Limit the amount of decorations you place out. A few very elegant decorations and nice linens go a long way. Candles are great and easy too. Less to put away after the Holidays too.
6. Choose 1 or 2 favorite goodies to bake. There is no need to compete with Martha Stewart, and the probability is that somehow you will end up with enough Holiday goodies in your home to choke Miss Piggy anyway.
7. Make your Holiday meals simple. Either delegate dishes for guests to bring or order pre made meals from your favorite grocer. A big pot of homemade chili and good store bought tamales are a quick easy meal.
8. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Makes it more meaningful when Holiday tasks are shared.
The main reason for Christmas is to share Love with friends and family. The people with whom you share your Holidays usually know your limitations and that you live with pain and they are just happy to be with you.
I hope you were able to do some of these things this past Holiday season, and that you enjoyed it with relatively little pain.
May this New Year bring Peace to this earth and less pain to us all!
Feel free to add your suggestions to this list and to send me your comments and recommendations any time.
Lots a love in the New Year,
Mama Cyd
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Morning has broken
The best part of the day is early morning. Coffee in hand I stumble outside no matter the weather to watch Gods day unfold. With a dog at my side and a cat on my lap I sit in silence and listen.
The giant tree in the back yard sings with the wind and the avocado tree is spilling its fruit much to the delight of Maggie, our blind Labrador mix. She would root out every avocado with her heightened senses eating them all until she popped if left to her own devices. Misty, the wire hair terrier, is happier to just sit by my side, on the other hand. Henry the tuxedo rescue cat sits on my lap getting his morning lovies until I decide to move.
It is at this time that I thank God for this day, say my prayers and just wonder at the beauty of nature. The diverse song of the mocking bird is the opening music for the day. Soon the brightly colored finches make their entrance and flit around the bushes that are blooming in the crazy California winter. Soon the hummers are joining in and drinking deeply from the few birds of paradise that have forgotten that the weather could hit a cold snap at any moment.
I can sit here for hours, and in this morning ritual I forget about any pain I might be feeling; and I thank God for another day to wonder at his works.
The giant tree in the back yard sings with the wind and the avocado tree is spilling its fruit much to the delight of Maggie, our blind Labrador mix. She would root out every avocado with her heightened senses eating them all until she popped if left to her own devices. Misty, the wire hair terrier, is happier to just sit by my side, on the other hand. Henry the tuxedo rescue cat sits on my lap getting his morning lovies until I decide to move.
It is at this time that I thank God for this day, say my prayers and just wonder at the beauty of nature. The diverse song of the mocking bird is the opening music for the day. Soon the brightly colored finches make their entrance and flit around the bushes that are blooming in the crazy California winter. Soon the hummers are joining in and drinking deeply from the few birds of paradise that have forgotten that the weather could hit a cold snap at any moment.
I can sit here for hours, and in this morning ritual I forget about any pain I might be feeling; and I thank God for another day to wonder at his works.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)