In The News
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NEW PUPPY PICTURES COMING!!!
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N. E. CONNECTICUT'S RELAY FOR LIFE
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
THERE IS STILL TIME TO CONTRIBUTE TO MY TEAM FOR THIS YEAR'S RELAY FOR LIFE - IT WAS A GLORIOUS WEEKEND!
LINK IN & TAKE A LOOK!!
MAY 15 - 16, 2010
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING ME IN SUPPORT OF THIS IMPORTANT EVENT!
I AM A 10-YEAR BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR!!
FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN JOIN ME IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER!!
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Chris.Durning
Chris With Our 10 Beautiful Grandchildren!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
CHRIS
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May 21-22, 2004
10th Annual 'Relay For Life'
Woodstock Fair Grounds
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I was involved in this rally as the Breast Cancer Survivor (6+ years) - for my daughter, Julie's team with Westbank, where she is a Manager of the Woodstock Branch.
My daughter, Hannah was home for the weekend from school & together, Julie, Hannah & I walked the opening 'Survivors Lap' - It was a very emotional & stirring time to share something so personal & so life-changing as having cancer - with so many people & their families & friends!!
My other daughter, Jennifer, was involved with her Moms Club of Woodstock & also raised money & walked in the relay.
Mike joined us in the afternoon on Sat. & we had a very wonderful & memorable time together. Maybe next year my whole family can join in.
If you are interested in - or know of someone who has experienced the devastation & pain of cancer - do consider giving your prayers, support, encouragement, time &/or money to this cause to fight this disease that effects so many people!
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[SEPT. 2005]
THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS CURVES FUND RAISER WITH ME FOR ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL!!! I TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR GENEROSITY & QUICK RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST. IT WAS GREAT HEARING FROM ALL OF YOU.
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"WAY TO GO, WALTER!!"
"WALTER" IS THE PUPPY IN THE ARTICLE BELOW - I DONATED THIS ADORABLE MALE PUPPY FOR THE 2004 MAYOR'S CHARITY BALL TO HELP SUPPORT 'THE BRIDGE FAMILY CENTER. THE 'COURSEY' FAMILY ADOPTED HIM!! READ THE ARTICLE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION!!!
>From courant.com -------------------- >
From Whither Did These Two Slither?
Snakes Probably Were Abandoned
By CAROLYN MOREAU
Courant Staff Writer
July 2, 2005
WEST HARTFORD -- Were the two 5-foot snakes near the councilman's house a coincidence, a political statement, or a birthday gag?
Council member Chuck Coursey said Friday that neither he nor police think there was any malice in the appearance of a boa constrictor on his patio Wednesday and, Friday, of a python a couple of doors away.
The prevailing theory now is that a negligent pet owner dumped the two dangerous reptiles - and possibly more - after they became too much of a pain to care for.
But West Hartford has had some political turmoil lately. In heated moments, there have been references to snake-like behavior. The Coursey family dismisses such political talk, though, and is taking a pragmatic stance. "We do not think we are being targeted. This is an easy location to drop off pets because it is a quiet road and no one can see you," said Mary Coursey, Chuck Coursey's wife. "I am nervous about more snakes, though."
Wednesday, the council member's birthday party was interrupted by the boa constrictor.
Only Walter, the family's golden retriever, saw the snake arrive. He howled for an hour, but no one paid much attention, Mary Coursey said. When Chuck Coursey did notice the snake on his patio, he thought it was a gag.
How else do you celebrate a 42nd birthday but with a rubber snake, he figured. Then it flicked its tongue.
On the phone with police, the family and their guests were screaming so loudly that the dispatcher couldn't immediately understand what the problem was, Mary Coursey said. By the time an animal control officer arrived, Annie Coursey, 10, had used the Internet to identify the snake as a boa.
Then on Friday morning, a 5-foot python was discovered two doors away on Hamilton Avenue. Mike Lickteig, the foreman on a tree-cutting job, was the first to see it. He gave the snake a soft poke with a stick to see if it was alive, and leapt back as it slithered forward. "I do not know anything about snakes, and I do not want to know," said Lickteig, who works for Davey Tree Expert Co. West Hartford police called the Science Center of Connecticut, and Hank Gruner, vice president for exhibits and programs, pulled up in a van shortly before noon. Once the python was squirming safely in a bag, Gruner gave a short lesson on snakes to the neighborhood children who had gathered around. He brought the python out, so everyone could stroke its smooth skin, and explained to one child how he knew it was a female. The 5-foot python could eventually grow to 25 feet, Gruner said. It will join the boa constrictor at the center, and the pair may be placed on display after they have cleared quarantine, Gruner said.
"Our next step is to call in St. Patrick," said Mayor Scott Slifka, referring to the man who drove the snakes from Ireland. Meanwhile, it has occurred to police that other reptilian surprises might lie nearby. Slifka said officials found an empty box on Hamilton Avenue. Helen Cavaciuti, the police animal control officer, searched some yards backing onto Hamilton Avenue on Friday morning. She took extra care searching the rear yard of School Superintendent David P. Sklarz, because snakes would love his rocky landscaping. "Animals get abandoned all the time," Cavaciuti said. "We've had a legless lizard. We've had a bearded dragon, but I found the owner. We had an iguana abandoned at Westfarms mall, and a lovely lady adopted it."
Pythons and boas both kill their prey by constricting it to death and then swallowing it whole. They can gulp down large animals by stretching their jaws wider than their heads. Full-grown constrictors can reach more than 20 feet and can easily kill humans. But the pair discovered on Hamilton Avenue, at little more than 5 feet, are youngsters whose typical diet would be mice and rats. Even so, Mary Coursey is anxious for the snake discoveries to end. Her 3-year-old sobbed for hours after the birthday party, she said. "I don't mind normal snakes, but the size of these snakes frightens me," Coursey said. Copyright 2005, Hartford Courant
Emanuel Homestead Goldens was proud to be a part of the Mayor’s Charity Ball [2004] to help support The Bridge Family Center. | ||||||
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