ReadLarryPowell.com

ONCE UPON A TIME: A DOG MOVES IN...

The temperatures have been so cold that my mind has sought warmer times to magically keep my typing fingers from dropping off between consonants and the space bar.
On Friday as I was writing some piece of work that would be better off shredded, my mind wandered to warmer times at the State Fair of Texas through the years.
This photograph, perfect for this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, may demonstrate what inspired my mind to go back to visits at the Children’s Petting zoo at the State Fair. I’d frequently see a momma sow on her side snorting and snoozing while the kids had lunch.

This, however, is not a State Fair pig.
This is my wonderful companion, Porche Noel, found on the front porch at Christmas in 2009.
I think I know what happened in this writing process. I was typing madly about something when the sound of a snoozing sow began to fill the room.
I thought, “We don’t have a pig yet, do we?” 
And I turned to see Porche, out like a noisy light on her small “Magic Carpet of Comfort and Contemplation.”

Sometimes she sleeps next ot my office chair on the big Psychedelic Carpet of Grand Illusions and Magnifications of Triumphant Joy. I think that’s what she’s calling it this week.
When we first got this girl she was a mess. She’d been starved.
In fact, she came onto the front porch by squeezing through the burglar bars on the porch gate. She then ate ALL of the daily buffet we put out for the feral cat colony, then discovered she’d grown so much wider so quickly that should exit via the way she came in.
There was only one thing to do — open the front door and invite her in.
She’s been with us ever since.
And, by “with us” I mean that after she finally settled down and realized our other dogs and cats were not going to kill her, she became a wonderfully loving, well-behaved, philosophical canine companion. Those first weeks were tough — she was food focused and would fight anybody who even glanced through her carrier door at her food bowl. We had to be careful. She was worth the trouble.
I don’t know what her family tree shows, but to track her origin, it’ll take more branches than a Texas bank. Her first vet, the wonderful Dr. Vladi DeJong (Rest his soul —I miss his laughter), looked at her and said, “Ah, a pit bull wannabe.” None of us could guess the breeds! 
When she arrived at our house she was walking with a pronounced limp. Through the years it got better — Vladi said that at some point she’d probably develop arthritis in her back legs from the “on-purpose trauma” she’d experienced. Sure enough, she’s got it now. 
But this little dog still is game enough to try to outrun dogs and squirrels in the yard. The joy in her heart makes her fun to watch. 
Ironically, she needs help getting onto the couch to nap. So, my sweetspouse Martha bought her a ramp. Porche has to be retrained on “ramp usage” about once every two weeks. She tends to forget things when she sleeps.
(Martha also bought small quilt box for the foot of our bed so Porche can take easy steps onto it and then onto the big bed. I’m not sure what Porche’s Sleep Number is — but she’s never had insomnia. That's the face I frequently see between me and Martha when Porche is into full-on tranquil slumber at 3 in the morning.
She’s a Canus Suresleeperus — using my distant ancestors’ Latin lingo to specify her scientific designation. She has never had to be retrained to drop off like a piglet after having lunch in Mom’s pen at the fair. That's a mom and the kids from the 2019 State Fair.
So, back to Porche -- just another dumped Dallas street dog who became a household treasure.
If I could find the guy who kicked her all those years ago, he wouldn’t be able to feel his back feet, either. Would such a jerk have back feet? Of course, he would! All asses have back feet.
Pardon my French. But I love this dog. After she realized nobody at our house was going to hurt her, she chose her permanent sleeping spot — in the big middle of the human’s bed, right between her two humans.
Frequently, our last words of an evening are dramatically, “I love you dear. Oh, come on Porche, move over, for crying out loud.”
And that, folks, is how a beaten-up, starving, dumped-in-a-Dallas neighborhood dog became a nocturnal comfort. She retrained her humans.
That's her keeping Martha company during a couch nap! Good dog, Porche. Good dog.

 [DEAR READERS: Please tells us about your dogs and cats and any other animals that nod off at your place!  (That's a mom and piglets from the 2014 State Fair -- I think Porche might have studied the body positioning to enhance her own ability to sleep anywhere!] Send photos of your family critters catching a few winks -- dallrp@aol.com -- and we’ll spotlight ‘em in our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You may be helping other humans make room in their hearts for a companion that become a “member of the family.” And you’ll be helping insomniacs realize they, too, can get some sleep if they can just figure out how to approximate the snorting and slobbering of a sow at the fair!]
— Offer sleeping tips or waking advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol and put ‘JUST TURN OFF THE TV AND CLOSE YOUR EYES, SLEEPY’ in the subject line. —

GOOD NEWS NOTES FROM PLANO & HOUSTON; CHANCES TO HELP & WEATHER GRIPING

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY JANUARY 20-21, 2022 [PetPowellPress] I love it when we get to post good news: Hello Houston & Texas Humane Legislation Network! And the found little dog, too! Ah, today’s one of those days (keep reading!) but, the reality is, I’m too darned cold. I feel that I am not alone in that un-Texan sensation. Half the year you can't get cold enough in Texas. Moving along:
 Here’s our pre-sunrise Thursday weather report. Cold. Absolute cold. (It’s like our noon report. Back to the morning report.)
In 20 minutes on the treadmill at 3.2 mph in the unheated garage, I was unable to work up a sweat. Most of the time my inability to work up a sweat is due to my lack of ambition. OK, here we go with this edition of readlarrypowell.com, your critter, humanity and oddity source since before the turn of this century. 
That’s my office cat William Powell. He just handed me a note that read, “Either turn up the heat in this flophouse or put me on a plane to Rio.” He is usually wearing a nose that is beautifully pink but, in this weather, Willam’s nose has dimmed and is approaching “gray” status. My nose feels the same way. When does this snap end? I am on the brink of declaring, “I sure miss August.”

CATCHING UP WITH
A DOG THAT WAS MISSING
We got great news from Lisa Brooks of Pooch Savers Rescue earlier in the week. The little dog Yoni, aka Teddy Bear, is a former Pooch Savers pup who vanished just before Christmas in Plano. For a while, there was a theory that he’d been stolen — he’s that adorable! But he has been found and is happily back at home.
He’d been missing since December 28, seen a few times in the West Parker Road/Ohio Drive area of Plano. 
But as many “seen” dogs are when still disoriented, he wasn’t out on the curb trying to thumb a ride back home. He was hidin’ out!

The 11-pound dog, Lisa reports, “was found about 4 days after he went missing. It was literally minutes before the real cold weather hit about two weeks ago.”
Timing — that’s the key to everything, not just Dallas Cowboys football but winter storms.
The little guy “was spotted by several people who stopped what they were doing and kind of surrounded him. He was in a driveway.  We got the call and my husband Scott, who was at an adoption event, went over there and just sat down.

“Yoni started barking at him at first but then recognized Scott and went to
him.  Scott was able to scoop him up and return him to his owner, I've
attached a couple of pics, the woman is a Good Samaritan who had been
helping for DAYS.  She selflessly drove around for hours each day. The
person in the Pooch Savers Rescue shirt is my hubby and the other man
is Yoni's owner.” 

Teamwork — and some loving hearts. That’s what got the happy ending for this little dog. 
So, I wondered who might be available via Pooch Savers and I clicked on the website HERE. Little dogs, big dogs, adorable dogs.
And I got a view quickly of this Bloodhound/German Shepherd mix with the football star name, Joe Montana. His eyes looks as if they’re made up for appearances in Hollywood movies! Joe Montana is one handsome 88-pound dog described not only as “very playful” but as a “big goofball!” [LARRY ASIDE: Once again, I envy a dog who has a resume with a description I’d love to have: “big goofball.” Wait. No! Please. Take us both seriously! But Joe’s house-trained and available and I am not. Well, I’m house-trained, but not available, though on some days my sweetspouse Martha may have different thoughts. About available, not about house-trained.]
A PET STORE ORDINANCE
AND OTHER HOUSTON WINS!
The note from Shelby Bobosky of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, famous for work with the Texas Legislature, cited some triumphs within the municipal government of the City of Houston, Texas. Yep, sort of “grass roots influence” to help animals without waiting on the Lege to re-gather itself! [LARRY ASIDE: And if this stuff can get done in Houston, how about in other cities that need “counseling” on the way they allow animals to be handled?]
Back to the THLN note: 
The opening reads, “One year ago, THLN, together with Houston advocates, approached Houston City Council Member Sally Alcom, Chair of Houston’s Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee, to revise Houston’s outdated animal welfare regulations. Together, we worked with the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC), the City and other stakeholders to draft revisions UNANIMOUSLY approved .. by the Houston City Council [Wednesday].
Those revisions include requiring pet stores to “sell only dogs and cats sourced from a humane organization or muncipal/county animal shelter.” No more puppy mill problems, perhaps. And there are changes affecting “dangerous dogs” and “loose animals” and the hold time for strays. 
Plus Houston has given $1 million to BARC to expand spay and neuter services. Here's the LINK TO THE NEWS RELEASE.
[LARRY ASIDE: Houston. Houston, Texas. As, was the expression in my teenage years, “Hot dang, Houston! Way to go”]
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE, KYLO
NEEDS HELP, RADAR DOES, TOO,
AND A GIRL NAMED FREDDIE!
This guy Kylo — rescue only because of medical conditions ignored by his human —has the kind of a story that shows up when humans let down the dog they once promised to love forever. We got Kylo’s story from the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm at Mesquite Animal Services. She reports that the German Shepherd mix was brought to the shelter on January 4 because of a bite incident. The story reads, “Kylo squeezed through the fence in his yard and walked into a neighbor's house.  When the neighbor tried to push him out, he bit the neighbor on the leg and hand.  When the 10-day shelter quarantine was completed the owner opted to surrender.” 
[LARRY TIME-OUT: Please take 10 seconds to move past the “he what?” sensations that have taken over your thought processes. Now’s the time to get Kylo into a home that will be a home. Know what I mean, jelly bean?]

This 4-year-old GSD mix weighs just 50 pounds now and he is “rescue only” because of medical issues confirmed after he was “opted” out of his home. The owner told the shelter that Kylo had lost a lot of weight, but he didn’t take im to a vet. A shelter staffer took Kylo to a vet and the exam revealed that “Kylo has several medical issues his owners never attempted to seek care for.  Vet stated he has a body condition score of 2 out of 9 and determined the loss of weight was due to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.  This difficulty in digestion leads to poor absorption of nutrients.  It was also determined he has hip dysplasia and a degenerative joint disease.  He has been suffering from these health issues with no vet care from his owner.  Staff reports that they have not noted aggression.  He is very energetic and quite ‘mouthy.’ He will need training to break him of that habit as his owner obviously did not do.  He chases balls but does not return them.  He walks ok on a leash.  He has lived outdoors and doesn't seem to have had much, if any, training and possibly hasn't been socialized much either.  Shelter has medical report from the vet and will forward it to any rescue interested in helping Kylo.”
Kylo is #49355127 — use his ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
That moves us along to volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown’s report on this guy Radar. Judi writes, “What’s not to like about this face? Actually what’s not to like about this cute stocky boy with a loving personality? Radar is a 3 to 4-year-old, 62-pound mostly black Pittie mix that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 1/13 as a stray.  He’s got a cute face and captivating hazel eyes. Radar has a lot going for him. He’s gentle and relatively calm. He stays close seeking human affection. He’s lovable and friendly with a tail that wags constantly. He gives kisses generously. 

“When you sit down he puts his head on your lap. He sits for treats and takes them gently. He chases balls but does not retrieve them.  He appears to be housebroken as he did his business as soon as he got out into the yard.”

And there’s this aspect that demonstrates he’s a pretty smart dog. During the photo sessions, he would make sure he was standing by the shelter door. Judi wrote, “I suspect he’s been an inside dog and would like to be inside with his new family. I can just picture him in a cozy bed at the feet of his new family.” Radar’s ID is #49411109 — use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
About Freddie the Cat: At the shelter’s online site HERE you can see all sorts of adorable adoptables who are in the care of the Mesquite Animal Shelter. They include this cat with the electric eyebrows! She’s named Freddie! A medium-sized, year-and-a-half-old Domestic Shorthair, she’s currently in quarantine — came in on January 4. Ask about #49354532 when you call the shelter or write to it.
CONTEMPLATIONS
SLEEPERS, ERCOT, COACH OR CEO?
QUICK! Somebody send me photos of your slumbering animals for the upcoming weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and Napping Cats Nap. Any animal will do. We just try to demonstrate that a loving home is a good place to nod off. Email photos and inphos, er, info, to dallrp@aol.com. Remember this doesn’t pay you a thing, so you won’t have to add it to your IRS paperwork. Another financial blessing from readlarrypowell.com. …
IN THE SAME RADIO NEWSCAST THURSDAY I heard one reporter pronounce the keep-the-lights-on agency ERCOT as “aircot” and another refer to it as “urrcot” — as in to urr is human but to be warm is divine. Last year, not on the radio, I heard ERCOT called other things. …

SPEAKING OF HEADLINES, who is more important in your life, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys or the CEO of ERCOT? Which one makes more headlines? Know their names? Made you look (er, made you look 'em up, maybe.)
—- Leave solid warming advice by clicking on ‘comment’ or email dallrp@aol.com and put DON’T PAWN WINTER COAT AGAIN in the subject line. —-

A SAFE DAY HAS ARRIVED; TWO STRANGE TALES OF DOGS; A FAB CAT FOREHEAD & A CONTEMPLATION ABOUT WOODPECKERS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, JAN. 18, 2022 [PetPowellPress] We’ll describe this opening note as “important.” We got notices of the “in effect” nature of the Safe Out Door Dogs Law from both the Texas Humane Legislation Network and the SPCA of Texas in Dallas. Yep, "effective date” Jan. 18, 2022.
You may recall how the Texas Legislature had to go through some extra sessions before the bill could get Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.

That’s the artwork that appeared on the email from THLN. THLN cited “5 Things You Need To Know About the Law.” They are:
"
1. Owners must use approved cable tie-outs, trolley systems or ‘zip lines,’ no tethering with weights or chains.
2. Tether must be attached to a properly fitting collar or harness.
3. Must have adequate shelter from direct sunlight.
4. Must be able to avoid standing water.
5. Must have access to clean drinkable water.
" [LARRY AISDE: That stuff wouldn’t seem to be so hard to achieve, right? But, somehow, there are dolts {scientifically Doltus Dumbassedus, in the 254 counties who just can’t comprehend the simple mission “love your dog and keep the animal safe.”]
The SPCA’s announcement included a note reminding law-abiding citizens and scofflaws that the new law has removed “a 24-hour waiting period previously required that prevented animal control of law enforcement officers from taking immediate action.”
[LARRY ASIDE: The scofflaws — the don’t care/so what people — will only care about this when they are caught putting a dog in danger of death. It'll take an eye-witness to tell law-enforcement that animal cruelty is under way. After all, the number of animals it takes to qualify as “animal cruelty” is one. Not 80 in a Hunt County rancid house — just one animal in a bad spot.] THLN has a “Resource Guide” online for people interested in the Safe Outdoor Dogs Law HERE.
[LARRY CAUTION TO THE DON’TCARE/SOWHAT PEOPLE: The online resource guide does not include brainpower supplements. You’re stuck with what you’ve got.]
WHAT? THIS DOG JAGGER
IS STILL WAITING FOR A HOME?
AND THERE'S DUCKY'S SITUATION
Well, sometimes you just can’t believe that dog hasn’t been adopted. That’s the case with this guy Jagger. 
In fact, our tipster, his admirer, the Mesquite Shelter dog biographer Judi rown, writes, “I’m resending one of my favorite dogs because he is so special and has been waiting so patiently. Jagger is a Gentle Giant that has been at the shelter since 11/3 and still is maintaining a good attitude. He’s friendly, loving, gentle, highly motivated by treats, happy, tail wagging, gives lots of kisses, doesn’t react to other dogs in the bay, walks OK on a leash, does his business immediately upon getting into the yard. I just can’t say enough about Jagger. He would probably do well with children because he’s very gentle.  If you cannot come in to adopt Jagger or tag him please please network him!”

In his early bio, the possibly part-Mastiff boy was listed as weighing 65 pounds and being “a total love bug.” Judi wrote “I can’t understand why his owners haven’t come looking for him because he has so many sterling qualities. To begin with he’s extremely handsome to the point of being stunning! His eyes look like they’re lined with eyeliner. He has a very thick, solid stocky build that’s adorable! That stocky body wiggles all over when he wags his tail and his tail wags constantly! He appears to be a very happy boy. He’s very friendly and affectionate. When I sat down he jumped up on the bench right next to me.”
Jagger is #49005310 — use that ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

SHE’S AFRAID OF THUNDERSTORMS SO, AFTER FIVE YEARS, SHE’S BACK IN THE SHELTER!
SORRY, was I shouting incredulously when I typed that? 
Use those a same Mesquite shelter contact points for this girl Ducky, a Plott Hound/Terrier mix whose story is told by Mesquite volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm. Ducky is #30620599.
 Debra says Ducky “was returned” to the shelter on January 11 — She’s about 6 and spayed. Debra writes, “Ducky was adopted as a pup 5 years ago from the Mesquite Shelter.  Owner kept her for 5 years, then surrendered her 11/7/21. Reason for the surrender: she's afraid of thunderstorms.  Ducky lived outside.  Owner reported he got a medication for anxiety for when thunderstorms came but the medication was ineffective.  When questioned as to why he didn't bring Ducky inside during storms, he responded that she was an outside dog.  She was then adopted by a person but returned because their puppy got too rambunctious when trying to play with Ducky and Ducky snapped at the pup. She was in this household for less than 2 days.  Another person came along, adopted Ducky and returned her in 6 weeks.  Reasons appeared to be invalid and confused.  It was obvious this owner had no intention of keeping her nor interest in working with Ducky.  So there you have it... three different owners with what appear to be what might be called unrealistic expectations.”
[LARRY THEORY: Ducky need a good human after a run of rotten luck.] 
Debra writes, “Ducky needs an owner who will stay committed to her, who will give her an inside home and who will give her the TLC she deserves.  Every dog deserves these but it appears Ducky has been denied these basic needs.”
AN ARTSY CAT
AT THE SPCA
I was looking through available cats at the SPCA of Texas and ran across this girl Popcorn (#48781799) — quite a story. She’s 2 and has a great “Torbie Extraordinaire” pattern on her forehead and head. Her bio describes here as a “brown with orange, domestic medium hair/Classic Swirl Torbie.”
 Why is she in the care of the SPCA? “Rescued from inhumane conditions” — with her kittens! Her bio says she’s at the SPCA site at the Greenville Avenue PetSmart in Dallas. Go to spca.org and see her listing on the site. She’s small, almost 2 years old.
CONTEMPLATIONS
FAIRY TALE; WOODPECKERS & GARAGE
Iin the past few days I’ve watched, off-and-on, parts of the 1955 Spencer Tracy film Bad Day at Black Rock. I think I’ve finally decided why I like this movie. Among the bullying characters, anybody who’s “got it comin’” absolutely ”gets it”! Yeah, it’s a mid-20th Century fairy tale. ….
As a lad who grew up in the ultra-treed area of Northeast Texas, Bowie County, I cannot recall a day of childhood without hearing the sound of a woodpecker working over a tree or, more likely, a telephone pole. I got a note Tuesday from The Old Farmer’s Almanac about a feature on American woodpeckers. I wondered what I’d learn if I clicked on this link. Turns out I learned that woodpeckers (in general, I guess,) “lay 4 to 5 white eggs which hatch in 16 days. Young remain in the next about 20 days before fledging.” I’d never even thought about Woodpecker eggs until I read that story. Of course, I do remember as a child how we’d gleefully enjoy weekend picnics of Ivory Billed Woodpecker sandwiches. Tasted like chicken. I’m kidding. I’m one of those nuts who’d pay good money to see a colony of Ivory Bills developed in the Big Thicket or somewhere along the Trinity River under those fancy bridges in Dallas. And that’ll happen the day you can catch a casino boat ride at the Commerce Street crossing and gamble all the way to Houston. …
I get nearly daily emails that urge “Update your garage today” and all I can think of is “How can you update something that is full of boxes of books, records and miscellaneous items moved from one dwelling to another over the decades. The boxes all have a tag that reads, “Review content later” — the message sneers at me every time I look at the unpacked boxes. It’s the one with air-holes that has me worried. I’m kidding.
— Offer a Dallas Cowboys solution by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com and put ‘NO TRICK PLAYS, COACH HOUDINI’ in the subject line. —-

NOW THAT PLAYOFF PRESSURE IS OVER, WE HAVE SOME ANIMALS FOR PEOPLE TO HELP

EDITION OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 [PetPowellPress] This is, as you may suspect, being written on JANUARY 17. I nearly typed “JULY” into the dateline because I’d been outside in the warm air of the afternoon doing some work around the house. We were taking down Christmas decorations, something we usually do in July, er, January. 
My sweetspouse Martha, having realized that my winter coat for years has been a zip-up golf jacket, gave me a new winter coat over the weekend . It's designed for skiing comfort in the snow-covered mountains. So, naturally, the temps went toward the upper 60s in our neighborhood. But I was warm -- in my hoody.
Here’s a photograph of some of the local lads in a hockey match Sunday on the frozen ice of the Trinity River just across I-30 from our home on SkiPole Hill in Eastern Fort Worth. Yes, Dear Reader, nothing in that preceding sentence is true except that it is a photograph.
It comes from our Readlarrypowell.com Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the veteran print and broadcast journalist. He shot this on Sunday afternoon. “The temperature hereabouts has soared to 21,” Andy wrote. “Another five hours or so and it will be snowing. Just took this picture out the dining-room window; in just a few months, there will be water skiers in this shot, but for now, it's teen-aged boys playing hockey.” This is Indian Lake in Denville, N.J., and Andy, a U.S. Army veteran of some of the hottest parts of the Cold War, says he included neighbor Gary Large’s America flag in the shot. Gary’s the neighborhood legend who knows how to skillfully operate the snow-moving machine known as Big Red. Comes in handy during the winter.
And, in honor of all the New York Giants and New York Jets and Buffalo Bills fans in the wintry areas of the northeast, we’d like to quote something that seemed to fit the situation Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington: “How ‘bout them Cowboys.” Yep, for cryin’ out loud, how ‘bout them flag-drawin’, odd-play callin’, clock-ignorin’ Cowboys. I don’t want to be too harsh. Fortunately, they got one break: On Sunday, them Cowboys played (too strong a word) across the street from the Texas Rangers’ home field so one of the Jones sons could easily visit the neighbors to borrow the well-worn “Wait ’til next year” sign.
THREE IN THE FERRIS SHELTER
NEEDING A WAY TO NEW HOMES
As the long holiday weekend was waning, we got a note from the 4-Legged Helpers folks who cite 3 dogs currently cooling their canine heels in the Ferris Animal Shelter.
Animals in the small shelters, “stand zero chance without a rescue group,” the Helpers say. So, they keep promoting rescues and adoptions from these shelters. 
Ferris has the current three in need. (Call or text Helpers’ pioneer critter hustler Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
That opening set of photos features the cutely handsome Landon, a “young vaccinated male Catahoula/Boxer mix available now” at the Ferris shelter. His bio reads, “Landon is so very sweet. Big pretty blue eyes. Very gentle and sweet guy that actually posed for the photos.  Cutest thing ever.  ACO heartworm tested healthy and ready to go! They also vaccinated incoming at this shelter.”

That brings us to Dustin. His bio reads that he is “adorable. Already neutered and chipped. He is just as sweet and cute as can be.  Seems to really like other dogs too and gives kisses to other dogs, all people.  HE IS SO SWEET. Also heartworm tested, healthy and ready to go!”

Logan, about 2, is a “sweetie pie” who is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. The Bulldog mix was “surrendered to the shelter” by someone who couldn’t take care of him. “he is all love and is a great young dog. Silly, cute, lovable, sweet, playful.”
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve got 80 zillion people living in this area and computer access to a billion more on the internet. Why in the heck does a dog or cat have to spend even one night waiting in a shelter? That football game drew, officially, 93,470 people. Surely there were three ticket-buyers who have time and money to adopt a dog from Ferris and love him like he’s a Cowboys fan, too. Aw, geez, I’m such a dreamer.]
IN MESQUITE, LOOK AT MAX’S FACE!

“FELL IN LOVE,’ SAYS BIOGRAPHER
Is that not an interesting look on a fabulous dog face? Why is Max in a shelter? Ah, our tipster, the veteran volunteer Mesquite Animal Shelter dog biographer Judi brown has the answer. she reports that 4-year-old, 58-pound, Max was surrendered to the shelter on the 13th because “the owners had too many dogs.” The dog scanner app says Max is part Catahoula Leopard and part Dutch Shepherd mix. Brindle markings, one blue and one brown eye. “He’s a very handsome boy! But more importantly he’s a real prize! He’s sweet, gentle, calm, loving, friendly, and well mannered. He stayed close and looked up at me with adoring eyes. He sits for treats and takes them gently. When you sit down he comes to you to have his ears scratched. And if you’d let him he would crawl on your lap! He
doesn’t jump on you. He walks well on a leash. When I took him for a walk he did his business as soon as we got outside. His previous owner said that he was an outdoor dog, but he told me he wants to be inside with his new family! He should fit in well in the household as he’s so obedient! His previous owners also stated that he’s lived with other dogs and children and gets along with them. When I walked him through the bay he ignored the other dogs as he was mostly interested in going for a walk. His owners also stated that he loves hugs. I can definitely see that because he such a loving, affectionate boy! You  can probably tell from this write-up that I fell in love with him.” Judi says he’s #49096247 in the shelter and use that number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
ALSO WAITING IN MESQUITE is Alpine, this 60-pound, 18-month-old Alaskan Husky. He came in on Jan. 7 as a stray. He was in quarantine due to space and now he’s “up front and visible” so “he will most likely get adopted quickly,” Judi writes. A quick tag is a good tag if you want to take Alpine home or into your rescue group. 
Judi says, “The bonus is that he’s not only handsome, but he’s also got a winning personality. He’s playful and fun loving. He gets down on his haunches and tries to entice you to play with him... all the time wagging his fluffy tail. He’s frisky and alert and explored the yard and the perimeter. Those of you that know about Huskies know that they are known to escape. You will need to have a yard with a secure fence. He was friendly and came to me when I called him. He liked having his ears scratched and I was rewarded with kisses. He sits for treats and takes them gently.  He chased a ball but did not retrieve it. He walked OK on a leash. He did his business as soon as he got into the shelter yard. When I walked him through the bay he wanted to make friends with many of the dogs. If they barked at him he jumped away. I did not see any aggression. Judging from the calluses on his elbows, I would assume he’s been an outside dog. This time around he would like be an integral part of the family and be inside with his new adopters. As gentle, loving, and sweet as he is he should do well inside.” His ID is #49374819. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite. com.

See many more adoptable adorables at the Mesquite Animal Shelter by clicking HERE.
Lots of dogs and cats. And this cat, 3-year-old Luther, caught my eye because, clearly, he knows how to take advantage of the lighting and pose for a perfectly illuminated mugshot for a tabby cat. He’s “large,” the shelter says. And he’s been waiting in the city shelter’s Cat room since January 10. Luther is #49390032. He’s a green-eyed handsome man.
CONTEMPLATIONS
IDLE THOUGHTS ON AN EVENING
It’s only late afternoon but already dark in our part of the world. Won’t it be great if big league baseball can work out its labor problems and we get to have a normal baseball season for a change? First, get the commissioner to move Houston back to the National League. Give the Texas Rangers a 10- or 20-game lead in their division on opening day. Maybe they’ll still be in the race at the All-Star Break. And somebody’s got to come up with the first female pitcher in the big leagues. When I was a kid, in our neighborhood, we had girls who could out-throw and out-hit boys. Of course, none of the boys made it to the big leagues, either. …. 

Is it too early to talk baseball? OK. We’ll change sports. How’s the Dallas Dynamics Curling Team doing in the Olympics? ...
Monday was the birthday of my twins, Bret and Bart, born on Super Sunday in 1971 in Texarkana, Texas — 2:06 (Bret) and 2:08 p.m. (Bart). I missed the entire Super Bowl — it was the first time the Dallas Cowboys had made it to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl V. The Baltimore Colts beat Dallas 16-13 on a 32-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jim O’Brien with 5 seconds left. Even if Dallas had won that game, the biggest news of the day still would have been the birth of my unexpected, wonderfully entertaining twins, Bret and Bart. They’re my only kids — though you can’t really call twins an “only child,” however. As kids, they won the “Most Alike” title for their age group in the annual Twins Contest at the State Fair of Texas. That was way back in the 1970s. That contest has been discontinued. That’s the lads in a photo from back then — they’re in their matching overalls from the HeeHaw TV show. The boys put up with a lot from their stunned and nutty parents. Identical? Not really. Bret’s left-handed and Bart’s right-handed. And one’s cuter than the other, they tell me individually. Neither went into journalism, preferring to be employed in financially beneficial efforts. Not like father, these sons. That "glop" on the kid's head on the right is where he saved his bubblegum in those days -- I'm kidding. It's a spot on the print of the photo. Honest. Back then (and even today) a glop of gum is more likely to wind up stuck in a brother's hair. Entertaining boys, I told you.
—- Offer child-rearing tips or lucky Lotto Texas numbers by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘WHO NEEDS MONEY?’ in the subject line. —-

IS THAT DOG WEARING A MONOCLE?

Dear Readers,
Have you ever looked at a dog and asked, "I wonder what that dog would look like in a monocle?"
For this edition of our long-running readlarrypowell.com weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap we present the answer to the question.
As luck would have it, one night this week we were watching something on television -- probably a British mystery -- and my funspouse Martha looks up from the book she was simultaneously reading and asks, "Does Wendy own a monocle?"
 Santa brought her a lot of stuff in her stocking, but we're almost certain monocular eyewear was not among her new fashion items.
Still, once glance at the way she was sleeping on her couch and cover suggests that perhaps she's rolled up the edge of the cover and is already giving us a hint for what she'd like for her birthday -- once we figure out when it is. As you may know, unwanted street dogs rarely travel with their personal papers.

Wendy's the girl Martha "adopted" from a couple of teenagers as the puppy chased them down Polk Street one busy afternoon in 2009. She's been our lead barker for years. She's also been a role-model sleeper --- an insomniac looks at her with envy.

Martha snapped the photo of the "Monocle Picture" and, later in the week of Wendy-watching, I took the plain on-the-couch photo. Wendy appears as herself in both sleeping demonstrations.
There are famous people who have worn monocles, but perhaps the most famous American is (left) Charlie McCarthy and (right) his long-time show business partner Edgar Bergen. Wendy says she follows the creed  she developed while listening to Mr. McCarthy: "You're nobody's dummy and don't let anybody put words in your mouth."
Wendy has a few eccentricities -- to be expected, since she's lived with Martha since 2009. Oh, and with me, too.
[DEAR READERS, Please send us photos of your slumbering animals so we can feature them in our weekend editions of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. The address is dallrp@aol.com -- include photos and inphos about your beloved animals. You may be helping someone decide to adopt a dog or cat or another critter that'll brighten their days. Or you may be helping an insomniac realize that a monocle can help a person sleep if properly balanced. Not sure how many of us insomniacs are anywhere near well-balanced.
--- Offer Brit reading tips or a wink by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put 'BLINK 'EM IF YA GOTTEM' in the subject line. ---

WARMING 'HOUNDS, A BETTY WHITE NOTE; COURT GIVES 80 ANIMALS TO SPCA; POWDER THE DOG'S FLINCH ...

BEFORE THE TEMPS DROP EDITION OF FRIDAY, JAN. 14, 2022 [PetPowellPress] We’ve got 3 main topics today: The SPCA of Texas got custody of all those rescued animals from Hunt County at a hearing Friday. The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas is coping with a heating outage at its Houn House boarding facility. And in Mesquite there’s a dog with a strong “flinch response” because he wasn’t loved enough (if at all) in his previous home. Also, some Contemplations.
WHEN HEAT FAILS IN WINTER,
IT’S A DOG’S LIFE — BUT GALT'S
TRYING TO KEEP THINGS WARM
We'll get to the Betty White story in a second. First, there's a chance to help some people help animals.
About a week ago we cited the situation being faced by Houn House, the boarding facility of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas: ”Broken gas line and no heat at the kennel” that began as the old year was ending.

This morning, as I awoke to a nice spring morning in our neighborhood, I opened the weekly newsletter from the folks with GALT and saw the headline, “OUR HEATING SAGA CONTINUES.”

GALT's report reads that by the end of that first weekend, “we were already on the second external diesel heating unit. This past Monday evening, the motor on the replacement unit stopped working and, unfortunately, the overnight temps were dropping to freezing. A third replacement unit was not immediately available. At 9 p.m. several volunteers converge upon Houn House to set up several crates in the area of the building that has electric heat for dogs that would not wear jackets.” [LARRY NOTE: More on that in Contemplations.]
The volunteers, according to GALT, set up fans to blow the “warmer air into the run area for the remaining hounds. Thanks to previous caulking repairs our volunteers made on new Year’s Eve and the strategic placement of towels to keep out the cold, the temperature in the kennel area stayed in the mid-50s overnight!”
While we usually cite photos of adorably adoptable Greyhounds, that’s a photo of the third heating unit that was set up this week and “now the heat is back on,” GALT reports. Also, GALT is “still waiting word from Atmos Energy about the long-term solution to repair the gas line to the facility.”

The reasons readlarrypowell mentions all this are these (1) This might be a great time for you to adopt or foster a Greyhound from GALT and (2) GALT always needs donations. These people are very serious about getting every Greyhound into a happy place. And, in winter, a warm place, and in spring, summer and autumn in Texas, a cool place. Go to galtx.org and see how you can help, foster and adopt. Maybe there’s somebody reading who can even repair the whole shebang at no cost. Heck, a fellow can dream, right?

 The weekly newsletter also had a tribute to actress/personality/animal fan Betty White. It was a “”note from one of our adoptors, Mark Johndrow, who got to meet her.” John had written about this photo, “In 2012, Paula and I, with Greyhound Skidmore Salvator (“Sal”) were on our annual Greyhounds Reach the Beach excursion in Delaware, enjoying the vendor tens, dog-watching, ice cream socials with dog friendly cold treats, evening gatherings at all the restaurants and a large enclosed field where the Greys were able to open up and run. On one particular afternoon, we spotted the figure we all know and love from TV, Betty White, walking on the beach! She was the keynote speaker that weekend. … On that day we were lucky enough to be n the beach when Ms. White was taking in the ocean breezes. We hurried our Sal a big to catch up, hoping for a quick photo. Not only did we get our photo, she took a few minutes out of her stroll to ask about us and our Sal. What stood out the most was that she was a kind, gentle, caring person with a heart to match her smile and wit. To this day we brag about meeting Betty White and were saddened to hear of her recent passing. We know that our Sal has gained a friend across that Rainbow Bridge and they shall met on the other sands again for another ear scratch and nose kisses.”
[LARRY TIME-OUT: I’ve got to dab something out of my eyes. I’ll blame allergies.]

OK, you already know how to adopt a GALT Greyhound — go to galtx.org — and among those Greyhounds is this girl Sally, a 5-year-old fawn female. [LARRY EARHOUND NOTE: Yes, Sally is an Earhound, too. And we refer to this set of ears as “Divorce Ears.” Sally was “surrendered due to a divorce,” GALT says. If you’ve ever been through a divorce, you know that for about 4 or 5 years your ears are kind of askew and will blow in the wind. Divorce Ear Syndrome.]

And, don’t forget, Nick and Nora. Rescued as tiny puppies from a cruelty situation in Paul’s Valley, Okla., the siblings were initially identified as Greyhound puppies, so GALT took them in. As you can see, Nick and Nora have not grown up to be actual Greyhounds, but they have grown up to be adorable adoptables and "Honorary Greyhounds" to be treasured and treated with the love all dogs deserve. They are clearly photogenic!
OK, everybody stay warm.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE
WARM DOGS AVAILABLE
This was the part of Powder’s bio that got to me. “He has a strong flinch reflex when you reach for him, indicating that was possibly harshly disciplined.” That came from Mesquite Animal Services volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm who has met and walked with this guy. Powder is about 2, weighs 58 pounds and came in as a stray. His breeds include a mix of “American Pit Bull/Dogo Argentino/American Bulldog.”
 Was he a treasured house dog? Not at all, Debra suggests. “From his appearance it seems likely that Powder lived outside.  He is tentative when walking on a leash.  He needs to build more confidence when being walked on a leash.  It is hard to tell how he reacts to other dogs because when he was led through the bay he was scared.  It takes a bit of time for him to warm up but after being shown kindness he will relax and enjoy loving attention. Powder was quite happy to explore the yard during the photo shoot.  He does have a cherry eye.  He has a calm and well-mannered demeanor and does not jump on you.” Powder is #49380224 — use that when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmes- quite.com.

Debra says this black and tan mixed breed is Mason, about 2, weighs 57 pounds and came in as a stray on the 7th. “Nothing shy or timid about this fellow,” she writes, adding, “He has a very energy level and jumps on you quite a bit.  He needs obedience classes to be taught to not jump.  In fact, this would not be a good fit for a family with young children as he would jump on them and knock them over.  Mason would enjoy a family with teenage boys who would wrestle with and give him lots of exercise and play time.  Mason is friendly and seems really to enjoy hanging out with people.” He’s #49375396.
This guy is Gelato, a Dutch Shepherd mix who — get this, Dear Readers, — was SURRENDERED TO THE MESQUITE SHELTER on Jan. 6 with “3 other family dogs.” Why? “Financial hardship,” was the reason given, Debra reports. [LARRY ASIDE: Bless those dogs, bless those people — may all find happiness after this wretched experience.] The 45-pound, year-old, neutered dog is “quite timid and nervous and seems bewildered as to why he has ended up in a city shelter,” Debra writes. “He is a bit skittish and somewhat restless in the yard. He is cautiously friendly and takes a while to relax and warm up.  He needs to build confidence and learn to trust but he has so much potential. He will need a little extra TLC and patience.  He does not seem to know any commands. Gelato is OK with being petted and loved on.” He’s #49367132.
And there’s Big Man, 2, a 54-pound mixed-breed who was surrendered on the 6th because his human “has a sick relative who needs his attention and he did not have the time to care for Big Man any more.” Big Man is a “calm gentle and well-mannered” dog who “doesn’t jump on you,” Debra reports. He likes kids but not cats.
She also says, “He is cautiously friendly.  He just scared and doesn't quite know why he is in this noisy place instead of with the people who had him as a family pet for 2 years.  He does have some scars on his body but not sure the cause.  Owner said he was an inside/outside dog.  From the looks of him, he appears to have spent most of his time outdoors.  He needs to learn to trust and will doubtless relax."
And Debra wrote, "This boy captured my heart and I hope there is a person or family who will see his sweet nature and the potential he has to be a wonderful family pet.” Big Man is #49352968.
In honor of the weather, we cite another of the animals you can see by clicking on THIS LINK to animals in the Mesquite shelter. This girl is Sunny Lou (#48799568), just over 2 years old. Mesquite has a range of cats and kittens available for adoption and for rescue groups.
CONTEMPLATIONS
COATS, CATS & COWBOYS
That Greyhound story that included the line “Greyhounds that would not wear jackets” reminded me of some of the tough older fellers I grew up around in Northeast Texas. I am imagining the tough ex-athlete Greyhound fellows turning down the offer of a jacket and going to a corner of the yard to huddle with like-minded men and smoke in the winter night while complaining about how cold it is. But, that’s probably just my upbringing. I watched those guys from a distance -- never smoked. Winter coats have always sold well in Texas, right? But the men are still really tough, right? …
I began typing this as two perfectly warmed cats, William the Older Office Cat and Hastings the Apprentice Kitten (still not sure what he’ll grow into — might be a Tufted Texas Big Bend Leopard) stage a WWF (World Wide Feline) rasslin’ match on the floor of my office. Rowdy boys. They stopped after 3 falls and apparently took a commercial break at one of the food dishes. …

And just for fun, here’s a last-century recording of a Dallas Cowboys fight song. CLICK HERE. We have no betting tips and no prediction for the weekend’s playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. Not one prediction. OK, one prediction: No snow on the field. In spite of Stock Show Weather.
—- Offer favorite song or tap dance video by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “BE QUIET, BIG TAPPER” in the subject line. —-

STOCK SHOW WEATHER, A PLAYBOOK, SAVING KITTENS AND PUPS -- IT'S ALL PART OF THE CENTURY

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY JAN. 13-14, 2022 [PetPowellPress] As I’m typing this, the sky is beautiful, the sun is shining and it’s a day that suggests — to the unsuspecting— that good weather is embracing Fort Worth and Dallas. But we’ll get to “Stock Show weather — different kind of embrace — and the Shakespearean Dallas Cowboys in Contemplations. First we’re taking up these cats! Why? Because we need a happy story, don't you think?

VERY PREGNANT, MALNOURISHED,
HOLLY BIRTHS HALF-A-DOZEN….
Take Me Home Pet Rescue — a continuing rescue blessing based in Richardson — sent a promotional note around during the week and had this remarkable announcement: “Take me Home Pet Rescue was able to save: 354 kittens, puppies, dogs and cats in 2021.” That's during a pandemic, right?
TMHPR didn't save 'em all "one at a time." See that photo with that ragged cat and the half-dozen kittens? That beautiful orange cat on the left is the formerly bedraggled Holly.
The caption read, “In December, a Good Samaritan found a very pregnant malnourished cat she described as ‘a skeleton with a tuft of hair.’ Beautiful mama — Holly — was taken into our program and became the proud and loving mother” of all six, until the adoptions came through for Mistletoe, Poinsettia and Tinsel.
So, readlarrypowell.com summoned my limited math skills and counted the names and came up three short on kitten names. Immediately I sent a note to TMHPR Cat Foster Coordinator Melanie “Mel” Bullock who included “Cat-Rescuer Susan’s” story. Here’s the explanation:
Susan had been working at her daughter’s house on Holly St. and, she writes, “We had decided to take a break from demolition and walked out to her front yard. Up walks this skinny cat that looked like a skeleton with tufts of hair and a huge tummy. It was triple digits that day — so hot. This kitty came right up to us, panting and asking for help.” They helped her with water and food. 
“I fed and fed and fed her,” Susan wrote. “She was so grateful. I set her up with a birthing box, lots of towels and a soft blank.d. Fifth day she had six beautiful little babies, all healthy. She was such a great mom., cleaned each baby and never complained. They started nursing and grew like crazy. Holly was very proud of them.” Susan found a home for two of the kittens with “my dear friend and cat lover” and then a friend and coworker took the largest male kitten.” 
TMHPR helped the remaining 3 kittens — Mistletoe, Poinsettia and Tinsel — find homes. 
And that leaves Holly waiting for a home. 
Susan The Demolition Rescuer writes, “I would love to keep her but I am extremely allergic to cats. Love them, just can breathe very well around them. I know hOlly will make someone the best best companion. She is so loving — as the kittens left, it was like she understood. Now it’s her turn.”
Ask about helping Holly or adopting Holly by going to https://tmhpr.com.
Being a veteran observer of cat and dog rescue situations, I asked if TMHPR could use some help in the fostering department. 
Mel replied, “We can ALWAYS use more fosters.  I have several cats/kittens waiting in the wings because I don't have a foster."
At the bottom of her email she has this quote: “Remember, fostering isn't a lifetime commitment, it's a commitment to save a life"
OH, AND ONE MORE TMHPR animal: This beauty is young PK, short for “Penalty Kick” — it’s a soccer term. The story is the dog with a chemical burn the length of her back was rescued from an “overcrowded shelter.” And, TMHPR reports, “Scared, hurt, and unwanted, she came into our program and with the care of a wonderful foster, healed and was adopted. PK stands for Penalty Kick, a term used to award a player a chance to have a single shot at the goal! In this case, PK got her goal, not just with this kick but with this new adopting family!”
PK was not “disposable property,” TMHPR suggests.

THE DOG WHO BEAT THE ODDS —
THE FIRST TIME. NEEDS NEW HELP…
This is Ruger, who I think we’ve mentioned before. That’s some running stance, isn’t it? [NOTE TO DALLAS COWBOYS: Don’t know if he’s under contract with an NFL team.]



The person monitoring this boy’s progress through society is Gail Whelan, our long-time contact with the Companion Animal Network. You can ask about adopting this boy or fostering him — Gail wants someone with experience — by calling 903-967-3226 or email can.adop- tions@yahoo.com.
 The story on Ruger is he’s a 3-year-old Black and Tan Coonhound and, in September, he was “rescued hours before his scheduled euthanasia at the Smith County shelter in Tyler.” 
Gail’s note says, “Ruger needs some loving, caring people to foster or adopt him and work on his manners and housetraining.  We are able to help financially for the right person or family.  Ruger lives with me and has since September.  With 15 dogs here, I am unable to give him the one on one he must have.  He is sweet and low key.  He has a lovely personality!  My experience tells me that perhaps Ruger was kept in an outside pen and he became accustomed to eliminating in that pen as he had no options. 
“Ruger is fully vetted and approximately 65 pounds.  He IS a low positive for heartworms but has already started his protocol.  He does NOT need to start injections in the near future.”
Once again, call Companion Animal Network at 903-367-3226 or email can.adopttions@yahoo.com.
AN OKLAHOMA CAT
WHO DRAGS A LEG….
If you’ve been reading this site for years, you’re accustomed to finding stories of animal rescue by our Burns Flat, Okla., tipster, the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher. 
On Thursday morning she sent this note: “I received a call about this poor sweetheart this morning…The people had seen her dragging her back leg and having a hard time getting around.  
 They called me but I was out of town    I had them drop her off at my vet…
“It’s not a brand new injury   But old enough they can’t really set the leg    They aren’t positive what happened but feel possibly she was kicked, the way it’s broken   They are giving her something to get rid of the infection and then said she needs crating for about two months.    

“I’m swamped here. … I need help. Her vetting and possibly a place for after this weekend that she can go. If anyone can help, please, please let me know.”
And Terry Lynn closes with “Thank you all!” She’s saved a lot of animals and gotten help from a lot of people. This cat needs a good deal. Email Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
STOCK SHOW, PLAYOFFS, A TUNE…
As this is being typed, the temp is in he 70s. Ah, but the meteorlogically-informed know the best way to predict Fort Worth and Dallas weather for this time of year is to monitor the Cowtown Clouds, i.e., the predictions of “Stock Show Weather” — the Big Show (“This Thing Is Legendary”) runs from Friday the 14th through Feb.5. I don’t know why that trademark slogan isn’t spelled “This Thang is Leginderry.” — like somebody from my beloved East Texas wrote it. Back tot he weather. Yep, for the next stretch, keep a sweater or jacket handy and an umbrella, too, and maybe some t-shirts and gym shorts — Stock Show Weather. In 1971, an old hand at the Tarrant County Courthouse told your young reporter, “Watch out for Stock Show weather.” I scoffed. I was wrong. ….
SHAKESPEARE AND THE DALLAS COWBOYS? The big playoff game is Sunday — Dallas Cowboys vs. rival from the last century, the San Francisco 49ers. So I found two quotes that may match the Cowboys’ efforts. Here’s a defense quote from the Taming of the Shrew, “I’ll not budge an inch.” And, from Macbeth, there’s this assessment of the referees’ performances: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” No prediction. That's William Shakespeare with his playbook. ….
The great songwriter Marilyn Bergman died this week. I should have written a “thank-you” letter to her — to her late husband Alan Bergman, too. Mrs. Bergman died at 93 on the 8th. Hard to pick just one song. I’ll go with one from 1968 with music by Michel Legrand and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. 
Here’s the link to The Windmills of Your Mind, the hit performed Noel Harrison for the 1968 movie version of The Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.
Here are the closing lyrics to the theme song:
“When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!”
Sometimes I miss the 1960s….
—- Offer ideas or idiocy by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “PEACE, LOVE AND LYRICS” in the subject line. —-

YOU WONDER HOW THESE THINGS OCCUR AND WHY -- AND HOW CAN THEY BE STOPPED

EDITION OF THURSDAY, JAN. 13/FRIDAY, JAN. 14 2022 [PetPowellPress] Oh, Dear Readers, I was going to start this edition with a riotous tale of the new “floater” in my left eye or the way our kitten Hasting Streetboy has trouble distinguishing between “Bite!” and “Don’t bite” in his little brain. We may be Band-Aid customers of the year for 2022.

 But, never mind all that. Here’s the deal. It’s time to admire some law enforcement types and non-profit animal fans. We’re catching up on a story that touches hearts (when hearts are working properly!).

You probably saw TV reports, heard radio reports, maybe even broke down and read a report in an anachronistic daily publication about the Sunday morning “raid” on a disgusting property in Hunt County, northeast of Dallas. That opening photo of the dog sitting on a “window cooler” outside the sickening house was the first I saw from the SPCA’s collection of raid photos.
[LARRY WARNING: The additional photographs may remind you of a dog or cat you have now or have known, a dog or cat you love and cannot imagine being in this evil condition. It may make you want to hunt down the person who did this to these animals and kick somebody’s ignorant ass, pardon my entirely appropriate French, as we sometimes righteous people sometimes say in Northeast Texas. The photo and video links are at the bottom of this report. As is the link to the SPCA news release.]
The story, from the SPCA of Texas, reports that on Sunday morning, “the SPCA of Texas and the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office served a search and seizure warrant at a property in Hunt County, Texas, before removing 87 animals from the property. The animals included 73 dogs, 11 cats and three deceased puppies, which were transported to the SPCA of Texas’ Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center.” That’s in Dallas, as you probably know. It’s where the SPCA works hard to find homes for animals that have been, perhaps, at peril and not “surrendered.” And if the word “peril” ever fit an animal situation, this is it.
 FYI: At 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Justice of the Peace Sheila Linden will preside over a “civil custody hearing” in her Pct 1, Place 2 Hunt County JP Courtroom at 801 Stuart St. in Greenville.]
HOW DID THE SPCA FIND OUT ABOUT THIS TRAGIC SITUATION?
The SPCA reported that it “received a complaint of animal cruelty referred by the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office and visited the property on Friday, January 7. Upon arriving at the property, investigators observed a dog being attacked by another dog in its enclosure. Due to the exigent circumstances of the extent of the dog’s injuries, it was seized without a warrant. The dog was rushed to an emergency veterinarian where it succumbed to its injuries. At that point, the SPCA of Texas’ investigators worked with the Hunt County Sheriff’s Office to obtain a warrant to remove the remaining animals. The warrant was obtained on Friday, January 7, and served on Sunday, January 9. Criminal charges expect to be filed in this case.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Bless that person who tipped the Sheriff’s Office and keep the life-saving tipster safe. More people should live up to that standard of decency. See something? Tip the peace officers about the crime. Otherwise the fate of those animals is on your soul. I’m no preacher, but that might just count against a person when the roll is called up yonder.]
Since the raid, the surviving animals have been involved in the SPCA’s evaluate-and-care process in anticipation of helping them find good homes. You know how this goes. It’s rare that animals in a cruelty raid are perfectly healthy. Look, for example, at that little Chihuahua with the vampire-like toenails. Consider that Lab with the gunky left eye and that Boxer-looking baby with the inflamed left eye. And, Lord only knows what all might be involved in the lives of those two cats — the words “parasites” and “pregnant” comes to mind. 
Consider this paragraph from the SPCA text: “A mother dog and her puppies were found inside of a cardboard box, and additional neonatal puppies were found in another box. An injured cat was found underneath a couch, and a single neonatal kitten was found inside of a box on a stove. Three deceased puppies were found in an abandoned trailer on the property.”

And there’s this: “The SPCA of Texas measured the ammonia level to be 134 parts per million (ppm) inside of the home. For a point of reference, short-term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long-term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.”
That’s why the special masks on the rescuers. Criminal charges? May be filed, the SPCA says.
But getting help for the animals comes before any criminal cases can work their way through the criminal justice system in Texas. That's not carpet that dog is sitting on in the photo on the right.

[LARRY ASIDE: When you look at the photos and videos the SPCA took at the scene, perhaps you, too, will have admiration anew for the people who participate in these cruelty raids — those with badges and those with the SPCA mission. It takes guts and grit and a heart full of love. To see more photos and videos of the animals click on https://bit.ly/3Gb0cpd — on the right of that page, select a size of display — "grid" works pretty well. 
But, please, turn your computer’s volume up when you click on this VIDEO LINK.
 What you will see is totally disgusting, but these babies deserve to have their voices heard.
—- Offer opinions and objections by clicking on ‘COMMENT’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘SAVE ‘EM ALL SMARTLY’ in the subject line. —-

A SPECIAL CAT AND HIS BRO NEED HELP; ASSORTED ANIMALS IN AVAILABLE SITUATIONS AND 'HONORING THE 12TH'

EDITION OF JAN. 11, 2022 [PetPowellPress] This is being written on the 11th — and we’ll get to a fantastic cat opportunty in just a second (That's him, Benny).
Moving along: 
I’d have written this edition on the 10th but I took the day off. Back problem. You wouldn’t think that a wretched back would discourage sitting and typing. 
Much better today. I’m now able to sit, stand and, at times, flop over on the couch if there’s no cat or/and dog in the way.
These two kept me from flopping early this morning — yep, that’s a Monday morning photo taken during the "mood lighting" from a 1930s-era Kay Francis movie on Turner Classic Movies. That’s Porche Noel on the left and my personal counsel, The Senator, on the right. Neither knew the story of Kay Francis' career -- Hollywood, a tough place to work in those days.
Now, when Porche and The Senator take up the left side of the couh, a person has to type quietly with a laptop on the right side of the couch. Why? Because Porche sometimes wakes and barks. Why? The sound of the rapidly-typed keys being struck, to Porche, apparently, mimics the clatter of fresh cornflakes or Cheerios hitting the bottom of a thin bowl on the morning of a hangover. I haven’t had cornflakes, Cheerios or a hangover in years. I’m an oatmeal guy — January is National Oatmeal Month. More in Contemplations.
THE STORY OF BENNY
AND HIS BROTHER TIMON
The bottom line of this tale is this: Two cats need some help. We got the forwarded note from our pal Karen Lee of BarkleyWorld.com, the non-profit that works hard to help people with cats and dogs that have medical problems. 
That brings us to this 3-legged kitten named Benny and his healthy brother Timon.
They’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. And the contact point for them is Evan Watts at this email
evan.c.watts@gmail.com.

The Benny story reads that he is a year-old cream-colored Tabby who “loves to be held and be around people all the time. Benny was born with a missing left front leg from mid-humerus down which has left a sharp bone protrusion that periodically causes an abscess which requires daily flushing. He would need 100% amputation of the limb to the shoulder to resolve.” And as if that’s not enough for one cat, Evan’s note adds that Benny “was also diagnosed with a portosystemic liver shunt. He takes oral medication 3x a day. Surgery will also be needed to resolve this as well as his lifespan will be greatly reduced otherwise.  Benny will need to go to a home that can help continue his medical care and get the surgeries he needs.”

So, what’s the deal with Timon? The curled up orange tabby is “healthy and needs to be neutered." That’s all.

CASPER WAITS FOR A HOME
AND HE’S GOT A PERSONALITY
When we first got the bio of Casper from volunteer dog writer Judi Brown at Mesquite Animal Services, the described him as being a “quite a character” and having “a very notable personality.” 
He came into the shelter on Jan. 3 as a s stray. And Judi reports, “Casper is DEAF!” She also says he is “a lively ball of love and energy. He would made a wonderful addition to a family that could accommodate his needs.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: Many people reading this have probably had experience with a dog that has gone deaf. Casper — one suspects from his white coat — was probably born deaf and has never known a “hearing” world. So what? So he likes hugs and petting and attention just like any other mutt on this planet!]
Judi writes that Casper is “a white terrier pit with some Dalmatian-Like spots …My dog scanner app said he’s also part Carolina/English bulldog. He weighs 54 pounds and is not fixed. He has a docked tail and by docked I mean almost nonexistent.
"When I asked some of the workers about him, one said he was a ‘wuss,’ another a ‘doofus’ and the last one said he was a ‘wiggle butt!’ I found all these things to be true. He has a lively, happy, outgoing energetic personality! He’s very enthusiastic and does jump on you. Because he is so stocky and strong until he learned not do this he would most likely knock children down. Therefore he would be better suited for a home with older children. He sits for treats but does not take them gently. He liked exploring the yard. He chases a  ball but doesn’t retrieve it. He did his business in the yard. He has a very strong pull on the leash. He was so anxious to go outside he was not interested in meeting the other dogs in the bay. Further dog testing is suggested. If you’re looking for a fun-loving dog that will entertain you with his antics and love you to pieces come and meet Casper.” 
Casper’s ID is 49348857 - use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com.

You can see many more dogs and cats in the Mesquite Shelter by clicking on THIS LINK. The volunteer dog biographers Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm have provided bios of Dixie the Terrier Mix, Aspen the “Mixed-breed girl”, Bosley the Plott Hound, Tex the mixed breed, Eloise the mixed-breed, Kennedy the brindle mixed-breed and high-spirited Beckett, possibly an Anatolian Shepherd mix. You can scroll to these adorable adoptables when you click on the shelter link. You’ll also see lots of cats and kittens, including this guy (#49288014), known as Blue Sea. He’s pushing 3 months old, is small and came in on Jan. 3. How about those markings!
CATAHOULA CONSIDERATIONS
AT A SMALL OPERATION
The folks with 4-Legged Helpers have been trying to get some dogs out of small shelter care for weeks …
King is the 3-year-old “cutest snuggle pup” Catahoula fellow with the magnificent coat on a 55-pound, house-trained body! The Catahoula mix with the toy is Dakota, about 65 pounds and a youngish fellow. Loves to hang out with kids and grownups, too.
And we continue to suggest that someone needs to adopt Robby, that 10-month-old, really cute mix in the same Denton County “private animal control” as King and Dakota.
You can read about the specific animals by going to the 4-Legged Helpers Facebook page HERE.
And to ask about these guys, call or text the Helpers’ Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE MONTH, THE DAY, THE PLANS
We opened this edition with a note about January being National Oatmeal Month.
Indeed, declared by the National Whole Grains Council. So, you’d assume National Oat Meal Day would be in the opening month of the year, too. Nope. National Oatmeal Day is October 29 …
Though January is honoring Oatmeal, the date Jan. 12 is National Hot Tea Day (it’s celebrated DURING National Hot Tea Month) — the “day” was created in 2016 by “The Tea Council of the USA. Jan. 12 is also, according to the Holiday Insights on-line calendar, “National Pharmacist Day.” [Shout out to Ian, the pharma- cist/animalfan in our Eastern Seaboard Bureau at Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. Also, a “shout out” to my trusted, efficient, helpful friends at Ben Franklin Apothecary in Duncanville, Texas, my beloved apothecary since the years all started with “19”...
Back in October, I stopped in there to pick up my supply life-sustaining pills and, as I was getting out of my car, in the street that runs behind the world’s most helpful pharmacy and lunch counter (pimento cheese is magnificent), I rescued a tiny handful of a neglected, starving kitten who is now known as Captain Hastings Streetboy. Bless those who work in pharmaceutical arts and help cat-fans keep their health so they can bend over and lift kittens without a lot of back pain! Yes, that’s Hastings — he likes to work in the office with me — I work on quietly concentrating, he works on his leaping and landing skills, his ability to tap-dance on a keyboard. …
BACK TO things to do in National Oatmeal Month, according to Holiday Insights: 

"—Curl up by the fireside with a good book." [readlarrypowell.com suggests a sequel to Love Story, i.e., Love Means Never Having to Say Your Oatmeal is Sorry. If you’re born in 1970 or later, you may not get that joke.]

"—If you are a gardener, surf through seed catalogs and read a good Garden Blog. [readlarrypowell.com suggests The Scarecrow’s Secret Mission.]
"— Become a Birdwatcher. Strategically set up a bird-feeder where it can be seen from your window. You’ll be amazed at how many different kinds of birds over-winter in your backyard." [readlarrypowell.com suggests reading What The Birdwatcher Saw And Fainted.
]
"— If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em — participate in outdoor winter sports and activities."
[LARRY NOTE: Those January activities from Holiday Insights appear to be things to do when it isn’t a presidential campaign election year. Also, in North Texas, unless there’s some freakish weather, “outdoor winter sports” is golf. The main outdoor winter sport for a while was Texas Gravel Curling — the big toe-padded shoes are quite expensive. In Texas Gravel Curling, a 30-pound block of ice, known as “The Berg,” is slid skillfully across a field of well-graded pea gravel — the winning team is the one whose ice melts last — each turn is called a “cube.” Now, please enjoy some healthy hot tea and try to remember that what I’ve written about Texas Gravel Curling is made up. Had to plow new ground to come up with Texas Gravel. It had a rocky start. I just ran out of plays on rock-related words. In honor of Oatmeal Month, my brain turned to mush.]
—— Offer a day’s advice or oatmeal recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “YOU DON’T GET PAID FOR THIS, DO YOU?” in the subject line. —-

ONE NIGHT, THERE WAS THIS MOVIE ON....

As we wade so carefully into the constantly flowing year that is 2022, we wonder if eventually we'll need hip boots to navigate the politics and the flux produced by civilization and its efforts to be better or louder than it was in 2021.
Whatever is going on in the world, we plan to honor animals as companions and celebrate their ability to sleep
when humans cannot. Thus, we reach this weekend's edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We have some of each.
This first photo is of dear tabby girl Esme, born feral and almost immediately rescued in 2012. My laughriotspouse Martha (you shoulda heard her watching Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase in Foul Play the first time) loved the name after seeing that Burgess Meredith's Foul Play character named a pet snake "Esme."
Our Esme does not have reptilian qualities, other than hiding and pouncing -- and I'm not sure legless reptiles can, technically, pounce! 
This photo was taken one afternoon in the new year as Martha tried to snooze in her recliner -- Esme joined her. Neither admits to snoring. And we won't press the matter here.

The other photo was taken about 3 a.m. in the living room as I watched some old black and white film on cable. Couldn't sleep. Too sleepy to write. To sleepy to read. No human available for conver- sation.

So, I walked into the living room -- we have two couches. Wonderful Wendy, aka Wednesday Louise Wagstaff Arden, left her couch and took over one portion of mine. Porche Noel had followed me out of the bedroom and crawled up the ramp to take her usual TV-watching spot on the other end of the couch. They were quickly asleep and I was left to find a blanket to use while I borrowed Martha's empty recliner and hoped the film -- can't even remember what it was -- would put me to sleep. Might have been from the 30s. Could have been a colorized -- accounts for the odd glow-- "on demand" presentation of My Man Godfrey with William Powell and Carole Lombard -- it's a Depression Era comedy (released on Sept. 6, 1936).
[LARRY ASIDE: Lordy, lordy, I pray young people attending school these days are taught about such things as famous movie stars and the Great Depression and what it meant to America. National Context is important -- ask Porche or Wendy or Esme. ]
The thing about this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap is this: It demonstrates the joy of having animal companions in your life when you either can't fight off sleep, i.e., Martha, or you can't conquer a lifetime of insomnia, i.e., me. 
I am almost certain I was not being kept awake by money worries -- probably physical things such as dieting, a "floater" that suddenly appeared in my left eye and my search for a novel that can be made into a movie and converted into a long-running TV series. Might have been worried about the financial health of the federal government.
That brings us to this exchange between the wonderful character actor Eugene Pallette portraying Irene Bullock's (Carole Lombard's father) in My Man Godfrey. 
Dad rasps in a voice that makes dogs open their eyes for just a second, "I don't mind giving the government 60% of what I make. But I can't do it when my family spends 50%!" And Irene responds, "Why should the government get more money than your own family?”
 And there's a question that'll bug humans but won't keep clever dogs and cats awake -- they know how to invest. I've heard.
[DEAR READERS: Please send us photos of your slumbering animals and the story of their lives and why you love them. Email the photos and inphos to dallrp@aol.com. They'll look great in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You'll be helping other people decide that their hearts have room for loving animals. And you'll be helping insomniacs realize that they have more time than normal people to watch overnight TV and read books that they'll forget by morning.]
-- Offer book and film tips by clicking on 'comment' below and sleeping tips by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put "GET PROFESSIONAL HELP" in the subject line. ---

FOR FRIDAY, WE HAVE A WIDE-RANGING REPORT AND CHANCES TO HELP ANIMALS...

EDITION OF FRIDAY, JAN. 7, 2022 [PetPowellPress] We begin this edition with some rambling. Cue the cowpoke-on- the-prairie-music. Giddyup. 
Just a week ago we’re all getting geared up for New Year’s Eve and, suddenly, here we are at the end of the first full work-week of 2022 and checking the calendar for the next federal holiday!
So, when is the Super Bowl? It’s not in January. 
SB LVI 2022 is 2/13. 
What? Oh, Super Bowl 56. Sorry. I reverted to an old branch of the family tree of my ancestors and used the treasured ancient language’s Roman Numerals. 
That’s the day before Valentine’s Day, for those of you planning ahead. But, what if the Dallas Cowboys make it to the Super Bowl? “Pinguis forte,” as they’d say in the young eternal city. Latin for “Fat chance.” More in Contemplations:
CALLED OFF, BUT ANIMALS
ARE STILL AVAILABLE
Yep, the folks with Straydog Inc. had to cancel Saturday’s planned adoption day in West Plano, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still search for your new best friend at the legendary sanctuary and no-kill shelter in East Texas.
Go to straydog.org to see the adorable adoptables. 
We featured older dog Sam in the earlier notice about Straydog’s plans. He’s Mr. Handsome, isn’t he! 
At the other end of the age spectrum is this young guy Yeti. Why might “Yeti” be an appropriate name? 
He was dumped in the East Texas woods at about 3 months old and someone who found him knew someone with Straydog and his life was saved so that Yeti can become your adorable dog with a story to tell. Got to straydog.org to see how to adopt these guys and read their stories.

[LARRY ASIDE: If you know someone who dumps puppies or kittens in the woods, remember this: Abandonment of an animal is against the danged law in the state of Texas and the more of these jerks who get arrested and tried, the stronger that law becomes. And, remember, we’ve suspended sale of our 2022 model of the readlarrypowell.com Two-by-Four of Enlightenment until we can hook up a nuclear-powered zapper that’ll knock the fillings out of a nitwit’s teeth. We can get the point across by just pushing a small button — not need for a big league swing to the melon or the naughty bits. Don’t even have to yell a profanity, though that might feel good.]
SPCA OF TEXAS NAMES LEADERS;
YOU CAN ADOPT AND NAME ANIMALS
OK, that was a cheap-enough headline of facts. But here’s the deal. The SPCA of Texas announced in a news release Friday that it’s got a new Board Chair and 5 new board members who’ll be working with SPCA of Texas President and CEO Karen Froehlich. 
The new board Chair is Steve Atkinson, Realtor with Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate. You can see who else is new on the board by going to this NEWSY LINK.
Ah, but more importantly you can participate in the mission of the board and organization by adopting animals. 
At spca.org you can click to the available cats — I was looking at the cat listings Friday morning and thinking it was all really good mugshots until I got to this photo of a clearly precious cat. Her name is “Pizza Roll.” She came into the SPCA via a cruelty case investigated during the summer. And she’s a little “iffy” on relationships right now. Needs adults and, the SPCA suggests, she may “open up quicker if there’s another confident cat with me.” (That could be a hint to adopt TWO cats from the SPCA! She’s #48781792 at the SPCA. Pizza Roll is small, about 2 and beautiful.
This 7-year-old former stray fellow is also named for a food source — he’s Tofu at the SPCA. He’s also #8656835. And he’s probably too big for kids under 10 — his size is listed as “X-large.” Love treats, the SPCA says. No surprise there. 
See Pizza Roll and Tofu and so many others at spca.org.
Yes, that is a hamster named Kim Kardashian (#49155996).
Yep, the SPCA doesn’t just deal in dogs and cats. 
As Incoming Board Chair Atkinson was quoted regarding the SPCA’s mission, “There are many animals in need, and we are confident that under the guidance of our board the SPCA of Texas will rescue, rehabilitate and rehome thousands of animals in 2022.”
EFFORTS TO FIND HOMES
FOR DENTON AREA DOGS
These are 3 of the Denton County dogs that the non-profit 4-Legged Helpers are trying to help place in a reliable rescue or a reliable home. You can read more about these and other animals by going to the 4-Legged Helpers Facebook page HERE.
Handsome Lawson is a youngish Collie/Lab mix in a “private animal control” in Denton, according to the 4-Legged Helpers. He “loves to play catch and knows how to retrieve and bring the ball back….can sit on command and has a very sweet, gentle way of taking treats. Loves other dogs.” Hasn’t been around cats.
King is the 3-year-old, 55-pound “snuggle pup” Catahoula in Denton County. ”Loves kids and absolutely everyone.”

And, of course, Robby, inexplicably, continues to need a home that’ll accept a 10-month old happy and adorable puppy. The Helpers’ bio reads, “If you ever wondered what happiness looks like on 4 legs — that is Robby.”
Again, see how to help the Helpers help these guys, CLICK HERE.

CONTEMPLATIONS
COYOTES, A HERO DOG 
AND OUR ODD TIMES
I plucked this one off a neighborhood bulletin board posting from Arlington. On Thursday evening the writer reported, “At about 8:30 tonight we heard a loud whine in our backyard. Our adult son came with a flashlight and shone it in what we call the North 40, which is the wild part of RMP on the north side of 30. There stood a coyote, howling, we think to call its pack. Our little dog was in with us, but it might have seen something else it was interested in. Just keep your eyes on your animals. The coyotes seem to be very active right now, probably because of the cold, but they may have exhausted their natural food supply and are forced to look to ‘alternatives’.” [LARRY ASIDE: I posted this because sometimes I think people just don’t realize how dominant Mother Nature can be even if the streets are paved and your yard is fenced. Protect your cats and dogs, chickens, ducks, etc.]
Those photos of an urban bobcat and an urban coyote come from Chris Jackson’s DFW Urban Wildlife site HERE.

COLD IN JERSEY; WARMTH IN TINSLEY: In case you ever wondered about heroic dogs in places other than Texas and the general Great Southwest, our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, currently “chilling” — wait a sec. As I type this the temp is 32 in Denville and 34 in my Texas neighborhood. OK, so Andy is still “chilling” in the Eastern Seaboard Bureau on Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. Andy tipped us to this story of Tinsley the Shiloh Shepherd persuading police to follow her to her human’s crashed car. Click HERE.
IN OUR ODD TIMES, Omicron may cause the Super Bowl to leave California — you’ve probably seen that in the news. … Would be played in SoFi Stadium in the LA suburb Inglewood. SyFy is on cable — it used to be the SciFi Network but someone in marketing with a hint of Wales in their spelling must have come up with SyFy. Lots of “y’s” used in Welsh words. Back to TV: Syfy specializes in science fiction in an era when modern life so closely closely resembles science fiction: Millionaires and actors fly into space; tiny viruses bring nations to a halt; you can buy a wristwatch that does everything and more that you’d get in Dick Tracy’s wrist radio.
 All we need is Gort to land in Washington and set up a coffee stand on the mall. (Reference to the original 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still.
If the virus wins the argument, the Super Bowl may be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington….a town of around 400,000 with horrible traffic patterns between Dallas and Fort Worth.
There are people who are too busy to keep up with sports, so, in the spirit of public service and by virtue of having been a big city newspaper sportswriter in my early 20s, I thought I’d clear all this up with a prediction: uThe NFL will figure out a way to keep the big game in the LA area, souvenir masks will be handed out, the halftime performance will be a team of singing doctors giving vaccinations for 20 minutes in an attempt to set a world record for “Most Vaccinations at a Sporting Event.” I believe the current vaccination record is held by a futbol stadium in Barcelona — known for rabid fans until they were vaccinated. LINK TO ‘EM HERE.
No known connection to Barcelona or rabid fans of soccer, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo runs Jan. 22-Feb. 5, in case you live in 'sophisticated' Dallas and want to wear the new boots you got for Christmas to an appropriate venue.
—- Offer winter tips or spring dreams by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘STILL DON’T MISS AUGUST’ in the subject line. —-

NEIGHBORS, DOGS, CATS, GRAMMAR, LANGUAGES AND MARTIANS...

EDITION OF TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4-5, 2022 [PetPowellPress] You know how things have really changed in America. I got a piece of mail addressed to “Neighbor” at our home address and it had a return address of Carol Stream, IL.
 The word “neighbor” has been redefined, I guess.
Carol Stream, about 1,000 miles from DFW by car, is on the west side of the massive conglomeration known as “Chicagoland” — and it also is just north of Downer’s Grove. No. Downer’s Grove has nothing to do with Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. The Martians landed in Grover’s Mill, N.J. But as neighbors to the world, I’m sure we all remember that. (We have more about Carol Stream in Contemplations. But, first, check these opportunities to be a good-hearted human on your own portion of Planet Earth.) Oh, that's me and William Powell -- he wanted to show off his pink nose and those eyes over his eyebrows. He's big into illuisions.

A NOTE FROM BURNS FLAT
WHERE …WELL, READ ON… 

At readlarrypowell.com, we’ve been writing for years about Terry Lynn Fisher’s rescue adventures and triumphs in Burns Flat, Okla. 
She’s up against a challenge right now. Discussing “Team Terry Lynn,” the people who help her keep Burns Flat’s shelter no-kill, she writes, “We have never all been sick at same time. It’s been horrible.”
Pneumonia got her first, “but it just wasn’t getting better,” she told us.” Then, this week, she learned that she and her “two sons that help me so much all have Covid." Jason is “feeling better,” she says, but “Scott, Ellie Rose (the granddaughter) and I are still pretty bad.”
Terry Lynn’s been resilient for years. She writes, “I’m sure going to clean and feed in the cold temps doesn’t help.  But like I’ve always said, there are no bad weather days or sick days in rescue.”
And, she also says, “The only place I’m going is to the pound and back!”
In case you want to offer her some help or some encouragement, email remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
TWO THINGS FROM STRAYDOG
THAT GOT TO YER OL’ TYPER
UPDATE: THURSDAY EVENING NOTE FROM STRAYDOG! The folks with Straydog report that their adopton day at PetSmasrt in West Plano has been cancelled. [LARRY NOTE: That is the era in which we live. Cancel City!] We'll leave the rest of this page posted because it contains information that will help you adopt a dog who isn't going to get to be on display this weekend in Plano. You can still adopt via the Straydog's online operations!]
I was typing along when, suddenly, a teardrop got in the way — is that a country song? Moving along: One piece of art has animals needing homes and the other has a dog who got a home — that’s the way it’s ALWAYS supposed to work out. At every shelter, with every rescue group, with every roaming mutt or cat lunkheads like me and my nonlunkheadunspouse Martha manage to pick up off the streets or out of a park or off our front porch.
Yeah, I’ve visited Straydog Inc., the great “no-kill shelter and sanctuary” in East Texas that is a place for animals and, yes, for people, too. The people who work there and volunteer — not sure they’re called “Straydogians” but why not? — may just find their lives enhanced by the animals they help tend to at this very special place in a state where people have to work hard to make sure animals aren’t treated like trash. 
Both of these pieces of artwork came from the same Straydog Inc. e-mail.
That first one is an announcement about the upcoming Straydog Adoption Day — it’s Saturday the 8th at the Petsmart West Plano. Don’t look for Mack the dog on the adoption list at this Adoption Day. Nope, as that second illustration says, Mack has found a home! [LARRY ASIDE: Based on my experience with dogs and cats and twin boys, I’d say that photo looks a whole lot like he’s having breakfast with a cat! Like nearly everybody else with an understanding of phrases such as “cat- like speed” or “dogged pursuit,” they may be discussing the Dallas Cowboys! Or Mack is about to ask, “How do I get seconds?” And the cat will respond, “Seconds? You can’t stay movie star thin and eat seconds!”]

Now, I don’t know which of Straydogs’ dogs will be at the adoption day, but you can go online at straydog.org and click to the available adoptables where you can see this older gentleman, Sam, a Boxer-mix “born approximately in the middle of 2009,” the sanctuary says. [LARRY ASIDE: Sam’s good with dogs and kids and adults and nobody is sure about cats, but 3 outta 4 ain’t bad. Look at that face! That is the face of a dog with soul. May some good-hearted human have enough soul to match spot-on with Sam.] You also can follow Straydog Inc. on FACEBOOK HERE.
MEANWHILE, OUT AT THE LAKE
A FRIENDS CLINIC SATURDAY
Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake operates (so to speak) in the same general area as Straydog’s location. On Tuesdays, the Friends operate (again, so to speak) the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City.
But on Saturday the 18th, from 10 a.m. to noon, the clinic will be doing “affordable vaccinations, microchipping, heartworm testing and other non-surgical services.” Questions: Call the Friends at 903-451-4701. Masks? Yep, in the building, according to the latest posts.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
AH, THE SWEET PUPS
One of the great things about the City of Mesquite Animal Shelter is the organization has a gangbuster volunteer program. At readlarrypowell.com, we get to benefit from the work of a couple of volunteer dog biographers, Debra Chisholm and Judi Brown. 

Through that part of the volunteer program, that’s how we got to learn about Murphy, this “happy-go-lucky” Terrier mix who came in as a stray on Dec. 30. Our dog bio tipster Debra Chisholm says the year-old, 61-pound dog “is a a bit nervous and skittish in the shelter environment and seems uneasy with the barking of the dogs.  He walks sort of OK on a leash, but winds himself around and between your legs when you are walking him.  Leash training would be a great idea!”
 The thing is, she says, “Whether walking or just hanging out with him, he stays very close! He did not seem to have any aggression towards the other dogs when walked through the bay.  He loves treats and takes them gently.  When away from the noisy bay, he wags his tail and seems happy to be with a human friend.” Murphy’s shelter ID is #49334270. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
This guy Miles is “an American Pit Bull mix who was picked up as a stray by one of our officers … Miles [first] landed at the Mesquite Shelter in 2017 and was reclaimed.  His owners were contacted when he arrived on 12/26 and said they would be picking him up but have not done so and therefore looks like he will be looking for a new home.  Miles weighs 80 pounds, is approx 8 years old and is neutered.  He has a strong pull on the leash and when walked through the bay he did not show aggression toward the other dogs. … He loves to play fetch and is quite good for an 8 year old dog!  He has a fairly mellow personality and a moderate activity level.  He is friendly and has a pleasant nature.  He likes treats and takes them gently.  For a senior boy, he is quite spritely and energetic.  He does have some kind of skin condition on his face that will need to be looked at by a vet.  Will you please help this senior find a home where he can ‘chill’ inside and enjoy his people?” Miles is #36642913.  Yep, call 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Debra says the “Dog Scanner App” says Jimmy might be a mix with Saluki and Sloughi in the family tree — Salukis originated in Egypt and Sloughis in the “Fertile Crescent” of the Middle East. Wherever he came from in his family’s past, he wound up as a stray in Mesquite, delivered by an animal control officer on December 30. “He’s a real looker,” Debra writes, adding, “Jimmy weighs 48 pounds, is about 10 months old and is not neutered.  He has an outgoing and spunky personality, is a curious boy and enjoys time in the yard stretching those long legs.  He is a perky and enthusiastic fellow.  Jimmy doesn't jump on you. He takes treats gently, is friendly and has a sweet nature.  When the other dogs in the bay are barking, he howls.” 
She says Jimmy “walks quite nicely on a leash … He doesn't seem to know any commands.  … This would seem a good dog for an active person or family who would exercise and play with him daily and would teach him some commands.”
Jimmy’s ID is #49335435. Usual Mesquite contact points to ask about him.

See more Mesquite dogs and some Mesquite cats, too, by clicking on THIS LINK TO THE CITY SHELTER.
For example, consider this girl Emerald (#48707256). She’s said to be 4 years, 1 month and 2 days old. She’s small and “gray/black” the shelter’s bio says. She’s in the Cat Room and has been at the shelter since September 21. Long time for a shelter cat. The reason readlarrypowell.com is smitten by her is that championship set of whiskers! They look thick enough to bundle together and use to paint a house! Emerald — might be a good opportunity to have a conversation starter walking around in your house!
CONTEMPLATIONS
A VARIETY PACK IN 3 LANGUAGES
I got an email from a nice person named Dale who asked if I was also a member of the 1970 German class at Texas High in Texarkana. So, I am responding here: “Nein. Ich habe Mitte der 60er Jahre zwei Jahre lang Latein an der Texas High studiert. Könnte mein Bruder gewesen sein.” That’s from the online English to German translator. This is from the online English to Latin translator: “Nec. Linguam Latinam per biennium in medio annorum 1960 Maximum studui. Frater potuit.” I took two years of Latin. Didn't offer German when I was in high school. Lot of words in either language, so in English, the answer is “No.” By 1970 I’d already worked for three different newspapers and was struggling to maintain standards in English grammar and word definition that have, here in the 21st century, apparently been abandoned by people who never learned to diagram a sentence. One more note to Dale: Go Tigers. …

Earlier in this edition I mentioned being regarded as a neighbor of a business in Carol Stream, Il. “Il” is postal for “illinois.” Liked the old “Ill.” better. It grinds me to use “TX” for “Texas,” too — oughta always be spelled out for emphasis on the great Lone Star State. Anyway, is Carol Stream named for a creek or some beloved brook in a city park. Nope. It’s named in honor of the city founder’s daughter, Carol Stream. Here’s a link to the touching history of how a girl born at Christmas inspired the city’s name. …

When I read a headline in late 2021 that a “chip shortage” was affecting American commerce, I thought “computer chips” but when I was sent out just before Christmas to buy Frito Scoops for dipping at a little family gathering I realized the critical chip shortage was more dire than some electronic gadget. Yep, readlarrypowell.com is all about the important things in a happy life. Maybe not having a bucketload of chips for the holidays will help my new year lab tests. Yeah, that’s something a GeezerBoomer will say.
—- Offer diet tips and vegetarian soup recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put DODGE THE CALS! in the subject line. — doesn’t listen to me. —-

FOR THE FIRST MONDAY OF CHILLY JAN. 2022, WE HAVE GALT NEWS AND OTHER TALES

EDITION OF MONDAY/TUESDAY JAN. 3-4, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Early this Monday morning, while my gainfully employed spouse Martha caught a few greatly deserved minutes of sleep, I fed the dogs and cats, checked the laundry, contemplated the world (thank you WBAP 820 AM) and wrote a note to our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief, the historically minded Andy Fisher in Denville, N.J., about the silent film star Corinne Griffith. He hadn't asked about her, but I had answers and was inspired to type.
Instead of typing, a gentleman would have girded up for winter, gone out to my Notfondof- freezingspouse Martha’s car and started it so the heater would give her a comfortable atmosphere when she got into it to drive to work. If only she’d married a gentleman. 
Had she’d called me from her car, all I’d have been able to hear would have been chattering teeth and the dinging of a warning light that read “SEAT WARMER FROZEN.”
 But, here’s my excuse: Since last February’s storm, I’d forgotten how cold winter gets in North Texas. Bowie County boy, you know. In the corner of Northeast Texas winter just meant finding the sweater you got for Christmas and immediate put away and, maybe, putting on two pair of thin year-round socks. So, to everybody who went back to work on this bright and shining Monday in North Texas, surely the temps will be in the 80s by Tuesday afternoon. Surely. If not, blame ERCOT.
FYI, that's my colleague and research guide The Senator headbutting my massive nose to the side. He does that sometimes.
SOMETIMES NOTHING IS ROUTINE
IN THE GREYHOUND ARENA …
The word “surprise” is so common that maybe it’s routine in the world of the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas. The most recent newsletter from GALT reads, “At this point in the year, we are usually setting aside the past calamities and looking forward to a bright and shiny new year. In 2021, we definitely faced many unexpected challenges and we feel so proud of how our volunteers and supporters stepped up to help us face them. But as this difficult year closes, we are already seeing a preview of the challenges awaiting us in 2022.”
Yep, up to that point, it’s a pretty normal “Hello New Year note.” but then there’s the revelation about Suri, the girl in the photo. The 4-year-old originally named “Dancin’ Survivor,”came into the care of GALT in May of 2021. She had a really badly broken leg that appeared to be “savable” — some expensive surgery, “an external fixator” and “months of slow recovery,” GAL reports. Then, as the year drew to an end, Suri broke that leg again. This time amputation was the answer. So, this 3-legged Greyhound has become the symbol of “the unexpected” that can face rescue groups. 
You’d think that would be enough. (That's Suri in both of those dog photos.)
The second paragraph from GALT begins, “Additionally, we recently discovered an underground gas leak at our boarding kennel. For safety, we have turned the gas off until we can address it. Of course, the nighttime lows are way too low for the comfort of Greyhounds in an unheated building.”
 GALT is renting a heater. Pondering the future.
But until then, if you have “fostering in your heart,” this might be a good time to ask about helping the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas. 
As the GALT note reads, “And the Omicron variant of COVID-19 still threatens to make everything we do harder and more expensive in so many ways — at least for a while.”
Oh, yeah, there are adoptable Greyhounds you can see on the website galtx.org, but also, there are these two “honorary Greyhounds.” Nick and Nora were just puppies when they were part of a cruelty seizure in Pauls valley Animal Control — they looked like Greyhound puppies when theyw ere little bitty dogs. GALT took ‘em in and now the American Staffie/Boxer mixes are available for adoption. Clearly, to readlarrypowell. com, they need to go together. 

Now, one more note: This report is inspired by Suri and the Greyhound gas leak situation, but it fits every shelter and rescue group that has more animals than the “regulars” can handle. It’s a one-word solution: “FOSTER.” Here’s the LINK for becoming a GALT foster. 

And here, from the GALT page, is a spot-on explanation of fostering written by Diane Morgan in “A Poem To My Foster Dog.” She wrote, "I am the bridge between what was and what can be. I am the pathway to a new life.” Here a LINK TO THE ENTIRE POEM and if the word “mush” describes your heart in the first 4 lines, you’re probably a foster in need of a rescued animal around the house.
CLASP’ HAS A VIDEO
WITH DOGS AND CATS!
This was a great surprise Monday morning when I was opening the emails. A note from one of our favorite non-profits, CLASP which is “Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets.” 
The video we got can be clicked on HERE. It begins with some of the adopted dogs who encountered farewells during the preceding year — but that’s kind of uplifting because you know that dogs and cats facing bad situations lived out their lives while being loved.
Then you move on to photos of dogs and cats that were adopted and, then you see some of the CLASP animals available for adoption (i.e., Teddy and Bambi!) as you realize your house needs these animals to make it a home! [LARRY ASIDE: Maybe that’s overselling it — maybe, like the house we live in, the animals own it and we’re made happy and comfortable because they think it’s OK that Myfunspouse Martha and I live here.] Go to cowtownpets.org to see how to adopt and how to foster, too.
THE PUPPY GIVEN AWAY
AT THE GAS STATION ….
All before and during the holidays we kept posting several animals that are in the spotlight provided by the non-profit 4-legged Helpers. Then, the first email we opened from the Helpers Monday had this photo of a little girl named Heidi, now at the Ferris Animal Shelter. (You want to take her into your heart and home, call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-272 6 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.)

What’s her story? She’s the Aussie Shepherd/Border Collie puppy who was “being given away at a gas station that someone picked up and gave to someone who did not want a puppy.  This is the result of what happens to those puppies you see being given away like this.  They end up at an animal shelter.    Please, won't you help save her???  She's about  4 to 4.5 months old and just as baby sweet and cute as cute can be.”
You can go to the Facebook page for 4-Legged Helpers Inc. and see thee other dogs in dire need of help: We’ve written previously about Logan who loves to play; Aspen The Husky; Dustin who loves to give kisses; Brenn and Bryce the Boxer-mix siblings; and that boy with the great face, Robby, a young fellow who “loves to cuddle” and know show to make an adorable face. Again, use those 4-Legged Helpers Contact Points.
CONTEMPLATIONS
DETACHING FROM THE HOLIDAYS
Just FYI: The dogs and cats are spending the day on assorted furniture and rugs and seem quite happy, though Dudley The Angel keeps getting up and walking to the hall to check the front door — he believes Martha’s coming back any moment, as she has done for the past two weeks. …. I hope this post-holiday tranquility is the case for your animals as the holiday season draws to a close. Yeah, it has to draw to a close — it can’t just stop abruptly can it? (Still got lights to take down, things to put away.) On the other hand, the day after Christmas I walked into a pet store and was greeted with a “Valentine’s Day” display for dogs and cats. It was right next to the July 4 treats and the Halloween 2022 masks. I made up that part about Independence Day and Halloween. But, nowadays, anything’s possible, apparently. … 
Funniest thing I heard over the New Year’s Weekend? Can’t repeat it in polite company. The witty line came from a granddaughter, however. Such an angel. May we all find things to joyously laugh about the rest of this year! If you’re enjoying the cool weather, give this SONG A LISTEN BY CLICKING HERE.
—- Offer sage advice or advice about sage by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “REMEMBER TO EXERCISE” in the subject line. —-

THE NEW YEAR ARRIVES AS WE FOCUS ON A GENTLEMAN CAT & A KITTEN IN TRAINING, PLUS A BETTY WHITE NOTE

As 2021 draws to a close and 2022 arrives with all the sparkle of a diamond ring in the intense strategic lighting over jeweler’s display case at Christmas, I offer this photograph of young and old.
We’re using it to celebrate the feline portion of the theme of our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

We’re also going to mention someone the animals lost as the year drew to a close: Betty White, not just the actress but the animal advocate. She was 99, almost 100 — made the age seem too young to go, didn’t she. That’s a Parade Magazine photo of the star. Here’s a great quote from Betty White: “If animals have moody days, they handle them better than humans do.” [LARRY NOTE: “As a moody human, I concur!” snarled Larry. Now: back to our weekend edition.]
In the opening photo for this edition, the older cat is The Senator, my companion and advisor since 2008 — he was already 6 or 7 when we got him -- wandered up and stayed. The beige-with-highlights cat is Hastings, i.e., Captain Hastings Streetboy, our latest rescue — born in September of this year, found blind in a street on October 4... Old and young — like 2021 and 2022.
The Senator is a gentleman. He is napping in Martha’s recliner. Hastings, maybe 3 months old (barely) and maybe 5 pounds, is not quite napping — maybe. He was too alert to catch from the front, so he was probably just wide awake and flopped down to plot his next adventure. They represent the changing of years.
This photo captures The Senator with my office cat, William Powell, lounging on one of our couches where they have a perfect view of the TV. 
William is a former neighborhood feral who wandered up one day while I was painting the wooden trim at our old Dallas house. I hated to move him out of Dallas — the city has such a striking shortage of unwanted feral tabby cats. [LARRY ASIDE: I may need to check those cat stats.]
 William decided he liked me and adores Martha, so he moved in.
Every morning William and I have a hugfest at the keyboard in our office before I begin writing — it’s a lot like the relationship author John Steinbeck had with his editor Maxwell Perkins, only I’m not Steinbeck and William doesn’t like to use a pencil on paper. No thumbs.

Now that Hasting the Kitten is out of isolation after all his shots and tests, he and William have become romping buddies though William is still a little bit skeptical of the youngster’s motivations. William sleeps. Hastings is learning. 

Sometimes William sleeps on the beat up chair I rescued off a curb and intended to re-upholster years ago. 
He’s not always stereotypically curled up on the cushion. As you can see, he can nod off while sitting up in the chair like a philosopher who just dropped off while leaning over to listen to a tedious colleague trying to make a point about some theory of successful existence in the intellectual community. 
And we have some youthful photos of Hastings -- he's got a certain happiness that we cannot deny! [LARRY ASIDE: Here he is sitting on my laptop while wearing one of Martha's sparkly homemade anti-covid masks. Martha got him to try it on. It made her smile. It seemed to make Hastings feel all dressed up!]
So, as we launch ourselves into a new year, all of us at readlarry- powell.com wish the world a 2022 that is wonderfully laden with peace and good will and overabundant with joy. May we all find ourselves cheerily embracing a happy planet populated by get-along and do-right people! Not much of a challenge, eh? 
Start by hugging a cat, petting a dog and being a strong, loveable human being. Those 3 steps won’t solve all the planet’s problems, but they’re a start. And, then, maybe mankind won’t be in such a hurry to get off the planet. Not that I don’t trust mankind after 2021. Aw, I’m kidding — kind of. As my dear, late friend, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, use to say to me, "Life? Lap it up!" Amen.
— Offer global advice or local tasty pie tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put LAY OFF THE CALORIES 2022 in the subject line. —-

FROM A CHICKENWIRE TREE TO A LOVED DOG NAMED ODDBALL, WE MOVE TOWARD 2022

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY DEC. 30-31 [PetPowellPress] This is a long edition — but it’s appropriate, as you see by reading on.
As we move right on to New Year’s Eve, I’m posting what appears to be a Christmas photo. 
It is not. Though, yes, that looks like a Christmas tree. 
For purposes of this edition, that illuminated piece of art is going to be referred to by it’s household name: “chickenwire tree.” 
My creativespouse Martha made it many years ago. She was in a good mood with me, so she went with chickenwire instead of barbed wire. 

And, as we get to this point, please allow readlarrypowell.com to wish all of you Dear Readers more of the gentle “chickenwire 2022” than the “barbed wire 2021” we’ve just been through. Heck, something was always prickin’ our hides in 2021. Back to my ol’ soft heart:

On Tuesday, when I was in my home office pretending to be working on The Lesser American Novel, my yulespouse Martha decided to take down the Christmas tree and put away all the tinsel and ornaments and “seasonal accents.” She has a dismantleization system. Involved a big plastic bag. I was, mercifully, not part of it. I also am pretty sure “dismantleization” is not a real word.

I’d been typing madly on something and simultaneously I’d run out of words and green tea (philosophical change in my drinking life). I’d heard racket from down the hall and figured “kitten playing rough.” As I walked past the living room door toward the kitchen, I realized Martha had just about emptied the limbs on our wonderful semi-flocked fir tree. It was the least-expensive flocked tree we could find and it looked — wonderfully — as if it had been hit by a traditional Northeast Texas snowstorm —a little bit of snow on the needles, not like that maniac storm from last February that buried the landscape. 
What stopped me in my tracks was the sadness I felt in the removal of the tree from a living room that looked so warm with it sitting there, not glaring in lights, but offering a pensive presence with subdued lighting that gave just the right illumination to the ornaments. (I still can’t find my Star Trek ornaments— in a moving box somewhere in the garage or the storage unit. Beaming along…)

Move to Wednesday morning: On my first trip to the kitchen (feed the livestock time), I was a bit jarred because I’d forgotten that the tree was gone. But, as I entered the kitchen, I saw, on the table in the breakfast nook, one of the greatest creations of Martha’s artistic life: Her chickenwire Christmas tree. 
I thought, “Put it away? Heck, no! It’s the perfect table decoration for a breakfast nook year-round.” 
It’s exactly as author Charles Dickens had “reformed” Ebenezer Scrooge say in A Christmas Carol: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Nothing says “Keep Christmas all the Year” like a gloriously lit chickenwire Christmas tree on the kitchen table. 

FYI, that cat is my colleague and respected advisor, The Senator, crossing in front of the camera in his homage to the photo of The Beatles' Abbey Road album cover in 1969 — that ‘60s photo was by Iain Macmillan, a Scottish photographer. Also in the photo? Martha’s treasured Wallace & Gromit clock, inspired by the British inventor and his canine sidekick. That’s Martha’s stylish purse on the table — all is lit only by the tree. And those rolls of wrapping paper? They demonstrate Martha’s faith that we'll have a wonderful Christmas 2022. She bought those roles at “After Christmas” prices. That last photo is what the tree looks like when I turn the kitchen lights on. It’s still merry and bright, just like the rest of us on New Year’s Eve, 2021. Yes, this is a photo for a Happy 2022.
LOOKING FOR A LOST DOG
AS FIREWORKS DAY ARRIVES
That’s the missing dog, the phone number to call, the names this guy — adopted around a month ago — may respond to and he’s microchipped, according to the note we got from Lisa Brooks. He also weighs just 11 pounds and may have been stolen -- he is still being sighted in the area, however. The note reads with desperation, “If found/seen, please call/text (972-213-6872) any time of the day or night or email poochsavers@gmail.com. He’s been missing since the 28th. He was wearing a red harness when last seen near the intersection fo West Parker Road and Ohio Drive. That’s in the Plano Zip Code 75093.
[LARRY ASIDE: This dog is already “on the lam,” so fireworks will only make things worse. If you’ve seen Yoni/Teddy Bear, help get him home before the noise begins. And while you’re at it, remind all your neighbors to properly secure their dogs and cats in a safe place where they can feel loved and comfortable and not be inclined to run for their lives when the first boob sets off a firecracker in your neighborhood.]
‘DON’T GIVE UP ON TOBBY YET,’
SAY MESQUITE DOG BIOGRAPHER
We got the story on Tobby from Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown who has met with him and gotten to know him.
She wrote, “Don’t give up on Tobby yet because he hasn’t given up on himself. He may be 14 years old and a senior but he still gets around ...be it slowly. He is a little feeble with some arthritis setting in but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to explore his surroundings with his nose. Tobby is a 34-pound cream-colored terrier (possibly Cairn/West Highland Terrier) that was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 12/28 with a request to be euthanized.
“The reason given was that the owners work long hours and didn’t have time to take care of him. He does have medical issues. The shelter tested him and found him be heartworm positive. He also has an abscess under his left eye. The abscess is currently being treated with antibiotics and will most likely be checked out by a vet. If you don’t touch the spot it doesn’t appear to bother him. He is a cute dog that would be made even cuter with a good grooming, especially around his face. He’s very sweet and friendly. His previous owners said that he lived with other dogs and children and was friendly with both.”
Judi also wrote, “Tobby deserves a chance to live out the rest of his life in a peaceful relaxed setting with lots of love and comfy blankets. Can you provide that for him?” He’s #4931779 — use that ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues!@cityofmesquite.com.

This guy with the Hollywood pose is Rocky, also an acquaintance of Judi’s. She says, “If you’ve got a loving family that’s not extremely active and are looking for a loving medium-size dog, please come and meet Rocky. He is a 2-year-old, 35- pound brindle and white pit terrier that arrived at the Mesquite Shelter on 12/20 as a stray. He is not fixed. He’s a sweet boy that is very receptive to loving. I get the feeling he hasn’t been worked with much because he doesn’t know the sit command and looked bewildered when I threw a ball. These are things you can teach him. He did stay close after investigating and smelling the yard. He would look up at me with his cute face and just melt my heart. He’s extremely sweet and relatively calm. …” He’s #49286077 — the ID you use when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

And Judi has one more for this edition: “A beautiful majestic dog that will turn heads.” Her name is Nola (she’s #49319644 at the shelter and use those by-now familiar contact points above). 
Nola was a surrender on the 28th — “unwanted and can’t keep.” A volunteer said the surrendering person says that “Nola occasionally becomes skittish and occasionally jumps on her husband. In the time I’ve spent with her,” Judi writes, “I have not seen any skittish behavior. She appears to be extremely calm and well-mannered. I would refer to her as having ‘southern manners'! She also made no attempt to jump on me.” Nola weighs 59 pounds, Judi says, but she looks larger because of the fluffiness of her coat. And “She comes to you to have her ears scratched. She knows the ‘sit’ and ‘shake’ commands. She even gave me her paw without being asked. Also, it was so cute when I went by her kennel later she stuck her paw out to me!.” Use Nola’s ID # 49319644) when you call the shelter (972-216-6283) or email rescues@mesquite.com.
IN THE SMALL SHELTERS,
ANIMALS AND BAD ODDS
For several years we’ve been watching 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit, help dogs and cats stuck in small shelters with virtually no human traffic and such lousy odds of being adopted. We’re focusing on these two of many the Helpers are trying to save. 

That “Bulldog mix” Logan and the Husky Aspen are a couple of fellows waiting n the Ferris Animal Shelter south of Dallas. To ask about helping them, call or text Helper Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 
Lively Logan, only about 1, “is such a sweetie pie. He was brought to the shelter by someone who could no longer care for him. He is all love and is a great young dog. Silly, cute lovable, sweet, playful. Adores everyone.”

Aspen the 2-year-old Husky boy, was a stray. Got those blue eyes and a “sweet” personality. “loves children — adores them,” his bio reads. “He was found at one of the local schools waiting to play with the kids. So cute. He knows ‘sit’ and is extremely friendly and personable. Adores people.”
[LARRY ASIDE: A big beautiful Husky “found out and about” and nobody has come for him? Make no sense, does it.]
And here’s a reminder: go to 4-Legged Helpers Inc. Facebook page to see more animals needing help and to keep up with these fellows.
CONTEMPLATIONS

TERRY LYNN’S ODDBALL;

STIRRING PEOPLE &
A WONDERFUL WORLD
Whenever we get an email from our longtime tipster in Burns Flat, way out in Western Oklahoma, the email address is remembering_oddball@yahoo.com. It’s been used to help save many animal lives. And 19 years ago on December 30, Terry Lynn Fisher suffered the loss that inspired her to become the resilient rescuer in Burns Flat. Here is what she sent to me this year to note the inspiration for her mission. Please read what Terry Lynn wrote and sent on Thursday, Dec. 30:

HER NAME WAS ODDBALL…. On this date, 19 years ago, the death of a 9-month-old pup changed things for me forever…
“It was a cold December day. I was out back, fixing the fence where our pups had been getting out…while I was there, two of them got out. I opened the back door and told my sons to go get them. Within five minutes, one was dead… murdered… she was gunned down in the middle of the street …
“The shooter? A city official who had been down the street shooting a skunk.  

“He saw the pups, barking at a lady, drove down to where they were, whistled for my Oddball and as she ran happily towards him thinking he was wanting her, this evil [man] opened fire, shooting my sweet girl until he finally blew enough of her body away to end her suffering… 
“They then bagged her and as they drove by, this person stopped and threw the bag with her bloody body at my son’s feet  I remember her blood splattering out on my teenage son’s boot. 

“I was devastated. … I had never seen such hatred. I later learned that he had done this with many of the animals that got out in our small town.
“I grieved for that young dog… I reached out to other people and met so many others that had things happen in their area, And I got involved with rescuing the innocent animals from pounds and people that no longer wanted or could keep them …
“Now, nineteen years later, thousands have been saved, And not just from my small town.   From all over the place.  And I’ve met some wonderful people… 19 years…. But her death has saved so many   And now, I can actually remember this day not just with sadness, but with knowing that because of a little dog named Oddball, thousands more were able to live… So on this date, as always, remembering Oddball.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Heck, yeah, I’m tearing up. I do every time I read this story. And it helps some to know that Terry Lynn turned her heartbreak and anger into a goodness that has helped so many animals.] …
BEFORE WE ALL MOVE ON to considering the arrival of 2022, Dear Readers, let me just express something I think many of you may feel: Son of a BLEEP, I’ve been typing all year about animals at peril there ARE STILL HUNDREDS of them in North Texas and beyond on the clock. How is that possible? Is nobody paying attention to the appeals by all you wonderful and decent animal people? How, in 2022, can we “enlighten” the public and get these “not me” people to open their homes to loving dogs and cats? Free Lotto Texas tickets with each adoption? Free masks that read ‘I ADOPTED A DOG INSTEAD OF A VIRUS’ OR ‘I GOT A CAT — MORE COMFORTING THAN A POLITICIAN’….
WAY BACK IN 1959, one of the 3 big TV channels ran a New Year’s TV special in which a commentator urged viewers, “Don’t let the fabulous ‘50s become the sicking ‘60s.”
 You may have read or you may recall first-hand how that turned out.
So, I’m not even going to hint that we’re caught up in the second spell of anything called “The Roaring ‘20s.” Whew!!! But, it seems like that every 100 years, something has to go bonkers. That’s how Hollywood find blockbusters. Or did. How about some music? While we work at being good souls, we can embrace the great Louis Armstrong’s wonderful song. CLICK HERE AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
—- Happy New Year and click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com and put “WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER’ in the subject line. —-

DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE AND PREDICAMENTS -- IT'S ALL VERY PERSONAL, ISN'T IT!

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY DEC. 28-29, 2021 [PetPowellPress] No need to stop the presses for this note. I’m looking back over non-dieting challenges of the past year.
 I’ve previously mentioned the rescued kitten we’ve been raising — this cutie, Captain Hastings Streetboy.
That’s one of his earlier photos when Hastings was being treated for whatever ailment can curse an abandoned 5-week-old kitten found in the middle of a street with blueberry-sized gobs of “yuck” keeping his eyes shut. [LARRY FYI: Martha, with medical experience as a former Candy Striper, handled the home treatments.]
We thought for a while that Hastings might be blind. He spent virtually the first full month we had him in virtual isolation — not around our dogs or cats while we, with the guidance of Pet Medical Center of Duncanville, treated him for ringworm, the less-and-less common fungal skin infection. Ringworm’ll limit a grown-up human’s desire to cuddle a kitten. My funspouse Martha and I both qualify as “grown-up,” one of us a little more than the other. (FYI: The vets and staffers managed to save Hastings’ vision, too!)
Back to a once-common curse: Last time I was around an outbreak of ringworm among humans was in the 1950s when the neighbor lady’s pre-teen grandsons came down with it in their hair. 
What happened? With their parents’ permission, Meemaw shaved their heads, dabbed all the splotchy areas with “coal oil” — some called it “kerosene” back then — and then painted their heads orange with a nearly glowing iodine product.
My dear beyond-octogenarian childhood neighbor Meemaw Fisher (real name, I swear, “Carrie Fisher”) is gone now, but now and then I think modern medicine may revert to her “old cures.” So, fearing that, I dodge ringworm. So does Martha — for her, a naked orange head would be a dramatic fashion statement she would choose not to dare. We’ll get to this kitten later in today’s edition. Now, let’s try to help some other critters.
BRENN AND BRYCE, TWO DOGS
IN THE WILMER SHELTER
We got the note on these dogs from the folks with 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on smaller shelters without a responsible budget and sometimes without a responsible attitude toward the animals they have.
These two are in Wilmer, on the southern side of Dallas.

Brenn the brownish female is around 10 months old but there’s no public relations department in the Wilmer Shelter to help “market” animals. Bryce, the boy, is probably about the same age. 
They are listed as “BoxerShepherd” mixes.
To ask about helping 4-Legged Helpers save these two, call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.

And go to 4-Legged Helpers Inc. on Facebook to see many more animals in the area that need a break to save their lives.
DENVER AND RYDER
WAIT IN MESQUITE;
SO DOES GOLIATH
Dogs’ faces have such wonderful expressions — in the case of these two, that expression might just be hopeful.
They’re both residents, for now, at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. Thanks to volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, we have their stories.

Denver (#46716734) is “listed” as a Lab/Terrier mix. He came into the shelter on the 16th as a stray — it was not his first visit. She writes, “Denver was originally at the shelter on 2/26/21 and adopted but unfortunately is now back where he started and his owners have not come to reclaim.  He weighs 70 pounds, is approx 3 years old and is neutered. Denver is ‘cool, calm and collected’ with a mellow personality.  He is well-mannered and gentle.  Denver is friendly and OK with attention and affection.  He does walk fine on a leash and when walked through the bay did not show aggression toward the other dogs. … Denver does not seem to know any commands, does not fetch and showed no interest in toys.  He just seemed content to be out of his kennel and able to stretch his legs for a bit.” [LARRY ASIDE: That last sentence made me a bit sad — he might be resolved to ‘incarceration’ — and that’s awful in a spirited dog. Geezalou, somebody with a good heart adopt this guy!]
Use his ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityof- mesquite.com.
Same system for this guy Ryder. 
Debra calls him a “cutesy little live-wire.” She says her Dog Scanner IDs him as a mix that includes American Bulldog and English Pointer. 
She writes, “He was dropped off as a stray on 12/20 at the Mesquite Animal Shelter.  He weighs 40 pounds, is approximately 8-months-old, is not neutered and has the most interesting coat.  This is one confident, outgoing, fun-loving, tail-wagging bundle of puppy energy.  Many of my pictures of him were blurred as I tried to capture his image when he was still!!  He does jump on you in his excitement --a lot-- and obedience classes would certainly help him to be more adoptable and to fit into his forever home better.  … He does sit for treats and took them gently.  He is a friendly pup with a sweet nature.  He chased the tennis balls I threw but did not return them.  He would seem best suited for a person or family who is active.  At this point he would probably not do well with preschoolers as he would knock them over in his exuberance.  Ryder has lots of potential with someone who would take the time to work with him and stay committed to him and of course provide him with an inside living situation so he can be an important part of the family.”

The City of Mesquite’s shelter has a number of dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, who, as 2021 draws to a close, are absolutely available to become the “important part of the family” in your life. See the adorable adoptables AT THIS LINK. 
Waiting in the shelter’s Cat Room is this handsome 3-year-old orange (maybe tan but looks orange in the photo) and white tabby — he’s #49211959. And take a hint from his name — Goliath — in his shelter bio he’s listed as “large”. Like the dogs and cats waiting, use his ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or emailrescues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
HASTINGS AND COLLEAGUES
Returning to the latest kitten to fascinate the humans, dogs and other cats in the household. Save ‘em all, you know? Hastings is all-clear and has the run of the house but likes to flop on my laptop.
He’s learning how to communicate with humans — sometimes he’s great. Other times? Here’s an example. Each morning my tenderspouse Martha visits a local store to get her morning Slurpee. A couple of days ago, as she handed over her money and picked up her treat, the young lady looks up at her, nods toward all the scratches on Martha’s harp-plucking hands and asks, “Y’all got a cat?”

Martha replies, “I know it looks like I work on a cactus farm, but, this is from a kitten.”
We’re trying to figure out how to teach Hastings (AKA Hasty Pudding and other polite names), how to communicate without applying claws and teeth. We can pet him for a while but somewhere in that beautiful beige coat, he has a hidden “on” switch for “defense posture.” We’ve raised other cats, but Captain Ringworm could have used some early cuddling, I guess. Yeah, he has a home. We’ll take advice on teaching “Charm Level II” to an already charming little guy at times.

ABOUT WILLIAM: Never had ringworm. Mostly the perfect cat. Having been born and raised in Texas, I am familiar with the Lone Star lingo. Sometimes I’ll walk into a room and see our cat William Powell who’ll glance up from whatever script he is considering. I’ll say, “Hey, Stud,” and he’ll give me a glare, then move on with his silver screen career. He sort of resents the irony of “stud,” but, as I tell him, if we hadn’t practiced what we preach, he’d have had absolutely no power of concentration. So, yep, “Spay and neuter” in the New Year, right? Oh, that's William nodding off while sitting at the window as I write. Never complains about "all that typing."
CONTEMPLATE THIS DOG’S arrival condition. That’s’ our boy Dudley the Angel. What makes this older Border Collie/Chocolate Lab mix so darned special? He’s got the loving and patient personality of your favorite soul on or off the planet. And, he arrived at our Dallas house many years ago with two smaller dogs (we got them into a no-kill shelter). All had been dumped on our street. You know how dumpers do — “Open the door. This looks like a good spot. Get out, you worthless bastards.” Bet that’s closer to fact than it is to fiction.
Anyway, when we realized he was already fixed, we gave thanks. We’d picked up dumped and rescued dogs and cats for 20 years by the time Dudley showed up — he was the first boy dog we got that didn’t arrive with his testicles intact. It was like a miracle in our Zip Code. We began referring to him as “The Miracle Dog of Tarryall Drive.” He’s a great fella. If you don’t have one of these guys, get one — he’s good with dogs, cats, people and snacks.
—- Offer ringworm advice or weather tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘QUIT SCRATCHING’ in the subject line. —-

THE FILMS OF CHRISTMAS; THE DOGS AND CATS OF THE SEASON; CONTEMPLATIONS...

EDITION OF MONDAY, DEC. 27, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Our opening is Christmas-personal for this edition. Maybe you can relate. Here’s the deal: I didn’t get enough Christmas. Primarily I didn’t have time to watch my usual Christmas movies. (Keep reading to find out about the dogs Mochi and Robby and the challenging cat Eric.)

The twinkle-light truth for 2021 is I had a great Christmas with actual humans and animals — I just didn’t hit my yuletide quota of Christmas movies! My yulespouse Martha didn’t either. She just won’t gripe about it.
Only because of a scheduling quirk did I get to see one fave film: It Happened on 5th Avenue. I saw none of the Home Alone movies — years ago I swore off those made after Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Also didn’t see the early ‘70s TV version of It’s a Wonderful Life — It Happened One Christmas with Marlo Thomas, TV’s famous That Girl!. The original It’s a Wonderful Life? Missed it, too — first time in decades. Love that film above most of ‘em, I think. 
Missed all versions of Miracle on 34th St., including the mid-‘70s TV version of Miracle on 34th St. which started veteran TV actor David Hartman who’d soon become the first male co-anchor of ABC’s spanking new rival of NBC's Today Show , Good Morning America.
Saw NONE of The Santa Claus films. Didn’t see A Christmas Story.
And I didn’t catch a complete version of A Christmas Carol (neither Reginald Owen’s nor Alastair Sim’s version — not even the Bill Murray version, Scrooged. Didn’t see Love, Actually — so many great characters and Alan Rickman — miss him. Nor did I see National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
 Didn’t see Christmas With the Kranks. Caught about 4 minutes of Gremlins by accident. 
I had at least 3 months to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie on cable— not a one did I see.
Missed White Christmas (1954), though my favorite film of that sort is its 1942 warm-up act, Holiday Inn. Which I also missed.
 And I didn’t see my favorite Twilight Zone episode with the great Art Carney as a hard-drinker who became Santa Claus, Night of the Meek.

I might spend some time between now and the 4th of July working out a “Can’t Miss” schedule for Thanksgiving-to-Christmas Morning 2022 -- ALREADY????!!!!--- viewing of great holiday films.
That opening photo and the second picture feature my office cat William Powell — oh, yeah! The Thin Man (1934) is set at Christmas — didn’t get to see it this season — yes, the cat is named in honor of the star William Powell. The reindeer in the back ground doesn’t have a name. Yet. 

And that is my longtime, treat-sharing companion, Wendy Louise Wagstaff Arden (film name from Irene Dunn’s character in My Favorite Wife with Cary Grant) _ Wendy loves watching Christmas movies. And she also loves Casablanca. She thinks the Christmas action film Die Hard is a like a hybrid car — lots of electricity and plenty of combustion. I think that’s what she told me as we were contemplating the joy of the season — we both had too many treats.

So, what did I see? I saw a lot of real-life people — young and old — actually enjoying Christmas. Smiles. Laughter. Wisecracks. Ribbing of siblings. Hugging of friends. Heck, yeah, might even have approached the “holly jolly” status.
MEANWHILE, AT DAS
‘PRECIOUS LITTLE MOCHI’
While looking through the big population at Dallas Animal Services — this baby is a “free” adoption — I spotted Mochi (#A1126043). The story is she has been in foster care for 4 months and, DAS says, “is eager to show off all the skills she’s learned from her foster family.”
As you can see, one of those skills appears to be “accept a cuddly ride from a smiling human!” 
The story from DAS is Mochi “loves cuddling; has a tail that wags at the speed of light; likes to play with other pups (ignores cats); crate-trained and potty-trained.”

The summary reads “downright adorable.” She’s listed as a year-old, 43-pound “Boxer.”
Check out Mochi and other adoptable adorables at DAS by going to the BeDallas90.org/pets site. 
And this LINK TAKES YOU STRAIGHT TO MOCHI!
THEN THERE’S ERIC,
THE DOG ’N’ KITTY CITY CAT
Now this is one of those interesting cats you may encounter if you’re involved in feline rescue. The bottom line on cats is this: They’re all individuals and some are more individual than others. I type that with love and respect. As Dear Readers know, not only am I a dog fan, I am a cat fan.
He’s at Dog ’n’ Kitty City, the no-kill shelter run by the Humane Society of Dallas County. And Eric, born around April 4, 2018, is a resident of the shelter near Love Field.
 He’s a “mostly tan” Domestic Short Hair. And, as you can tell from the photo, he’s quite a handsome cat with the pose of a philosopher — that’s our theory at readlarrypowell.com. All cats appear to be philosophers, we think.
 Get this, though: He was found living on the streets with a sibling. Then he became a resident of the shelter. He calls it home. Why? He’s been adopted 3 times and returned 3 times because he just can’t adjust to a new home. The shelter says that as he agonizes in a new home. Agonizes might be the right word. The little guy hides, stops eating, hyperventilates and “completely freaks out,” his shelter bio says. 
Thus, the shelter has become Eric’s forever home. You can adopt him as a “Guardian Angel” and help keep him happy in his home with a “beautiful calico” the shelter describes as “his girlfriend named Rosemary.” Yes, that is beautiful Rosemary and she, while adored, has a medical problem that makes her extra special when it comes to adoptions. Doesn’t mean she won’t be a wonderful cat for a wonderful person. 
Go to dognkittycity.org to see how to help both of these cats.
ONE MORE MENTION
OF CUTE ROBBY BOY
Oh, we'll do more if needed, but it would sure be great to hear that this cute guy had been adopted.
You know rescue-oriented people must be persistent in order to help as many animals as possible? That’s the case with this guy Robby, said to be a “young male Bulldog mix” who is available via a private animal control concern in Denton County.
The info comes from the big hearts at 4-Legged Helpers, the people who focus on small shelters and other animals who are found in a bit of a fix.
The story on Robby is he’s about 10 months old, happy and adorable and “seems to like other dogs.” …
And there’s this: “Loves to cuddle — cutest thing ever. Loves kids and absolutely everyone!~ Check him out looking at the fish — adorable!”
 You can ask about getting involved in saving Robby’s life by calling or texting Laura Macias at 24-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. Or you can check with Laura Hayden at 214-906-7680 or email lhayden4652@gmail.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
SURPRISES, SHAKESPEARE & THE CHRISTMAS COUNT
Which do you think can be more startling? Snakes or people? Yeah, I think people have a corner on the surprise element. Here’s an example via the Detroit Free Press. Just before Christmas, the son of an “animal hoarder” called the Detroit Animal Welfare Group and said he’d be coming by to surrender “60 to 80 parakeets from his father’s house.” Showed up with 497 distressed appearanceparakeets stuffed in cages. Here’s a LINK TO THE STORY. [LARRY ASIDE: So, yes, the theory is a human with nearly 500 parakeets is more surprising than the sudden appearance of a rat snake in your garden.] … Need a Shakespeare quote? Read this one today in an email that focuses on comedy. “Better 3 hours too soon than a minute too late.” It’s from The Merry Wives of Windsor. Show of hands, please, by people who have seen a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. [FYI: Research shows there was a production at the Delacorte Theater in New York’s Central Park in July. Covid canceled some of the performances.]…
The Christmas Count at our house: One light bulb dropped (hit floor, exploded); overnight an ornament from our tree mysteriously hit the living room floor and shattered into about 200 pieces. The cats all claimed to have been asleep at the time. Ever try to give a cat a polygraph exam?
—- Offer lively thoughts for the new year by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘NOT A CLUE’ in the subject line. —-

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! ENJOY THE DAY, HUG YOUR CRITTERS AND AVOID CALORIES

For this weekend and for Christmas Day, we’re celebrating the umpteenth edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap with some holly-jolliness and “Tinsel of the Mind.”
I’m not sure “Tinsel of the Mind” is an actual condition, but I’ll cop to it.
That’s our boy Griffin (Griffy or Big G), a quite large cat. Quite large.  Griffin Oliver Powell was enjoying a nap once upon a time under the Christmas tree at our old house in Dallas.

[LARRY ASIDE: I once heard that when the North Pole operations were looking for a place that could handle mass manufacturing and swift overnight global distribution, Dallas was in the top two “likelys” until somebody pointed out that sleighs would need their runners refitted with yet-to-be-developed multi-climate tires and that reindeer have trouble landing on roads with potholes. Wouldn’t be able to get car insurance — Texas doesn’t recognize sleighs as vehicles. Anybody else hear that?]

Our reach in this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap goes from the summerish yule in the Metrosprawl to the actual wintry conditions at our Eastern Seaboard Bureau on Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. -- see the ducks on the pond? There’s some Tinsel of the Mind at work there, too. It’s aided by that layer of snow that fell on Denville on Christmas Eve — photo by noted broadcast and print journalist Andrew Fisher, our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief. That’s what it looked like Friday from the deck of the bureau. In a few paragraphs we’ll get to Andy, wife Annie (the first pickleball player I ever encountered) and Chloe the Cat who serves as the Eastern Seaboard Bureau Personnel Manager. 
Back to Tinsel of the Mind:
TOTM is the kind of thing that happens to people who really love the holiday season — symptoms are (a) easily distracted by flickering lights, (b) drawn to “SALE!” signs and open parking spaces and (c) inclined to make a list and check it twice. 
I’m one of them —I’d love Tinsel of the Mind even more if Lotto Texas could see fit to drop the right six numbers on Saturday night! There’s yer merry Christmas!
But, moving along…
Back to this big orange cat, Griffin Oliver Powell, an Oak Cliff stray we picked up after a rainstorm when he was a kitten — that was in 2003 and the big lovable angel went on back to Heaven in 2015. 
He loved the Christmas trees. One year, my focusedspouse Martha snapped the photo of the rascal in a yuletide nap under the tree. He was a gift and still is — photos and memories and sometime I almost think I can hear his basso profundo purr coming down from Heaven when insomnia has me wide awake in the “lateness of the hour.” Could just be a routine window-rattling household snore — many suspects in our sometimes quiet home!
Now, Dear Santa, I’ve been a really good boy this year — got all my vaccinations and a flu shot and something else I can’t remember — oh, yeah, my LCV shot (lycanthropy control vaccination) to control full moon episodes. I’m kidding about that last one. Look, I rescued a kitten and he needed a lot of help. My yulespouse Martha and I have a history of rescuing cats and dogs. And that is how these two couch-snoozers became the spotlight of our Christmas Day/weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
You see two scenes. One is mere months-old kitten Captain Hastings Streetboy, a rescue, backed up to the backside of the veteran sleeping canine Porche Noel, a rescue. I picked Capt. Streetboy up off Hastings Street in Duncanville -- not even a full handful of kitten, blind with goop on his eyes and starving. Porche Noel is maybe a decade older than Hastings and she got the name because we found her on our front porch at Christmas.
A few minutes after I took the hip-to-hip photo, I captured them in their actual sleeping poses. Porche won her end of the couch and Hastings established a napping domain on his end.

As you may suspect, Martha and I love these two. Heck, we love ‘em all. Even animals we haven’t met and may never meet. Save 'em all, you know. It’s a Tinsel of the Mind thing, maybe. Could just be the morally right thing to do.
At our Eastern Seaboard Bureau there’s this calm and loving cat, Chloe. This is Eastern Seaboard Bureau Personnel Manager Chloe taking a management look at the bureau’s Christmas tree. Andy quoted her as saying, “Yeah yeah. Pretty tree. Big deal.” I think he paraphrased.
He also reports that Chloe has good wishes for Christmasses future and Andy writes, “Things are looking up — like this angle on Annie’s beautiful tree.” Yep, Bureau Chief is third in power and influence at the Eastern Seaboard Bureau. Andy, however, can write a good explanation. For example, regarding adopted-rescue Chloe, he writes, “Chloe got over her love of the mean streets very early; she’s content to watch the birds and squirrels out on the deck and run the house, which is a very big job.”
Andy included his photo of gesturing Chloe explaining that she was saying firmly, “Move that chair a little to the right, OK? Why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!” [LARRY ASIDE: She may be up for Personnel Manager of the Year in New Jersey, I think. Not sure who the other nominees are. It’s a working honor, not a political position.]
And that reminds me, Dear Readers (and the Bureau staff — big Christmas bonus in the mail!) , to thank you all from my heart for your contributions of photos and stories to readlarrypowell.com's daily editions and our weekend feature that celebrates the love you have for your animals year round. We've been publishing Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap since May 5, 2005. It continues to be a weekly joy to see how much people love their dogs, cats, birds, horses, reptiles, amphibians and an occasional in-law.
Now, in a full-on outbreak of Tinsel of the Mind, Merry Christmas to you all and to all some genuine Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. [LARRY NOTE: By “all,” we don’t mean the unchanging bad guys who could use some time contemplating the lack of Tinsel of the Mind in their twinkle-free existences.]
And that closing photo is the lad Hastings Streetboy enjoying a full-on Christmas Eve nap with his mentor, my personal counselor in all manner of political, professional and personal matters, The Senator, a veteran napper. Hastings has learned quickly. The Senator has not let his time in a "swamp" stifle his ability to teach the younger among us.
— Offer peaceful tips or ideas for late gifts by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘NO! NO! LARRY! NOT THE CHIMNEY! Thanksgiving to Christmas is a bad spell for my diet. —-

ON CHRISTMAS EVE, WE CITE ANIMALS, PEOPLE, A TALE OF A CHRISTMAS RIDE, ETC.

EDITION OF CHRISTMAS EVE, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Some photo, eh? That’s a work by Bob Young, husband of Vicky Young, our longtime tipster, critter fan and goodhearted soul who founded The Young Company, the noted "marketing resource"! 

The caption that goes with the photo was written by Bob. It reads, “This photo was taken last year in the plaza at Victory Park, close to downtown Dallas. It was Christmas Eve morning, and the pandemic was keeping most people home. The city was quiet and the plaza was eerily empty, but the sun rising behind the tree seemed like a promise of brighter days ahead. It still does.”
[LARRY NOTE: As a longtime resident and writer regarding Dallas’ changes and ambitions, I see the photo as an amazing tribute to tranquility right in the middle of what I call “busily being built Big D.” We’re using it to open the Christmas Eve edition because the words in the caption included “A promise of brighter days ahead!”
We’ll start those brighter days with a wish for a Merry Christmas for all within the reach of a positive holiday sensation! A smile here, a bit of laughter there, a quiet moment watching a favorite film or listening to a song that means something your particular faith.
It’s Christmas and readlarrypowell.com is comfortable wishing the happiest of holidays to all. And, to all a good night. Hmm. That “good night” line sounds familiar. Let me check something… Credit the man in the photo Clement C. Moore (1779-1863) and his Santa Claus poem. A Visit From St. Nicholas....though there are people who think someone else wrote that poem that begins "T'was the night before Christmas," which is where we are today.]
HOLLY, NOELLE AND OTHER
DOGS IN SMALL SHELTERS…
Appropriately for the season, we mention Holly again and Noelle for the first time, thanks to the folks who work to help animals in small shelters get attention. (You may have heard of the 4-Legged Helpers — may they win Lotto Texas for Christmas if I don’t.)
Earlier this week we mentioned three dogs at the Wilmer Shelter in a desperate placement situation. The latest note regarding that trio reports that two were tagged by Rescues, but Holly was left behind. Wilmer’s shelter isn’t open to the public so the animals must depend on the kindness of strangers, so to speak.
There are two contact points for this group of big hearted animal fans: Call or text Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_1@yahoo.com. Or call Leighann Hayden at 214-906-7608 or email lhayden4652@gmail.com.

That’s Holly in the first photo — she’s a Lab mix who “adores everyone.” She was “found out and about by the Amazon facility perhaps hoping someone would take her home for Christmas.” (Get in touch with the contacts to ask about helping with boarding costs or adopting or rescuing this girl.)

Noelle, in the second photo, is a “baby female Shepherd mix” who is about 3 months old “and the sweetest most precious baby.” The idea is to get her out so she won’t spend the long holiday weekend alone in the shelter.

That brings us to 3 from the Ferris shelter. As the daytime temp approaches the 80s one looks at Aspen the Husky boy and asks, “Hot enough for ya at Christmas?” But, seriously, folks, the was a a stray — found at a local school — knows how to “sit” and “adores people.” He’s 2 or a little younger. 

Rocky is that “loveable pup” with the great face. He’s a Shepherd. mix. His story reads, “Sadly his prior person’s daughter was apparently in and out of the hospital so he was brought to the shelter in hopes someone might see him and give him a great home since the family could no longer care for him.” He’s about a year old and “absolutely adores children.

Dustin, already neutered, is a Terrier Mix at Ferris.
“He is just as sweet and cute as can be.”
What more do you need to know about a healthy cute dog with a wagging tail? 

Use those contact points listed above to save their lives.
And ask how you can help others in the “sphere of awareness” of these noble rescuers. It's Christmas -- give a dog a home.
ASH WAITS IN MESQUITE —
‘FRIENDLY, WIGGLY, HAPPY’
Oh, boy, Mesquite volunteer biographer Judi Brown has run across a handsome little guy — this is 8-month old “mostly Black Lab” mix who weighs 34 pounds and isn’t fixed, but still needs a home. He came in as a stray on the 18th. 
Judi writes, “He’s got all the qualities of a sweet puppy: friendly, wiggly, happy, loving, energetic, outgoing, tail wagging and alert! He also comes with kisses galore. He’s amazingly well mannered and trained for as young as he is. He sits for treats and takes him gently. He’s so motivated by treats that it was difficult to get pictures of him in any other position than a sitting position as he kept sitting in anticipation of a treat. … He did his business immediately upon getting out into the yard indicating he may be housetrained. He got a little tangled up on the leash but I got the idea that he thought that walking on a leash was something he would like to learn to do. When I walked him through the bay he wagged his tail wanting to make friends with all the dogs... even the ones that were barking at him! I did not see any signs of aggression. Ash would most likely make a wonderful dog for a family with children because he’s so gentle, loving, and well mannered. Being as young as he is he could grow up with your children. He would love to sleep on blankets or a bed by them.” [LARRY ASIDE: Yeah, it’s pretty clear that Ash charmed Judi! To ask about adopting or rescuing him use his ID #49279103 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Judi also writes, “P.S: That spot between his eyes is missing hair and probably is a scar.”

He’s not the only animal left at Christmas in the Mesquite Shelter.
You can see more dogs and cats by clicking on the shelter link HERE.
Among those waiting is the grown up “Sandy Claws” and the young but elegant gray tabby Leo.]
CHRISTMAS CONTEMPLATIONS
MUSIC, CHOIR AND THE MANGER
Know what you missed if your were born after the ‘60s? The excitement of being an American teenager who was rock-solid certain that Santa was bringing your house the brand new album by The Beatles. As Beatles protege Mary Hopkin sang, “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end."….

WHAT ABOUT LATIN? One thing I remember learning at church during the holiday season in (possibly) 1963 involves a second language. I was a member of the “Young People’s Choir” (royal blue robes with silver sashes) at Highland Park Baptist Church in Texarkana. We were rehearsing for what we called "The Christmas Cantata." An interim song-leader thought he could teach the 14 or 15 kids in the Southern Baptist choir how to pronounce a certain Latin line in a song called Angels We Have Heard on High. The line we worked on came out at first with a Northeast Texas accent “Gloria an ex-hell cease day-yoh.” 
But with some help from a choir member who was a 2nd year public school Latin student named Loretta, the choir director finally got us to adequately sing in Latin this phrase “Glow-ree-ah in egg shell seas day oh!” That’s how Loretta explained the Latin pronunciation. We did OK. And some people who have studied Latin will realize that, for one Christmas program in the mid-‘60s, the high point was judged as “Sic friat crustulum.” Idiomatically, “That’s the way the cookie crumbles.” How long ago was that? Many Christmases ago. And, in Latin, “Tempus fugit!”

AWAY IN A 1950S MANGER … David and Dellas Wallace sent us one of those wonderful Jacquie Lawson ecards — a beautifully animated story of Mary and Joseph traveling via donkey to the manger in Bethlehem. Did it remind me of Christmases past? Of course! [LARRY ASIDE: Lately we’ve been reporting on Della’s encounter with Emulie, the Emu who strayed into the Wallace backyard. There are no Emus in this manger story. Or any other manger story that I know of — never witnessed an Australian nativity scene.]

Now, as I explained to Della and David, the manger card reminded me of a childhood time in Texarkana when people a few blocks from our house would do a live nativity scene each Christmas season.
 Pop worked nights, so Mom would be the driver in our one-car family. That one car was a squarish 1951 dark green, un-air-conditioned, 4-door Plymouth. Ah, those were the days. Anyway, we had the 1951 car in about 1955 (no new cars at our economic level!). Mom took us on a nighttime drive past the live nativity scene. “Us” was the three boys —I was oldest at about 8, middle bro Barry was about 5 and Baby bro Garry was close to 3. In those days there was neither a seatbelt law nor a law against naming siblings Larry, Barry & Garry. 
So, as we slowed for a drive-by at the curb near the manger scene on a camping lantern-lit vacant lot, the three of us crowded into one window and stuck our trio of knuckleheads out so we could better see the shepherds and the donkey (might have been a horse) and Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus who, we agreed, “looked like a doll.” But, then, maybe we heard the Baby Jesus crying. When you’re not the driver, you can’t pull over, get out and get a closer look.
 Somebody had a record player set up near the manger — record player? That’s what we used to hear music on. In this case, from the car window, we could hear Christmas music — nothing by Gene Autry about a heroic deer or The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. (I think this was a Southern Baptist manger and the hosts might not have thought a reindeer with a red nose was particularly Biblical.) Seems like, in retrospect, that Santa had a “saint” connection and maybe that worked out for all the denominations. As we noted earlier, “Sic friat crustulum.” I think I’d like some Christmas cookies right now, in fact. Can’t have ‘em — had too many since about 1956. Long ago reached my lifetime cookie quota.
—- Offer Christmas tales or Latin jokes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “CARPE CRUSTULUM” in the subject line. —-

THE GUY DROPPED THE BEER....PLUS, GOOD STORIES & APPEALS FOR HELP FOR ANIMALS

EDITION OF THURSDAY, DEC. 23, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Bleary-eyed one morning this week, I staggered into the kitchen to prep breakfast for the livestock and my not-quite-awake eyes caught a glow outside the kitchen window. I pulled open curtain over the sink and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but this lit-up dog face. I’d forgotten about the Christmas scene Martha had created in the front flowerbed — a big white dog pushing a big envelope into a mailbox. Kind of put me in a Christmas mood — yes, that is a pig with wings on the window sill. I think he’d been talking to the dog. 
Now, on Wednesday morning, I was in the middle of an attempted theft at a drug store. Merry Christmas indeed. More in Contemplations. First, some animals in need, including a delivery that would make Santa (a) envious and (b) reaching for a lump of coal over the dump-the-puppies philosophy.
WE PRESENT THIS MOM,
HER PUPPIES & A RESULT!
Gail Whelan, founder and spirit of the Companion Animal Network, sent out a note that I read early Wednesday. The message began, “Someone dumped this mom and puppies at a man's house and he is begging for help.” Gail was prepared to help with transports and a donation.
So, along about mid-day I checked with her and she happily wrote back, “WELL..... HERE IS A GREAT UPDATE.   The SPCA of East Texas is taking the whole family in January.  I will have them here (in her East Texas home) until then (If I live through it).  The SPCA of East Texas is always full but I gave it a try and got a call back ASAP saying they would take the family.  I could not be happier.”
To help Gail continue her life-saving work, contact her at 903-957-3226 or email can.adoptions@yahoo.com. You can reach the SPCA of East Texas by clicking HERE.
One more report from Gail. In mid-November we wrote about a girl named Poppy who was in a tough spot. Gail wrote us this note: “BY THE WAY..........  Poppy, the perfect black lab girl -- has a fabulous home in Prestonwood now.  THEY ADORE HER!!!!”
We wrote about this girl Poppy in mid-November after getting a note from Gail about the 6-year-old, 88-pound Lab girl. She was, Gail reported, “losing her home through no fault of her own.” And, now, with some help from determined Gail at the Companion Animal Network. this girl has a home. [LARRY ASIDE: Kind of feels good to know that Poppy will have a home for Christmas.]
A DOG NAMED BROWNIE
NEEDS A GOOD HOME NOW….

CHATA HAS BEEN BETRAYED…
We learned of Brownie the Dog from Judi Brown, veteran dog biographer for Mesquite Animal Services. And in these two photos Brownie looks as if he’s auditioning for a role in a movie. “I can play very serious; I can play playful.” 
Judi says Brownie is “a fun-loving happy energetic dog looking for an active family that wants to play with him. He thinks the world is his oyster. With his easy-going joyful attitude he’s delightful to be around! Besides that he’s really cute! Brownie is a five-year-old brown and white terrier pit that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray on 12/17. He weighs 49 pounds and is not fixed.”
Motivated by treats, wants to please and is “a lap dog wannabe,” Judi writes. He’s #49272714 — use that number when you call the shelter at 972-215-5283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

Judi also met and worked with Chata, this 6- or 7-year-old bulldog who weighs in at 74 pounds — arrived at Mesquite as a stray on December 15. 
“The animal control officer,” Judi writes, “said it was obvious that she broke out of her fence and then did not know how to get back in. Her owners were called but have not chosen to reclaim her. She also came in with a Boxer that she had lived with. The boxer has been rescued. Chata has been being passed over possibly because she’s overweight.
“But she told me she would be willing to go for a walks with her new owners,” Judi wrote, then added, “It would also benefit her to be put on a diet. She does walk well on a leash although she wobbles as she walks along beside you. … She’s timid and spent her time in her kennel in the back of the kennel where she’s not very visible to the public. When I took her out into the yard she wanted to retreat into the corner for security. However I got down on the ground with her and spend time petting her. She was very receptive to loving and liked being petted. She wagged her tail. She has been overbred, has some moles on her neck, and a tumor on her right paw. The best adjective to describe her is SWEET! When she went back into her kennel she did not retreat. She was standing up as though she was more confident. This loving, gentle girl is already spayed! She has so much love to give you!” Chata’s ID is #43462201. Call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE ATTEMPTED HEIST
Now and then you’ll get a surprise for Christmas. Along about the middle of Wednesday morning I walked into a neighborhood drug store that was playing upbeat Christmas music for all of us customers. It was, indeed, Christmas at the drug store. Cheerful greetings from employees. Lots of signs of Christmas! 
I needed a few things including lightbulbs — our living room lights are dimming. Probably wore themselves out trying to out-glow our Christmas tree.

Anyway, all the items I bought fit into one small plastic bag.

As I was paying, a tall blonde walked past me and into the “airlock” between the inner sliding doors and the outer sliding doors. 
It took mere seconds to sign and pay and as I picked up the bag and turned to my right to go, a guy carrying three boxes of bottled beer — the kind innocent people buy — ran, yes RAN, around me and was just two quick steps from the open sliding door. 
But, fate was not on his side.
Having to move around me had invalidated his escape route.

Just as he dodged me, I heard an employee shout “BANDIT! BANDIT!” and the sprinting thief whammed into the gently closing door, dropped all three boxes and fell to the floor. Four or five other employees arrived at the scene of the...well, attempted crime.
One young male employee, also yelling “BANDIT! BANDIT!” arrived and missed grabbing him as he scrambled, clattered and spider-crawled his way out to freedom.

Yes, the employee missed the speedy would-be bandit, but did manage to save the beer. I said, "Must be really good beer" and the employee replied, "I wouldn't know. Never tried it." Too soon for a wisecrack, I guess.
Another employee said something like, “I think that woman in purple was his helper.”

The Lady in Purple and the guy who ran, stumbled and fumbled like he’d once had a running back contract with the Dallas Cowboys need to rethink their career choices.
 I hope whatever is keeping him and his sidekick from being good and decent people is soon under control. They’re too young to spend life as crooks.
And, snatching beer from a drug store — is that any way to spend time at Christmas? Yep, surefire way to get on the naughty list. Well, in some jurisdictions, anyway.
—- Offer law-abiding advice or other tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘HANDS UP! DON'T DROP THE BEER’ in your subject line. —-

CHICKENWIRE; CATS AND DOGS; SAILING THE GIFT; LEMON DROP KID SONG

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22, 2021[PetPowellPress] Ah, midweek and time to celebrate a favorite Christmas tree. That is the chickenwire Christmas tree Martha made about a decade ago.
That is Stevie Ray, celebrating his 3rd Christmas with us, but getting his first good look at the chickenwire tree as it is being tested for the 2021 season. After I shot the photo, Stevie Ray asked, "Hey, you, what the heck is chickenwire? And what is a 'chicken'?"
 I replied, "Go ask your mother. She made the tree." 
My original reply was, "They're kind of like reindeer only they can't fly as far, they have feathers and you can't can't find plant-based 'Reindeer Nuggets' in the frozen food aisle."
Ah, Christmas. The joy of yelling "tag" and passing the question to the next person in line! 
Later in the day I was writing on a laptop on our dining room table and caught the tree in its full glory...Not a single cat climbing on it -- unlike the other tree in our living room. The first couple of days it looked like we were hosting a Climbing Cat training session for the next Olympics. You've heard the question, of course, "Does a cat have a climbin' gear?"
AMONG THE ANIMALS WAITING
GOOD PEOPLE IN CARROLLTON
We have a "secret tipster" called "MBrown" who keeps an eye on Carrollton Animal Services and the adorable adoptables and "rescues" in that city shelter. 
MBrown wrote to us Tuesday about animals whose "faces are haunting me."
You may agree. And MBrown also tipped us to Bone, James Bone, a dog. Read on. And remember, the website for Carrollton's shelter is HERE.
This dog is, MBrown wrote, "an 8-year-old regal beauty." She's in isolation and it may be because of a skin condition. 
Brittany (#49019802) is a little over 8 and is listed this way "Setter, Irish Red and White/Poodle, Standard." You can see all that in her pictures.
 Her intake date was November 5 and her current stage is "available." And MBrown absolutely described her perfectly as "an 8-year-old-regal beauty."

MBrown's feline spotlight is on this no-name-known-yet cat #48982857, a beautiful Domestic Shorthair Mix who is a little over 3 years old and is "large." Gray and white and, surely, at some point had a name that he recognized. Now, he's waiting for a rescue, not a home just yet. He came in on October 30. Look for him in the Cat Room at Carrollton Animal Service. This cat is, however, available only to an approved 501c3 Rescue with experience in handling feral or semi-feral cats.
And MBrown also sited this guy named Bone, James Bone (#491179724). He's about 2 years and a month old, is in the large dog kennels at Carrollton and has been in the shelter since Nov. 20. The shelter says he weighs 59 pounds, is a Shepherd mix and came in as a stray. Plus, he's available for adoption right now. And because the shelter's Happy Straymas celebration is underway, you can adopt James Bone without paying a fee. Yep, free dog for Christmas.
MBrown wrote, "The shelter seem to be over run with cats lately." Indeed, if you go to the animal adoption page at the Carrollton shelter, you can see cats with holiday names -- i.e., there a Blitzen waiting for a home.
Remember, CLICK ON THIS LINK.
And MBrown closed her note with this situation. She wrote, "I saw a very tiny gray cat outside my house.  I fear for his life, as there are coyotes about.  He is very fearful.  May be feral, but I doubt it."
[LARRY VIEW: We know the challenges! May some "peace on Earth and goodwill toward that cat" help MBrown work things out. In the meantime, maybe someone can put up some "Spay & Neuter" signs in Carrollton!!! They work as effectively as a "yield" sign on Central Expressway.]
NOW, LET'S MOVE INTO THE AREA
OF SMALL SHELTERS & ANIMALS
And see if you can help an animal find a home for the holidays.

Now here's the contact info for the animals we're going to discuss.
 We got the info from veteran animal advocate Leighann Hayden. Call or text 214-906-7680 or email lhayden4652@gmail.com to ask about these animals.
 These first three are in the Wilmer Shelter. And, transport is available if you contact those points above.
Sabrina is a German Shepherd mix -- has a great ability to pose for a picture, as you can tell.
Then there's Holly, a female Lab mix, who appreciates a snack, apparently.
And that brings us to Nicholas -- (not St.Nicholas, but if you're a good pal for this dog, he be saintly!). Nicholas is believed to be a purebred Labrador Retriever.
This final photo exhibition is of Robby, a "male Bulldog mix" currently in the care of a "private animal control" in Denton County. 
His bio reads, "Robby is just as sweet and as cute as can be. Already neutered & fully vaccinated. Only 10 months old and so HAPPY and adorable. LOVES to CUDDLE - cutest thing ever. Loves kids, and absolutely everyone!!!"

Once again, call or text 214-906-7680 or email lhayden4652@gmail.com to ask about these animals.
CONTEMPLATIONS
SAILING PACKAGES; TV ADS; HOPE & BELLS
While reading a neighborhood bulletin board Tuesday I found this "sign of the times" -- haphazard work by a 'delivery professional.' And let me declare admiringly I never heard of Neiman-Marcus sailing a purchase toward somebody's front door! Stanley Marcus knew how to "mind the store" and respect the customer. The woman in Fort Worth wrote, "I been waiting on a package I ordered online. Well, today I was looking out the door and [DELIVERY] pulled up. I was fixing to go meet him when all I see is my package flying in the air. He stopped the truck, stood on the last step and instead of putting it on the porch, he just threw it in the yard. I just stood there in shock. I understand they're extra busy and long hours, but COME ON!"
WHERE ARE THE HORSES? I must not be watching enough sports this year. I have yet to see a Budweiser Clydesdale Christmas commercial. 
I did find this LINK, however, to a story about a number of Clydesdale Christmas commercials.
PERHAPS THIS SONG is your holiday favorite, too. May be tied for first place with several other holiday songs. It was first performed by Marilyn Maxwell and Bob Hope in the 1951 film The Lemon Drop Kid. Here's the LINK.  If it doesn't work, Google "Bob Hope Marilyn Maxwell Silver Bells. The song is part of the enjoyable Christmas film built around a Damon Runyon short story. As I type this, I know there are people reading who have heard of Bob Hope. Maybe some know of Marilyn Maxwell. I'm not sure how enduring writer Damon Runyon has been. But, maybe, for Christmas 2021, this will give those folks some well-served yuletide spotlight.
--- Offer tidings of joy or winning Lotto Texas numbers by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put 'ELF SUIT TOO TIGHT' in the subject line. ---

CHRISTMAS JOYS, A LITTER OF PUPPIES, EMUNEWS, A '65 RECOLLECTION OF SISTERS

EDITION OF TUESDAY, DEC. 21, 2021 [PetPowellPress] This photograph is a convergence of seasons. You see at my funspouse Martha is at work in her true field of endeavor, wrapping presents, and the little kitten, Captain Hastings Streetboy, is enjoying the sounds and springing-abouts of his first Christmas. Yes, the Christmas season and Kitten Season converge.
He’s the fellow I picked up in October from the middle of Hastings Street in Duncanville — he’s healthy now and can see and has enjoyed slapping flocking off the Christmas tree, trying to pull ribbons off of packages and posing motionless with Martha for a holiday photo.
He has defeated ringworm — and, as you know, ringworm is tough. An outbreak once grounded a certain 8 tiny reindeer. You cannot not be scratching out of unison and simultaneously manage a shingle-shaking safe landing on a rooftop. That’s what I heard. That was the year in the ‘50s everybody got a tube of ointment in their stocking if a grandmother tapped out her Lucky Strike and declared “That child’s nose is glowing red!” 

Perhaps I misremember the entertaining folk tales of my childhood in Northeast Texas, land of pine trees and pastures filled with red-nosed ticks. Let’s move along with items of the day not related to fiction. MORE CHRISTMAS MEMORIES IN CONTEMPLATIONS…
AN UPDATE ON IVY JOY,
THE RESCUED KITTEN
As you can see in that photo on the left, Ivy Joy is no longer a kitten.
In late 2010 or early 2011 (my mind slips) we began writing about her after Houston rescuers Frank and Edna Taylor managed to save her from a solitary life in a dangerous field. She was adopted by the Ragland family in Dallas and has lived what is accurately described as “a wonderful life.” You may recall that Frank and Edna loved this cat so much that they drove her from Houston to Dallas to make sure she arrived safely!
She is an extraordinarily beloved cat!
Recently Ivy Joy encountered some medical problems. We’d been monitoring her progress via the loving words of her human Lezli Ragland. On Monday, we spotted this message from Lezli, “Hello Everyone From Ivy Joy!!! She has healed nicely from her cancer surgery and her bladder issues, etc., are doing better since back on the steroids. She is happy, feisty and full of joy…..She will be rechecked in a few more weeks. Thanks for the love and purrs. Our hearts are connected by paws.”
And that photo on the right is the very first picture we ever posted of Ivy Joy — that was taken before she was “Ivy Joy” — she was snapped while exploring a little trashcan in the Taylor household! Just a kitten and now such a beloved cat. That is a happy story!
SUCH A CROWD OF PUPPIES,
PLUS DAD; MOM’S SAD STORY
This is one sad danged story. 
A Momma Doberman gave gave birth to 11 puppies. The people who had Mom and Dad and the 11 puppies, decided to give up Daddy and the puppies. Mom? She had died.
Here’s the story from the folks at 4-Legged Helpers who continue to monitor opportunities in small shelters in the greater Metrosprawl. The info note reads, “This is a sad case of a mommy dog that passed away apparently and someone released Daddy who is a purebred Doberman and all 11 puppies to the shelter.   Daddy dog is a wonderful dog.  Very sweet and loving.  About 2 years old.  Very friendly.  Loving.  Gives kisses.  Knows sit.    Sorry - I do not have all the puppy pics but have most - there are 11 total.  They all look very similar.  Puppies have had 2 sets of vaccinations and have all been dewormed. Please help!!”







CALL/TEXT 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com


 

AND NOW WE RETURN TO
THE EMU ADVENTURES
When last we addressed Emulie the Emu, our pal Della Wallace was monitoring the situation of two stray emus wandering her Oak Point neighborhood.
What do you do with an emu when your house is focused on dogs, visiting cats and a raccoon colony? 
Our pal Della Wallace, the veteran rescuer and advocate, talked with neighbors and, after some calls, got the “stray” emus into the care of the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch in Denton County.

Della kept us up-to-date on Emulie’s situation. Well, except for identifying the gender of an emu — we both know how to peg boy or girl cats and dogs, but emus are a different challenge. Probable takes more than picking them up, turning them over and looking between their back legs. First, they don’t have back legs…

For a while Emulie was “in a grove of trees next door and I can’t see her,” Della wrote. “She is sharing a water trough with a couple of cows. She is being fed grapes and other fruit.”

And Della reported this odd thing occurring at the same time as Project Emulie. “Birds are everywhere,” Della wrote “About 20 geese next door, birds in my bird-feeder and of course Emulie still eluding the guy trying to catch her in the pasture next door!” 

She proved a little difficult to catch, but the professionals managed to get her and the other wandering emu.
 As the pros were beginning their work, Della wrote that Emulie was “hiding in a grove of tree.” The Della wisecracked, “They think they may have to tranquilize her. Probably finish up tranquilizing each other.” 
But, everything worked out and the pros got Emulie and his or her mate (uncertain!) to safety. Everything was tranquil without being tranquilized.
CONTEMPLATIONS
EMAIL, MUSIC & YULE DELIVERY


“Are these the BARN DOORS YOU WANTED?” read the email subject line and immediately I thought, “Oh, no! Another mistake trying to order a ring for Martha!” Fortunately it was not an error, just an advertisement. I’m not buying barn doors until I have a barn. And I won’t have a barn until Lotto Texas comes through for me. …
HERE’S A SONG FOR THE SEASON from Tony Bennett.. My favorite line is “from now on our troubles will be out of sight.” There are two versions of this song, as you can learn by reading this story by Maddy Shaw Roberts on the Classic FM page HERE. …
AN UPBEAT CHRISTMAS MEMORY: I'd have photos to go with this story, but we didn't have cellphones with cameras in 1965. We didn't have cell phones, either.
When I was a kid reporter and a senior in high school in December of ’65, I was not only a full-time Texas High student and full-time reporter (4 p.m.-11 p.m.) at The Texarkana Gazette, I was working part-time (on my nights and afternoons off) on a delivery truck for Montgomery Ward. It was a big department store chain many of you kids don’t remember. I needed the money to pay for junior college in the fall, assuming I'd graduate from high school in Spring of '66. (I did both.)
On one Saturday day-shift in delivery, the driver John Butler (father of a kid I knew), and I loaded up the big delivery truck. One of our last stops of the shift was going to be at a house atop a hill just west of downtown Texarkana. It was to an older house — two flights of stairs up from the street and another flight into the residence. 
We were lucky we weren’t delivering a refrigerator or a “hide-a-bed,” two torturously impossible items to smoothly deliver up a flight of stairs. This time we were delivering a “console stereo” — a piece of cabinet-styled furniture about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide — inside were state-of-the-art stereo speakers, a tube-powered radio and a “record player” that played 45, 78 and 33 1/3 rpm records. You could stack records on the spindle and the mechanism would “drop” the record and the arm would move over the record, lower the needle gently to the record’s edge and then begin to play the music! It was magic! 
We parked in front of the house. The family’s Italian name was on the mailbox so we knew we had the right home.

Mr. Butler and I pulled the boxed console stereo out of the truck, shut the door, then began to walk the bulky item up the stairs. Mr. Butler, a slim fellow of about 5-10, who wore his Montgomery-Ward uniform like it was a Marine uniform (very crisp!), began backing up the first flight and if, hefting my end of the console, followed him very carefully. These were steep steps made of decades old cement. You had to be careful where you stepped. 
We made it all the way. And Mr. Butler took one hand off the console to ring the doorbell. Inside we could hear happy chattering exploding. The door opened and the “Mom” stepped aside to let us into this “decorated for Christmas” home.
There were also three teenage girls there — sisters, all beautiful, all happy, all with wonderful smiles and brown eyes. They were so excited they were giggly. One of them had a record album in her hands. 
Mom showed us where to set up the console. Mr. Butler expertly cut the box away from the console and pulled it aside, telling me to fold it up. As I folded the box, Mr. Butler plugged the stereo into a wall connection. Then he opened the top of the console, reached in and turned it on. The yellowish glow of the radio dial accented the white paint on the wall. 
Mr. Butler looked at the girls and said, “It’s ready to go.” 
Mom said, “Put on a record.” And the girl with the brand new record album— she looked like maybe the middle sister — smiled and stepped the the console. But she wasn’t quite sure how to put the record on the spindle or start the turntable, so Mr. Butler helped her by giving her directions so she could actually put on the record and start it. And soon, that home of happy kids was gleefully listening to the stereo sounds of a brand new copy of Elvis’ Christmas Album from 1957.
I remember that day and seeing those sisters get that big family gift. It was, from the eyes of a helper on a delivery truck, a very Merry Christmas for three kids and a Mom.
Even now, in December 2021, 56 years later, the joy on those faces at the first notes of Santa Claus Is Back In Town still helps me find my own smiles at Christmas. And, of course, as a dedicated Boomer I miss the sound of new vinyl sliding down the spindle and slapping flat onto the record that just played. But just thinking about it makes me a little merrier. I hope you’re merrier, too. Turn up the volume. Shake the department store home-furnishing paintings off the wall!
— Offer tune tips or lectures about moving along into the future by clicking on ‘comment’ or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put 2021 NITWIT in the subject line. —-

A MERRY MONDAY, DOGS AND CATS WAITING, A PEGASUS EVENT IN 'LIVING BLACK AND WHITE!'

EDITION OF MONDAY, DEC. 21, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Here we are at the outset of the week heading toward Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and if you're reading this in a nation associated with the British Empire, "Boxing Day" on the 26th. I think in the U.S. we celebrate "rasslin' day."
For this special week-long period of prayers for "Peace on Earth and good will toward all," I figured we oughta start each edition with something upbeat.
"Say it with roses," the advertisement urged way back in the previous century. Turns out it works in this decade, too. 
Those are the roses I gave my funspouse Martha on the 15th for our 30th anniversary. 
They're QueenBerry Roses, according to the tag on the plastic. I got lucky. They were bundled for sale at Cox's Farm Market in Duncanville -- how lucky? A dozen big, beautiful roses for $12 plus tax. I've bought a lot of roses through the years --- a fellow like me has to maintain an Apology Budget. Never bought 12 for $12 unless it was off the side of the road from a vendor peddling Tyler Roses.
 Nope, this bundle was the greatest rose bargain. They have lasted so long that they are part of our Christmas display next to the dining table -- along with the pumpkin from October. Might try to "leave it all up" year round.
Also in the display, that cat message. My son Bret, who has one dog and no cats, gave it to me years ago. My son Bart, who has dogs and kids, laughed. He knows we long-ago passed that particular line by more than one cat. I blame Martha -- I'll need to check with the folks at Cox's to see if they have more roses.
PIPPI'S BIOGRAPHER WANTS
TO GET HER 'HOME FOR CHRISTMAS'
Yes, indeed, Mesquite volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown is hoping to inspire someone to give sweet Pippi a home for Christmas and beyond.
Pippi (#49253274) is a 2- to 3-year-old, unspayed, 27-pound Blue Heeler mix who came in as a stray on December 14. 
Judi describes Pippi as having a "fun-loving, enthusiastic, playful personality."

After spending time with Pippi, Judi writes, "If you have an active family and are looking for a smaller dog to play with and to train, then come and meet Pippi. She’s very sweet. She’s very loving and gives kisses galore. She’s curious and even got into the toy chest to take out some toys. However, when she got them out she didn’t seem to know what to do with them. She wasn’t interested in chasing a ball. She didn’t seem to understand what I wanted her to do when I tried to get her to sit. She wants to please so these are some things you could teach her. She spent time exploring the yard with her nose and seems to have a keen sense of smell. When she got done exploring she stayed close to me. It was difficult to take pictures of her because she stayed so close.  Sometimes they called this a Velcro dog! She is definitely looking for a friend."
And, Judi wrote, "She would like nothing better than to get a loving home for Christmas." Use her ID #49253274 when you call the shelter at 97216-628 for email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
See more of Mesquite's adorable adoptables -- dogs and cats -- by clicking HERE.  Year-old sweet girl Sandy Claws, who we cited last week, is still waiting.
STILL WAITING FOR SOMEONE
TO OFFER HOMES FOR THIS TRIO
We've mentioned the three before. They're among the dogs that fall into that category of "not in a big shelter, but in big trouble if nobody saves 'em."
That dog is Elias, only 2, medium-sized and adorable, his bio says. He's waiting in Denton County.His promoters with 4-Legged Helpers report, "He has an amazing talent and it is SO CUTE - He can catch treats midair. Any treat! He also can sit on command, walk on a leash, and his best talent is giving sweet kisses. He absolutely adores children and especially enjoys bath time ..."
[LARRY ASIDE: Ah, a dog who can talk your kid into taking a bath! Invaluable!]

The cats are 8- to 10-week-old boys Jack and Bill. Strays at such a young age. They're adorable and affectionate and waiting for someone to give them a home or homes. [LARRY NOTE: We vote for "homes" -- we've got experience with the joys of a pair of cats who enjoy each other. Lots of cute photos and cuddling.]
Ask about Elias and the kittens by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
TAUNTING, A MYSTERY AND A TUNE
How long before the U.S. House, Senate and the two big politcal parties get together and decide to call "TAUNTING!' penalties on the campaign trail or in the heat of congressional "discussions"? Can't you see that? A ref standing at the front of Congress and waiting to throw a yellow flag at somebody who's taunting? The ref won't have enough flags....
NO POLITICS HERE, JUST ACTING...For years we've been telling you about a joy of the stage, the "In Living Black & White!" productions by the fabulous Pegasus Theatre founder/ director Kurt Kleinmann. Coming up on the calendar beginning Dec. 29 at the Eisemann Center, Pegasus presents Prime Time for Murder! The summary says "Prime Time for Murder! takes place in a television studio where the program Mystery Theater is broadcast live. The year is 1950 and television is in its infancy. Harry, Nigel, and Lt. Foster are hitting the small screen, but when the television show goes live, someone ends up dead. Will our trio solve the murder before their feed gets cut? Don’t touch that dial!"
 Read about the Dallas-based theater at pegasustheatre.org. Get tickets to Prime Time for Murder! by clicking on the Eisemann Center's calendar page HERE. 
When you're at the theatre's site, you can also see opportunities to help the show go on, as it must. A $15 donation does a week of Covid testing for one actor; $65 will pay for a week of make-up for an actor. Wig rental? $100 for one actor. There other listings. [LARRY ASIDE: When I was doing theatre, I'd have begged for donations to pay someone to whisper my lines into my for my forgetful ears!]
MUSIC OF THE SEASON and other seasons, too, was on the playlist Friday night at The Kessler in Dallas' Oak Cliff when several of us gathered to enjoy the Christmas show by fabulous performers Kelly Willis and her hub Bruce Robison and a great band. The show was about a third Christmas songs and the rest traditional Texas and Oklahoma Country or maybe Country Rock. Among the songs was this traditional number performed wonderfully by Kelly Willis. CLICK HERE for Santa Baby. I can recommend several others that are full of wit and romance. Probably do that later this week.
--- Offer tune tips and gift ideas by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and putting "STAY OUT OF THE CHIMNEY, SLIM!" in the subject line. ---

Alastair The Dog & The Christmas Emu….

Since it is a week until Christmas, we’ll go back to Halloween for a message from our pal, the animal rescuer/protector Della Wallace.

On the last day of October, we exchanged notes and hers was “Happy Halloween” and my response was “Time to put up the Christmas tree and start the video of A Christmas Carol on the TV.”

And that is how we managed to pick this guy for the spotlight of our Christmas week edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
That fellow out like a light on his back is David’s and Della’s sweet boy Alastair. 
And, as Della reminded me back at Halloween when I mentioned A Christmas Carol, “That’s who my Alastair is named after! (Alastair Sim — played Scrooge). Got him from the Dallas pound Christmas Eve 2012. He is wonderful.”

When he awakens from sleeping on his back, Alastair is ready for a tummy rub. Alastair the dog, I mean. No idea about tummy rub preferences with the actor.
That movie “still” is a scene from the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol and that is Mr. Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s being helped into his winter coat by his clerk Bob Cratchit (actor Mervyn Johns), dad of Tiny Tim. 
As students of Charles Dickens know, the author wrote many books including A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, etc. Long list. Nobody had computer games or cable TV in the 1800s, so people had time to write.
With A Christmas Carol, Dickens managed to write a ghost story that has endured.
 Few people have read the first draft of A Christmas Carol and that brings us to an incredible coincidence involving Alastair the Pup, Della and David and surprises. 
Dickens’ first draft featured an Emu — perhaps.
One film version of the script of A Christmas Carol has the well-read and energetic Tiny Tim declaring, “God Bless Us and Every Emu!”

You know how Hollywood can get. Some producer said, “This script needs an Emu to get everybody’s mind off that goose Scrooge buys.” 
So, someone else wrote a talking Emu into the story — one of the producers had decided to attempt to become an Emu Rancher after his electric car stock went belly-up because the batteries were too weak in 1951. The most sophisticated battery at the time could only power a Lionel 4-car freight train, the kind a little boy might get for Christmas. 
[LARRY ASIDE: I may have made up the Emu-related content of the past several paragraphs. I couldn’t resist The Christmas Emu concept.]
Now, here is some Emu Truth. As long as we’re discussing Emus, it turned out that on Thursday Della sent me a message: There is an Emu in my yard.”

I replied, “I had no idea there was a Christmas Emu!”
“Well, there is,” she said.
 “Tis the Season of Miracles,” I responded.
And she sent me that photo of the Emu in the back yard. 
There were originally two wandering Emus at Della’s, but one vanished. 
“Someone wanted to call animal control — I said ‘no’,” Della said. And she added, “A neighbor is googling what they eat so it doesn’t get hungry.”

Neighbors talked things out — someone said a neighbor “lost 2 chicks 5 months ago” but the theory was they couldn’t get this big that quickly.

Della was watching the Emu/Neighbor Negotiations and sent this note: “Now it’s funny. The neighbor is trying to take it some food. They are about 100 feet apart, watching each other very carefully. Nobody is moving.”

In the past we have published photos of the Raccoon Colony on the Wallace Property as the various raccoons helped themselves to the cats’ food in the garage. As The Emu Event seemed paused, I asked Della, “Are the raccoons selling tickets to the show?” And Della replied, “No, they are just eating the cat food!”
Ultimately, the Emu was corralled in Della's yard and is destined to get some help from a local rescue agency.

“If it’s a girl, I’ll call her ‘Emuly.' or 'Emulie!’” Della told us.

Della wondered “how they catch an Emu.” I didn’t know, but I also don’t know how one determines the gender of an Emu.
As for catching the big bird, my theory is this: Someone quickly stages a backyard production of A Christmas Carol and when Tiny Tim says, “God bless us and every Emu!” and the cast begins to bow to great applause, someone slips a leash over the bowing Emu’s head.

Every thing in the preceding edition was made up except Alastair the Dog (that's him in a Christmas picture from a few years ago!), Alastair the Actor, Charles Dickens the Writer, David and Della the animal lovers and the stray Emu. 
Charles Dickens gets a writing credit. And we all say to our Dear Readers, “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless the Emus, every one.”
[DEAR READERS: Offer photos and bios of your wonderful slumbering animals for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by emailing photos and inphos, er, info, to dallrp@aol.com. And Merry Christmas to all and to all Emus a good flight. Wait. Reindeer fly. Not Emus.]
—- Offer wrapping tips or Emu omelet recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘’Tis the Season, Lay off the egg nog” in the subject line. —-

A CLASS LOOKS BACK IN A NEW BOOK; HEIDI AND TRUDY, TWO DOGS WHO NEED HOMES....

EDITION OF FRIDAY, DEC. 17, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Our mission at readlarrypowell.com has always been to make the world a better place. We’ve written about people, about dogs and cats and other animals, about happy events, about challenging events. 

For today’s opening segment, we’re focusing on life viewed through the eyes of somebody besides me. These stories are from the vantage points of “personal history.” 
The topic is a just-published book titled How We Got Over and subtitled Growing Up in the Segregated South: A Collection of Narratives. I’m aware of this work because I know Jean Nash Johnson, the co-editor. The book was the idea of Dr. Helen Benjamin (left), the award-winning educator and lead editor. She asked Jean to join the project. Their connection is the Class of 1968 at Peabody High School in Alexandria, La.  Dr. Benjamin, a member of that class, met Jean because Jean (right) is married the class valedictorian, Michael Johnson, who wrote a personal narrative for the book.
[LARRY NOTE: I worked with Jean for decades at The Dallas Morning News. I also know Mike and their daughter, the impressive academic, Dr. Sarah J. Zhang. When you read Mike’s narrative in this collection, you can see the determined family forces that helped shape the ambitious drive of their baby girl, Sarah, through the years. Harvard grad, you know!]

Read the narratives and you will learn not just about the people but about the way segregation was applied in more ways to families than just shutting the school doors. It was everywhere. A lot of us who grew up in that era remember the signs that declared water fountains, bathrooms and theater entrances to be white only.
This book tells the stories from the side of people who were forbidden to enter through those doors even though the owners had “Open” on the signs.]
[LARRY FYI: As a white kid who grew up in all-white schools in Texarkana in the 1950s and ‘60s, I read through this book and found new, informative views of things I saw. I’ve understood the challenges for decades — benefit of having spent a lifetime in newsrooms and interviewing people. What I may never understand is how the challenges started and why so many lingered.]

These kids of the Peabody Class of 1968, graduated on May 16 in what many regard as one of the most wretched and violent, course-changing years in modern American History. 
Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 — as those Peabody kids were looking forward to graduation.
A little over a month later, Class of ’68 Valedictorian Michael Johnson made his speech to the commencement gathering. In the book, Mike opens his segment with this quote from his speech: “The death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has raised fear for the nation’s future. His death also has raided the hope that Americans might at least embrace the brotherhood for which he died.” 

That was the opening. Mike closed his narrative and his valedictory speech with a positive expression. He wrote, “This story opened with the somber words of the hopeful though somewhat concerned 18-year-old I was and ends with the following excerpt from the same May 16, 1968 graduation address. The expressions then may not feel now like more than a half-century old.” 
Mike’s quote: “The struggle, which surely will continue, must be conducted with dignity and courage, as shown by Dr. King … This is not the time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for all Americans to … strike vigorously and positively — It is a time for all Americans to …strike toward social change and freedom.”
There are many more stories in this book. Before you get to the personal experiences in the 1950s and ‘60s, you encounter Part One titled “Our Community: Enslavement, The Civil War, And Reconstruction.” I think that may be a segment for people too young to remember the ‘50s and ‘60s and or too inattentive in their classrooms through the years! 
See how to order this book by going to the HOW WE GOT OVER website HERE  
-- it's also available on Amazon.
And, you can read some of Jean’s fabulous writing at this SITE. Title is “Mama Voted So There’d Be Days Like This.”  It’s a wonderful story of Jean’s mom, Mrs. Alce Nash, registering to vote for the first time. “Mama and Daddy” voted in that 1960 Kennedy/Nixon presidential election — for JFK — and they had to get to the polling place in the Courthouse by going through the “Colored” entrance.
Our world has changed a lot since 1960 — not all of the world, of course. To quote 18-year-old Mike’s speech, “This is not the time for apathy or complacency.” May neither ever have a place in America.
HELPING A GIRL
NAMED ‘HEIDI’
The note about this dog came from the great Debbie New, a longtime contact of ours who knows the challenges of getting dogs into new homes. 
This girl Heidi is at the Plano Animal Shelter, Debbie says. 
She writes that Heidi is about a year old and “in need of rescue. She was initially a stray in July and adopted at the end of July and returned after about 24 hours because of behavior with their 8-month-old puppy.
“They were informed before adoption that the dog is possessive on leash. Stated that she is dominant with their dog. Resource guards toys, will lunge at him when he comes and tries to take the toys, Resource guards the water, will push other dog out of the way to keep him away from food, water, and toys. She knows sit.
“Heidi is high energy and needs training. She has some type of deformed nose but is fully vetted and chipped. She also has a high prey drive. She is still in adoption at this time but does not show well as she barks at the glass.”
 No charge to a rescue that can tag her, Debbie reports. Call Plano Animal Shelter at 972-769-4360 — Heidi’s ID is #A180804.

TRUDY THE TERRIER MIX
AND A SWEET PHOTO
That picture of Trudy getting her chin cuddled got to me. She is reacting with a expression of “Thank you so much for making me feel loved.”

Volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm at Mesquite Animal Shelter sent these photos and the story of 2 1/2-year-old, 60-pound Trudy, a Terrier mix, who came in as a stray on December 1.
She didn’t arrive healthy. She was suffering from “vaginal prolapse,” Debra wrote. “In order to deal with this medical issue, Trudy was spayed on 12/13.  She walks nicely on a leash and did not react to the other dogs when led through the bay, though it is a good idea to ask the shelter for a dog test.  Trudy is a ‘take charge’ and confident girl [with a] fun-loving, tail-wagging personality. She is also a friendly girl.  She is quite high-spirited and enthusiastic.  In her enthusiasm Trudy will jump on you.  … She ran and played in the shelter yard, showing off her athleticism by climbing up on the play equipment.  This is a girl who would seem best-suited with a family or person with an active lifestyle who would commit themselves to exercising and playing with her as well as teaching her some manners.”
Look at that great face! To ask about Trudy, use her ID #49172708 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
AS THE WEEKEND ARRIVES
Still too much holiday stuff to do. You’d think that by now I’d have learned to manage my time and my tasks at this, our most joyous, time of year. I suspect I am not alone in the holiday challenges. …
Our little rescued kitten, Captain Hastings Streetboy, is being introduced to the general population. He’s been declared healthy and healed of all the things that afflicted him when I picked his tiny, 5-week-old, blind self up out of the middle of Hastings Street in Duncanville. No sign of a mom or any other kittens. No idea how he got there. But he couldn’t see through the big globs of yuck stuck on each eye. The wonderful people at Pet Medical Center of Duncanville cured him of everything. And ringworm was one of those things — Martha and I have been rescuing dogs and cats, puppies and kittens for more than 30 years and Captain Hastings Streetboy was the first to gift us with ringworm challenges. Ugly stuff treatable by modern science and isolation. His eyes are blue. If you can catch his pose in the right light! This is as close as I could get Friday afternoon to "Blue Light Special Hastings Streetboy!"…
OK, as we close this edition, let me remind you that readlarrypowell.com will be needing photos of your sleeping dogs and napping cats and any other slumbering critters for our long-running weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. (Send photos and bios to dallrp@aol.com.) I was going to pay for the photos and stories but my Wednesday selection of Lotto Texas lucky numbers was a failure. I’m sure you share my disappointment!
—- Offer holiday greetings or wrapping tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and putting “LAY OFF THE FRUITCAKE” in the subject line. —-