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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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