Bluebonnets? Not yet. My son, Bart, and I drove into West Texas yesterday and I had the digital camera ready to shoot fields and fields of bluebonnets along the way -- after all, there were some gloriously residing on an embankment on the east side of U.S. 67 at Polk just yesterday morning.
Alas, we were probably a few days early. Maybe by Sunday the bluebonnets will be out. But it feels good just to know that they're getting ready to give us one more beautiful springtime sight. Now, today's items:
DANES DANES DANES: We hear from Sara Craven at Great Dane Rescue of North Texas that the big dogs are making an appearance from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pooch and Pal Promenade, 4900 Martin St., in Fort Worth. She writes that the event is "sponsored by Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets and helps the Fort Worth Animal Control Center adopt out animals." (Visit www.clasp-fw.org)
Great Dane Rescue volunteers will be selling bandanas, collar covers, dog treat cookbooks and, of course, pitching the benefits of having a big dog around the house. To see the Great Danes go to www.danerescue.net.
Among the Great Danes who'll be helped -- Sara says there are 60 in the group's care right now -- is Halley. This pup, she writes, "came in with Parvo, fought it and is now looking for a foster (and forever) home!"
CARMELAPALOOZA? Arriving in the e-mail, one of the stranger (but more adorable) announcements I've seen in my 40 years of pounding a keyboard for news and entertainment purposes.
And it's inspired by the general love of a good dog, says one of the event organizers, Karen Coates. This announcement, sent by another organizer, Tom Tribyl, shows a cute brown dog in what appears to be a leg cast and announces the "CARMELAPALOOZA" with this explanation: "We're holding a fundraiser to help pay the very expensive vet bills for our friends Stacy and Evan's dog, Carmel, who was hit by a car last month."
Karen says the vet bill is in the "thousands of dollars" range now and the team of neighbors who organized the Carmelapalooza are hoping to raise a good portion of that, perhaps as much as $1,000. Any extra money raised will go to other good animal causes, she says.
Why are they doing this for Carmel? "Everybody loves her so much," Karen says. (The event -- with food and drink -- is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at 236 N. Waverly in Oak Cliff. The address is a block north of Jefferson in the Sunset High School neighborhood.) Call 214-564-0191 to let 'em know you're coming or to offer to help with the good dog's bills.
I know we have the "Neighborhood Crime Watch" program in Dallas, but this is the first time I've seen the "Neighborhood Vet Bill Watch" at work. Bless those vets for being able to work their miracles and put Carmel back together -- we live in a time of veterinary miracles.
And bless these good neighbors, too. It's nice to know that neighbors are bonding to help each other rather than, as usually happens in Dallas, gathering to explain to a TV camera and the cops why they think Ol' Joe flipped his wig and fired a bazooka at a moving van.
Never mind good fences making good neighbors. Maybe good dogs make good neighbors.
