ReadLarryPowell.com

THE PARADE OF OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUES AS DECEMBER 2020 ARRIVES WITH A CHILL

EDITION OF TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 [PetPowellPress] I saw a sign of “normal” on the last day of November and I expect it to continue being on display throughout December. When the letter carrier stepped onto our front porch, the dogs rose in unison in the living room and barked a "traditional Post Office greeting" toward the front door.
They’re older dogs, so that’s about the only instance outside of meal time that they’ll “spring” to their paws! So, thank you, United States Postal Service for being “normal in their neighborhood.”
That dog? Why, that’s Starla, a girl who has a 1940s movie star Veronica Lake peek-a-boo thing going with her right ear! (That’s the film star in a publicity photo.) Starla’s on the clock in a local shelter. More on her in a moment.
HERE ARE TWO SIBLING CATS
CAUGHT UP IN A 2020 DRAMA

Mary Sullivan, who guided the happy voyage of the great cat Sailor to a wonderful home, is now working on these 9-year-old cats.
Mary’s email reads, “Someone contacted me late last night (Saturday) about helping her rehome her 9-year-old kitties.  They’re brother and sister, and have lived together with the family since they were itty-bitties.  The family is now really struggling economically and has made the very difficult decision to part with the cats.  
“Bagheera is the male – a beautiful black kitty who likes to talk.  His sweet sister with the lovely blue eyes is Ariela.  Although we’d love to see them go to the same home, the owner assures me that they can be separated.  Both are healthy and have been fully vetted.”
 (How about Bagheera's chin-scratching on that catfood can!)
The contact point is, of course, Mary’s email at mary.sullivan@mcpaulaw.com. She signs her appeal to the animal community and anybody who’ll help these cats, “Thanks a million — y’all are the best.”
SOME FACES WAITING
ON THE MESQUITE CLOCK
Mesquite Animal Services has volunteers who hustle to get more eyes looking at the available animals in the city shelter.
Judi Brown, one of the biographers, sent us a note about Starla, a 3-year-old, 56-pound girl who arrived as a stray on November 24. She’s got that one floppy ear a lot like movie star Veronica Lake’s hair style. 
Judi’s pet scanner says Starla is “a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog/Dalmatian/Pointer mix. Whatever she is she’s a true beauty with, in my opinion, show dog qualities. Her name fits her because she’s a real STAR! It’s hard to imagine why her owners haven’t come looking for her because she’s the whole package! Not only is she very attractive, but she’s got a wonderful personality. She is sweet, gentle, friendly, loving, and alert.” She’s #46159988.
This brings us to Debra Chisholm’s report on the siblings Buddy and Bacon, a couple of 5-year-old Chocolate Labs. Buddy’s the 84-pound dog on the left and Bacon’s the 91-pounder on the right.
They have been together for their entire lives, so it would be one sensationally kind act to adopt them together and give them a loving home for the rest of their lives. Why were they surrendered on the 28th? Their people were “moving and couldn’t take the dogs with them,” Debra's note says. These dogs are gentle, can walk well on a leash, loved being with their people. Debra says the photograph doesn’t do the boys justice. And, FYI, Bacon has “captivating hazel eyes.”
Buddy is #41909064 and Bacon is #46159988..
To ask about any of these dogs use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmes- quite.com.

Oh, and Judi also sent us a note about Noodles (#46164774), a recent momma Pittie “with sky blue eyes and a sweet disposition.” She’s a 3-year-old, 59-pound girl who came in as a stay on Nov. 26. She has nice manners, knows sit and shake and, Judi says, “I asked her to sit and she gave me her paw!” She has all the signs of being a sweet, calm, adorable family dog.
That brings us to the report on Harvey (#46127311), a 2-year-old, 40-pound Border Collie/Golden Retriever/Belgian Shepherd (possibly) mix. He’s listed as “RESCUE ONLY” because of the way he wound up in the shelter. He was out wandering when he “had the misfortune of entering a yard where there were two dogs in the residence and was attacked by them.” Mesquite Animal Services picked him up and took him to a vet. He had lacerations and puncture wounds. Needed some stitches. He’s on the mend, now, and “is affectionate, gives kisses and wants to snuggle.” Fond of treats. And his bio reads, “This is one charming boy who will make a loving and devoted pet.” The “rescue only” label is because he is still recovering from his already-treated wounds.
Use the same number and email that we gave you for Bacon and Buddy and Starla: 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Sheesh. What does it take to convince people to be as careful with their dogs and cats as they are with their cellphones, wallets and credit cards!?]
STILL WAITING IN LANCASTER,
FOUR DOGS THAT NEED HOMES
We’ve posted the bios of these four Lancaster shelter dogs before. The information and the reminder of their “still-a-the-shelter” status comes from 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on small shelters with not much human traffic and more animals than a small shelteer should have. You know how shelters can be in a pandemic when access is diminished by human behavior.
 Of course, human behavior may be while these 4 dogs wound up in the shelter in the first place. Thus we’re hoping to inspire the good-hearted among the planet’s humans to step up and save these babies.

That first dog is the chunky Dena, a “sweet as can be” Bulldog mix who loves to be with humans.
Next up is the magnificently autumnally brindled Autumn, listed as an American Bulldog who is “so cute and adorable. Looks like a little chunky teddy bear….Her coat looks just like Autumn leaves.” Well-behaved girl. (She needs donations for Cherry Eye surgery and you can do that through a Giving Tuesday notice for the 4-Legged Helpers, the Helpers say.

Meadow is that Boxer/Bulldog mix with the white blaze. Youngish dog whose test came back (you may cheer!) “Heartworm negative.”
And the last girl — with the great face and the distinct ears — is a Mastiff/Bulldog mix named Lexie. She’s described as so sweet that “her name could easily be Honey or Sugar or Precious because she truly is all of those things.”
To help these dogs, call or text Laura Macias of 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
PAYING SOME ATTENTION
TO 2020 GIVING TUESDAY
We’ve got a number of notices reminding us that this is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, i.e., Giving Tuesday. You can read up on it with some googlefication. That a word? Or a process? Anyway, it has grown into a “worldwide celebration of generosity.” 
Google, call, text, click-on, etc., your favorite charitable outfit — human or animal — and you can see how to make a donation. [LARRY FYI: readlarrypowell.com, in operation for going on two decades, is not a non-profit. We also are not a “not-for-profit.” And, we also don’t make a profit, though we would if I could convince car dealerships, grocery stories and political parties to advertise. Really, we just focus on helping the animals and picking the right six numbers in Lotto Texas.]
CONTEMPLATIONS

NEEDS, THE MOON AND HE'S GOT E.T. EYES
Our longtime pal/tipster Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake has sent us a “needs” list. The items are all needed at the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas. It’s the Friends’ clinic which, traditionally, operates on Tuesdays. There are some familiar items on the list but one caught our attention, probably because we don’t frequently see them unless they have animals on them (from vet’s, rescues or the one Martha made for us last year). Yep, Wall calendars. Sydney says, “I know they are a dinosaur, but we use about 5 around the clinic.” It would be nice, of course, if they were for 2021. Hint. Hint. Now, this next item can be from any year: The Friends need newspapers. Sydney says they’re collecting them for the clinic and for Kaufman County Cats, “a cat rescue for whom we do surgeries.” [LARRY ASIDE: I keep up with media stock prices. At the current rate, the Friends will soon be able to cancel their subscriptions and just buy a whole darned newspaper!] The Clinic also needs “bleach — never ends,” says Sydney, and distilled water, garbage bags (39 gallon or 13 gallon) and 70%- strength isopropyl alcohol — it’s for medical use, not recreational use. Deliver these items to the clinic between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday or call Sydney at these numbers to arrange a drop-off: 903-451-4701 or (cell) 214-808-4701. Or you can leave donations at Flair Printing in Gun Barrel City — want a real authentic Texas direction? It’s across the street from the Dairy Queen. …
This photograph is of Sunday night/Monday morning’s full moon as shot through the western window of my slumberspouse Martha’s home office -- the reflection on the window shows the office environment while focused on the exterior moonset. That was about 4:30 or 5 a.m. when Mr. Insomnia was listening to local radio and heard a weathercaster say the area had a “magnificent full moon” beginning to set in the west. The shot looks a little bleary but so did I. …. That cat? That’s Stevie Ray, one of my office cats, who is re-enacting a scene from E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Stevie Ray had left the office and, in the early hours, found his way into Martha’s bathroom where he pulled open a lower cabinet, crawled inside and began to rearrange carefully stacked towels, cloths and other items into a pile on the floor. Heck yeah, I picked him up, hugged him and kissed him. Click on his photo to make it large enough to see those eyes! He’s a cute cat who puts up with me. I plucked him out of a mimosa tree when he was a palm-sized kitten. Could be an extraterrestrial. You know how cats are.
—- Offer hope for the future by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. ——

LAST DAY IN NOVEMBER, THE IMPORTANCE OF HEART FOR TACO, LENNON AND US

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
[PetPowellPress] 
November is my favorite month and as the leaf said about the Oak limb, “I hate to let it go.” But, that we must do.
Our illustration for this opening is my little girl Porche Noel, snoozing on the couch Sunday morning after a brief walk outside where, somehow, she acquired a small traveler on her back.
Porche is a giving dog with a feeling for nature. She is a Leafhound.
More later in Contemplations.
THE CONNECTION OF HEARTS
HAS AN ENDURING STRENGTH…
For years we have had a tipster/friend who prefers to be known just as “MB” in public writings.
As the week was ending, Dear MB sent us a message that read, “My heart is going out to two dogs waiting for a home for a long time.”
One dog is in Carrollton, the other in Fort Worth.
So, I asked MB, “What caught you eye about these two?"
And, as you may suspect, it is a heart thing. 
MB replied, “My little dog recently died due to complications of diabetes. He was such a good boy and rare color. Taupe brown eyes, nose and coat. He was adopted from Carrollton Animal Services 13 years ago. I look at the websites out of boredom and sadness. Taco has been on the site (Carrollton) for a while. He was rescue only at first. Now up for adoption. Just saw Lennon for the first time today (Fort Worth). He is goofy and looks like a fun dog with his squeaky toy.”
So, readlarrypowell. com went online, got photos and information. We’ll get back to MB in a moment.
She told us abut Taco, a 5-year-old Rottie mix — he’s neutered, came in on October 6 and is available in the “foster-too-adopt” program. He’s #45838124. Here’s the CARROLLTON LINK. And, in this era, you have to call the shelter (972-466-3420) and “schedule an appointment to visit Taco.”
Lennon also caught MB’s attention. He’s a 2-year-old, 55-pound neutered, vaccinated and heartworm negative dog. He’s listed as a Cur/Mountain/Mix. And he came into the FWACC Chuck Silcox Animal Care and Adoption center on JUNE TENTH — he’s had plenty of care, but no adoption. Now’s the time for the adoption. You see how handsome he is. Here’s the LINK to the Fort Worth’s shelter. 
When we asked MB about her inspiration and she told of us her little dog, she also told us that an infamous pet store’s sale of lots of bred-to-sell dogs “horrified” her. “I saw the saddest Dachshund pups on that site. So sad….”
She also told us, “My little red-headed cat friend is still coming by. But likes to travel at night. He will come into one room in my house to eat. The other night he was batting the door. I opened it and he walked in [with some prey]…. Shudder. He has avoided coyotes and a neighbor chasing him with her Great Dane. I originally thought he was a female, but is a neutered male. I call him Little Boy. He is sweet. One of my indoor cats loves him. Carrollton is allowing some pets to go out on a rent-to-own-type basis. I hope you can help Taco and Lennon (in Fort Worth) find a home for Christmas. Thanks. Sincerely, mb.”
[LARRY ASIDE: So, Dear Readers, that’s the mission for this Monday edition. Find homes for Lennon and Taco and while you’re at it, any other dog or cat in a public shelter. ‘Tisn’t the season to let them meet their fates in shelters. Homes are where they ought to be living the good life for a long, long time.]

CONTEMPLATIONS
NOVEMBER, MOOSE RULES AND LEAVES
OK, that headline makes it read like the moose made a ruling and left. Moose rules and leaves. There goes my award for clear writing in headlines.
 Three different things in that headline: (1) November, the most autumnal month in Texas; (2) Moose rules of behavior in Canada and (3) leaves off trees in autumn. We’ve got a moose predicament, the shadow of a three-eared dog and what the dog was thinking.
 First, November turned cold Sunday and I’m typing this while wearing a hoodie in my home office. Cold is a concept that differs from place to place. For example, right now my hands are cold but my feet aren’t. I may put sox on my hands. 
Now, about the moose situation: The headline on autoblog reads “Canadian officials urge motorists not to let moose lick their cars.” The fine is $20,000 in U.S. currency; $25,000 in Canadian currency. Not sure what it is in Moosecoin but everybody knows you can’t bribe a moose.  In Texas, of course, it’s considered good luck if a moose licks your pickup. That’s what I heard, anyway. I’ve never seen a moose in Texas. I’m almost sure not even zoos have mooses in the Lone Star State. Your Texas cars are safe from mooses — it’s the birds you have to worry about. An ostrich with no sense of decorum can really hop up on the hood and wreck a paint job — hard to wash the car. …
We’ll close explaining that photo shows Porche in a state of contemplation on her ‘60s Den of Tranquility Dazzling Rug of Meditation. She has the ability to concentrate so sincerely that she doesn’t create a Third Eye but creates a Third Ear that is so powerful it can cast a shadow.
And, of course, we’re closing with the Porche Face you’d see if you caught her napping with a leaf on her back — exactly what was going on when I snapped the picture. Oh, and this is the joke I was going to close with: “Right after this photo was snapped, Porche woke from a vision about the Dallas Cowboys and said, ‘I don’t know why everybody’s making a big deal out of Denver playing without a quarterback for one game — we’ve seen entire seasons when the Cowboys played without a functioning quarterback. Thank you, Jerry Jones.’ ” But, instead, I’m going to close with a this: “Thank you, November, for being the most interesting month of 2020. Some day you’ll have to tell us about all these people who were making headlines. Unless there’s long, long a statute of limitations on whatever shenanigans they pulled.” Anybody up for forming The Shenanigan Party? Could be ready for 2024.
—- Offer opinions or November wishes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emaiiing dallrp@aol.com and put “31 DAYS ‘TIL 2020” in the subject line. —-

IGNORE THE SCORE; EXPLORE THE CAT'S MIND

Here we go with the Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap for the final weekend of November, 2020. Still more than a month left in this spectacularly out-of-the-ordinary trip around the sun.
We are prepared for the holidays, aren’t we? Christmas, Hanukkah and others that we cherish.
FYI, we open with a photo snapped on game day while some members of the household may not have been happy with the way a certain professional football team (not from Washington, D.C.) was playing.  You know which team. I almost can’t type the score, but I’ll go ahead: 41-16. Ouch, that hurt.
That's Porche's sleep-it-off face on the left and Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson's "leave-me-alone" look on the right. Who knows what's really in her mind. Let’s move on.
While shopping just before Thanksgiving, I was in a grocery store that keeps a large rack of seasonal and regularly-published magazines next to the checkout stand. [LARRY FYI: This store has actual check-out clerks. It doesn’t expect customers to work for the privilege of paying for the purchases. You don’t have to be able to “scan” items.]
Anyway, as you can see in the magazines, some attention is being paid to cats. Christmas and cats. My favorite is the one titled “INSIDE YOUR CAT’S MIND.” At the public library, this magazine would be stacked in the “Mysteries” section. 
I speak with personal experience.
Now, usually we turn to the online calendar Holiday Insights for special citations of a notable day. This time we happened to run across a specific day on the National Today site.
It suggests why there may be two cat magazines available among the Christmas, Cooking and Dieting publications.
December 15 is National Cat Herder’s Day. Here’s the LINK.
Now, resolutely determined not to be herded is that cat Simon, a young man photographed while in his special pose that he calls “The Furball of Meditation.”
Note how his paw curls around his cute face. It is the Paw of Contemplation. 
And his nose is the “Nose of Nasalification.” I have no idea what that means. And I also have no idea what’s inside my big, fluffy, curled-up-as-much-as-he-can-curl cat’s mind.  And, no, he won't help me pick Lotto Texas numbers. He says sudden wealth would ruin my cheery outlook on life. Not sure he actually used the word "cheery."
[DEAR READERS, Please, just for the holiday season and beyond, send photos of your sleeping dogs, nappng cats, slumbering reptiles, snoozing elves, to dallrp@aol.com with bios explaining how you acquired them and how much you love them. We’ll feature them in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and Napping Cats Nap. It’ll inspire people to open their homes to animals who need someone to love them. And it’ll inspire insomniacs to think they, too, can get some sleep if we can just stop laying awake and staring back at their cats.]
—-Offer opinions or recipes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

HAVE A REALLY GREAT THANKSGIVING 2020! -- REMEMBER, IT'S PERSONAL, NOT BUSINESS.

THE EDITION OF THANKSGIVING, 2020 [PetPowellPress] We have many reasons to be thankful and not enough room to list them all. But we have faith that You Know Who knows our hearts and will forgive what’s in them while also seeing the good things we do and think. Also, speaking on behalf of the humans in our house, we are thankful we were born in the Lone Star State and its United States. So, what we have in this edition is a holiday collection of notes linked by the fact that the Lapsed Baptist Boy and the Pentecostal Preacher’s Daughter are united in thanks-giving and critter-adoring. 
TIME-OUT: Just learned this fact Wednesday. Remember that song “Over The River and Through the Wood” — did you know it’s original title is “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day” — it’s a poem published in 1844 by Lydia Maria Child. Early versions went to “Grandfather’s house” rather than “Grandmother’s House.” That book cover looks like the Thanksgivings of my childhood in Texarkana, Texas, except for the snow, the horse, the sleigh, the warmly-dressed passengers and a mountain in the background. TIME-IN.

EXPLAINING THE CAT: There is no explaining this cat. He's our youngest foundling — Stevie Ray. You saw him in a recent edition standing in my office window and watching a Mockingbird that he thought was a Turkey — the young, inexperienced cat had never seen an actual bird in person before (that I know of though I did pluck his yowling little self out of a tree).
On Wednesday I was in my luxurious home office typing madly on some project that I hope to sell to the movies for 80 million bucks — I’m kidding. I think I was typing a fortune cookie that read "YOU WILL ENJOY THIS COOKIE BUT SOON EAT TOO MUCH ON A NOVEMBER THURSDAY...AND FRIDAY."  Martha was away on an errand. And I was the only human that I knew of in the house.
Suddenly, like in a Twilight Zone episode, I heard one eerie musical note drifting elegantly through the house. Because it was only one note, I figured a cat had walked across our radio with the on/off switch on top and turned it on, then off, with one footstep. 
But then I heard at least six very musical notes in a row gently traveling calmly, sweetly through the house. And I recognized the tone but not the song. So I walked into Martha’s Harp Room and, there, in proper position for plucking with one extended toe and nail, was Stevie Ray. He saw me, rose and walked out before I could convince him to play Greensleeves for the video cam.
TIME-OUT: Martha and I are united on her Preacher/Mom Violet Muse’s chocolate pie recipe at Thanksgiving though we go through different serving lines when it comes to the main dish — I like mine to be what’s now referred to as “plant-based.” Some people are “traditional” with a holiday fork. [FYI: As I’m typing this, I am also sharing a rice cake with peanut butter to my darling companion Wendy, aka Wednesday Louise Wagstaff Arden. It helps us both think. I hope the photo demonstrates the affection we have for each other and peanut butter.] TIME-IN
A THANKSGIVING NOTE
FOR SWEET CLYDE
Spotted this on Facebook Wednesday. Got a soft spot for Border Collies. So while we have no place for “Sweet Clyde,” maybe someone reading this on a calm, quiet Thanksgiving will have a spot. According to the League of Animal Protectors Rescue (www.laprescue.org) Clyde was rescued from a Dallas hoarding situation earlier this year. He has been living with a trainer and is a gentle, quiet guy who, the trainer says “never barks even during doggie playtime.” LAP Rescue says Clyde’s shy, but once he likes you, it’s a lock!
The handsome guy is in command of his household manners. The LAP note reads, “We would love to place him in a foster-to-adopt home to help with this transition and opportunities to work with our trainer to make this process as seamless as possible.” Click HERE for the adoption application.
[LARRY ASIDE: As a kid, we had a Border Collie named Queenie, perhaps the greatest dog who ever lived. Herded the three brothers like we were renegade goats. My rescuespouse Martha and I now have a Border Collie/Chocolate Lab mix named Dudley The Angel after Cary Grant’s character in The Bishop’s Wife. Dudley lives up to the Angel designation.]
TIME-OUT: On Thanksgiving, I usually watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC — it’s a tradition I started way back in elementary school when the TV hosts might have been Today Show stars Dave Garroway and a chimp named J. Fred Muggs. Or maybe the hosts were Hugh Downs, Jack Lescoulie and Barbara Walters. I can’t remember. 
I just know that Santa is always on the final float. 
The system was I’d browbeat my brothers into watching Captain Kangaroo until the parade started and then we’d switch to NBC where the parade was presented “In Living Color,” though we wouldn’t know that until around 1965 when Mom and Pop got a color TV. We happily, ignorantly watched “In Living Monochrome.” That’s the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes high-kicking in 1958 — got the photo from NBC Today’s online collection HERE.  If I remember correctly, in this photo, I am the third from the left (near the curb) and fourth from the left is our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher who was a writer for NBC and the Today Show before he became The Critter Whisperer of Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. Happy Thanksgiving, of course, to him and Annie, son Ian, and the rescues: dog Maxie and cat Chloe. Heck, Happy Thanksgiving to the entire Eastern Seaboard.
TIME OUT ADDENDUM: Of course, I’ve never high-kicked with the Rockettes though it remains a dream. I have, however, edited the written word and written words that needed editing. So, this Thanksgiving, I am very, very thankful to teachers who constantly work at making sure their students know that words matter, phrases should be clearly understood and the phrase “you know what I mean” should only be used in fiction and, then, only sparingly. I’m still puzzled by Joe Namath’s use of the phrase “one of the only days” in a Medicare commercial — an “only day” is the “one,” not “one of.” Also, I was listening to a storm report Wednesday morning on a respected local AM radio station and heard a news anchor say some people in Tuesday night’s storm had suffered “minor wounds.” I believe “minor injuries” is the proper usage unless the tornado was shooting at these people. Bullet wounds, knife wounds. Tornadoes, car wrecks, dangling participles -- all injuries, not wounds. Of course, the fact that I am a stickler for proper contextual usage means I may suffer an emotional wound from those who are, when it come to communicating, as slack as a deflated exclamation point. Know what I mean? [THAT BOOK? Published in 2014. I like the title. Never read it. Title reminds me of some of my editing shifts in newsrooms. I kid my former colleagues as a Thanksgiving gift! The author, Thomas Erikson, has written sequels: Surrounded by Psychopaths (reminded me of meetings with newspaper management) and Surrounded by Bad Bosses (I'm sure it has a "Fiction" label as there is not such thing as a bad boss, right?)]  TIME IN

CONTEMPLATIONS
YOU AND YOUR COMPANIONS
Our friend Dianne Cole has been a rescuer for a while and Readlarrypowell.com once tracked her adventure in trying to save a little bitty dog that was among several dumped near the southwest Dallas campus of Mountainview College where she works. She and hubby Mike have a history of saving dogs and giving them a happy home we all envy! 
The dog she was trying to save in this Mountainview adventure is named “Lil’ Bit.” That’s her reaching out toward the camera.
Diane summarized the story this way: “Lil' Bit is still going strong...well, not as strong as she used to, but she's like the Energizer Bunny...she keeps on going.  I can't imagine my life without her.  She's always close by and looks at me with adoration in her eyes daily.  I LOVE my girl.  She loves Mike, but she will always be a Mama's Girl and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Yes, people still remember my adventure trying to catch her...and what a catch she was!  Nine years later and I still have high school friends ask me how she's doing.  LOL!  She's a lucky little girl.”
Here's how Dianne explained the emotions in her post on Thanksgiving's Eve. Written in Lil' Bit's voice, it reads:
"My Mom and her friend rescued me after I was dumped as a 3 month old puppy... I’m now 9 years old. It took Mom and her friend almost 5 months to catch me, but I hit the jackpot when I let myself be caught.
My nickname is: Bits or Bitsy
My age: About 9
My weight: 20 pounds
My favorite human food is: My dog food since I don’t get people food
My biggest fear: being dumped again, but don’t think that will ever happen
My favorite thing to do: sitting in my Mom’s lap
My second favorite thing to do: looking out the window
My favorite toy: toys are beneath me
Do I love car rides: Only if I can sit in Mom’s lap
Do I snore: ALL the time & very loud for such a small girl
My job: keeping Mom & Dad safe from outside people & dogs
My breed is: Chihuahua mix
My favorite human: my Mom, of course, but I do love my Dad."
That’s not all from Dianne. She adds, “Jewels and Dice are lucky, too, and a big part of our lives.  I just wish I could have more dogs, but Mike tells me 3 is enough.  LOL!” That’s Jewels and Dice wrestling — good dogs, best pals, lots of fun. And proof, Dianne will tell you, that you can boost the happiness in your heart by adopting those Big Black Dogs that nobody wants. They're waiting in shelters for a Thankful Heart to stop by.
IN SUMMATION: For Thanksgiving 2020, my festivespouse Martha and I are so happily thankful that we have dogs and cats and friends such as all you Dear Readers. 
We have a lot to be thankful for in this country and after the 2020 political campaigns, some of us are thankful that we can still find quiet places to sit and contemplate. 
For example, that is The Senator, our politically experienced cat and my personal counselor, having a very quiet moment with an old operative acquaintance who is trying to reshape his resume in order to qualify for a cabinet position -- Secretary of Baby Boomer Influence. In the second photo, you see my shoe, Martha’s toes, Dudley snoozing and the incredibly wonderful face of Texas Earl the Cheeseman, the Rottie I recovered free in Dallas’ Kiest Park more than a decade ago — he was waiting for whoever dumped him to come back and get him. In keeping with this holiday, I am very, very thankful I said to him, “Jump in the pickup kid, I’ve got a place for you to spend the rest of your life making two people happy.” And that, Dear Readers, is a great step toward having a wonderful Thanksgiving each year. Oh, yeah, I need to mention the kids and the grandkids, too. That’s enough — they’ll understand. They have critters.
— Be thankful today and let us know why on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

TIME'S PACE; SAILOR'S COOL; SHELTER REMINDERS, WASHINGTON IRVING AND 'MY, WHAT A GRAND PRAIRIE!'

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY NOV. 25, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Here’s a midweek reminder for a weekend edition before we get to dogs and cats and the origin of local names.

Please send us photos of your sleeping dogs and napping cats and any other snoozing critters — opportunity to snap a shot of a brother-in-law out like a light in your recliner during the Thanksgiving Dallas Cowboys game. 
Email photos and bios of the slumbering critters/in-laws to dallrp@aol.com and we’ll post ‘em in the weekend’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. [I hope you saw last weekend’s edition with Muriel Parker and her pal Shiloh. One of my favorite Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap photos of all time: Shiloh captaining the Rollator powered by our pal Muriel! The look on the cat’s face cracks me up. Shiloh is the captain of his ship!]
OK, let’s move on with today’s report.
AN UPDATE ON SAILOR,
THE CAT WHO CHARMED SO MANY
We knew from an earlier update that things were moving in the right direction for Sailor, the handsome cat who’d lost his human.
His primary advocate, Mary T. Sullivan, the critterfan, sent this email with a Thanksgiving tone. She wrote,“Just thought I’d pass along some good news...Sailor has been adopted by a lovely family in the DFW area that has two other kitties.  One has taken a real shine to Sailor, so he finally has a buddy after years of being an ‘only’!  He’s also getting all kinds of TLC and recent photos suggest that he’s adapting very well to his new life. 
“As we approach Thanksgiving, please know that I’m immensely grateful to all those who passed Sailor’s info along to their friends and neighbors, or who said a little prayer for him, or who offered other kinds of assistance.  The outpouring of support for this sweet older boy who lost his human companion so suddenly has been truly humbling.  Y'all are amazing.”
That first Sailor photo is from his pre-adoption days; this second photo, more recent, shows the lad enjoying a nice bit of tranquility in his new loving home.
[LARRY ASIDE: Just think, Dear Readers, we’d never have known of this wonderful cat if it hadn’t been for Mary Sullivan and her connections in the pass-it-on animal world. So, yes, Mary, on Thanksgiving and every other cat and dog day, you’re a reason for the rest of us to be thankful.]
A BOUNCE-BACK IN MESQUITE;
A SWEET-SPIRITED DOG; AND
A SEASONAL KITTY CAT
Bless those volunteers at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. Without them, i.e., Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm in our case, we’d never know the actual stories of the dogs and cats and their tendencies and charms.
Debra has provided us with these two dogs — Samson and Trevor.

About Samson, Debra wrote that he “has been returned to the shelter after an adopter kept him for 3 days.  She reported that Samson had displayed aggression toward her dog.  This boy is high-strung and really needs obedience training and training to walk better on a leash in order to fit into a family, especially one with other animals.  He is a bit mouthy and will turn his head side-to-side to chew on the leash.  He reacts to other dogs walking past his kennel.  If interested in Samson please ask the staff for a dog test.”
In her original evaluation, Debra wrote that this Plott Hound mix had arrived at the shelter as a stray on November 7. The 3-year-old, un-neutered Samson weighed in at 75 pounds. She said, “He walks OK on a leash, but is a strong puller.” And he reacted to the other dogs who barked at him when he was “led through the bay.” He has a charming side; likes treats, takes them gently. And, she wrote, “He is playful and loves to chase balls in the yard but does not return them. He finds it much more amusing to run around the yard with the ball in his mouth.”
He’s #46055614. And, as you can see, he’s not just a Plott Hound mix, he’s an Earhound. Check out that photo where one of the masterpieces of creative earness appears to be asking, “Beg pardon? Did you call for Samson? I’ll keep an ear out for you.”
That brings us to Trevor. He’s described as a Border Collie mix.
The 3-year-old, 60-pound, “intact” stray arrived on November 18. 
Debra wrote, “Trevor is a lively and high-spirited fellow with a confident and exuberant personality.  He will jump on you in his excitement, so obedience classes would be a great idea.  He knows the sit command.  He was totally taken with scouting out the yard and spent much of the photo shoot investigating the smells.  However, he is friendly and has a sweet nature.  He walked fairly well on a leash.  … He would seem best suited for a person or family who is active and would take him for walks, jogging or just play with and exercise him.  Trevor seems to have been well-cared for and it is mystery to me as to why his owners have not come looking for him.”  Trevor is #46120008. Please help Trevor by networking or tagging at rescues@cityofmesquite.com, typing in the subject line TAG, ID 46120008.  If additional information is needed, please call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
For either of those dogs, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. [LARRY ASIDE: Trevor may already have been adopted— he wasn’t on the website display Tuesday afternoon. If he’s already got a home, then there are other dogs who need to bunk at your place for the rest of their lives.]
ONE MORE THING: Mesquite not only has a lot of dogs, but a lot of cats in the shelter — click HERE — and those cats range from tiny kittens to grown-ups. This is Holly, one of the grown-ups with a seasonal name — just in time for the holidays? Yeah, she came in before Halloween — back on Oct. 26. She’s #45970712, a little over a year old and smallish. She’s waiting in the Cat Room for that right person to pick her up and cuddle her and make sure she has treats and some conversation. Cats need conversation, you know. Helps ‘em put up with humans.
A LANCASTER REMINDER SERVING
AS A REMINDER FOR ALL SHELTERS
Remember, there are shelters and rescue groups brimming with cats and dogs all over the State of Texas and the Great Southwest. Millions of people with opportunities to save the lives of lots of dogs and cats after they’ve been put at peril by our state’s vibrant population of knuckleheads and numbskulls. But all that name-calling aside, we’re using these two animals to remind everybody of the small-shelter low foot-traffic situations. Lots of paw traffic; little foot-traffic. That’s whey 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit exists. Serves as a go-between for rescue groups and potential adoptors and the shelters with limited personnel and budgets.
That “adorable chunky bulldog mix” Dena is waiting at Lancaster. Available now. Her bio from the Helpers reads, “Adores all people, especially children! She is so cute — she actually talks — it is the cutest thing. Even great with kitty cats.”
And, as an example of a kitty cat to be great with, we cite (once again) the young cat Kahlua — she’s the one who was found outside the shelter by someone arriving to help with transportation with an animal already inside the shelter. That saved Kahlua from danger outside, but now it’s time to save her from danger inside! There’s a clock ticking at all small shelters. 
To offer to help 4-Legged Helpers save the lives of animals in Lancaster and other small shelters, call or text Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS

TIME MOVES ON, NAMES OF TOWNS, THE WAY THINGS WERE….
Nobody tells you this when you’re a kid, but pass it on. Seriously. Be prepared. The passage of time is a startling event; the realization that time is speeding one can be a breathtakingly shocking event. Example: I just found out a teenage copy clerk I worked with at The Former Really Big Paper in Downtown Dallas is 62 years old. How is that possible? Last time I saw her feels like it was just a few editions ago. Nope. Just over four decades ago — and I am still in my early-40s. I swear. …
I’m starting to understand Washington Irving’s cautionary tale, Rip Van Winkle. Do students still get to read Washington Irving’s writings? Don’t let the passage of time and the evolution of education cheat you out of classic reading. Finding classic writing online is why God made Google. Remember, Irving also wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 
He has a local connection.
This collection of conversation points reminds me of a legend I once heard about the City of Grand Prairie. It was told to me when I was the newly-appointed editor of The Grand Prairie Daily News. It was alleged that the wife of a railroad president was riding the train through the unnamed area. When the train stopped, she looked out the window and declared, “My! What a grand prairie!” and that’s the origin of the town’s name. I got that “My what a Grand Prairie” story from a reporter. He also said, “Same thing happened just north of here. An executive's wife got off the train at a depot, looked around and said, “My! What a grand Irving.” I suppose that could have happened. Let me check. FYI: The Handbook of Texas says that the “My, what a Grand Prairie” story is pretty much true! [That’s a photo of the once-immortal Texas Stadium in Irving being demolished. “Once-immortal,” my phrasing to note that the strong wake of the passage of times is relentless in re-shaping the present.]…. FYI: The Handbook says Irving was named “possibly after Washington Irving,” the “favorite author” of the wife of an influential resident.
None of this history will mean anything unless students are reminded that towns didn’t just spring up right after the darling babies were born. History is important. That photo? A lingering sign from the past in front of the cafe that was once named Prairie Dog Drive-In. It’s on eastern Main Street in Grand Prairie, whose high school team at North Grand Prairie is NOT the Prairie Dogs. It's the Gophers. The lesson is Main Street can change over time, but every Main Street has memories. Some of them are still standing. The Beatles knew it. Click HERE.
— Offer coping advice and pie recipes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

A TURKEY AT THE WINDOW; HORSES IN TROUBLE?; HELPING SHELTER ANIMALS; CORN AND COB; PACE OUR TRASH!

EDITION OF TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 [PetPowellPress] "…at which time one guy turns to the other and says,  'Yeah, I was there, too. That was something, wasn’t it! Needed help standing up after that meal!' ”

Thank you all for reading that paragraph from a diary about a Thanksgiving dinner in the pre-pandemic times in Northeast Texas where the term “second helping” may be interpreted as a “good start.” Could be true; could be made up. Now, without resolution, let’s see what we have for this edition.
Speaking of second helpings: Save the Turkeys. We cite Corn and Cobb, the turkeys
scheduled to be pardoned by President Trump, as has been tradition at the White House. And we’ll explain that photograph later in this edition.
THE HAMILTON COUNTY
HORSE SITUATIONS
We got the tip on this from veteran animal advocate Janie Perelman in an email with the subject line “Starving Horses.”
[LARRY ASIDE: I’m that rare native Texan who has never felt at home on a horse, but I am extremely uncomfortable when I see a photo of a horse with ribs-showing, hip-bones protruding and a beautiful face that indicates the horse trusts that a human will resolve this situation. The situation deserves investigating — you know, just in case there’s not a medical reason for several horses showing their ribs at the same time.]
Janie posted the initial report we saw on her Facebook page HERE and that led us to the original poster Silke Schwalbe who wrote powerfully about this dire situation for several horses. See it HERE. Hamilton County is southwest of Fort Worth and the horses are said to be in a largely barren enclosure near Hico.
On Janie’s page, you can get the numbers to call to talk with and see responses from other people who are concerned. Same for Silke’s page — and you can read of responses, including a “We’re working on it” from the sheriff’s office.
[LARRY ASIDE: Several animal cruelty agencies have been contacted, according to Janie. But, as you know, the voices of voters and political supporters carry weight even if there’s not an election for a while. Need I remind any citizens or authorities that animal cruelty is against the law in The Great State of Texas no matter who is president.]
OK, LADIES AND GENTS,
LET’S GO TO A SHELTER…
Which shelter? Pick one. They’re all full of animals that need a break. In Monday’s edition we cited Dallas Animal Services and Mesquite Animal Services. But every city with a shelter has more unwanted animals than it needs. Rescue groups are full, too, this time of year.
[LARRY ASIDE: Gosh you hate to blame people for all the unwanted dogs and cats, but, who else do we blame? The Dallas Cowboy’s defensive backfield? Nope. The blame goes on people without a code of moral behavior. But that’s not for us to judge — it’s just for us to rise above our fellow humans’ behavior and work hard to save the animals. Save ‘em all. Every one of ‘em. In spite of the humans. Help me off this soapbox before a slat breaks and I snap an elbow here at the holidays — that would hamper my ability to eat pie with a fork.]
Now, about animals. You probably spotted that cat’s photo and thought, “I’ve seen that cat before.” Maybe you have. I featured Kahlua a couple of weeks ago and she still doesn’t have a home. We got the details on her from the 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit group that helps small, low-traffic shelters around the Dallas area. Without the inner connections, some of the animals in small shelters would never have an advocate between day of arrival and day of the needle.

How did Kahlua wind up in the Lancaster Animal Shelter? A transporter arrived to pick up another animal and on the way into the shelter, found this baby dumped or set free on the grounds outside the shelter. So her life was saved — for now — but she needs help. Get in touch with 4-Legged Helpers by calling or texting Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or by emailing cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Wait. There’s more.
Karma is this black cat with the green eyes — she arrived with an entire litter of mixed kittens. Her bio reads, “She is soft and her fur is velvety to the touch. …The green panther eyes are amazing!” (Use the same contact points cited for Kahlua.)
And there’s Autumn, described by 4-Legged Helpers as looking “like a little chunky teddy bear and look at this sweet little face. Her coat looks just like beautiful Autumn leaves and she is a very good girl who is cuddly and cute.”
Another dog? Yes, that’s Meadow, a Boxer mix whose white hair on her muzzle makes her look older, but she’s really a younger dog. The shelter reports “her teeth look beautiful.” And she is “precious and loving,” 4-Legged Helpers reports.
We close with this girl Lexi, said to be a Mastiff/Bulldog mix. Her bio reads, “Such a sweetie! Look at that cute smile! A Good Samaritan found her out in the rural part of the county and said she is the sweetest girl ever…. Her name could easily be Honey or Sugar or Precious because she truly is all of those things.”
Again, the contact points for all of these animals are these: Call or text Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
[LARRY ASIDE: Remember, the area you call home may not be close to Lancaster, but arrangements can be made for you to adopt or foster or rescue via 4-Legged Helpers. And, remember, also, that there are other shelters with animals that need homes or fostering or transport. Maybe you’ll have time on your hands this week since the relatives decided not to come stay with you and eat your food and spoil your dogs and cats. It happens, bless the hearts of all who live animals enough to spoil them!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
AH, THE TURKEY AT THE WINDOW, THE GOBBLERS’ CHANCES; A CITY SCHEDULE PILES UP
You see, of course, the photo we referenced in the opening paragraph. That is my Apprentice Office Cat Stevie Ray Treeboy (pulled from a weak twig on a mimosa tree in Oak Cliff when he was barely palm-of-the-hand size — Stevie Ray honors the great Oak Cliff guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan). I snapped the photo of my Stevie Ray as he assumed a “predator-at-attention” stance at the window — this cat hasn’t been outside since his eyes were nearly shut and he’s never seen a turkey or any other bird up close. But he exclaimed that he’d seen a wild turkey in our front yard. Click HERE and technology should show you an 8-second video of Stevie Ray excited about a free-roaming turkey. After I took the video, I leaned over and looked out the window and spotted a good ol’ Texas Mockingbird sitting quietly on a nearby tree limb. FYI: I have never heard a Mockingbird "gobble." …
Ever wonder which president pardoned the first turkey and which president actually made the pardoning a tradition? The White House Historical Association has the answers HERE. Those are the 2020 turkeys, Corn and Cob, and you can read their story from KATC Channel 3 in Louisiana, though the birds are from Iowa. [LARRY ASIDE: Nothing is rational in today’s media coverage, though, well, the KATC story had this great photo of the turkeys in their turkeyquarters, a suite in a Washington, D.C., hotel. Not the only turkeys in Washington, I understand.]…
ABOUT THE GARBAGE: Our neighborhood’s trash day is usually on Thursday, but this holiday week — when cooks generally have a whole lot of trash to go to the bin for pickup — the pick up day is Wednesday, the day before the creation of more trash than a landfill deserves. So, we’ll have to pace our garbage for the next week. Bet you never expected to read the clause “pace our garbage for the next week.” May never have been written before, though I think a t-shirt with the slogan ‘PACE OUR GARBAGE’ might set off a movement, as we used to say in the ‘60s. PACE OUR GARBAGE — it has the slight aroma of success. That's my companion/editor The Senator from his days as a spokeman for the pro-efficiency with trash bins organization, "People's System to Save Serous Time!" Known informally as "PSSST!"
— Offer turkey alternatives and happy veggie dish recipes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put SAVE THE TURKEYS in the subject line. —-

A WIDE-RANGING EXAMINATION OF HISTORY & CULTURE WITH ADORABLE ADOPTABLES, TOO

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020 [PetPowellPress] This is the 23rd of November. So, I went to Holiday Insights to see how to celebrate: The online calendar site says the 23rd is “Eat a Cranberry Day,” “National Cashew Day” and “National Espresso Day.” Or, “Breakfast For a Really Skinny Model.” In case you want a family holiday, the 24th is “All Our Uncles are Monkeys Day.” Well, I’ll be a….
We’ll get to the JFK Anniversary in a moment. First, that’s one of our former ferals, Esme — we do not know her uncles. She was photographed enjoying a nice bit of relaxation in my catnapspouse Martha’s lap over the weekend. Esme arrived as an unclaimed but available-to-steal-your-heart-anyway kitten many years ago. Since that time, she has never been in danger of starving. When you encounter a Tabby or a Torbie or whatever “type” Esme is, if you play your cards right, she will own you. And when you can pick her up and pet her, you’ll feel pride and relief that you may be one of only two people on earth she will trust. For that moment. Things change quickly for Esme the Cat.
WHO IS WEARING A MASK
THESE DAYS IN TEXAS?
When I saw this photo in a Greyhound Adoption League of Texas email, I thought, “Is there anyone not wearing a mask in Texas?”
Then I realized those are custom muzzles for this gang of Grey- hounds. The photo was used to enhance a GALTx appeal for donations on “Giving Tuesday” on December 1.
Why do Greyhounds need help? GALT has more than 100 of these dogs in the program and around 20 of them are on GALT’s “Injured Reserve” list of dogs with broken legs, heartworm and Ehrlichia Canis. That count was made on the morning of November 18. That afternoon, according to GALT, “we welcomed an additional 13 hounds — 6 boys and 7 girls — from a recent law enforcement seizure.” They’d been living in awful situations - some had injuries and ailments. There was an 11-year-old, 2 10-year-old and “a 6-year-old male tripod.”  (And, as you can see from that strip of mugshots, Greyhounds are Earhounds, too.)
GALT says a “generous, anonymous donor will match your Giving Tuesday donations up to $20,000.”
You can see how to donate via the GALT Facebook fundraiser and the 2020 Giving Tuesday Matching Fund. [LARRY ASIDE: If anyone deserves a good Thanksgiving, it's these relentless rescuers of "used up" athletes and mistreated hounds.]
At galtx.org you can link to those points, also, but you can also see non-Greyhounds, i.e., this really beautiful, fuzzy- faced 2-year-old Skyler, a female  "gray and black Irish Wolfhound mix” who was a stray —not in Dallas — but in the GALT “territory” in southeastern New Mexico. Her puppy is Walter Jr. Go to the GALT site to see 'em.
And one more thing — GALT is always in need of foster homes. As an example of why, the organization recntly took in 14 Greyhounds from Louisiana — either ex-athletes or storm victims. To ask about become a Greyhound foster, email fostering@galtx.org.
Years ago, I encountered a Greyhound adoption event and one of the volunteers confided something like, “Yeah, they run fast. But the great hidden secret is Greyhounds are really just couch potatoes.” So, there you go. They’ll beat you to your favorite spot on the couch every time.

IN CASE YOU HAVE AN OPEN SPOT
AT YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE
OK, who doesn’t? Right? Pandemic, right? But apparently no government office limits the number of dog and cat guests you can have at Thanksgiving.
We went to dallasanimalservices.org to see if we could spot a couple of animals — they’re all free to adopt these days — who look as if they might be saying, “Please, sir, may I have another serving of that delicious dressing and some warm rolls?”
That’s Nicki (#A11109456), a 58-pound, year-old “American Pit Bull Terrier mix. Handsome fellow. [LARRY ASIDE: Traces his lineage back to Plymouth Rockie, a dog who showed the pilgrims how to safely step onto Pilgrim Rock without slipping on the algae. That’s what I heard.]
That cat is Dutchess (AD1110218), also a free-to-adopt Dallas cat. She’s a 7-years-old, 15-pound “domestic long-hair — and, as you know, a 15-pound cat has certain diet standards. Her menu reads “Thanksgiving — I’ll have what you’re having.” She clearly knows how to behave at the table. Look at that face as she patiently awaits service of the soup. [LARRY ASIDE: Our understanding is that Dutchess traces her lineage back to Quicklad, one of the Mousers who signed on to help the Mayflower get the Pilgrims pest-free to the New World. Little known story: Dutchess' ancestor had a best mouse friend on the voyage and smuggled him and his family onto Plymouth Rock in a picnic basket. You’ve heard of Mickey, no doubt. That’s my understanding, anyway. Paper records from the 1620 are hard to find.]
THREE (AND MORE) READY TO GO
IN THE MESQUITE SHELTER
Our dog bio-writin’ pal Judi Brown, the volunteer at the Mesquite Animal Shelter, lined up these three bios of available dogs at the suburban shelter on the east side of Big D.
Take a look at this handsomely attired terrier Duke, 11 months old and returned on Nov. 17. Judi writes that the adopters gave him back because “there had been a change of lifestyle.” [LARRY ASIDE: Not sure what that means, but it probably wasn’t the dog who changed.] Judi says she’d rename Duke “Happy because that’s exactly what he is! This dog just exudes joy! He’s friendly, excited, wiggly, good-natured, playful, loving, and fun loving! His tail never stops wagging and his body never stops wiggling. He loves life and everyone in it! For that reason he would probably be good with children! When I sat down he sat down next to me and tried to get on my lap. He gives sloppy kisses.” You can learn more abou this 34-pound, already fixed dog by getting in touch with the shelter. His ID is 45535629.

Dale is a 3-year-old mixed breed who came is as a stray on Nov. 15. Judi reports, “The shelter has him down as a hound dog probably based on his ears. My pet scanner said he’s probably a Terrier Pit Catahoula mix. He’s got beautiful cinnamon coloring with hazel eyes to match. He’s very photogenic and a very handsome guy! He’s somewhat timid. I get the feeling he’s not used to much attention. I did coax him to me when I was sitting on the bench and although he was receptive to having his ears scratched, he seemed like he didn’t really know what to make of it. He spent most of his time at the door wanting to go in even though it was a nice day. It may have been because he felt more secure in his kennel or because he’s been an inside dog. He will need more TLC to warm up and let his true personality come out. Actually, when I got done with the photo shoot he did give me a tentative kiss!” The “on-the-thin-side” 51-pound dog’s ID is 46103259.
Judi says Gina (#46107008), this 10-year-old Boxer/Pittie mix came in as a stray on the 16th. She weighs 61 pounds and has gray on her muzzle, but “her dark brown eyes are very striking!” Judi writes. “She is adjusting to her new surroundings, but when she goes into the yard she spends her time at the gate whining. It’s very obvious that she’s looking for her owner to come back and get her. It’s also very obvious that she is capable of a deep love. Would you consider opening your heart to this sweet senior? … At this stage in her life she would do best being an inside dog cuddling up next to her new family members. Gina is a sweet girl just waiting for you.”
To ask about any of these animals, use their IDs when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
See more Mesquite animals by clicking on the SHELTER LINK HERE. Plenty of dogs, plenty of cats available. Among the cats is this 3-year-old, already spayed, dressed for autumn black and white girl named Majestic (#45589424). [LARRY ASIDE: I know nothing about Majestic, but, based on my experiences with beloved black and white cats, I will declare that she probably lives up to her name and would be an idea, polite guest at your Thanksgiving table or in your lap on the couch as you watch either a traditional Thanksgiving movie or a football game or your relatives play cards and complain about indigestion from your ultra-spicy giblet gravy. You won’t hear that carping from a cat.]
A BRIEF DIVERSION/RECOLLECTION
REGARDING ONE HISTORIC DAY
Between the pandemic and the rest of our challenges, I guess commemorating President John F. Kenndy’s assassination in Dallas sort of slipped through things in some local media — maybe squeezed out of the spotlight by the virus and the NFL games and other challenges. Could be a “passage of time” thing for younger minds that cannot hear the echo of the gunfire that others from the era can still hear. 
As a veteran Dallas watcher, I’m prepared to declare that this was the most important event to occur in Dallas (even more than its founding by John Neely Bryan). It was tragic for the nation, but it inspired people who loved Dallas and, thus, the city’s response to being labeled a “city of hate” was to work hard to prove it would not live down to that label. It took decades and lots of public/private spirit to grow Dallas from a prairie town where a president was murdered to the dynamic global business center that it is today. That attitude spread across the area, too — and this was nearly a decade before “Metroplex” was invented to become an ad term for the sprawling "under construction" swath of Texas. [That's a Dallas News photo of JFK and LBJ and others leaving FW's Hotel Texas just before the trip to Dallas on THAT day.] 

On Sunday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had THREE JFK-related stories, including an update by columnist (and my ol’ colleague at The Fort Worth Press and The DMN Bud Kennedy. He’s still working on solving the mystery of "just who were Lee Harvey Oswald’s pallbearers?" Bud says there are two mysterious figures in the photos and the stories.
Yep, Nov. 22, 1963. Fifty-seven years ago. At my high school, Texas High, in Texarkana, we learned of the attack during the Friday lunch break. We learned of the death about a half-hour later when the kids picking up attendance slips from each class told us from the classroom doorways. Our guy leaned in and told our Latin II teacher, “He’s gone.” Simple, chilling words. That was the beginning of learning just how fortunate we were to live in a resilient post-World War II nation. God bless America. Again.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE MIND’S JUKE BOX AND MOVIE THEATER
Here’s one that slipped past us and didn’t even make The New York Times until this weekend. The singer Len Barry died at 78 on Nov. 5 — a bone marrow disease was the cause. Now that the mournful part is out of the way, let’s talk what the guy gave us. If you have a constant juke box running inside your brain, as I do, every now and then you’ll hear the great Len Barry singing “1 2 3.” Enjoy it by clicking HERE. He sings on a set with “go-go girls” and dancers who may be pretending to be teenagers. If you go back as far as The Twist, here’s Chubby Checker introducing The Dovells (with lead singer Len Barry) doing The Bristol Stomp. Listen, kids, this was the era when all we had to sweat was report cards, the Cold War and finding a job. ... My apologies for advertisements you have to navigate before you can get to the songs. This is America — everybody’s trying to make a buck. …. I’ve been watching, thanks to on demand at Turner Classic Movies, the Peter Sellers film I Love You, Alice B. Toklas.  We don’t have time machines — well, at least no secret government agency has revealed one yet — but if you want to be reminded of what 1968 was like for some people…. well, there’s that movie. And some of you, Dear Readers From the 20th Century, may recall that film is how you were introduced to a very exotic brownie recipe (click on the poster so you can read that clipping) by the “hippie chick” Nancy, portrayed by Leigh Taylor-Young (career launched with TV’s Peyton Place and continues…). The film summary reads, “A 30-something square falls in love with a hippie and decides to ‘drop out’ himself.” It may have been named “Film of the Year” by the Amercan Society of Divorce and Settlement Lawyers. (I made up that society, but you get the drift. In that era, “dropping out” was a male hobby. As I recall.) … Want even more wackiness of the era, pilot your time machine to Dec. 23, 1969, and catch The Arrangement, staring Kirk Dougls, Faye Dunaway and deborah Kerr. The advertising line read, “The girl knew about the wife. The wife knew about the girl. It was all part of the arrangement.” But the movie poster had this line: "If your wife insists you see it together, be careful." Director Elia Kazan wrote the screenplay, but he also wrote the novel and in those days that book was pretty darned good reading in your spare time at the office. In the late 1960s, before computers conquered the world, offices had spare time that was treasured.
—- Offer recollections, opinions or “who cares?” by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by bitterly emailing dallrp@aol.com where we know, as The Bard wrote, “What’s past is prologue.” —

SHILOH & MURIEL: WE CITE SOME HAPPY REASONS TO CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING 2020

Dear Readers, we are presenting this pre-Thanksgiving Weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap with the greatest thankfulness for our readers, our tipsters and all of our critter companions, be they well-coated, well-feathered or well-what-ever-they’re-wearing in nature!
One of our longtime animal tipsters, Muriel Parker, has written a wonderful examination/appreciation of this handsome cat Shiloh.
It is with pleasure that we present a friendship profile well worth the reading.
In mid-October, readlarrypowell.com posted a Cat Pop Quiz. Question #5 inspired Muriel. It read, “My cat not only has a human staff, but also a dog and they are fast friends. True or False.” Yep, “True” was her answer.
When it comes to adoring Shiloh, Muriel writes:
 “Shiloh is not my cat, but in the few months I have lived with him at my son's home I feel we have become BFFs.  He fills the criteria in your Question #5... He has human staff (Steve, Nina and me) and a dog named Serendipity.  You have met her a few times in the three years since she was rescued by Steve and Nina.”
[LARRY ASIDE: We wrote of the serendipitous moment in 2017 when Steve and Nina adopted Seri at Plano Animal Services. More later.]
Muriel continues: “Shiloh is about 3 years old.  As a young boy he found himself at the Plano shelter at the time the ‘kids’ were looking for someone to fill the empty spot in their hearts after Theta went to the Rainbow Bridge. [LARRY ASIDE: On the left, that is a photo of Theta and Seri in a moment of hello in their early days together. On the right, that's Seri and Shiloh in the Universe of Happy Pals.]
We return to Muriel’s story of Shiloh’s entry into the home: 
Serendipity (aka Seri) had already settled in and was curious about the newcomer; Shiloh was not intimidated by a 40-pound bundle of energy. His invitations to play confused Seri at first since the previous resident cat had been hostile to her. But, after a couple of days they were doing rough-and-tumble play as though they were equals in size.
“He can also entertain himself for a long time by playing with a plastic straw, chasing it all over the room.  However, his favorite game is having one of us throw it across the room for him to fetch it.  He brings it back to be thrown again, and the game goes on until Shiloh decides it's over.  We've tried to get a picture of him carrying it proudly in his mouth, but it happens too fast to catch.  When it's tidy-up day we find them here and there.

 “Seri loves to have him groom her neck with his sandpaper tongue; she even has a subtle way of requesting it by nudging him and lifting her head. The closeness will sometimes turn into play time, sometimes into nap time. 
"Shiloh thinks the Rollator I use for safer walking is his personal bus.  When he jumps up unto the seat, that's my cue to walk him all around the house, especially through the rooms that connect in a circle.  He usually jumps off after a bit, but sometimes I have to tell him "This is your stop, mister" and park the bus.
" [LARRY ASIDE: The look on Shiloh's face cracks me up! He's clearly in charge of his staff!]
“The virus situation has Steve working at home (thank Heaven) but, as you can see, it is not without supervision.  Fortunately he is a good speller.  I think I remember a picture just like this of you being helped by the Senator.”

 Indeed, she did accurately recall my cat The Senator serving as editor.
 FYI: This is the LINK to the Cat Quiz that Muriel cited. And this is the LINK to one of our earlier stories about how Seri came to be the adorable dog in the lives of Steve, Nina, Muriel, Theta and Shiloh.

One more thing: Muriel signed her note with “Be happy. … Stay well!”
 And readlarrypowell.com endorses those words of encouragement! We are, indeed, thankful for them.
[LARRY NOTE: Please send the photos and stories of your sleeping dogs, napping cats and other slumbering critters (could be a brother-in-law, an uncle, etc.)to us at dallrp@aol.comand we’ll spotlight those beloved companions in our long-running weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be inspiring other people to give homes to animals and you’ll be inspiring insomniacs to think they, too, can get some sleep if they can just remember to “Be happy… Stay well!”]
—- Offer happiness by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

TOMATO SURPRISE, HELPING A CLINIC, HELPING ANIMALS, AN OWL TRIP, HUGE THIGHS AND A DISCO BLAST FROM THE PAST

EDITION OF FRIDAY, NOV. 20, 2020 [PetPowellPress] On a sunny afternoon, as we wonder if rain will ever gently fall again on the yard, the flowers and the cars, we dive into this report and we ask, “Whatever happened to Sir
Monti Rock the 3rd?” Some of you will recognize that name. In the meantime, before our Contemplations, some of our traditional reports follow. Oh, and neither of those tomatos is a 1970s disco star: They are, from left, Edward and Edwina, the two ripened tomatoes on my agrispouse Martha’s autumn plants. How do I know those are their royal names? Surely you’ve stared deeply into a tomato and psychically received the answer to “What’s your name, red?” from the edible cousin of the belladonna plant, a poisonous perennial. Surely.
A CLINIC IN NEED
IS THIS CLINIC, INDEED
Yep, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas, needs some supplies. As you probably know, the clinic is run by the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. 
Our tipster, the voice of the clinic Sydney Busch, says the current needs are newspapers, bleach and dry cat food for a feral cat colony the Friends are helping.
[LARRY ASIDE: Old newspapers are getting harder to find, I understand. During my entire more than half-century in journalism, I have consistently said there would always be a good use for newspapers — as long as there are dogs, cats and parakeets.]
Donations can be “brought to the clinic any Tuesday,” Sydney says. That’s the day the clinic is operating. To arrange a donation, call or text her at 214-808-4701 or email sydney@friendsoftheanimals.org.
That’s a photo of the “recovery room” at the shelter. I've used it before; it's an adorable example of the tender care the clinic gives its patients. Snapped in 2016 or thereabouts, these patients were described that day as “the burritos” — seemed appropriate in the way they were warmly wrapped to get through the aftermath of anesthesia. You can see Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake on Facebook or by going to friendsoftheanimals.org where you can get the details of signing up for surgeries and the rules for human behavior at the clinic.
MEANWHILE IN MEQUITE,
TWO DOGS WITH FAILED PEOPLE
Good grief. One of these dogs, Oliver, fell victim to a “pit rule.” The other, Alice, was picked up after being “dumped.” People. Some save animals; some make lives miserable for animals. Creeps.

OK, opinions aside, take a look at these photos of Oliver that we got from Mesquite Animal Services volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm. She reports that Oliver was "returned to the shelter on 11/14 after having spent a month with his adopter.  Reason for the surrender was that the apartment complex did not allow pits on the property.  He is now neutered, microchipped and has all his shots.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: Seems like that Pittie rule would have come up during the apartment negotiations, wouldn’t ya think?]
This Pittie boy first arrived at the Mesquite shelter on October 1. He weighs around 62 pounds and is a year old. (ID is #45650309.)
 Described as energetic and exuberant, “he sits and takes treats gently.”
[LARRY SECOND OLIVER ASIDE: Looking at those photos you see a boy who is wondering where his human suddenly went? Is he on the other side of this fence? And, in the standing-still photo, you see a puzzled, peaceful, dog with the look of, “Wait a second — I got tossed because of a reputation rather than my own behavior?” Hey, kid, it’s America in the 20th Century — wait, sorry, the 21st Century.]
That brings us to this beauty Alice (#46056435). The tip on her came from Judi Brown, who was our first Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer biographer source. Like Debra, Judi meets and greets the dogs she writes about. This girl Alice, 5, a 65-pound, gray and white Pittie mix, “was abandoned and picked up by animal services on 11/7. She has been in protective services in the back for the last 10 days and is now available to the public. She’s a beautiful girl with potential to be even prettier once the hair loss on her back and tail grows back. She has been given an oatmeal bath and Nexgard. She is extremely sweet. I have no doubt that she will become a shelter favorite. She certainly is one of mine! … She’s friendly, gentle, and very calm. She will make someone a very loyal devoted companion. She sits for treats and takes them gently. She gives kisses galore.”

For animals in the Mesquite shelter, use the ID numbers when calling the shelter at 972-216-6283 or emailing rescues@cityofmesqutie.com.

CONTEMPLATIONS

LITTLE OWL IN THE BIG CITY, CRAVINGS AND BACK IN TIME WITH MONTI ROCK III

Can anybody say "animated motion picture coming soon"?
By now you’ve seen a version of this story from ABC about Rockefeller, the young owl found in the giant Christmas tree about to be the focus of holiday attention at New York’s Rockefeller Center. I had to hunt for the NBC story — the whole Incident at Owl Tree occurred right outside 30 Rock, if I understand correctly. This inadvertent owl journey made me wonder, “If people were more careful with animals, would they be more careful with people, too?” Sometimes I give people too much credit. …
Here’s something constant dieters face. I opened the ol’ inbox this AM and one of the first emails I see has the subject line “COTTAGE CHEESE” and the sender is — I’m not kidding — “HUGE THIGHS.” I walked into the kitchen at mid-day to get another cup of coffee and found a pecan pie, one slice missing, on the counter.
There are, as of this writing, two slices missing. I’m going to send a letter of complaint to a correspondent named, “Huge Thighs.” It’ll read, “Dear H.T., Stop putting food in your subject lines. Also, stop sneaking into my house and baking pecan pies and leaving them on the kitchen counter.” No sense blaming myself for giving in to cravings. Right? Coffee tastes really good with pecan pie in November. ...
While cruising the internet in search of a fact from the past, I saw a story that was headlined “WHERE IS SIR MONTI ROCK III WHEN THE WORLD NEEDS HIM MOST?” Fresh news? A cry for help in 2020? Nope. Written in 2014. A quick look into 2020 says he’s an ordained minister marrying people in Las Vegas. The gentleman in question exploded on the scene as a music, movie and TV performer and personality in the ‘70s. And some of you will remember the disco hit by Sir Monti Rock III and The Sex-O-Lettes. When you click HERE  skip through the annoying advert or adverts and GET DANCIN’.
—- To offer dance steps or music requests, click on ‘comments’ below or email dallrp@aol.com and put “Disco Inferno Huge Thighs” in the subject line.—

SAILOR FINDS A HOME; A DOG IN TROUBLE; FERALS NEED FOOD AND RESCUE; A FOX STAR; AIRHOGS AND AN OFFICE CAT

EDITION OF THURSDAY, NOV. 19, 2020 [PetPowellPress] How do you know when an apprentice office cat is comfortable in his position — er, positions. Plural.

As you can see, he’s quite comfortable using the back of my chair and the back of my back for a sleeping platform. These shots were taken Wednesday during the noon hour as I typed. You’ll see where he went next in Contemplations. First we have stories about animals in need and we have an update on the handsome cat Sailor.
BUTTERCUP WAS FOUND
‘ON THE SIDE” OF A BUSY ROAD…
[DEAR READERS: The update on Friday the 20th regarding Buttercup comes from the Dallas Dogrrr Facebook Page -- Buttercup died during emergency surgery -- many tumors and pyometra (uterine infection). What follows is our early appeal for help in saving an abandoned dog.]
How in the world this stuff can happen is beyond me. But sometimes animals need help their humans appear unable to give.
So, there the note from 4-Legged Helpers. It begins very spot-on: “EMERGENCY - IMMEDIATE RESCUE/ MEDICAL HELP NEEDED/ ... The Lancaster and Hutchins ACOs just contacted us begging for a rescue that can take an emergency medical. Someone just found this little dog laying on the side of Bonnie View in Lancaster (Lancaster is just south of I-20 and west of I-45 …
“We are naming her Buttercup.  She has two fluid-filled areas - stomach and hip.  She is on stray hold but they are willing to release her immediately on an emergency medical release.  PLEASE, SHE NEEDS HELP TODAY.”
 I’m hoping that by the time you are reading this, Buttercup has been helped. The contacts are Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or Leighann Hayden at 214-906-7680 — call or text both. Email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. The Lancaster shelter is open until 4 p.m. but has staffing until 5 p.m. It’s at 690 E. Main in Lancaster.
MEANWHILE, IN SCURRY
THERE IS THIS CAT SITUATION…
Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake forwarded this appeal on behalf of Nancy Watts in Scurry, Texas, about 45 miles southeast of Dallas. In a time of tough challenges, Nancy is trying to help a bunch of feral cats. “A bunch” is more than a couple of dozen fertile ferals.
 Sydney writes, “She desperately needs help trapping these cats, transporting them to us (the Friends’ clinic in Gun Barrel City) on Tuesday mornings, returning them in the afternoon. We have traps for this — just need someone to do it.” 
Nancy also needs to find some food for all these cats. Donations are appreciated as autumn begins to look more like winter while retaining its “Kitten Season symptoms.”
To volunteer to help Nancy, email nwatts@dtsok.com or call 903-498-0947.

SAILOR, THE HANDSOME CAT,
FINDS A HOME AND FAMILY
You may recall animal fan Mary Sullivan’s appeal around a month ago — she was trying to help this handsome cat Sailor find a new home after his human died suddenly. The family couldn’t keep him. And the guy charmed everyone he met. Mary wrote that the 7- or 8-year-old “wonderful boy” is “extremely affectionate and sweet with a motor that just won’t quit.”
 We checked with Mary for an update and she reports happily that “Sailor has found a home!  A nice couple with two other older kitties.  We’re optimistic that everyone will get along, and the couple is extremely chill about it – they love Sailor and don’t foresee a situation that they can’t handle and that would result in him coming back to us.  We actually had several wonderful potential adopters.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: Yep, people were lining up to adopt Sailor. May that be the case for every other homeless cat from now until there’s a feline birth control pill that is as effective as a catnip-flavored treat.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
CRICKET, ACTING AND LIGHTS
You fans of the great global sport have no doubt seen the news that the Grand Prairie minor league baseball park formerly occupied by the city’s AirHogs is about to become a major league cricket pitch. I spotted this quote in an AirHogs story on the baseball website ballparkdigest.com “We are disappointed in the loss of the Texas AirHogs, but we are determined to continue expansion in the state of Texas,” said American Association Commissioner Joshua Schaub. “We have a great operator in Cleburne with the Railroaders, and we anticipate announcing future expansion in Texas in 2021.” So no more AirHogs — thank you, virus — but the Railroaders will still play at a field called “The Depot at Cleburne Station.” Additionally, if you go to the website railroaderbaseball.com you’ll learn that the team is going to host “Movie Night at The Ballpark,” showing Field of Dreams on November 21. Baseball — surely 2021 will have games at all levels. If it doesn’t, well, that’s just not cricket. ….
HEALTH IS FORCING MICHAEL J. FOX to retire (again). Parkinson’s, as hopefully everyone reading this already knows. He’s Canadian so here’s how a Canadian outlet covered the story. And here’s how to reach the Michael J. Fox Foundation that funds research into ending Parkinson’s. I thought you might like to see two quotes from the 59-year-old actor who stands 5-4 but photographs like a movie giant. He once said, “When you're a short actor you stand on apple boxes, you walk on a ramp. When you're a short star everybody else walks in a ditch.” That’s a situation quote. Here’s a philosophical quote: “Life is the power that's greater than I can ever comprehend. The way life runs through everything, even the tiniest elements of nature - that makes me humble." ...
SOME CABLE STATION, during the noon hour Wednesday, was showing the 1962 Jimmy Stewart/Maureen O’Hara film Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. It’s a comedy like comedies aren’t made any more -- not an "*@$%-word" in it. Kind of a period piece (Cold War era with a Khrushchev reference). But there is a link to the 21st century. Mr. Hobbs (Mr. Stewart!) is in the basement of his vacation rental home and pulls the string to turn on the light that is extremely dim. How weak? Hobbs says, “You can’t even call it a light! It’s a dark.” Reminds me of the transition from happily bright incandescent lighting to the 21st century miracle bulbs that give off about as much light as a bright-eyed cow.

And this is where Stevie Ray moved next after jumping off my shoulder to the floor, then back onto the desk. Comfy cat. Darlin’ boy. I found him in a mimosa tree, clinging to a flimsy limb and yowling for help like tiny kittens in trouble will do. He’s grown happier with larger sleeping planks.
—- Offer whatever you’ve got by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

QUESTIONS ARISE, ANIMALS AWAIT, A HOLIDAY IS ACOMIN', WE'RE ACONTEMPLATIN' -- AND I'M OUTTA ASPRESSIONS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Well, here we are two weeks since the election and we still don’t know who’ll be the opening day pitcher for the Texas Rangers. But why rush things, right? Besides I’m still snacking on leftover Halloween candy. Probably not alone. Gotta get it out of the way so we can finish the Christmas candy in time for Valentine’s Day. November! How fast can a month go? 
And Thanksgiving is next week, no matter what anybody says. We’re giving thanks — Constitution says we have a right. Moving along before I need a lawyer:

WE TURN TO LANCASTER
FOR ADOPTABLE DOGS AND CATS…
We’ll get to the cats in a moment. First some dog notes. 
I’ve been monitoring the appeals from 4-Legged Helpers, the rescue group that focuses on small shelters and other shelters, as well. And I asked two of the Helpers, Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden, if I was seeing more Huskies on the “needs help” lists. 
Case in point, this is Comet, a beautiful Husky available now at the Lancaster Animals Shelter. 
Laura and Leighann (who sent me this photo of Comet) agreed with my Husky theory and also cited German Shepherds and Pittie/Bullie types, too.
Laura told me, “there has been a crazy amount of Bullies and Huskies lately!!! It is awful! But if you remember not long ago there was a crazy amount of German Shepherds. I swear breeders are dumping dogs and cats sometimes! We never do seem to get the cute fluffy dog breeders dumping dogs though!”
That first cat — the one with the mesmerizing eyes — is Kahlua, a kid who is on the clock in the Lancaster Shelter. Somebody showed up to help with an animal transfer and found Kahlua waiting just outside the shelter — someone either dumped him or he found his way there.
Karma is one of several sweet “very lovable” kittens at the shelter— black with green eyes. Available right now. This very moment. Unless it’s 3 a.m. when you’re reading this.
Dear Readers, some of you may recall how attached I am to my Rottie Texas Earl The Cheeseman. Here’s your chance. This guy is Trey, available on Thursday at the Lancaster Shelter — he was found wandering in Hutchins so he gets to be a guest of Lancaster. The bio says, “He was microchipped, but when the owner was reached, they said they gave him away as a pup a couple of years ago.” He’s good with other dogs, “very calm, gentle, friendly and lovable.” [LARRY ASIDE: I swear that’s a description of Earl — of course Earl has the bobbed tail. but if I’d been there, the dog’s tail would have been fine and the guy who was going to bob it might have had something of his own bobbed. Oh, I’m not that fractious. I’m more like Earl — calm and good with other dogs.]
Also waiting at Lancaster, Kevin (right) the “American Bulldog or mix” — “goofy, lovable, sweet. Everything a dog should be,” his bio reads. young dog.
Jax is the Bully mix who can chase the ball if his handler can throw it farther than about 2 feet. He’s a 5- or 6-months-old puppy.


Lane is the girl with the great face. A smallish dog with a big heart. She came from the same home as Autumn, the dog with the seasonal coat of orange and black and “leaf.”
Lane and Autumn get along well, the bio reads, so, if someone has a miracle at hand, maybe they can go to the same loving home.
Meadow, the Boxer-Bulldog mix, is said to be “the sweetest dog ever.” And there’s this: Her teeth are beautiful- - sparkling white.” She has white hair on her muzzle, but that’s not age, just markings, the shelter staff says.
And there’s Shannon, a girl whose ribs are showing.
And Lexie, a Mastiff mix who has a great smile and was found roaming in a rural part of Dallas County. [LARRY ASIDE: One may think that the word “dumped” might just apply. People will do that, you know. Heartless SOBs — pardon my entirely appropriate and accurate French.]
To ask about helping any of these animals, call or text Laura and 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF DALLAS
THERE ARE DOGS AND CATS IN NEED
As long as we started with Huskies, take a look at this 37-pound boy Jim. His bio came from the volunteer Judi Brown at Mesquite Animal Services. He’s a year-old mixed breed with a lot of Husky looks. Young Jim was adopted, but when things didn’t work out with a special needs child, he was returned to the shelter, Judi says. While he looks like he might have a Husky in the family tree, Judi says her pet scanner “said that he is part Carolina Dog and Australian Shepherd. He’s got beautiful markings and striking blue eyes with a white rim. I took the pictures on the first day that he was surrendered so he was very confused and intimidated by all the shelter noises. I went in his kennel and sat and talked to him for a while and he eventually warmed up, but remained cautiously friendly. He kept his tail tucked most of the time. … Jim will need TLC until trust is established. He would probably do best in a laid-back quiet household. He would thrive on love and would return it.” Jim’s shelter ID is 45959912.
Major (#46071013) is an “American Bulldog with some American Pit Bull Terrier in the mix,” according to volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm. He is about a year old and weighs 56 pounds. Debra writes, “He is OK with other dogs and children, according to his former owner.  Major appears to have lived outside.  He has some fur loss on his hindquarters and tail.  He knows the sit command.  He is a calm boy with a moderate activity level.  He loves treats. … He seems uneasy in the shelter environment with the noise from the other dogs.  He would seem best suited with a household that is quiet and well-ordered.  Some extra TLC and patience would doubtless help him relax and be more trusting.”

And that brings us to a dog tip from Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com who forwarded a note from Jamie Dotson about Luna, a 2-year-old, 79-pound American Pittie girl. She’s #40705317. The story is Luna “came in as an owner-surrender to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 11/11. She was adopted the prior week, and, after a few days, surrendered as she has separation anxiety. The prior adopter was not able to give her time to decompress and build confidence in her new surroundings. Luna is a big cuddle bug and wants to be close to her human companion. The more time spent with her, her confidence increases. She needs to have a human companion she can all her own who can spend extra time with her so that she can feel safe and secure in her new home. She would need a the only pet in the family as she is not fond of other dogs or cats. …She takes treats gently even when on her back getting a tummy rub.”

For any of these Mesquite dogs or any of the cats who are in the shelter along with Pumpa, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues @cityofmesquite.com. You can see the other Mesquite adorable adoptables by going to the city’s website HERE.
So what’s the story on Pumpa? He’s #46041260) is one of many orange cats in the Mesquite Animal Shelter and he is one of the most ring-tailed tabby boys I’ve seen in a while. Only six months old, small and in the shelter since November 5. Great markings and, based on how he’s decorated his quarters, prefers to read the newspaper off the print page. Could be he’s just waiting for someone to give him a home that comes with a Kindle or an iPad. I understand he’s already prepared to be the laptop.
CONTEMPLATIONS
OLD DOGS, OLD DRIVERS AND A THANKSGIVING MIME
Did anybody see LIVE with Kelly & Ryan on Tuesday morning? The Hall-Gabriel family, mom Sheila and daughter Alicia, had a segment on rescuing senior dogs —the guests included not only the humans but a 21-year-old Chihuahua. It’s nice to see this show giving some time to a wonderful mission. You can go to the show’s website and watch the segment. Click on this link: https://kellyandryan.com. Sheila said of her rescuing mission, “I decided to stick with the senior dogs because they ALWAYS need a home…..” No, they’re not from Texas — they just act like it when it comes to saving dogs.
LICENSED TO DRIVE IN TEXAS?….A couple of days after my birthday on the 7th, I got an appointment at a Texas Department of Public Safety Driver License Mega Center (it wasn’t that mega imposing!) and took all my identifying material (including my masked face) to the facility in hopes that, after all these fully-insured years, I could still renew my driver’s license. I passed all the tests, I.e., answering questions, filing out forms, recognizing letters on the eye chart, providing my birth certificate, etc. Yep, I was me. The staffer took my old license and snipped off a corner of it and gave me a paper copy of what my new license will look like. Should be here this week or early next week. In the mean time, about 3 days after I took the test I got a note from Texas DPS saying the pandemic had changed things and I really didn’t need to renew until next year. Ah, but I’m $38 dollars worth of renewal ahead in the game!
THINKING ABOUT THANKSGIVING … I was kidding about that Thanksgiving Mime — thought it might increase readership if I used the words together. Save the turkeys, chickens and pigs, cried the vegetarian. Look, Thanksgiving is on our schedule and it’s important. Some people may skip it — not me. Not Martha. Besides, I learned to eat through a mask when I was a reporter on deadline covering a smokey fire -- you learn these things when you're hungry for news or fries.
Martha and I have a lot to be thankful for and some of it is people we know and love. Some of it is people we don’t know. Some of our Thanksgiving is memories of people, backyard football games, indoor singing and dogs staring at me as if I’m about to yell, “Ooops!!!” and fake-drop a platter of vegetarian Thanksgiving dressing onto the kitchen floor. Ain’t gonna happen, gang, ain’t gonna happen. And since the traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade isn’t going to happen in the same ol’ way, I’ll be darned if I’m giving up my canned cranberry sauce. The dogs and I love it. I think one or two of the cats will sample it, too. It’s so cute in it’s little congealed vegetarian-friendly barrel shape! Found that t-shirt on the internet. Is there anything you CAN’T find on the internet — probably shouldn’t ask that this election year Thanksgiving.
—- OFFER RECIPES OR T-SHIRT ADVICE BY CLICKING ON ‘COMMENTS’ BELOW OR BY EMAILING DALLRP@AOL.COM. —

CLOWNS, OSCARS, A PIGEON, HELPING DOGS AND IS PORCHE RELATED TO A STAR?

EDITION OF TUESDAY NOV. 17, 2020 [PetPowellPress] We’re around 7 weeks away from the end of the oddest year since … wait! Is 2020 really the oddest year ever? Or does it still not top 1953 when the circus movie The Greatest Show on Earth won the Best Picture Oscar, beating out High Noon with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelley; Moulin Rouge with Jose Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor; Ivanhoe with Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor and The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. 
The Greatest Show stars? Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton and, as “Buttons, a Clown,” whose un-made-up face is never seen, the great James Stewart. That’s him and Mr. Heston with a canine actor we’ll discuss in Contemplations.
FYI: This film’s general release was in May 1952. Know what movie was released on April 11, 1952, and wasn’t a best picture nominee? Everybody's favorite: Singin’ In The Rain. And that’s what made 1952 an odd year. Well, there was more.

AND WHAT’S COMING UP
ON 
THE DALLAS SKYLINE

(A SURPRISE FROM THE SPCA?)

You bet we read the SPCA of Texas Paw Street Journal — always has interesting stuff, and for the current edition is points out that November is “Thankvember” because the SPCA is grateful for the people who support the legendary organization.

Then, there’s this passage: “To cap off this extraordinary month of gratitude, mark your calendar for December 1st when a special surprise will grace the Dallas skyline - all because of you! We don't want to spoil it, but we're sure it'll ‘light up’ your heart!”
 And go to the SPCA opening page HERE to see some Giving Tuesday attractions for December 1.

By the way, Dear Readers, did you see the amount of money paid this week for that Belgian racing pigeon New Kim — $1.9 million? 
Well, the SPCA has a Pigeon who won’t cost you that much. This 2-month old, neutered cat is Pigeon, so named because of his “super cute ‘chirp’,” the SPCA says. He’s a cuddly cat who had to have surgery and, as a result, has but one eye. He’s recovered from that and has an “eyelid condition” that will require lifelong “lubrication.” Still, Pigeon (#45640044) is available for adoption — go to http://spca.org/catadopt. 

This girl Anya came into the SPCA because of a cruelty case and, according to her bio online, she “was very scared and fearful with no trust in humans.” The shelter has worked with her and she’s coming around — prefers to be around grown-ups. She’s just over 7 years old and a large dog. To ask about her, go to http://spca.org/dogadopt.
 See more SPCA animals by going to spca.org — there are even horses and pigs waiting for the right homes. 
Maybe one of the animals will give us the inside story on that Dallas skyline feature that will “light up you heart” in December.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF SALE

FOR BLACK FRIDAY 2020

Dallas Animal Services, on its Facebook page, posted this appeal for people to help traditionally overlooked adoptable dogs find homes. You can volunteer for a “short-term foster opportunity” for medium and large dogs at DAS. The note reads, “Short term fosters help us SAVE LIVES! Fostering opens up kennel space for us to bring in more pets and helps us to learn more about the pet so that we can share with potential adopters how they act in a home. Bring your foster back for Black Friday weekend when we typically see a spike in adoptions." Go to the Facebook page or to www.dallasanimalservices.org to see how to become a foster at the city shelter. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Of course, Dallas hardly ever has any animals waiting for homes — wait, let me rewrite that: Of course, Dallas hardly ever has a day go by that it doesn’t need to get dogs and cats into new, safe homes. Why? Because just as there are many unwanted animals in Dallas, there are many unwanted jerks, too. Dogs and cats can be rehabilitated; not so sure that the unwanted jerks have a prayer.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
LOOKING AT WAY BACK WHEN
OK, in the opening we mentioned Buttons and that dog. Here’s that dog again, snuggled between Buttons and an actual world-famous clown, Emmett Kelly. Now, we know the names of the clowns, but in none of the literature I found online is the dog’s name mentioned. Clearly an oversight. However, readlarrypowell.com is prepared to go out on a limb and declare that the dog in the picture is a distant relative of our own staff darling, Porche Noel. To my knowledge, Porche does not hold a Screen Actors Guild card nor does she vote in the Academy Awards competition. I don’t really know what she does in her free time, but she does seem to pay more attention to the TV when we’re watching classic films and I once heard her mutter, “Lassie! Pshaw! Fluffy purebred. Where is his depth?” I responded, “Lassie is a girl” and Porche replied, “The first Lassie was Pal, a boy, and he was way ahead of Ru Paul, ol’ buddy. Look up the Orlando Sentinel article from1993.” Porche texted me this LINK. 
She also texted me the link to this 1952 The People History page that’ll show you what other odd stuff was happening in 1952 and —yes, there was a health threat: polio. I remember being taken by school bus to the Bowie County health office with hundreds of other kids to get our free polio shots and free suckers if we didn't cry. Never heard so many shot-shy kids crying at one time!

And there were these things: 4,000 people were killed by smog in London. Elizabeth II became Queen of England after the death of her father, George VI on Feb. 6. The NBC Today Show debuted, the first Holiday Inn opened, the passenger jet (The Comet) was created and changed civilian flying, Chevrolet built its first Corvette prototype, Mr. Potato Head went on sale after a TV ad campaign and — get some comfort out of this — the U.S. tested its first hydrogen bomb by dropping “Mike” on an island named Elugelab in the Pacific. That bomb is said to have had the force of 10 millions tons of TNT — you could probably go to the Enewetak Atoll and visit that island, if anyone could find one particle of it. Back in America, gasoline was 25 cents a gallon. The People’s History also notes, “Three out of 5 families owned a car, 2 out of 3 families now had a telephone and 1 in 3 homes had a television.” 
Different world way back then. One other odd thing in 1952 — a Republican was elected president. Dwight Eisenhower, the World War II general, beat Democrat Adlai Stevenson whose biographer Jean H. Baker described him as “Uncomfortable with the carnival side of elections.” Well, hmmm.
 And that is a photo of Porche Noel from the morning of November 16, 1952. I’m kidding. We’re still working on our time machine. I snapped that picture Monday morning as she enjoyed a tranquil moment on her Magic Rug of Contemplation.

—- Offer astonishment or advice by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

TEST IMAGE

Readlarrypowell.com is having problems placing images on the website -- this is a test image. You should see a small frog playing a banjo. I'm kidding. That's Porche Noel dreaming of a small frog playing a banjo. Thank you. Larry

BEGIN THE WEEK WITH GOOD AND BAD STORIES AND READ ABOUT NUMBSKULLS

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Here we are on a Monday and we'll have a good story, a not-so-good story at all and stories that have yet to get to the happy moments all animals and some people deserve. The Dallas Cowboys had a bye and lost 8-0. I’m kidding. They didn’t play, but nobody got hurt.Let’s move along.
THE STORY OF BULLET
INVOLVES A GUN
Well, for crying out loud. And I suspect some people were crying. 
Fort Worth Animal Care and Control had posted a “needs help now” notice about this dog #46091538, known as “Bullet” because nobody knew his real name when he arrived. 
We got the story on a post from Ginger Leach, one of our longtime tipsters and a steady hand at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control. 
The story in the appeal for help read, “Looks like someone shot this sweet guy. He was seen earlier playing down the street with some kids so we know he is friendly. He does have a microchip and 2 messages have been left with no response.
“Has a gun shot wound on left shoulder with no exit wound. A lot of swelling and lymphedema under left shoulder and arm. Very pale gums, he will not try and stand or walk at this time.”

A little while later came this update: “He got tagged, but, sadly, he passed away before rescue could come get him. RIP Sweet Boy.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: If someone knows anything about this shooting, contact the Fort Worth Police — pretty sure this is against cruelty laws, against discharging a firearm laws and I know for a fact it’s against the universal moral code and for that hearing, there’s a definite change of venue. This is just an awful act of meanness. Next time, a bullet might hit a kid, or someone in a passing car or …well, you know how it can go in North Texas. Good grief, people, unload and settle down.]
MEANWHILE IN DALLAS,
THERE ARE STATISTICS
As you may know, Dallas Animal Services has these “free adoptions” specials going. And, the Big Shelter in Dallas has announced that it “has gone beyond the 90% mark for lives saved for the first time ever.”

According to DAS’s report more than 21,000 animal lives were saved in Fiscal Year 2020, and the quarterly report also says around 2,000 animals were euthanized. Go to THIS LINK to see the report. 
[LARRY ASIDE: In the city of Dallas, Texas, the alleged can-do city, there were 2,000 animals euthanized. They weren’t all sick and they didn’t all come in mortally wounded. Of course, this is a city with a disgusting murder rate. In my time as an editor and columnist at The Big Paper Downtown, I was involved in coverage of a lot of stories. I thought things would get better as years passed— How dumb am I and how poor a judge of human behavior can a dope like me be?]
There are still many chances to save the lives of animals at Dallas Animal Services. 
That beautiful black and white girl is Nina, 4, who used to be an outdoor-only dog before she wound up in the shelter in Dallas. 
That cat? Why, that’s Marty McFly — name sounds familiar — an under-a-year-old cat with a magnificent pink nose. [LARRY ASIDE: These black and white cats are entertaining — based on personal experience. See our Contemplations today.]
To see how to adopt these animals or any animal in the care of Dallas Animal Services, go to dallasanimalservices.org.
AND NOW, SOME DOGS AWAITING
A DECENT BREAK IN MESQUITE
We have several photos of this guy Gizmo. He deserves more than a mug shot. This guy is around 10 years old, weighs in at 19 pounds and isn’t neutered. We learned about him from volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm at Mesquite. He came into the shelter as a stray on November 10. She writes, “He is a mixed breed boy (with rat terrier in the mix) … Gizmo is active and alert for his age.  He walks nicely on a leash and did not have an unfriendly attitude toward the other dogs when walked through the bay.  He knows the sit command and will either sit the traditional way or sit on his rear with his paws up in the air.  It is a rather comical stance.  He dearly loves treats and if you delay in administering them, he will let you know to keep 'em coming!  Gizmo has likely lived as an outdoor dog and by his appearance it seems that he has not been well cared for.” He’ll need some loving care to get over the lack of care in his earlier life. He’s #46073200.

THEN there’s Hank, a 47-pound, probably year-old, Pittie mix with “an outgoing and confident personality, Debra says. “He is frisky and perky and has a moderate energy level.  Hank is friendly.  He loves treats and knows the sit command.  Hank walks well on the leash.  During the photo shoot he spent a fair amount of time scouting out the smells in the yard.” He’s #46072982.
Judi Brown, our pal who is also a volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite, tipped us to these next two. You see that Bella, a year-old, 55-pound Pittie girl, is wearing one of those special collars. Bella was surrendered on Oct. 24 due to landlord issues, Judi reports. “This is the second time I’m sending her pictures and evaluation out. The first time we were dealing with her eye issues and working with her trust issues. So I called her a work in progress and I still call her a work in progress. However, she has warmed up to several volunteers and staff members. When she sees these people she gets all excited and her tail wags and she wiggles all over. She still needs TLC and time to warm up to a NEW person. She has seen a vet two times for her eye. She has been diagnosed with a severe cornea ulcer. … She needs a hero--someone that will get to the bottom of the eye issue and get this taken care of before she loses her eyesight!” She’s #45959434.

 And Susie (#46072982) is the 7- or 8-year-old gray, 60-pound Pittie who came in as a stray on November 10. Judi writes, “It’s obvious that Susie’s first eight years have not been easy ones! She has been over bred. She is being treated for fleas with Nexgard. Judging from the calluses on her rear it looks like she spent most of her life on cement. Her ears have been cropped too short, and she now has an ear infection that is being treated. Let’s turn her life around! She deserves it because it’s obvious from her calm, gentle, loving nature that she is willing to forgive and move on. I can’t say enough about this girl! She captured my heart!"
For any of these animals, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATION
CATS, DOGS AND NUMBSKULLS
We’ve long told people that black and white cats somehow have an “entertainment gene” that makes them a little more surprising than most cats. This is based on experience with two of our late companions, Cyril and Poirot, and now with our young foundling Stevie Ray.
And now we have additional evidence that was spotted by our pal and fellow animal fan Sarah Hays of way out in Lubbock, a place not particularly known for seagoing adventures. Sarah tipped us to this Anchorage Daily News story of the voyage of Panda. 
That’s Panda in the photo, a tuxedo kitty who posed while his happy human Christina Clevenger snapped the picture.
 Somehow this cat got onto a freighter in Washington State, wound up in a storage container and sailed without food or water to Kenai, Alaska. Then, against great odds, traveled back home. Here’s the LINK to the Anchorage Daily News. (Enjoy a story with a happy twist!). …
I spotted this wisdom on a Facebook post: “Stop breeding dogs...There is no shortage, I can assure you. If you dont believe me, take a walk around the shelter.” Remember, dear friends, back in the pre-social media era when you had to call someone on the telephone to complain about overbreeding? We live in enlightened times, not necessarily with enlightened people….
AND HERE’S A CAT NOTE many of you could have written. This was on a “neighborhood page” and it was addressed to “Kitten Dumper.” The upbraiding reads: “So I may be a crazy cat person that feeds the friendly strays and ferals people have thrown out or moved and left, but I'm not a night kitten depository, so thanks to the numbskull that dropped two barely weaned kittens on my porch the other night. You're lucky the security cam wifi fritzed or I'd return the favor of a used litter. Also, you suck. On a side note, if you have chickens and a rooster you're letting roam the neighborhood, please come fetch your eggs. And your chickens have been eating cat food, made with chicken.” So, there you have it for a Monday. If you know a “numbskull” give ‘em a copy of this cat and chicken note.
—- Offer sage advice or epithets over than “numbskull” for nitwits by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com —-

THE RED COUCH DOG MAGNET, THE CAT'S NAP & WE HUNT FOR THE CABLE REMOTE

Ever had a couch that was a magnet for dogs and sometimes cats?
Red couch?
Yeah, that’s the one we’re focusing on in this edition of readlarrypowell. com's long-running weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & napping Cats Nap.
This, by the way, is the very comfortable couch on which your humble presenter takes refuge in the late-and-early hours when insomnia has a firm grip on his eyelids and his brain. 
Seriously, why should I be awake worrying about meteors striking Texas or whether my junior college credits from the 1960s will count toward my doctorate in psychology and prehistory of Rome and Wales from the online University of Disillusions in Apparition, Alabama. See how insomnia works. 
Now, I haven’t studied this, but it may become a topic of my thesis at the U of Dis, as we pre-grads call it.
The theorem: No dog has ever had insomnia. Cat’s I’m not so sure about.
We have a red couch in the home that Martha found -- a delightful abode we share with the dogs and cats. The couch is a magnet for the canines. This is not the same red couch used in the 1984 best-seller The Red Couch: A Portrait of America by William Least Heat Moon, Kevin Clarke and Horst Wackerbarth. The summary on Amazon reads, “The red couch is used as a prop in each portrait of American children, artists, musicians, actresses, disabled veterans, illegal aliens, politicians, farmers, scientists, and business people.”

The summary of The Red Couch: Where Dogs Sleep and Sometimes People is this: I snapped photos of assorted dogs and cats involved in sleeping on our furniture. There’s not much philosophical about it other than, indeed, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. In the final photo, you’ll see why, sometimes, you cannot always Let Napping Cats Nap.

I opened with a most elegant photograph of our most elegant dog, Texas Earl the Cheeseman, a Rottweiler I rescued more than a decade ago in Dallas’ Kiest Park. He may never have been on a couch before I brought him home. He has adjusted. Likes the spotlight.
The next dog is our Border Collie mix — Border Collie with Chocolate Lab, based on his brownish coat and his white paws, tail and blaze on his chest. That is Dudley the Angel, a wander-up dog in the Christmas season many years ago. He, too, had to be convinced that getting on the couch was a good thing to do. He adjusted. 

You see him there, also, with our wonderful girl Wendy (AKA Wednesday Louise Wagstaff Arden) who may be a Bird Dog/Boxer mix or may not be. She and Dudley enjoy stretching out on the couch. Wendy, also, had never been on a couch. She adjusted -- as you can see in this photo of her out like a light on the “stacked” cushion. I threw in a couple of other portraits of Wendy. She had a rough week. She had dental work done and a skin tag removed from one of her elbows. She got a lot of hugs.
That brings us to my personal canine, Porche Noel, found on the porch at Christmas — a short, formerly starving dog once described as a “wannabe Pittie” but ultimately regarded as “my adorable Porche.”

Even as I am typing this, Porche is not on the red couch. She is on her “Rug of Contemplation” — it’s from her psychedelic hippie days — and she is snoring like, well, like she learned how to snore from a post-Thanksgiving afternoon in a living room with five or six older gents who’d been well-fed and nodded off while watching football.
That brings us to The Shadow of the Cat. That photograph was snapped one afternoon when I happened to walk into the living room and thought we’d acquired a new cat with long ears. Turns out that is NOT the shadow of the cat. That is The Shadow of the Throw Pillow — accurate but not nearly chilling enough to be profitable on the horror movie circuit.
You see, however, our big cat Simon Mycroft Holmes (original name Ivy Diane, after our pal Diane Combs, but a vet’s more accurate exam than our's suggested pick a boy’s name).
 Yes, he knows how to sleep on the red couch. He's learned, while being raised by humans, how to sleep on lots of things.
Isn't he cute with his tail pulled over his back paws and his front paws curled up! Such a handsome fellow.
Now, look at that photo of large Simon from behind.
Simon is sleeping on the blue couch — he’s a big fellow and last week his vet said something like “He’s got to go on a diet — nobody here can lift him.” Well, that’s not exactly what the doctor said, but I could read it in his face when he said, “This boy really needs to lose some weight.”
The final photograph explains why we sometimes cannot Let a Napping Cat Nap.
You’ll recognize, of course, the bulkishness of Simon, photographed from behind, though his agent has consistently urged us not to take photos from that angle because it ruins his chances with clothing and pizza advertising contracts.

During the time Simon has lived with us (his entire 3 years or so), we have frequently asked, “Where’s Simon?” Sometimes he’s in a cabinet he’s opened or he’s under a shelf or curled up with — or on — a good book. Now and then he's in the kitchen (lower left) waiting for treats.
This time, we had no trouble spotting Simon. But that wasn’t the question.
The question was: “Where’s the remote?”

And, as you examine that photograph of Simon, the formerly tiny, tiny kitten, you’ll note that he is quite comfortable. It only took us about 15 minutes of searching for the remote to get to the, er, bottom of things.
[DEAR READERS: SEND PHOTOS of your sleeping dogs, napping cats,slumbering turkeys, snoozing piglets, dozing donkeys — any personal beastie who nods off — to us at dallrp@aol.com. We’ll happily feature the beloved critter/critters! on readlarrypowell.com in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be inspiring people to open their hearts and homes to animals that do not have a place to live. And you’ll be convincing insomniacs to believe that they, too, can get some sleep if they can just figure out where to put the TV remote.]
--- Offer furniture tips and insomnia cures by clicking on 'comments' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. ---

A WHIRLYBIRD, A SPEEDY BIRD, SOME ANIMALS NEEDING HOMES AND 2021 IS IN PRINT

EDITION OF (CUE THE SPOOKY MUSIC) FRIDAY THE 13TH OF NOVEMBER 2020 [PetPowellPress] Yeah, this is Friday the 13th. Don’t you think there have already been enough Friday the 13ths in 2020? Two is plenty. March and November. (There were 3 in 2005 and will be 3 again in 2026, people who monitor those things report.) And 2020 is a Leap Year — which I already forgot. Never mind all my whining.

I am tempted to announce this segment as STAVE I, but it’s not quite Dickensian. There are no buzzards in A Christmas Carol. So, we’ll just go with this

CHAPTER I: THE EARLY FLIGHT
This is the story of one day in the neighborhood— it was neither a Friday nor a 13th. It was Wednesday the 11th. 
We had not expected it to be particularly out-of-the-ordinary. Get up, feed the dogs and cats, hit the keyboards and type madly — my funspouse Martha and I frequently are writing something simultan- eously. Not the same things, of course. 
On Wednesday, before our household sunrise (much later than the outdoor sunrise), there was something odd in the air: a low-flying helicopter.
That is our most formerly-feral all-indoor cat Esme — being unable to go outside and track the flying object put her in a bad mood. She got over it.
Martha left for an errand and spotted two Fort Worth Police Officers who could explain the chopper’s mission.
[LARRY FYI: Esme was not the last adoptable free-roaming Tabbygirl in the Greater Metrosprawl. Trust me, there are plenty of them still waiting for homes. You’d be wise to give a Tabby a home — if you adore interesting companions, of course. OK, TIME-OUT for animals. I’ll tell you the other two parts of The Wednesday Mystery in a moment.]
A SET OF PHOTOS
WITH A MESSAGE
When I opened the latest email from 4-Legged Helpers Thursday morning immediately saw a story in two photos. This guy is Jax, 5-months old. Our Helpers/tipsters Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden sent this brief bio of the boy in the Lanc- aster Animal Shelter.
“Jax is the most loving, precious, sweet little adorable baby boy. He is gentle and absolutely adores everyone, including other dogs.”
[LARRY NOTE: First, we divided Lancaster as "Lanc -is-tur" so it would read as the residents pronounce have long pronounced the name. Other folks might say "Lan-cas-ter," not those who know! At readlarrypowell.com we can interpret photos. Read on.] In photo 1, Jax is poised and looking back at the handler who is about to throw a tennis ball for him to chase. In the next photo, you see the tennis ball at the pitcher’s feet. And Jax has just heard the ball bounce behind him and he has said, under his breath to the handler, “What? Are you a Texas Rangers pitcher? Can’t you throw it 60 feet, 6 inches without bouncing it past the plate?” Probably, Jax really said, "I’m with you — whatever you do is OK with me as long as I get a happy home out of the deal.”

Ask about adopting or rescuing Jax by getting in touch with Laura: call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. Ask to be put on her mailing list so you won’t miss the chance to help lots of small shelter animals dodge the needle. You know, Texas still allows euthanasia to create room for the next unwanted dog and/or cat.
CHAPTER II: THE MEANING OF FLIGHT
On Wednesday morning, as the rising sun gave light to our street, the sound of the chopper permeated our usually quiet and calm neighborhood as if we were reliving the Flight of the Valkyries scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. 
The pilot was circling our area and was very low by necessity. 

Our backyard abuts the Tandy Hills Natural Area and the neighborhood is periodically visited by coyotes, raccoons and other naturally occurring critters. I haven’t seen Bigfoot — yet.
 (Note: The chicken, the duck and Dudley the Angel are naturally occurring in our back yard.) Also, at the end of our property (photo below), the earth suddenly sinks sharply into a big ravine in the middle of a prairieland forest that provide a canopy of limbs and leaves for the woodland creatures. And intruders.
Martha, who has her routines, dressed during the flight and left for a visit to a nearby convenience store that sells her favorite morning treat, the Slurpee. On the way, she drove up to a police car assigned to a specific spot where the chopper, the Natural Area and two blocks of winding street were visible simultaneously. Martha, who is as aggressive with questions as a Watergate Era reporter, stopped to ask, “What’s going on?” and the officers told her there was a search underway for a “non-violent individual” who’d evaded peace officers and gone into the Natural Area’s cover. “You can’t see anybody in there,” one of the officers said.
 Soon the chopper went away and the officers moved on, too. I suspect they got their man. We’re not sure, but he hasn’t shown up in our backyard. And, as you know, “Not in my backyard” is an enduring American theme. 

[LARRY NOTE: There was, however, this other situation. …We’ll address it in CONTEMPLATIONS: Chasing The Buzzard, in Chapter III, shortly.]
AT THE SPCA, 2021
IS ALREADY IN PRINT
The SPCA of Texas is currently raising money to help animals by selling it’s 2021 pet-focused calendar. Costs $18. 
This picture is one of the featured photos on the calendar. The adorables are Thor and Simba (I’m betting Simba is the cat) and their "photopose" was submitted by “Katie I” of New Braunfels. Photos came in from all over the state, not just Dallas, home of the SPCA of Texas. The link to buy a calendar or more is HERE.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE:
WIGGLY, WAGGLY, HAPPY

This is Brandi, a smallish, 38-pound, year-old gray and white Pittie mix who came into the Mesquite Animal shelter as a stray on November 4. Our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown says, “She’s very photogenic … She’s an extremely friendly, wiggly, waggly, happy, exuberant, affectionate, energetic young dog who appears to love everyone. She gives kisses and lots of tail wags. She knows the sit command but because she gets so excited she tends to jump up and dance and at one point even flipped over. She’s so excited to get attention that she has a hard time containing herself..” Use her ID# 46037615 when you call the shelter at 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
CHAPTER III: FLIGHTLESS, WE WERE CHASING A GROUNDED BUZZARD
The whirlybird over our area had moved on well before afternoon arrived in our neighborhood.
But there was one bird who should have been soaring and wasn’t. This bird was walking the streets that lead to legendary Broadcast Hill with its sky-scraping broadcast towers on the highest area east of downtown Cowtown along I-30.

By the afternoon on Wednesday, everything else had settled down to pandemic normal. The loudest thing in our house was the TV. Then, about 4 p.m., Martha left the home-office to run an errand and the first thing she did after she left was send a photo of a big bird walking — not flying — walking through the neighborhood. I figured it would be gone by the time I left to go the store to fetch dog and cat food.
But, nooooo! About 15 minutes later, as I exited our neighborhood, there was the  bird — somewhere between a big chicken and a little turkey — sauntering across front yards toward a busy street.

What could I do? I pulled over to take a better look and, to me, it appeared as if this big fowl had been injured — it could move its right wing, but was choosing not to most of the time. He also looked as if he had plans to cross a very busy street. Two things could happen — the bird could get creamed by a vehicle or drivers would dodge the bird and hit each other.

As I was standing in a front yard trying to herd the bird and snap a good picture, the woman who lives in the house, Jo, came out to see the bird and the stranger and she immediately, enthusiastically got involved in trying to save the bird. She found phone numbers for animal control and for a bird rehabber nearby.
And for a half-hour or more we thought we were in charge of getting this bird to safety, but, basically, it turns out the clever bird was just merrily leading us up and down the street and was not even close to being captured.

I snapped a photo of him or her — really, who among us knows how to gender ID a buzzard — when the bird stopped to enjoy a meal that had once been, perhaps, a large mouse. That is when the hooked beak became visible. 
But until a third helper, a young man trying to go somewhere else interrupted his trip and got out of his car to help, we had no real clue about this bird. He said, “Buzzard” and it all made sense suddenly to those of us who only know pet store birds.

Here is a truth: A buzzard on the ground is a fast bird. Faster than two people who haven’t been training for the Olympics Bird-Chasing Sprints. This photo is what I mostly saw -- I was like a Dallas Cowboys defensive back watching the too-swift-to-catch receiver disappear into the distance without ever being touched.
Eventually the bird ran into a very thick, 10-foot-tall hedgerow and we lost sight of him. 
Here’s another solid truth: You can see buzzards in the air, but in the shrubbery they become invisible. 
Unable to capture (or find) the bird, my buzzard-hunting neighbor Jo, the young man who first said “Buzzard!” and I called it a buzzard day. 
We’d genuinely made every attempt possible to catch this bird except for re-calling in the police helicopter or a TV station to broadcast the rush hour buzzard chase. 

Later Wednesday night, I talked to an officer from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and he said that sometimes buzzards overeat and can’t fly for a while. That may have been what was going on with this one. He said eventually they regain the power of flight. I hope that is the case.
He also said we might have been lucky that we didn’t “catch” the buzzard. He said he’d done that. And he cautioned (I think he was smiling at the memory when he said it), “Their first defense is to throw up. You won’t believe how awful that can smell.” 
Well, I did have a cat carrier and I was going to put the bird in it and in the cargo area of my Ford Edge. Might have dodged some buzzard puke.
EPILOGUE: On Thursday, I saw the bird in a yard in the same area as our chase. But he still wasn’t inclined to be captured. He’s probably spending his time waiting for nature to take its course. 
I wish that bird well. If anyone has ever rescued a grounded buzzard, let me know what you did with it. I already drive around with that cat-carrier and a blanket for dogs — I’m just one step away from having a custom aviary cage built for the car.
So, Martha and I now have a new story from the neighborhood about how we met some neighbors while we were all chasing a grounded buzzard and wearing our masks.
Once this pandemic thing is over, maybe we’ll try to organize an annual neighborhood event. Call it The Get Acquainted Buzzard Party. No, wait. That sounds too political.
—- Offer buzzard advice or lotto tips for lucky people by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. And remember: Save the Buzzards. —-

FROM NOTABLE DAYS TO NOTABLE DOGS AND CATS AND CONTEMPLATIONS

EDITION OF NOVEMBER 12, 2020 [PetPowellPress] I missed celebrating November 8 — it was National Dunce Day and I had even learned the dance. What? There’s no dance? Oh. OK, I fit right in.

FYI, also from Holiday Insights we learn this: November 12 is Chicken Soup For the Soul Day — as a vegetarian I eschew that; as a writer I envy the sales. It’s also World Pneumonia Day — I celebrated that in March 2018 after a ride up 4 stories in a public library elevator with four hacking gents who lived nearby. They’d built up an immunity; I was knocked over and hospitalized. I now get a pneumonia shot and a flu shot along with my rabies vaccination — I get the quadrivalent rabid home office-worker solution.
 Keep reading and you’ll learn about that beautiful cat’s availability.
THE LATEST UPDATE
ON CHARLESTON. ET AL
By now you know the story of Charleston — neglected until his muzzle and jaws were a horrifying mess. What’s the latest with this Dachshund boy? Kerri Thorne of Pound Pals Rescue reports this week: “Charleston is finally eating!”
 That was a challenge because of his discomfort AND his healing from the extensive surgery — “the roof of his mouth was reconstructed.” 
Pound Pals posted this on Facebook: “Charleston's vet team is reporting that he is finally eating!! GOD hears prayers!! Please send up a special prayer for Pepper Jane who is still not eating and for Pierre, whose eyes have not improved. Charleston, Pepper Jane and Pierre are treated at TCVMC (Turtle Creek Veterinary Medical Center in Greenville). If you would like to chip in toward medical expenses, please send your donation of any amount through www.poundpals.com.)"
Pepper Jane has internal issues that required surgery and treatment. Chihuahua Pierre’s eyes are in crisis and may be removed.
THE WAY SOME PEOPLE
TREAT DOGS IS, WELL, FATAL
We got this story of disgusting behavior from the folks at Dallas-based Paws In The City.
It opens with a quite an awful situation-setting paragraph: “This sad picture was taken moments after two senior Chihuahuas were rescued from a local airfield after being dumped there.”
Look carefully and you can see the nose of one pup just peeking out from behind her companion — the dog in front is Dumpling. The dog behind — well, it’s a wrenchingly sad story.
The Paws note continues, “A kind citizen found them and took them to the closest shelter. Both girls, who we believe were sisters, were scared and in horrible condition. They both suffered from obesity and could barely walk. Each had terrible tooth decay as well as urine and fecal scald marks in the lower regions of their bodies.
“Sadly, the apple of Dumpling’s eye - her sister - died in the shelter the first night after being saved. The shelter knew Dumpling’s situation was also dire and requested an emergency rescue to save Dumpling from the same fate as her sister. Paws in the City saved the day and transferred Dumpling immediately to one of our vet partners.

“The vet estimated Dumpling to be 8-years-old. She weighed in at 9 pounds (a healthy weight for her size would be 7 pounds). Almost all of her teeth were on the verge of falling out. X-rays revealed a torn ACL, luxating patellas and dropped carpi (cq). She also needed all the usual vaccinations, a heartworm test, and a microchip.
“The good news is that the vet believes surgery, rehab and a strict diet will lead to a good and healthy life for Dumpling. We need your help to give Dumpling that new life. If you’re able to help Dumpling, please give. All funds raised are for her care alone. Thank you in advance!”
See how to give at pawsinthecity.org. 
[LARRY REACTION: See how to hunt down the individual who dumped two old girls and drove away — wait, we don’t know how to track that villain. But Someone Up There does — and will.]
OPERATION KINDNESS GOES ‘VIRTUAL’
WITH 28TH CANINES, CATS & CABERNET
Twenty-eighth? How can that be? Seems like only yesterday that legendary animal advocate Jonnie England and the crew — the foundation builders for Operation Kindness —announced this now-traditional fundraiser at the no-kill-from-the-beginning Operation Kindness. Ah, we have learned that time moves along.
Now time is moving along in a pandemic, so OK is raising money the new-fashioned way. Online — or, as the OK news release called it, “party in place.” The virtual event begins with the pre-show at 7 p.m. Saturday — you need to be a registered user of the website and shelter YouTube page. Get the details at the EVENT SITE HERE. 
There’ll be a live puppy and kitten cam. Live auction, too with all sorts of items. 
Among the animals currently available for adoption at OK? That dog is Cathy. She’s a 6-month-old, 20-pound Beagle mix. She “happily greets everyone she meets with an enthusiastic tail wag” and, OK, says, she “enjoys spending her days exploring all the sniffs there are to find on her neighborhood walks and patrolling for squirrels in the backyard.” 
The cat, caught in the same “watch the birdie” pose as Cathy, is 11-month-old, 7-pound Aisling, also known as “Miracle Kitty.” A “Good Samaritan” found her in a ditch and brought her to the shelter in January 2020 — the vet thought she’d been fatally injured. But Miracle Kitty overcame a ton of injuries — fractured pelvis, “several abdominal hernias” and “was having a hard time walking and struggling to function day-to-day.” The autobiographical portion of Aisling’s story on the OK website reads, “When I looked up at the vet, I purred my loudest purr and ate the food I was offered, I convinced her I was supposed to survive.” She’s friendly and outgoing, but will always have that odd walk as a souvenir of her early-life experience. 
[LARRY ASIDE: I guess we oughta remember that for all the animals in our human world, none of this is “virtual” — it’s all right-in-your-face reality. Bless their hearts.]

TIME OUT, LADIES AND GENTS,
FOR JUST A MOMENT
I was sitting here typing about animals that need homes and need people to help them, and I suddenly felt the need to walk over to where the black and white Border Collie mix Dudley the Angel is sleeping and pat his big ol’ happy dog head — he wagged his tail with a minimum of movement elsewhere in his body. Then I walked another two feet to the office chair which held a sleeping black and white Oak Cliff-born kitten, Stevie Ray. I bent down and gently petted between his year-and-a-half old ears and he looked up at me with “OK, go head, but don’t pick me up” on his face. I petted his handsome noggin, scratched under his chin and he accepted the affection and I went back to work. Dudley went back to sleep. Stevie Ray came over, trotted around on my keyboard, then went back to his chair and nodded off. 
I feel better about life right now, having written about animals in crisis but able to reach out and touch animals who won’t have a crisis until 3:30 p.m. when they start to wonder if I’m going to remember to present the afternoon meal. OK. That’s it from the ol’ sap who is an animal nut. Moving along….
LOOKING AT A MESQUITE DOG
WHO HAD A JOB FOR A WHILE….
This is Tchalla. He’s a 40-pound dog who pulled himself right out of a job with his previous owner, a disabled woman who couldn’t handle his “strong pull on the leash.”
 Our tipster, Judi Brown, the volunteer biographer at Mesquite Animal Services, says year-old Tchalla was surrendered to the shelter on November 5. He’s listed as a “mixed breed,” but Judi’s pet scanner “said he’s 61% Basenji. He’s got perky standup ears that make him very handsome.” Right now, he’s “on the timid size” but that’ll probably vanish because, she wrote, “He definitely wants to make friends. … He would sit for treats but didn’t remaining sitting for very long.” He’s an indoor dog though he loves to run and play — he also loves to be inside with his human. Housebroken, loves hugs and is “already fixed.” He’s #46042278.
As you can see, Nia (#46033439) has quite a face. She’s a 4-year-old, 48-pound Blue Pittie who arrived as a stray on November 4. Judi writes, “No one would ever accuse her of not having energy and enthusiasm. It seems like she thinks the world is her oyster.” 
Happy, friendly and fun-loving, Judi says Nia “gets over excited and jumps on you because she wants your attention.  She would benefit from some manners training. She also wants treats. She sits for them but does not take them gently. When I sat down she came to me and wanted on my lap. She calmed down when I scratched her ears. She loves toys. She brought some to me and pushed them up against me trying to entice me to play but wouldn’t let me take them from her.”
To ask about these dogs or any animals in the Mesquite Shelter, call 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city ofmesquite.com. Be sure to use the ID#s to help facilitate things. Yes, all of that will work for discussing adoption or tagging of this dog below.
This is Freckles (#460564731), a “year- or two-old mixed breed,” who weighs 45 pounds and is a stray who came in on the 8th. Judi says she may be an Aussie Cattle Dog/English Pointer mix and “she came by the name ‘Freckles’ naturally.” And, like so many dogs who find themselves in a shelter, Judi says, “She’s timid and not quite sure what to make of all the noise and commotion at the shelter. I spent considerable time in her kennel talking to her and building trust. she will need additional TSLC. … Just look into her eyes and you can see how gentle and loving she is! She seemed to love having her ears scratched.”

THERE ARE CATS WAITING
IN LANCASTER’S SHELTER
The 4-Legged Helpers folks have found a clowder of available cats at the small shelter on the southern side of Dallas. Lancaster’s cats are a “variety pack” and this is the first time in our history of readlarrypowell.com that we’ve gotten photos of the fronts AND backs of two cats to demonstrate their differentness.
We’ve started this display with the very beautiful Dream, listed as a Maine Coon. her bio reads, “Dream is stunning.  She looks like a beautiful fluffy creamsicle.  She is gorgeous and SO SWEET.  Maine Coon's are the sweetest fluffballs of love.  Check out her furry little mitts.  Shelter staff thought there is a chance she might be pregnant but they honestly said they are not sure - I think they were shocked at the large size of a Maine Coon.  She is an adorable floof.” [LARRY MID-DAY UPDATE: 4-Legged Helpers reports Dream has been tagged by rescue! We'll try to find out which one so you can adopt or donate.]
That brings us to kittens from, according to the 4-Legged Helpers description, a “Flame Point Siamese/Bengal litter.” The kittens in that trio of mugshots are described as “completely gorgeous little babies. Baby sweet and precious. Very little. Around 6 weeks. They are Ariel, Aiden and Arianna. 

Now we come to what’s described as a “Manx Litter,” probably between 10 and 14 weeks old. And the bio reads, “The rounded heads look very Manx, very lovable."
You’ll know the portraits of two kittens come with the backside pose, too — neither cat has a tail. Though, as you can see, Alex has a tail to go with his Tiger Tabby markings. 
Devyn is the girl with the Tortie markings and no tail. Tango is the boy with Orange Tabby markings and no tail.

And adorable Ciera is a Manx, already spayed. She’s less than a year old. Very friendly. Also a bobtail. The vet staff says “she seems to much prefer people over other cats.” She does seem to love the camera, however, and knows how to pose adoringly.
To help any of these cats by rescuing or adopting, get in touch with 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS

THEMES, THE U.S. SYSTEM & GARDENING 

While looking at the Holiday Insights calendar-driven website I discovered that November is many “months.” It’s National Model Railroad Month (I own a set); it’s National Novel-Writing Month -- I have a number of those started but I find myself distracted because this is also National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. The peanut butter makes the wheels on my electric train sticky and disturbs my ability to think about anything except adding jelly to the plot of my hobo novel, Riding the Rails on The Ol’ PB&J....
On Sunday I got an email allegedly from a polling agency — pretty sure it wasn’t American-based. Why? Because in the heat of this post-election (or mid-election, depending on your convictions) crisis, the subject line read: “BIDEN HAS ALL BUT WON THE NOMINATION.” See, evidence of staggering unfamiliarity with the system. Nomination was way back.
HOW DOES MY GARDEN GROW? I’ll answer that gently, sweetly, without a winning Lotto Texas ticket that would make my daydreams come true. Our front yard plants include autumn tomatoes fighting off bugs, a plant that produced one small orange pumpkin, another that has offered up a small white pumpkin. Yep, out of about 30 plants, I’ve gotten only two pumpkins. Like some people might be inclined to say these days, “I had hoped for more.”
— Offer farming advice or fertilizer notes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —

HONORING VETERANS; WRITING FOR MAGGIE; CITING DOGS; CONTEMPLATING VETERANS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Nov. 11, 1918, the fighting stopped— an armistice between the Allied Nations (including the U.S.) and Germany. It stopped the fighting in what was known as “The War To End All Wars.” There’s some historic irony for you.

Read up on Veterans Day, as we used to say in elementary school. You’ll find that we had so many wars after that one glorious moment of peace that November 11, evolved from Armistice Day to Veterans Day for all wars and peacetimes — signed into existence on June 1, 1954, by President Dwight Eisenhower, who’d been commander of the Allied Forces during World War II. That signing occurred so close to the end of the Korean War (1950-1953) that I’m betting you could still hear the echoes of war in the Oval Office. Heck, maybe we still do, today.
War is hard to endure and too easy to start, but peace can be downright impossible, I guess. We’ll consider all this in Contemplations. 
First , we stick to our civilian mission of helping dogs and cats in this edition. And the reason we can do it without fear of censorship is the American Veterans have kept us free to report facts and shoot off our mouths!
AN UPDATE ON MAGGIE,
A CAT WHO ‘LOOKS DIFFERENT’
We first mentioned 6-year-old Maggie, the “cat who looks different” in our September 20 edition. After some careful veterinary care, she’s back on the SPCA of Texas website now — not really seeking an adoption but looking for a “Fospice” home.
That’s “Foster/Hospice” combined. As you can see in her video HERE, Maggie is an affectionate cat, even though she’s got that “different” look. [LARRY ASIDE: Maggie acts like our cats — she reaches out to be petted, to feel a human hand, to get the sensation of love from the touch of a human. I’m telling you, the video almost makes me cry.]
 Maggie has, the SPCA says, “Histoplasmosis” and “dermal lesions on her face.” Not contagious. Just Maggie. 
The SPCA says she has a good temperament and doesn’t like to be “held or restrained.” 
If you qualify to be Maggie’s foster home, her medical care will be financed by the SPCA of Texas. [LARRY ASIDE: She’s like that line from Harrison Ford’s character in the original Blade Runner. As he flees with his new love Rachel, he says, "I didn't know how long we had together — who does?”] 

The SPCA says Maggie’s foster home would have to administer her medication daily — currently she gets it mixed into her wet food. Now and then, she’ll need lab work at the SPCA. The “foster parents” would need to be vigilant, always on the lookout for worsening lesions, difficulty breathing or loss of appetite. [LARRY ASIDE: Heck it would be almost like monitoring a cat you love that doesn’t look different.]
Go HERE to see how to audition to be Maggie’s human/family.

ONE MORE SPCA NOTE:

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS GO VIRTUAL
This news arrived Tuesday from the SPCA: The 30th Annual Home for the Holidays and the 6th annual Bark + Build Luxury Dog House and Cat Condo Design/Build Competition and Adoption Event will be virtual through December 31. [LARRY ASIDE: The details on these events are at spca.org. And, yes, Dec. 31, 2020, may be the New Year’s Eve people have been happiest to see this century.]
The SPCA says all the entries in those contests wil; be auctioned online at spcaholidays.com. Bidding ends at 8 p.m. on December 28. The money goes to the SPCA’s mission of taking care of animals and finding loving homes, according to the SPCA release.
Now, here’s the REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE this year: For the first time in umpteen years, the SPCA will not have a pet adoption at NorthPark Center. There will, however, be the Sewell Automotive Companies adoption special from now through the last day of the year. Adoption fees for adult cats and dogs will be 50% off. See the adoptables at spca.org/findapet and set up an adoption appointment— the dog link is spca.org/dogadopt and the cat link is spca.org/catadopt.
That great dog face with the happiness so visible belongs to Auggie, a Lab Mix who came to the shelter in Feb. 2019 with his mom and siblings — they were part of a cruelty case. He’s on the spca.org pet list, as is Hayes, a nearly 6-year-old cat with the telltale clipped ear of a formerly free-roaming cat. He, also, came in via a cruelty case. He’ll take an understanding human.
Get more info about Home For The Holidays by going to spcaholidays.com.
TWO LOVELY DOGS
IN MESQUITE’S SHELTER
We got the tip on these two from the Mesquite Animal Services volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm. Luna’s first, then we get to Sierra.

Luna (#45823914) is a mixed-breed girl — she came in as a stray on October 5. Debra writes, “She has been at the shelter for over a month and with kennel space tight, she needs out ASAP.” The 4-year-old, 54-pound Luna “walks OK on a leash though she pulls some,” Debra writes. “She knows the sit command and will sit for treats, taking them gently.  She is lively and energetic.  She is happiest when chasing balls, which she returns sometimes and sometimes.... not.  She will let you know by her playful bark that she wants to continue to chase balls… This lively and sweet-natured girl needs out of the shelter so please help if you can by networking or tagging …”

Sierra (#46043625), showing off her trotting style in this photo, is a possible Black Mouth Cur mix — the 58-pound, about 2-years-old dog came in as a stray on Nov. 5. “She walked well on a leash. In the bay, she seemed intimidated by the dogs who barked at her when passing by and did not show aggression,” Debra wrote, adding, “Sierra is still a bit timid and uneasy in the shelter environment.  In the yard she was active and lively but not hyperactive.  She was friendly but a little standoffish.  She loved receiving attention and affection.  She enjoyed taking treats and did so gently.  She has a mellow personality.”

For both of these dogs, use their ID numbers when you email rescues@cityofmesquite.com or call the shelter at 972-216-6283.
TWO DOGS OFFER DISTINCT LOOKS
AT THE LANCASTER SHELTER
This info comes from 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on small shelters without much human traffic. 
Crystal is the white dog — a Lab/Great Pyr mix who’ll be available for adoption on Thursday. She was a stray and didn’t have a microchip. The 4-Legged Helpers report, “She is a really sweet, very friendly girl.  These pics were taken by the person that found her and we will ask shelter staff to provide hopefully some better pics, but hopefully you can see how cute and very sweet.” (Look how she nuzzles that human! Could be a sign that you need to adopt her!)

And we’ve previously mentioned Lane, listed as an American Bulldog mix — look at that accented eye! She’s not very big. Her bio reads, “She is an itty-bitty girl who is cute and loveable and just so very much wants someone to love her.”
To ask about these dogs or any animals in the Lancaster shelter, call or text 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
CONSIDERING THE VETERANS
As a Baby Boomer, I grew up in an era when you could actually meet and be friends with World War I veterans (several went to my church), lots and lots of World War II vets (lots of ‘em! Daddies, coaches, Scout leaders, etc.), Korean vets (My Uncle Merl), Cold War vets, Vietnam vets and veterans of assorted war efforts in the Middle East and that neighborhood.
Men and women. When my kids were little, one of our dear friends was an ex-Marine named Khaki, the mom of kids on our soccer teams. [LARRY ASIDE: I’ve always thought it was a toss-up on which was more stern: “Marine mentality” or “Mom mentality.”]

My darlinspouse Martha's daddy, Johnny "Red" Muse, was a medic with Gen. George Patton's army -- I'm extremely glad he came home from the war.
And my Dad was a WWII veteran at the Normandy Invasion — that’s Calvin Powell’s teenager-the-Army photo — he was in the infantry and didn’t talk about it to his young kids. Maybe PTSD? Sure smoked a lot when he got back. Couldn't sleep.
Other World War II veterans? My Boy Scout Troop 22 Scoutmaster Bob Curtis, so was our milkman Fred Williams, so was the man who owned the sign-painting company, Mr. Green — he was married to a really nice German lady who was the mom of one of my reporting colleagues in the late ‘60s and of two of my fellow Scouts in elementary and junior high years.
Most of us kids were so focused on our own little Mickey Mouse Club lives that we had no idea what hell our veteran daddies had been through.

Along the way in my newspaper career, the fastest typist I ever knew was a reporter named Maurice Moore, a legend in Arkansas newsrooms who, newsroom legend held, had been an airborne soldier dropped into France on D-Day.

That guy in the uniform with the U.S. Army's pre-beret headgear -- the Garrison Cap? That is my friend, our readlarry powell.com Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the longtime print and broadcast journalist whose dog Maxie and cat Chloe show up in our editions now and then. Bureau Chief Fisher happens to have been in the U.S. Army and serving in uneasy West Germany during some of the hottest parts of the Cold War — remember East and West Germany and that whole daily conflict of a divided nation? A few weeks ago, Andy sent me this photo to show that he can still wear his sergeant’s stripes. I can’t get into my Cold War Boy Scout uniform —not even the socks.
Some of my ol’ high school classmates (Texas High, Class of '66) meet up (virtually these days) once a month or so and we talk about current events, old events and things we’ve seen and done. Some of those guys are Vietnam Veterans. I think it’s fair to say that those of us who didn’t qualify for such duty hold those boys in awe for what they went through. The spouses of those veterans -- what tough duty they pulled! Those nightly news body counts with no names. Yet. 

Yeah, when I think of The Wall, the Vietnam memorial, I think of teenaged boys (like my daddy in “The Big One”), maybe some college-age kids, whose lives were derailed by the draft … 
Well, I believe I might just offer up a silent prayer for those who are listed on The Wall and for those who made it through that beastly experience and came home to try to understand their nation. [That's a photo of The Wall from Surface Magazine HERE.] Yeah, my classmates knew one of the guy's on the wall from high school -- he was a cheerleader a couple of years ahead of us. The cheerleader became a Naval Aviator, Lt.(JG) Steve Musselman. Born in 1945, shot down and killed in 1972. Stop me if you think war is fair. Here's a link to his listing.
You veterans of those wars and the current wars and wars to come (we are flawed humans), may God bless your hearts and keep you safe. Thank you from a guy who loves freedom of the press, freedom of speech and any other freedom you protected.
May your dreams all be sweet and never be cursed by what you’ve seen or had to do to protect the America you love.
For those who have loved a veteran -- may your dreams and lives be wonderful and may you have the gift of understanding.
I offer all this wish for understanding and patience as a Baby Boomer kid whose Daddy had many sleepless nights brought on by dreams of a war that is beyond my imagination. He died at 84 on Nov. 18, 2008 — lung cancer got him, not the Third Reich even though it had tried mightily for several years in the ‘40s.

American veterans — bless all of ‘em who served our nation so honorably. They matter.
— Offer a salute to veterans by clicking on “comments” below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

FROM DAYDREAMS TO DOGS & CATS & POETRY WITH SUCH INEXPENSIVE EEEZE.

EDITION OF TUESDAY, NOV. 10, 2020 [PetPowellPress] How different is your world this Tuesday in November? Oh, wait, that was the opening paragraph I was going to use LAST Tuesday.

Well, let’s move to this week’s Tuesday and gently, sweetly, without a winning Lotto Texas ticket, proceed with reality rather than the daydreams of vast wealth based on a lucky purchase at a convenience store. 
Besides, I’ve got great dogs and cats and a funspouse, what do I need with money? Oh, and today we’ll have a Contemplation with poetry and a Cocker Spaniel with a halo.
MICKEY NEEDS
MEDICAL HELP
Well, one look at this guy and the first thing you think is “Border Collie.” That’s appropriate. Our Mesquite Animal Shelter tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm reports that Mickey is a Border Collie with a German Wirehaired Pointer “in the mix.” He came to the shelter on Nov. 2 with an injury to his left back leg. The 60-pound, 8-year-old dog has been under a vet’s care since then — he’s been evaluated and had x-rays taken and he’s on 4 medications. Debra writes, “He has been in the isolation unit but desperately needs out and in the capable hands of a rescue in order to be further evaluated and treated.  Unfortunately Mickey is also heartworm positive.  All medical records can be provided by the shelter.  He is good on a leash, did his business in the shelter yard, is calm and gentle yet active and alert.  He is a friendly fellow and is happy to receive attention and affection.  He has a low-key and mellow personality. He is so sweet-natured!   There is so much to like about Mickey.   In the short time I spent with him, he won a place in my heart and he seems so worth the save.”
He is #46015667. Use that ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofme- squite.com.
You can see many more adoptables by going to this MESQUITE SHELTER LINK.
Among the cats is this young girl, #45850000, known as “Pumkin” (just one "p" in this "pumkin" — she arrived at the shelter on October 8. May be about 2 1/2 months old. Not the only cat in the shelter — youngsters and older cats await homes, too.
AND THIS IS A ‘MASTIFF/BULLDOG?’

THAT’S THE STORY ON THIS FOUND DOG
Yep, known as Lexie, this girl was found wandering “out in the rural part” of southern Dallas County, according to our tipsters Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden of 4-Legged Helpers. They focus on small shelters and animals found on need in the southern sector and other places.
The story is a “Good Samaritan” found her and is temporarily caring for her. The dog was taken to a vet, got her shots and a good exam. She’s healthy and waiting — but not for long before she goes to a shelter. Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Meanwhile in Lancaster, there are these dogs:

Autumn — so named because her coat “looks like autumn leaves” — has a home, but the shelter staff has been unable to contact the home owner. The option — the happy option — is to find a good home for this girl.
There are a couple of Huskies, too. No known connection other than “hey, look, there’s another Husky!”

Snow is the blue-eyed, attractively marked white and black girl. And Snow is her real name, according to 4-Legged Helpers. She’s in need of a new home.
The other Husky is red and white River, a boy. Lancaster Shelter says the dog was surrendered because “he had nipped a child,” but the 4-Legged Helpers’ appeal reads, “Note, however, that the people never signed any type of bite complaint, so this is a complete unknown as to what happened or even it true.” He was quarantined at the shelter and was “sweet and friendly the entire time….did awesome during his shelter evaluation.”
To help any of these dogs or any dog or cat 4-Legged Helpers is working with, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. Ask Laura to put you on the Helpers mailing list so you can help forward these appeals to more people who’ll help keep the shelter from using the needle.
CONTEMPLATIONS
LINGO, PAPERS & POETRY
Ah, the lingo, the language, the talking points, the urgency. I’ve seen so many Medicare Enrollment ads I’m almost
ready to say, “Bring back the political ads.” The one that bugs me features beloved football hero "Broadway Joe" Namath who, while doing a Medicare enrollment pitch, says, “This is one of the only days” to sign up. Surely he went off script on that “one of the only days.” Would a pro writer butcher that grammar? It’s really just “one of the days.” If it’s “days” then it’s not “only.” “Only” means one. Not “one of.” Somebody throw a flag on “one of the only quarterbacks” to lead the New York Jets to a Super Bowl title.
Yes, only one Super Bowl —Jan. 12, 1969, Super Bowl III, over the Baltimore Colts, 16-7.
 There’s something interesting in that photo of the New York Daily news front page — in 1969, a copy of the paper cost 8 cents. What’s the current price of your paper? Went up more than gasoline, didn’t it? Anyway, I saw this appeal for newspapers from the Spay Neuter Network — the very busy network uses the papers to line cages and kennels. I worked in newspaper newsrooms for decades -- cages and kennels were the NICE things people used newspapers to line. But Spay Neuter Network will put them to honorable use. Probably won't find any 8-cent newspapers unless you haven't cleaned out your attic for a while.
Moving along to Autumn, we will tell you that we started a sentence “As autumn leaves its leaves on our trees…” and stopped to question aloud, “Is that poetic?” I checked our files and found this:

Autumn leaves
its leaves
on trees.
Some sneeze,
blame breeze
with ease.
Collar tease!
I find no fleas!

That doggerel was found that in the Poetic Files of Inky, the late Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas. He called it, “The Seez-un of Living Eeezee.” I don’t know why.
Here’s a recommendation: If you ever get the opportunity to pick up a hairless, mange-stricken purebred Cocker Spaniel puppy dumped by some heel in Kiest Park in Dallas, Texas, pick up that little boy dog and love him. He’ll stick to your heart the rest of your life; you might even see a shadow in the hallway at 3 a.m. and think, “Inky!” (That's Inky, in his role as Staff Impersonator, giving us his impression of a hungry poet racing into the Iambic Beertameter Bar and spotting, on the Happy Hour Buffet, a big steaming platter of Mom's Rhymin' and Rollin' Meatloaf with some Grecian Epic Gravy and a dessert of Alfred Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Diet Ice Cream Lite Brigade. )
My dear fellow Inky is currently romping in Heaven and wearing a halo so bright that when you look toward the night sky over Texas, you can see it running across the heavens — unless that’s the International Space Station in orbit — heck, Inky was my interstellar expert. I’ll have to ask one of the cat’s now — I think The Senator was in on arranging financing of the space station. I’ll check with his aide de chat. Oh, wait. I AM the aide de chat. I'll never forget the day he had me hunting for his watch for two or three hours before he finally told me, "I found it. I have a head for these things."
— Offer poems or grammar lessons by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com with “Diagram this sentence, you knucklehead” in the subject line. —-

CATCHING UP WITH CHARLESTON; SPOTTING OTHER NEEDS; ELPO'S AUCTION; CONTEMPLATIONS: PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE ...

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOV. 9, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Over the weekend, after some consideration of the nation and the on-going drama (possibly the last mention of it in this edition), I realized that there actually are people disinclined to get disgustingly unpleasant over politics. We’ll do some Contemplations about that later today. Moving along:
REVISITING CHARLESTON
AND POUND PALS’ NEEDS
You may recall the October 30 story of Charleston, the Dachshund so neglected that his muzzle caved in. That’s him in a photo with a pumpkin several days before Halloween.
On Sunday as we did checks on animals from previous editions, we were looking for Charleston when we found this appeal from Pound Pals. It read, “Pound Pals is code red for medical funding. This has been a monster week on the medical front. ….”
Here’s a sample explanation of how that can happen. The Pound Pals Facebook page reported on the 5th, “Charleston was in surgery much longer than expected. Things were much worse than expected. The entire roof of Charleston's mouth had rotted away leaving a huge hole. All of his teeth were removed and he was neutered due to prostate issues.”
The Sunday afternoon update from Pound Pals’ Kerri Thorne told us that “Charleston is still at TCVMC (not eating yet). The surgery was much more extensive than expected. All of his teeth were removed and the roof of his mouth was reconstructed.

“That same afternoon, Pepper Jane was having what looked like difficulty breathing and was rushed to TCVMC. She was diagnosed with Gastric dilatation volvulus which required surgery to correct. The cause was found to be a liver mass which was removed. We are awaiting histopathology.
“Pierre, the little Cushings Chihuahua (right) who came to us earlier this year with two tick diseases, kidney issues (from the tick illnesses) and a huge burn on his back, is expected to lose his eyes and Griff (in the leopard print) had surgery on Friday due to prostate issues."
On a good note, "Olaf is recovering at home and continues to improve.” 
Olaf is the Chihuahua we first told you about in the initial Charleston story in October. He’s the little guy whose human diagnosed “neurological problems” but an exam by an actual vet team found that Olaf was wobbly because he had a — here’s a vet term I just made up — big, honkin’ gob of earwax that was bugging his balance and enthusiasm. That’s been fixed. 
Go to the Pound Pals Facebook page HERE and look for the Charleston/PepperJane/Griff update and you’ll see how to donate to the senior dogs’ hospital fund. That’ll include going to www.poundpals.com.
ELPO’S AUCTION UNDER WAY
THROUGH NOVEMBER 15
East Lake Pet Orphanage, the legendary rescue shelter created by the great Dr. Karen Fling, has opened its auction for bidding — the money helps unwanted animals become wanted. See adoptable animals and animals who could use some of that ingredient called “human heart” by clicking here.
As you’ll see when you go to this ELPO AUCTION SITE there are many different items on which to bid — lifestyle things, artwork, jewelry, pet items, garden material, etc. I decided to highlight this bit of work by “Marlene,” and it is titled Colorful Ladies and they are described as “four lively, big-haired ladies in flowing dresses.” Painting and frame - 14” x 12” — but don’t take my writing here as auction gospel. You owe it to ELPO to look at the auction items.
Among the animals available to adopt at ELPO are these four kittens with distinctly different faces. Little boy Ang is top left; 8-week-old girl Truffles is top right; boy cat Chowder, also 8 weeks is bottom left; and the 8-week-old gray boy Schnitzel with the fantastic eyes is bottom right. Truffle sand Chowder clearly have championship whiskers and eyebrows while Ang has a very studious "M" look with eye-effects.

JEOPARDY AND ALEX TREBEK
Alex Trebek — 80 — pancreatic cancer. Host of Jeopardy for more years that most of us can recall. The previous host of Jeopardy, the original “star” of the show for yeas and years, Art Fleming, died at 70 — pancreatic cancer, biographical research reveals. The creator of Jeopardy was singer/talk show host/actor/media mogul/businessman Merv Griffin — died in 2007 at 82 — prostate cancer.
After beating Covid 19, maybe we should return our financial and intellectual efforts to beating cancer — all kinds. Seems to be hazardous to a really wide swath of the American population -- speak from personal experience, of course.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
THE SEARCH FOR HOMES…
We’re going to focus on two dogs tipped to us by Judi Brown, volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite Animal Services.
We’ll start with Tina (#46016015), the year-old. 50-pound Pittie who arrived at Mequite as a stray on Nov. 2.. Judi says, “She’s got beautiful camel coloring and her eyes look like they’ve been lined with the eyeliner. She’s somewhat timid. She needs TLC and time to trust you. She even backed away when I shook the treat bag. The noise apparently frightened her. She does want to make friends and she did stay close by me. She’s got a sweet nature. She likes her ears scratched and she wagged her tail a lot.”
Judi also tipped us to the story of Julius (#46015945), a year-old, 60-pound Blue Pittie mix who, yes, was also a stray on the 2nd of November. Judi writes, “He’s a beautiful boy that appears to be smiling most of the time. He is exuberant and energetic but not overly so. He’s friendly and loving. When I sat down he came to me and put his head on my lap. He likes his ears scratched. He stayed close by me. He sat for treats and took them gently. He does have a strong pull on the leash. When I walked him through the bay he really wasn’t interested in the other dogs. He was focused on leading me outside. … Come meet him. I feel like you will be captivated by his charms like I was.”
For these pups or any animals in the Mesquite Shelter, call 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Use the ID numbers to expedite a smooth transition for a deserving dog.

CONTEMPLATIONS
AFTER THE NEARLY CONSTANT NOISE....
We've encountered a reminder that there are souls in this world who — no matter how politicians address each other these days and claim to "know the people"— appear to be the good and decent people that are the rock-solid foundation of this country. 
As a veteran reader of obituaries, I’ve got three to cite from the weekend notices. I don’t know any of these people nor anyone in their families. I simply learned about them by reading the tributes in the Sunday obituaries. 
You’ll find some charming notes, I think. And maybe it’ll help you rid yourself of the rancid shadow of all the political accusations and yammerings of the past campaigns at several levels.

I read Connie Byrne’s obit in The Dallas Morning News — “a loving mother” who died at 86 after a “long battle with dementia. Connie loved country music, old Motown and a glass of wine with her friends, and anything with Teague orange on it. Most of all, she loved her children & grandchildren. She will be missed beyond words.” 
“Missed beyond words.” A wonderful measure of a beloved human.

That brings us to young John Nathaniel Cohen, just 24, who died on October 26. He had, his obit read, “Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 which granted him a power wheelchair instead of legs to explore the world.” He overcame a lot to graduate from Mesquite Horn High School and Stephen F. Austin University (Bachelor and Masters degrees) and went to work with Mark Cuban Companies. And, his obituary noted, “John's biggest passion was education and learning, and he shared this with everyone he met. John had a very special connection to animals, especially dogs, and would often find comfort and companionship from them in a way that humans could not offer.”

How is that for a heart without a wasted beat for an entire life.
We’ll close with bits from the obituary of Carmine Nittolo who died on Oct. 30 from “complications from lung cancer.” His obituary says his wife and son — Julie and Mike — were by his side. And it reads, “The patriarch of the Nittolo family was 89 years old. He loved the Bronx and talked about going to double feature movies and seeing many of the contemporary singers including: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole. When it was time to serve his country he fought in the Korean War and was awarded a Purple Heart medal and a Bronze Service Star. It was hard for him to talk about his time in the army but we were all very proud of him. In 1956 he met Julie at the Enchanted Room Ballroom and began a love affair that lasted a lifetime.” 

Then, Dads, there’s this: “He taught his son about baseball, but more importantly about hard work and meeting responsibility. …” The obituary also offers this aspect of his life. “In lieu of flowers please donate to a charity of your choice in his name. He would smile at the thought of helping someone else.”
Then someone added this very important passage to Carmine Nittolo’s obituary. It reads, “Advice to the angel pitchers in Heaven... don't throw him a fastball down the middle.” 

When you’re weary of politicians making accusations about their opponents or supporters or anybody who gets in their way, think about these three people and the impressions they left on the hearts of people they loved. We all may not be running for office, but we can all be candidates for love and affection and, maybe, make it a more respectful and loving world.
—- Offer thoughts on love and respect by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

FAB NAPPER: SAILOR THE AVAILABLE CAT

This gloriously comfortable cat Sailor -- don't you envy him, my fellow insomniacs? -- is the focal point of our weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. He is, clearly, a napping cat napping. 
We’ve written about Sailor a few times in hopes of helping the animal advocate Mary Sullivan find a good home for this boy.
As you may recall, he became in need of a home when his human died. Sailor is 7 or 8 years old and incredibly handsome. 

On Friday afternoon, as I was writing about him still being available, I sent Mary a note asking if she had photos of Sailor napping.
“As a matter of fact, I do!” she proudly responded. She explained the close-up of his handsome face was from Friday morning when he was napping in her lap.
It is clear from the napping photographs that Sailor can find comfort in a lap, on a quilt, probably just about anywhere that’ll given him room enough to stretch out or a cozy place to curl up in a CCZ, i.e., Cat Comfort Zone. 
Mary’s assessment of Sailor reads this way: “He’s delicious...a real lap-kitty who purrs constantly and will talk, too.  I just got to know him recently, and now when I visit him, he’s immediately in my lap, purring away.

“One caveat – for those who may be thin-skinned (literally), he’s a bit of a love-biter and a kneader.  I lost my beloved Jim Jr. (named after my husband) last year – a gray tabby who was the champion love-biter/kneader of all time.  It never bothered me a bit, but I know that some folks don’t like it. 

“Sailor has a much gentler mouth – he’s more of a love-nipper – and knows the command ‘no bite.’ I think that once he’s in a loving home, some of that may stop, but maybe not.”

And there’s this: Mary says, “He’d be a great companion for somebody looking for a lap cat.”
And who among us would not embrace the arrival of a wonderful lap cat? Email Mary at mary.sullivan@mcpaulaw.com to ask about auditioning to adopt one of the world’s great lap cats.

We offer this from the “Experienced With Felines Files” of readlarry- powell.com: “It’s a good thing to have cats to hide out with you in a pandemic! We’re pretty sure that is a state-wide fact. Got the info from our well-fed cats.” 
Hard to believe nobody wants this handsome cat.
[LARRY ASIDE: Let us know if you’re trying to find a good home for a sleeping dog or napping cat or slumbering potbellied pig or any other beast prone to nodding off and we’ll post the story and the photos on readlarry powell.com in our weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Send us photos of your own snoozing critters — we love to celebrate the love and trust of humans and animals. And these stories inspire insomniacs to believe they, too, can get some sleep even though, ultimately, we devoted insomniacs know better and roll over and don’t go back to sleep. Nothing like Matlock after midnight, Columbo at 3 a.m. or the traffic report at 4 in the morning.]
— Offer opinions about napping by waking up to click on ‘comments’ below or by sending an email to dallrp@aol.com and feel free to tell us about odd dreams you have when eating pumpkin pie after midnight. —-

PM EDITION: DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE, SAXOPHONES & CONSIDERING A NOCTURNE....

PM EDITION OF FRIDAY, NOV. 6, 2020 [PetPowellPress] It was a Friday like any other Friday except that the Tuesday election was still going on. But you know that already, so let’s get some relief in our non-partisan brains and discuss dogs and cats. 
FYI, we depend on the Holiday Insights online calendar to keep us aware of special days to celebrate and, oddly enough, in the midst of the continuing election, it turns out that November 6 is “Marooned Without a Compass Day.” Yep. That’s one of three holidays on the list at Holiday Insights. The other two for the 6th are National Nacho Day — we’d prefer to celebration National Nachos Day (nobody can eat just one) — we’ll get to National Saxophone Day in CONTEMPLATIONS. Go ahead and turn your speakers up to the be-still-my-heart-and-let-me-dream level.
That photo? Yeah, I looked out into the back yard this morning and realized that while I was paying attention to TV news and the Plight of the Cowboys, Autumn had stopped by and established itself in the neighborhood. That’s our Border Collie mix Dudley in the background and our Weather Duck and Sturdy Chicken enjoying the cool of the morning.
THE VOYAGE OF SAILOR:
STILL LOOKING FOR A PORT
OK, here’s a mystery for us all in mysterious times. Why has this cat not been adopted? Secondarily, why will no one foster this cat? 
His name is Sailor — he’s 7 or 8 years old, according to his current champion, Mary Sullivan, a veteran at this sort of “tending to cats and dogs” duty.
 We’ve posted Sailor before but it was quite a few weeks ago and why no one has embraced him as “My great cat” is beyond readlarrypowell.com, a website with considerable experience in the field of “nobody wants ‘em cats.”
Here’s the story of handsome Sailor. Mary writes that “our pal Sailor is still looking for a home, preferably forever, but a foster would work, too.  His owner died suddenly and the family is unable to keep him.  I’ve gotten to know him a lot better over the past couple of weeks and can say without hesitation that he’s a wonderful boy – extremely affectionate and sweet with a motor that just won’t quit.  He warmed up to me about 20 minutes after I first met him and now he’s my new BFF.  I have no doubt that he’d react the same way to others.”
 She says, “He’d be a great companion for somebody looking for a lap cat.” To ask about being Sailor’s new loving human, email Mary at 
mary.Sullivan@mcpaulaw.com.


A FAMILY OF EARHOUNDS
AND ONE TIGER TABBY
They are all in one place right now: Lancaster Animal Shelter.
According to the folks at 4-Legged Helpers, the kitten is named Ashlyn and she’s available right now.
These two Earhounds will be available on Monday. They are “strays” who were found running around together without benefit of identification. They are mom and son, the shelter says. Mom is Callie, about 30 pounds and the boy Cotton is about 20 pounds, according to a note from 4-Legged Helpers Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden.
Plenty of other animals in the leaning-toward-crowded Lancaster shelter. To ask for help rescuing or adopting any of the Lancaster animals, call or text 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949=2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
ZEUS THE ROTTIE MIX
WAITS FOR A STEADY HOME
We got the story on Zeus from our tipster Judi Brown, the volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite Animal Services. She says the half-year-old Rottweiler mix — 50 pounds and still growing — was surrendered on Nov. 5. He’s #46042268 at the shelter. Judi writes, “His owner was a truck driver who is having to go on the road. His loss is your gain because this is one big cuddle bug. He’s energetic and playful and yet not overly so. He chases balls and picks them up but has not yet learned to bring them back to you. You could teach him that. However,  he already does know the sit, paw, and lay down commands. He is alert and curious and wanted to know what was going on behind the gate. He’s friendly, happy, and real sweet!  He gives kisses. He stayed close so at times it was difficult to get a picture of them because I couldn’t get far enough away from him. … He’s a really good dog. I would recommend Zeus highly.”
Mesquite biographer Debra Chisholm tipped us to Snowflake, this beautiful mixed breed girl who came in on Halloween as a stray. She’s about 3, weighs 38 pounds and isn’t spayed. She’s #46011271 at the shelter. 
Debra says, “They just don't come any cuter or sweeter!  Snowflake has been nervous at the shelter since her arrival, due to the noise of the other dogs in the bay.  However, in the yard she seems relaxed and comfortable.  She is cautiously friendly but only initially.  After she gets to know you a bit she wants to sit close, climb in your lap and follow you around.  She walks very nicely on a leash.  … She is well-mannered and gentle.  Snowflake has a mellow and laid-back personality.  She would seem the perfect dog for a person or family or wants a mild-mannered and calm dog.”

To ask about any Mesquite Shelter animals email rescues@cityofmesquite.com or call 972-216-6283. Use their ID numbers when you contact the shelter. And, if you want to see more Mesquite animals, click on the shelter website HERE. http://tx-mesquite.civicplus.com/916/Animals-in-the-Shelter
[NOTE TO MESQUITE RESIDENTS: Please remember to make sure your animals are properly secured so they won’t become strays. The best way? Make ‘em indoor dogs and cats. You’ll come to enjoy having a companion that loves every move you make!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
[LARRY NOTE: We’ll be back after nightfall with our weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie &Napping Cats Nap. In the meantime, enjoy this Contemplation about Harlem Nocturne and saxophones.]

Nov. 6 is, of course, as you probably know, National Saxophone Day (Thank you, Holiday Insights.) Yep, it’s the anniversary of the day in 1814 that woodwinder (played flute, clarinet) Adolphe Sax was born in Dinant, Belgium. He debuted the saxophone in 1968 at The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas - I’m kidding. But we’ll move along by presenting two versions of one of the greatest sax-oriented songs ever: Harlem Nocturne. Yes, Earle Hagen’s big hit is one of the greatest mood-setting songs ever composed. Here’s the link to the traditional orchestral version by the Corelli Jazz Orchestra.  And this link is to the version by the rock ’n’ roll band The Viscounts.
As you listen to one of those versions, consider this: Earle Hagen (1919-2008) wrote it in 1939, before network TV was controlling America’s living rooms. But you may have heard his work, you little Baby Boomering stacks-of-wax fans, he composed the theme for The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl and The MOD Squad. And Harlem Nocturne was the theme for Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. Read more about Earle HERE  Ah, those TV themes bring back memories, but Harlem Nocturne evokes moods and dreams for now and the future.
—- Offer musical thoughts or tubathoughts by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

IN A WORLD WITH ODD MOMENTS, WE WORK FOR DOGS, CATS AND THE STAGE

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY, NOV. 5-6 [PetPowellPress] The production of this edition began after noon because of a late arrival at the desk by your happy typer. Happy because I had a splendid visit at the doc’s Thursday AM.
And there was this excruciatingly funny moment in valet parking afterward. Excruciating.
The attendant, about 6-3, brought my Ford Edge around, got out, said, pleasantly, “Thank you!” and I handed him a giant tip and he said, “Thank you” with a new, brighter smile.
Then, as so many of you valet-parkers have done through the years, I sat down and swung my legs into the car and knocked my right kneecap into next week when it hit the lower-than-usual steering column while the seat was shoved up under the wheel. 
Immediately I figured it was “Bring Your Pre-Schooler To Work Day” and my car had been driven at some point by a kid who, by now, knows 15 or 20 letters of the alphabet. That’s enough letters, by the way, to cry out in agony “SON OF A BLEEP, THAT HURTS LIKE A !!#$%&**!!!!” after the jarring pain has allowed you to breathe rather than just scream. I let the guy keep the tip. You know, for his pre-schooler. [That’s my board-certified cat Stevie Ray listening to my testimony from his casual office.]
 Fortunately, my insurance covers knee repair — I was scheduled to start at quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. Don’t laugh. You’ve seen this team. It could happen. No, I only hit my knee, not my head. I’m still as stable as I’ve ever been. And that’s the Super Bowl Cowboys banner and still unchanged for a quarter of a century. Here’s our report on other matters:

MEANWHILE IN LANCASTER,
CLOCK TICKS AS SHELTER FILLS
Bless the hearts of the hustlers trying to get animals to safety in small shelters and small towns. Not the shelter’s fault that some members of the citizenry are lackluster when it comes to properly tending to their animals.
No idea how Colton, this male Aussie Shepherd mix, wound up in the Lancaster Animal Shelter, but he becomes available on Friday. And that cat, we’ve mentioned before — that’s Merlot, the Snowshoe Siamese with the cuddly, sweet nature.
And that brings us to this girl, Lane, a white and black Bulldog mix with a great eyepatch (and yes, she resembles Petie, a Lancaster dog posted several issues ago). Our tipsters, the 4-Legged Helpers, report that this little knee-high girl is a “found dog,” but the “shelter staff believes they know where this dog lives, but despite leaving a door-marker, no one has come for her. Hard to believe because she is precious.” Might have had puppies “a few months ago” and the neighbors in the suspected home-area say “she is a great dog.” 
There are many other animals in need. You can ask about adopting them or rescuing them by getting in touch with Laura Macias at 4-Legged Helpers. Call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
OK, MOVING TO THE EASTERN SIDE
OF THE METROSPRAWL, MESQUITE!
Mesquite's volunteer dog biographers Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm send us adorable adoptables nearly every day. We’ve picked these two to close the workweek.

Debra forwarded this great Pittie mix Optimus, a stray who arrived on Oct. 28. He’s about 4, weighs 45 pounds, is neutered, energetic and lively “with a confident and outgoing personality,” Debra says. Also, she writes, “He knows the sit command and will sit for treats but does not take them gently.  He can, however, catch them in his mouth!  Optimus walks well on a leash and when led through the bay did not show any unfriendliness toward the other dogs.” After describing how playful and energetic he is, she writes, “Don't let his photos fool you!  He may look somber, but he is a playful and fun-loving guy.” He’s #45988889.

Judi sent us this note about Luke, a 9-month-old black and white Pittie mix (46 pounds, already fixed) who came in two days after Optimus, but also is a stray. Get this. Judi writes,”Because he was chipped, his owner was contacted and she chose to surrender him because she didn’t have a dog house in the backyard to keep him in. This was probably a wise choice on her part, giving him an opportunity to be adopted by a family that will share their house with him so he can snuggle up on warm blankets during the upcoming cold winter months. This particular owner had only had him six months so now that he’s at the shelter, this is his third residence. Hopefully his next home will be his ‘furever’ home! Luke is a pretty boy with beautiful brown eyes. Luke does not present himself well in the kennel as he is over-exuberant and barks at the other dogs. I must admit I was a little leery about taking him out as he was so energetic in the kennel. However, I was just amazed that he walked calmly without pulling on the leash. Then when he got out in the yard he did try to jump on me a few times but responded to the command ‘No!’ He may need this reinforced. After that he calmed down and stayed real close. When I sat down he tried to jump on my lap and wash my face with kisses. … Obviously he would be easy to train since he’s so highly motivated by treats. His previous owner did state that he was very sweet and once he got in the yard I found that to be true. He’s a friendly, happy, fun loving dog that would make a good family pet.” Luke’s #46002516.

For animals in the shelter, call 972-216-6383 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Use their ID#s when you ask about them. And you can see more Mesquite animals on the shelter website HERE. That includes cats — and we’ll note that still waiting is this handsome kitten Peter Pan, a tabby kid we’ve mentioned for months now. He came in on Aug. 24 and is around 3 months old, so this is his baby picture. He’s in — where else — the cat room.
HELP WITH SOME CATS
ACCIDENTALLY INHERITED
When we got this note about three de-clawed cats needing a safe home, Sydney Busch, our longtime tipster from Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, noted that, of course, a “declawed cat can NEVER go outside. They are easy prey.”

And she offered this important reminder in all caps: “HAVE YOU MADE PROVISIONS FOR YOUR PETS IF YOU GET HIT BY A BUS TOMORROW?  IS THIS HOW YOU WANT YOUR PETS TO END UP, WITH SOMEONE BEGGING STRANGERS TO TAKE THEM???”
So, the good heart Dawn Smith is trying to find a place for these three to go. She says, “I have recently inherited three cats. Unfortunately, I have three dogs. Although my dogs were raised with cats, and these cats have lived with dogs, I don't have enough room in my house for 6 animals.” [LARRY ASIDE: Bless her heart — anyone in rescue who’s ever had more cats and dogs than you’d planned for can understand this challenge.]
Dawn writes about these cats: “(M) Baby is an orange & white tabby. (F) Little Girl is a petite Calico. And (M) Pumpkin is a hefty orange dsh.” [LARRY ASIDE: Yeah, I though “dsh” was short for a handsome dish of a cat, but it’s domestic shorthair. Still, he’s a big ol’ pumpkin, isn’t he!]
Dawn writes that she’d “love to see Pumpkin and Little Girl stay together. Since losing their person, they have been stuck to each other. 

“I really have no idea how old any of them are. I know that Baby is the oldest, and has lived in the same house his whole life. I don't know anything about the background of the other two. They have lived in this house for probably 7-9 years.”
The contact point to help this inheritor and the inherited is dawnnsmith@hotmail.com. 
Bless ‘em all.

CONTEMPLATIONS
LICENSE TO CARRY (A DOG); GUY FAWKES AND CALMING MUSIC; TAKING THE STAGE 
We’ll start with a news tip from my pal and former colleague at The Dallas Morning News, byline Michael Precker. [PORCHE (sleeping, left) has no pistol and I can't pick her up, anyway.] Precker (I use the familiar) spotted this story about a guy in Plano trying to pick up his dog, the dog’s paw getting caught in the guy’s pistol’s trigger and the gun firing —yep, shot the human right through the leg. Here’s the LINK. All are OK, though one wonders if the guy should get a license to carry (a dog). In comments on the Plano Police page, one person wrote, “Not sure where you're walking your dog in Plano that you would need to carry a loaded weapon, but I definitely want to avoid that area lol.” Safety first for the animals, that’s the way to go. ….
For years I’ve listened to the delightful FM Classics station via British radio on my cellphone, but now it’s available on computer in America so you can just LINK UP TO IT HERE. On Thursday evening (Thursday afternoon, Texas time), FM Classics was broadcasting Pet Sounds with presenter (the Brit term) Bill Turnbull. He’d read notes from people about how their animals are listing to the calming music and among the dogs were two with classic British names, Earl Grey and Teacake. Turns out we tuned in on Bonfire Night. Why? An element of Guy Fawkes Day (that's him in that drawing from Brit media) noting the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to assassinate King James I and replace him with a Catholic king. Those Brits — if only they’d had elections. Get it over in a day, you know? … Anyway, all that is in the history books or you can do what studying-at-home, on-line students do and Google Guy Fawkes or Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Shakespeare? The guy who created all those royal characters? Well, there is apparently a LINK TO William and the plotters. Click HERE. … And if you want some reading while you listen to the companionship of FM Classics, the Complete Works of William Shakespeare are available online free HERE. ... FAVORITE PLAYWRIGHTS? (1) William Shakespeare (left) (2) Neil Simon (right) (3) I can’t remember my third favorite, Sam Shepherd (clean-shaven), maybe, or my pal and former editor John C. Davenport, a bearded Texan now living in the creative Northwest corner of the U.S. and having plays produced in many places across the country. I, too, have written for the stage, but, sadly, we live in an automobile era and if you put more than six characters on a stage, there’s no room for passengers and the horses whinny with objection. And that may explain why my stage-work has had a limited audience. Neigh, eh?
—- Offer rebuke or praise by clicking on comments below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

GETTING FOCUS IN THE AFTERMATH; CELEBRATING DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE FUTURE

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY NOV. 4/5, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Well, my goodness. Kind of challenging to focus on routine business as we dive into this edition. That is my office cat William Powell teaching "How Human Beings Can Focus" in one of his in-house Feline Knowledge Academy classes. My grade is “incomplete,” kind of like the vote-counting after the election. I had trouble with his initial rule: "First, you narrow your pupils."
I watched a lot of TV Tuesday and Wednesday morning and, frankly, this new reality show Counting For The Presidency isn’t as tasty to me as The Great British Cooking Show.
I did laugh, however, when, also on Wednesday morning, the day AFTER the election, I got a Neighborhood note that read, “Ride to vote. If anyone needs a ride to vote tomorrow, I will be able to pick up a couple people. … All I ask is that you wear a mask in my vehicle and no political talk.” 
That may be my new car rule: Wear a mask, no politics. And in Contemplations we have a three notes that may be uplifting. We have a Catdaddie, a dog Monk and a great reading recommendation.…
HERE’S SOMETHING UPBEAT
FOR CATS AND DOGS (AND HUMANS)
We posted pictures and info from an email appeal issued by 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on small shelters. You may have seen that note about the Lancaster Shelter bunch: The six-pack of kittens, cute puppy Russell, Girl the dog and Everly the German Shepherd (scroll down and you’ll see them in a previous edition).
Here’s the news from 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias and she called it “fantastic.” She wrote, “Legacy Humane spoke up for the litter of kittens (looked Lynx Point mix) as well as Everly the GSD, Russell the puppy, and Girl the Aussie Shepherd mix (yes her real name on microchip) whenever she comes available.”

In the meantime, 4-Legged Helpers is still trying to place Merlot the Snowshoe Siamese boy, Leah the Beagle/Shepherd Mix, Bo the German Shepherd and this guy Jack, the Lab Mix. Call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
[LARRY ASIDE: This election is like the animal rescue — You do something one day and there’s a lot of unfinished business the next!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
MUSIC, MONKS AND THE FUTURE
Here’s some musical history we spotted courtesy of Kent Hofmeister, the attorney who is a musician with the beloved Dallas any-classic-rock ’n’ roll —you-need band the CatDaddies. The musical irony is it’s a historical note about the famed folksinger Joni Mitchell and her long-lost first audition tape being found. See the posting on the Fans of Cat Daddies HERE. And from there you can HEAR THIS PERFORMANCE  by Joni Mitchell. Worth a listen. FYI: Kent’s spouse is Martha Hardwick Hofmeister, famed animal advocate/rescuer/attorney we've written about many times. Her Facebook page has a great photo of a dog and this expression of love: “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
BEFORE THE ELECTION, we noted that the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth was hosting a program about a recently published book, The Art of Training Your Dog. For this event the moderator was Council President Jim Falk, an animal fan, and the guests were Brother Christopher Savage of The New Skete Monastery and co-author Marc Goldberg. The Monks of New Skete may sound familiar to some of you ol’ dawg people — the lads had a best seller in 2002, How To be Your Dog’s Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual For Dog Owners. Now comes The Art of Training and in the video of the Council program (see it FREE HERE) Jim asks many dog questions of the German Shepherd-raising Monk including “How do you vet your owners?” And Goldberg, asked about dogs, declares happily, “You can’t love a dog too much.” [LARRY ASIDE: And in Jim’s introduction to the program, you’ll hear him discuss my funspouse Martha who, away from our cat and dog colony, has a different title.] ...
AND NOW SOME READING FOR THINKING PEOPLE: I’ve saved this one for last because it deserves some attention and some thinking on the part of a reader. We got the tip on it from the ReadlarryPowell.com Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, a veteran print, radio and TV journalist based on Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. You may know him, also, as the guy who lives with Maxie the Dog and Chloe the Cat — yes that’s them, “catching up on their sleep.” Andy says this Mitch Albom column is the “best thing I’ve read about this election.” Albom, author of several best-sellers including Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, has written a challenge to post-election Americans. As you read it you may find yourself thinking about how you can make life better. Here’s the LINK . May we all be better and happier and spread the happiness.
—- Offer ideas or quips by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

BUSTER'S IN A SHELTER AFTER A MYSTERY TRIP; OTHER ANIMALS IN CROWDED FACILITIES; VOTING, THE COWBOYS AND HARRY TRUMAN

EDITION OF ELECTION DAY, NOV. 3, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Holy smoke, we have a lot of shelter animals today and one who was adopted to an out-of-state home and somehow wound up "stray" back in Dallas. It’s a puzzler. So, yes, welcome to our Election Day Edition. 

I’m voting in person ON Election Day. Why? Because as a longtime reporter, editor and columnist, I know that some candidates are capable of big-time foul-ups right up ’til the polls close!
 It’s a matter of trust. Trust is also why I don’t participate in party politics — not that any party would have me — after all, I’m not bankrolled enough to be a donor.
I’m loyal to the nation, not to a faction. 
More in Contemplations. First, let’s try to do some good that will not need a politician today.
This report may be longer than usual — I mean, look at the cuteness of Russell The Dog (wasn't registered to vote)— but that’ll give you something to read while you wait for the polls to close and the pontificators to pontificate. Yes, that cat, Merlot, has a championship set of pontificatorial whiskers.
RE-HOMING A FABULOUS DOG
WITH ‘SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS’
This challenge — what a dog story! — is facing a veteran rescuer and critter-placer Gabriela Patero. She’s looking for some help and says she’ll “transport him, even if out of state.”
Him is this dog, Buster. He’s healthy and — here are the specific requirements — just needs someone who can keep his Cattle Dog personality properly exercised and loved. And no cats.
 We’ll set off the story with this description from Gabriela.
STEP 1: “Buster is one of my favorite rescues. He found me at a field along I-20 and I-35 in 2015. I had walked the large area looking for a pair of dogs. I stopped to survey the area and he quietly appeared at my side to greet me. I took him in to DAS as I have with hundreds of my rescues..”

Buster was “passed up for adoption” at the shelter, she says, “So I adopted him and placed him in a foster home. My commitment was to walk and exercise him daily. I know Buster just as well as I know my dogs and extend myself as his matchmaker. His expression of gratitude after an outing has always warmed my heart.

Here’s STEP 2 in the Buster Process. Gabriela says, “Last summer, the mother of a college student approached me about adopting a companion/protection dog for her daughter who had been stalked at an out of state school. The daughter had already suffered the kidnapping and murder of a friend and neighbor and her anxiety level was increasing. Buster’s (foster) human and I saw this situation as a God-send for a happier future with great purpose for Buster; walking, hiking and running daily as promised, giving the student and her parents the peace of mind they wanted for their out-of-state student.
"Fast forward, Buster is in need of a forever home ….”

STEP 3: Gabriela says, “Buster’s previous human, a senior citizen, would gladly re-foster were it not for her recent bi-lateral knee replacement, mobility problems and new pet cat. 
“I have learned many lessons from this experience: 1) College students are for the most part, not ready for the commitment of a dog. 2) We as parents often err in attempting to solve our children’s problems. 3) Emotions in connecting with someone who suffered a traumatic experience can cloud our judgement. 4) A dog who had a perfectly happy life before now finds himself in dog-jail by no fault of their own.”

What? Buster’s in the city shelter? Gabriela explains, “Many people have experienced a blind date where the pre-date details describing the person are ideal. Imagine an arranged marriage. The commitment is life-long. Such is the adoption process currently at Dallas Animal Services, DAS due to the pandemic.
“Virtual adoption services are in place and well-focused on the health of their dedicated staff. Their matchmaking efforts are videos and photos along with playtime details. Naturally, people gravitate to the cute, fluffy, popular and young breeds while the larger, older dogs wait. Such is the case with Buster, a 57-pound Cattle dog mix of 6 years who desperately needs a new forever home.”

NOW, DEAR READERS, HOW DID BUSTER, LIVING AT A COLLEGE OUT OF STATE, WITH NO ONE IN THE ACTUAL DALLAS AREA, WIND UP AT DAS? Gabriela says that on September 21 “he was found roaming the historic Swiss Avenue area of Dallas. How he got there we will never know.”
What’s next? Gabriela is trying to find a genuinely loving and responsible home for Buster:
Email her at gabrieladallastexas@gmail.com or call 214-240-9330.
Buster has fans; he just needs a righteous home.

LANCASTER SHELTER ‘VERY FULL,’
AND HERE ARE SOME AVAILABLES
The folks from 4-Legged Helpers describe the Lancaster Animal Shelter as being “very full” and the animals that are “available now are at risk!” See something you want to ask about as a rescuer or an adopter, call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
This six-pack of Siamese/Tabby mixes are in order (left to right) the boy Bentley and his five sisters, Audi and Saline and (bottom row) Porche, Ariel and Mercedes. [LARRY ASIDE: If you had that much kitten cuteness in one house, you’d have to add two stories to hold the adorable that stacks up.]
So that brings us to Merlot, a male listed as a “Snowshoe Siamese.” He was “found on a citizen’s porch and per the citizen, he just wanted in. 
Clearly has been someone’s house kitty. The citizen waited a week before bringing him in.” [LARRY ASIDE: Those are some championship whiskers, aren’t they!]
This adorable puppy is Russell, a Beagle/Hound mix of some sort. Why is he in the shelter? “Apparently a family had adopted him and realized that a puppy was more work than they were aware.” Precious boy is now on death row. Ain’t that sweet! 

Bo is a German Shepherd who “was brought to the shelter by a family who said he is “extremely sweet and loves everyone and everything but they have a small toddler and the pup was accidentally knocking her down so they felt he would do better with someone more equipped to handle a pup.” And, so, the “loves everyone” pup is on death row. Ain’t that sweet!

The next two dogs were found romping together. Everly is the German Shepherd girl. “Citizen that found them said she was unable to locate the owner or owners.”
 Leah is thought to be a Beagle/Shepherd mix. Sweet girl. [LARRY ASIDE: Both on death row. Ain’t that sweet! You’d think someone would notice that the household’s two dogs had vanished. Might have been the “open gate” solution to finding a place for unwanted dogs to go.]
“Girl” is the name on the microchip of this Aussie Shepherd mix — becomes available on the 16th as the shelter gives the owners time to show up. The chip has a Dallas address, but, the shelter thinks “it is possible someone gave her away or even dumped her,” according to 4-Legged Helpers.

And we’ve mentioned Jack the Lab mix before.
Because of the shelter population boom, this under- a-year-old dog is “extremely urgent - at risk of euth due to shelter filling,” the Helpers report. Some people adopted him in April, but things changed and the adoptors “just can no longer care for him.” And he’s on death row. Ain’t that sweet!
We close with Pluto, the Bulldog/Terrier mix who is “the sweetest guy” who was brought in as a stray. He’s been fixed since he showed up at the shelter.
So he’s ready to go.
And, of course, because of the crowding he’s “very urgent” on death row. Ain’t that sweet.

Remember, call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
THE ADORABLE ADOPTABLES

Here a terrifying line about the way things are at Mesquite in this pandemic era: “The shelter is near capacity and kennel space is needed for new dogs coming in.”
This guy Baxter has been at the shelter for TWO INEXPLICABLE MONTHS.
[LARRY ASIDE: When I opened the email with this photo, the first thing I thought was this dog is asking, “You mean I’m not being adopted again? Why?]
Trust me, Baxter, your situation puzzles humans, too. According to our tipster Debra Chisholm, who wrote the bio for Mesquite Animal Services’ Baxter, he is about 5, weighs 65 pounds, arrived as a stray on September 4 and needs some obedience training. He’s “a friendly boy who needs out of the shelter environment,” Debra wrote. She thinks, “He would love to be in a home in which he could live inside and be part of the family circle.” His ID is 45454096. [LARRY ASIDE: He must have been someone’s dog and whatever bad happens to him is on the head of that someone who hasn’t come looking for him. Maybe someone better will claim Baxter. This stuff is really starting to tick me off. When I start using a barroom synonym for “tick” in this context, you’ll know I’ve snapped.]
This guy is Cedric, another Mesquite “stray.” He came in in Sept. 23 — a Pittie mix who is about 2, weighs around 65 pounds and has been treated for intestinal parasites. he’s healthy and ready to go. Debra’s profile reads, “His favorite thing is playing fetch. He is happiest with a tennis ball in his mouth!” Needs an active family and, probably, some obedience classes. He’s #45589439.
Get this! Winston, a lively mixed-breed who came in on Sept. 21 is ALSO a stray. Two years old, 52 pounds and on the countdown in a crowded shelter. Debra writes, “He is a fun-loving fellow with a high energy level.  He would seem best suited for an active family who would take him for walks, runs or just play with and exercise him regularly.  He sits for treats and takes them gently.  He is friendly and enjoys interacting with a human friend.” He’s #45568878.

And that brings us to Bruno who —STOP THE PRESSES — was NOT A STRAY. Debra’s bio says he is an “American Pit/Dogo Argentino/Staffordshire mix who was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 10/24.  Bruno had arrived previously as a pup at the shelter on 12/24/19, been adopted shortly thereafter and then returned on 10/24.  Reason stated for the surrender was that the landlord would not allow the owners to keep Bruno.”
Bruno’s about a year-and-a-half old, weighs 55 pounds and isn’t a fan of cats. Also, Debra says, “Bruno seems uneasy and nervous in the shelter environment.  He is cautiously friendly.  He is energetic and lively and knows the sit command.”
So, for any of these Mesquite dogs or any animal in the shelter, use the ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email recues@cityofmesquite.com. See more Mesquite dogs and cats by clicking on THIS SHELTER LINK.
CONTEMPLATIONS
VOTING, TIMING AND OTHER THINGS
I decided this year to write-in no one for any office if they currently hold management/coaching positions at the Dallas Cowboys. Just kidding America’s 2-6 team. [LARRY NOTE: For those who don’t keep up with disasters, here’s a heads-up. On Sunday the 8th, the Cowboys host the undefeated Pittsburgh Stillers — er, Steelers. I was using the Pittsburgh pronunciation.] Also, I Googled images of “write-in votes” and got these two. Usually there’s a Disney character, but not this time. I’m looking into Biscuit the Dog’s eligibility. … Is this a truth? “America — nothing gets done without organized griping to the right people.” Of course it’s true. I mentioned organized griping because the Texas Legislature gets called back into session on Jan. 12, 2021. That should allow elected officials enough time to get from Austin to the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration. You wonder if all these things — the opening of the Session in Texas; the inaugural events in Washington — will be socially distanced. Don’t know if the Texas Legislature will be wearing masks when in session — a lot of those people might feel natural in a mask. I’m kidding. I’m kidding. FYI: The Texas Humane Legislation Network has plans to work on behalf of animals via the Legislature. Go to thln.org to keep up with lobbying for animals. Oh, and remember this: Jonathan Stickland, who derailed several pro-animal bills in the last session, won’t be there in 2021 — didn’t seek re-election. [LARRY ASIDE: Regarding the illusrations, which of these is the State Seal of Texas? Correct. It’s not the Fix-a-Flat — that is the keep-it-handy Seal drivers find in the trunk on I-35, the constantly under reconstruction north/south highway in Texas. If more Legislators had to drive it instead of flying to Austin, the highway might have fewer “repair months.” …

Harry Truman was elected president on Nov. 2, 1948 — you may have seen the famous headline in the Nov. 3, 1948, edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune. I was born 4 days after that incorrect edition was printed and it may explain why I would spend 40 years in newspaper newsrooms always trying to get everything right, especially the numbers. Though, as a chuckling Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake once asked me after reading my fresh morning newspaper column years ago, “Does that Chihuahua really weigh 75 pounds? Can you send me a photo?” Yeah, I’d dropped the decimal point out of the description of a 7.5-pound dog. I’m sure today’s newspapers and other news media will work very, very hard to get the numbers right in the election returns. I mean, geez, today’s papers, online news sources and broadcast media hardly ever get a fact wrong. Hardly ever — since they all dumped those pesky editors who were so darned insistent about spelling names correctly, nailing down the “true facts” and making sure Mr. Subject agreed with Mr. Verb. And with quality control gone, the price of a paper keeps going up. Oh, if you spot errors in this edition of readlarrypowell.com, please ignore them kindly. I'll do better eventually.
—- Offer happy notes or happy critter photos by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Sleep well and God bless America in spite of some voters. —-