Being informed is being safe is being informed. Country living has some safety issues that one does not have in the city. Our unique environment offers some "new and interesting challenges" to ones personal safety. Let's talk about them here.

2) DO YOU HAVE A REFLECTIVE ADDRESS SIGN?

These signs are not just attractive; they could be critical in helping medical and fire responders find your residence. Do you have yours? Why not? Susie Norton is our resident sign-maker, and is a whiz at getting them to you ASAP! Contact information on the attached order form.

3) HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR REVERSE 9-1-1?

Register your landline,cellphone, email, and voIP numbers: http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/oes/ready/signup.html

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Stacy Magoffin

San Diego Rural CERT Volunteer Coordinator

(619)468-3963

If a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community’s professional response, CERT members can assist others by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during training. These skills can help save and sustain lives following a disaster until professional help arrives.

The CERT training is ongoing. We have some DV residents who have taken the training, Sharon and Dave Gladding. The classes themselves are free.

If you have any questions or are interested in signing up for the CERT training please contact Stacy Magoffin at (949)616-4226 or e-mail at stmagoffin7@juno.com.

CLOSE ENCOUNTER: with a wintering rattler [this is also placed on our page, >>Around DV.

November 17, the D.V. Community Association meets at our home – Kim's & Rob's. It was chilly , and I went out to gather wood for the wood stove. It was near sundown (semi-dark) and, bare handed, I dug down to dirt in a pile of smaller logs, occasionally dropping one, no problem, I just picked it up and proceeded. I took in two big armloads. We had a wonderful evening and my wood heated a pot of hot chocolate on the stove.

The following morning, Kim came in with a small Southern Pacific rattler, Dead, hanging on the end of a stick, "Look what I found in the woodpile." "Oh, my . . ." I thought, "Which wood pile?"

She took me to the exact spot where I had been collecting. She said she found it dead. Clearly it had been crushed just behind its head. We're sure it had been killed by one of the logs I dropped, and was there while I was rummaging. I was lucky, and not too smart. I'll never do that again, and I'll loose some sleep wondering how many more are there . . . waiting.

YOU NEED TO KNOW: if you get bitten by a rattler, regardless of its size, don't hesitate, dial 911. Let any visitors to your home know that snakes are a problem. Of course, watch out for visiting children, and educate your own.

We teach our grandkids to yell, "Snake" if they see one, and keep it in sight until we come. We have Learned which snakes are "safe," and we never kill them. If we have children around, and we find a safe snake, we always take the opportunity to let all the kids touch it if they want too. We had a beautiful King snake enter our sunroom when the family was there, and we all enjoyed it . . . except when it bit my son, 40 and experienced with snakes, on the arm; but he just waited until it let go.

Regarding the snake in the photo above, it is young. Notice that the "rattle" is only a single hard growth, and it is noiseless! This snake will have to shed its skin one more time, which will leave a loose ring segment, shaped like this one but hanging loosely on the narrow groove in its middle. As they shed more, the rattle gets longer, and "noisier" thank goodness for you and me. I'm sure that when I was digging into its habitat this little guy's tail was vibrating (silently) big time. ––Rob

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