EDITION OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 [PetPowellPress] As we get to the beginning of Black History Month in the U.S., we give some thanks to the folks at the Holiday Insights online calendar for citing that that February 1 is National Freedom Day.
The driving force for the day was civil right activist and U.S. Army Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former slave — the date he picked for it honors Feb. 1, 1865, the date President Abe Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States. At time there was a violent argument over who was a state and who wasn’t. You may have read about it in a history class -- right?
You’ll note that the Lincoln artwork uses a 50-star flag, the U.S. flag since 1960 after Alaska and Hawaii became states in '59. That other flag is the 36-star flag that flew in 1865. [The Civil War began April 12, 1861, and ended May 9, 1865. Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, and died the next day —- he died without having seen all American slaves emancipated.]
After Major Wright died in 1947, Congress passed a bill making February 1 National Freedom Day and President Harry Truman signed the bill into law on June 30, 1948. The movement for justice and the Civil Rights triumphs evolved into Black History Month. [LARRY ASIDE: As any good 1960s college dropout would do, I shorthanded this research, just hitting the high spots. As an American who loves the freedoms of this nation, I am sincerely suggesting that you “read up” on National Freedom Day and the personalities involved. Knowledge is a foundation for wisdom and understanding. Give learning a chance — benefit from the freedom to learn! Your knowledge will enhance the nation.]
BONDED SIBLINGS, AGE 6;
FRENCH MASTIFFS LOLA, BRADY
The great Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com spotted this request from “Juliawithclasp” — that’s Julia Lilly with Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets.
These two aren’t in an animal shelter, but they are in a fix.
They're 6-year-old French Mastiffs. Lola’s the girl and Brady’s the boy and they need a home or a rescue, Julia’s note reads, because “the owner is having to move to a home where she is not allowed to bring them.”
The contact point is [email protected].
Yes, they’re appropriately altered -- spay for her, neuter for him -- and house-trained, leash-trained and possessors of wonderful personalities.
Julia’s note reads, “They do not jump, bark or drool. Brody is a princess who must have his blanket to sleep at night. Grain-free only dog food (easy). They are big lazy and funny oafs. Need to be the only dogs in the home. This is urgent! She must find a home or rescue asap. Located in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. Would help with transport.”
HELPING DOGS AND CATS:
A CHANCE TO USE THE HUMAN HEART
That photo of Layla may be one of the most eye-catching seen in a while by the veteran eyes of readlarrypowell.com.
Clearly she is an Earhound, but what else? Well, we learn from the small-shelter watchers 4-Legged Helpers that she’s a Bulldog mix in a fix. The bio reads, “Layla is honestly one of the sweetest dogs you could meet and she has such a sad story. About a year ago she ended up in the Wilmer Shelter and was later adopted by a man in Austin wanting a buddy for his Boxer after another dog passed away. This poor baby ended up in the Bastrop County Shelter when apparently this original adopter rehomed her and whomever adopted from him dumped her there.
“She was so thin and truly starving and it was just heartbreaking. Fortunately someone drove down and got her and she is now back in DFW in a boarding situation but desperately needs a rescue or adopter! Please help - this is an extremely urgent situation.”
Help Layla and any of the animals in this item by calling or texting 4-Legged Helpers Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or by emailing cat_girl_ 71@yahoo. com.
That brings us to Cecily, the 6-month-old female Terrier mix who came into the Lancaster Animal Shelter when “someone going through really bad times financially” became unable to care for her. She’s still got that sweet, precious, puppy demeanor, her bio says.
[LARRY ASIDE: I’m sure, Dear Readers, you are as stunned as I am to find there are cats in a municipal shelter. Stunned, I tell you, stunned! These have a special story that got them into the Lancaster Animal Shelter.]
Chubby (right), Pepper and JoJo are “3 lovable and cuddly indoor cats” who were “brought into the shelter by someone who said their owner died,” reads the bio note from 4-Legged Helpers. It continues that “Yes, these are their real names. Sadly he said he is a relative and lives out of state and is unable to keep them and brought them all in together. He said they are great cats, all indoor kitties, and were much loved and well taken care of... The shelter ACO was able to call their vet and get a copy of their paperwork for anyone that rescues or adopts. They are all fixed and the vet also echoed that these are very sweet and wonderful kitties. It is possible they are siblings. Chubby is 16 pounds and JoJo is 14 pounds. Pepper slightly smaller. They’re available together or individually.”
[LARRY ASIDE: And ain’t it a danged shame that three loveable cats are experiencing shelter life rather than the life they were born to enjoy. Again, call or text 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or by email [email protected].]
CONTEMPLATIONS
WOLF MOON, KNUCKLES & RAMS
That’s what the Wolf Moon looked like as it rose during the weekend over icy Indian Lake in Denville, N.J., thanks to the phone phocus, er, focus of our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andrew Fisher. Unless we’ve been hibernatin’ all winter, we know that Monday is the first day of February 2021. Second day is the whimsical Groundhog Day. Chief Fisher and I agree that civilization can build and light all the skyscrapers it can finance, but the moon is still the Ruler of the Night. (LARRY FYI: The Lake is icy, indeed. As I’m typing this in the readlarrypowell.com home office in Texas, the local weather is 55 and sunny; in Denville it’s 21 and both precip and the temp are falling. The moon may make your heart warm, but it ain’t warmin’ your toes!)
AMONG THE MORE AMUSING FACEBOOK posts I saw Sunday was this one from the great Dallas writer/Times-Herald/Observer/D Magazine columnist Jim Schutze about a weathercaster “cracking her knuckles” on the air. As a newspaper columnist for more than a quarter-century, I can tell you we writers in the press benefited immensely from our readers not having access to microphones stationed on our desks, in our cubicles and in our offices. The language could be a lot spicier than knuckle-cracking. I am interested, of course, in the answers Schutze gets from the readers. FYI: When I suggest reading to gain knowledge, I am speaking of such books at Mr. Schutze’s Dallas cultural history book from 1987, The Accommodation: The Politics of Race in an American City. It’s being republished in September (with a new cover) and you can order early via Deep Vellum HERE. Or maybe you can get lucky on Amazon if an old copy pops up in the “look what I found at a garage sale stack.” …
SPEAKING OF HISTORY, there was a time when we rooted for Matthew Stafford to lead the Detroit Lions to a Super Bowl. That would have meant that he’d broken the Curse of Bobby Lane. History shows that when the Detroit Lions traded their title-winning quarterback Bobby Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 6, 1958, the angry ex-Highland Park Scot quarterback declared, “The Lions will not win for 50 years.” And he underestimated how lousy they’d be. I figured it would be wonderfully poetic if another Highland Park QB, the gifted Mr. Stafford, would take the Detroits to the title, but no dice. So, he’s been traded to the LA Rams and, if I read all the commentary correctly, LA is already planning a Super Bowl parade after the 2021 season! I’m all for it, having already written off the 2021 Dallas Cowboys — which is exactly what a true Dallas Cowboys fan is traditionally doing the week before the Super Bowl.
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