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. —-