EDITION OF THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 [PetPowellPress] A walk through a used book store is like a visit with old friends. And, 
yes, we’ll get to animals in just a moment. [That rejected girl with the sad eyes, Lulu, for example.] Back to books:
In a used book store, you’ll spot people you knew years ago on the shelves: Mark Twain, H. Allen Smith, Dorothy Parker, Larry McMurtry, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mario Puzo, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Irma Bombeck, Laura Lee Hope… you get the idea. A book jacket may take you back to a happy time of quietly reading a book 
with a page-turning plot and characters you wish you really knew.
And, yes, I was visiting the book store to help drag me out of the well of depression I’d sunk into with the loss of our gloriously adorable cat Simon. Such therapeutic visits are not a stranger to my brain’s “low lobe.”
A bookstore is a positive place.
On Monday, I drove to a favorite haunt, Lucky Dog Books, on the west end of Jefferson in “downtown Oak Cliff.”
After only a few minutes, I discovered a time-traveling copy of legendary sci-fi novelist Ray Bradbury’s book The Illustrated Man. I bought it — a buck or two. I have probably two or three other copies in boxes somewhere! So what. That simple act of discovery and purchase gave me something else to think about besides Simon.
That’s the book. It appears to be a 1963 paperback — it was previously owned by a guy named 
Ringo — not Starr. Ringo someone else. And it had a signature appearing to be that of the author. Might just be a good fake.
But inside, as I thumbed through the pages, I found a note on an aged slip of paper with old ink and an old message. The phone number (which I’ve covered in the photo with a snippet of a paper towel) had just six numbers. You didn’t need the area code until later in the ‘60s when direct dial appeared. (Somebody explain “Operators” to the kids)….
The text of the message was clear if you can read cursive writing. “Armstrong has fish.”
No idea if there’s a connection between that note and the 1984 Douglas Adams’ book, So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish.
In summation, slipping into my vanishing childhood Northeast Texas patois, “Them books is good fer yuh.” And FYI, I can get away with using the French “patois” because my area of birth once belonged to France. It’s one of “The Flags” over Texas. “Them history books is good fer yuh, tew.”
NOW, WE RETURN TO OUR GOAL: “SAVE ‘EM ALL”
ON SATURDAY: OK DROPS SOME FEES
FOR ADOPT-A-SHELTER-PET DAY
We got a note from Operation Kindness regarding its celebration of National Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet Day on the 30th — that’s Saturday — from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The legendary no-kill shelter will waive “adoption fees for animals that have been at the 
shelter for more than two weeks.” And the people who adopt will “have a chance to win special prizes for their new furry friends, including treats, toys, pet beds, etc.”
What’s the goal? “To find as many loving homes as possible for dogs and cats in celebration” of the day. More details are at operationkindness.org.
And that is also where you can find photos and info about dogs and cats in the shelter. For example, with a quick click, these three were found when readlarrypowell.com went to operationkindness.org and clicked on the adoptables.
How about those ears! That first dog (two poses for one dog!) is the magnificent Earhound — 2-year-old, 53-pound American Blue Heeler named — of course! — Freckles! She came into the shelter on April 11.
Biddy’s bio says she arrived on March 2 — she’s a 4-year-old Domestic Shorthair 
mix who is spayed and chipped and healthy. And, as this photo demonstrates, Biddy knows how to lick her chops! She looks like she’d be a comfort to anyone who likes a mature cat.
Oh, and one more OK dog — that upside-down-rub-my-belly-pose belongs to Billie, a 3-year-old, 53-pound Pittie girl who came into the shelter on March 24. Her bio says she “absolutely adores attention and affection.” And she “has never met a stranger and makes instant best friends with anyone she meets.” (HERE’S A VIDEO OF BILLIE demonstrating her love of belly rubs! It is genuinely worth a watch!)
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE,
ADORABLE ADOPTABLES AVAILABLE
The folks at Mesquite Animal Services keep hustling to find homes for animals that once had homes. This girl with the great tail Hazel is a perfect 
example of that situation.
We learned of her from Mesquite volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm. She reports that Pittie mix Hazel (#49000552) was “surrendered on April 23.” Why? “Stated reason for the surrender,” Debra writes, “was that owner no longer had a place to live and therefore was not able to care for Hazel.” She’s about a year old, weighs 40 pounds and isn’t spayed. The owner said he found her “as a stray and kept her for 9 months.”
The surrendering owner also said that “Hazel lived both in and outdoors, she lived with children (ages 2-14) and was fine with them, she likes to run and play and sometimes is IJ with cats and sometimes not (so best not to be in a home with cats). I noted that she walked well on a leash,” Debra wrote. And she added, “Hazel pottied immediately when she went outside. She had a great time stretching her legs and running and exploring the yard. She is a lively and active pup but not super energetic. Has a fairly low-key and mellow personality. … It is fairly obvious from the looks of her that she has spent most of her time outside. She has a rash on her face and neck that needs to be looked at by a vet.”
As is the system with Mesquite, when you see an animal you want or want to ask about, use the ID number and call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Use that procedure when you contact the shelter about this girl Lulu. Debra says she’s a 2-year- 
old, 106-pound Great Pyrenees mix surrendered on April 25. Ah, but there’s a history. She first came into the the shelter on May 14, 2021. A “young lady entering college” adopted her on May 18, 2021.
“However,” Debra writes, “At some point Lulu was left with the girl’s parents and they do not want the dog.”
The dumping people said Lulu “is hearing impaired.” Debra says she “walks nicely on a leash, is well-mannered, calm and gentle and very sweet-natured. … Lulu arrived at the shelter dirty with some significant mats in her fur and in need of a bath and groom. We tried to 
determine whether the mention of her being hearing impaired was accurate by sounding loud and high-pitched cell phone rings behind her. It was really hard to make a definitive call on this one way or the other but more than likely she has at least some hearing loss.
“Lulu seems sad and confused. And who can blame her? She seems mainly to just want to stand by a door to get out (or in). Won't you please help this youngster find her forever home with someone who will stay committed and will give her the security and TLC she needs?”
Lulu is #47756460 — use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
And this girl is Blondie (#49994752), an “easy going, friendly, happy” 2-year-old, 40-pound 
Lab/Shepherd mix” who came in as a stray on April 18.
Volunteer Mesquite Dog Biographer Judi Brown writes, “The fact that she’s already spayed is an additional bonus! I was met in the kennel with tail wags. She was obviously excited to have human contact. She’s an easy-going, friendly, loving girl! When she first got out into the yard she did her business. 
Then she explored some but very soon came back to be close to me. Even though it was a very pleasant day she did spend time standing by the door indicating she wanted to go in. That may mean she was an indoor dog and that’s where she’s more comfortable. Besides beomg very attractive with beautiful brown eyes and perky ears she’s very soft to the touch. She’s also gentle and well-mannered. … She liked sitting by me and put her head on my lap letting me scratch her ears.” She’ll need “dog-testing” to see if she “plays well with others.”
She’s #49994752 — use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
You can see 
many more Mesquite dogs and cats by clicking on the ANIMALS-IN-THE-SHELTER LINK HERE.
One of the cats you may see is this guy Trapper who was picked up on Caladium on Wednesday the 27th — yep. This very Wednesday. He’s about 4 years old and listed as “large.” He also has great open eyes, a great sweet coat and a championship set of whiskers. He’s in the “Feral Room,” but I’m not sure he’s actually feral. He’s #50057486 — and he ought to be in a home that loves big cats and keeps ‘em from wandering.
CONTEMPLATIONS
PHONES, FUN AND FOOD
When I was writing that opening about the book and the six-digit phone numbers, out of the blue I remembered something I 
learned in my first week or two of my newspaper career at the Texarkana Gazette — that was July of 1965 — not sure of the start date. Anyway, one of the new guy’s jobs was to call the Texas AP headquarters in Dallas to tell ‘em we had a story they might be interested in — I had to remember that number. It was RIVERSIDE-2-3447. You’d write that RI2-3447 — but you’d say “Riverside 2-3447” to the long distance operator in those pre-self-dialing days. I think I once called Alexander Graham Bell by mistake and he answered, “Watson? Are you there?” That’s an old phone joke with an edited response from Pa Bell. (The mid-1960s phones had long cloth-wrapped cords that weren't springy. No computer chips, either!) …
What fun can you do this summer in Dallas/Fort Worth now that the pandemic rules are relaxed and you haven’t won Lotto Texas yet? I may be reading more and more books or trying to write more and more books while sitting in the shade and sipping something that makes me happy. Sparkling water, for example. Never been a fan of tap water. Outside in a Texas summer, the theme might be "Fighting The Drought." Did you know the "newspaper style" of the word "drought" used to be "drouth." Might have been from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales -- I'm not sure. Perhaps you remember the prologue that begins "Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote/The droghte of March hath perced to the roote." It was in all the book stores in 1387. ...
As a vegetarian, I’m prone to liking food. Heck I was prone to liking food when I wasn’t a vegetarian! Been one for nearly 30 years. I’ve found myself discovering new dishes along the way — recent favorite is a kale and quinoa salad. What sort of dressing? Hot cream gravy. I’m kidding. It’s a cold citrusy dressing. …
We’ll close with a TRIBUTE TO PIE. CLICK HERE.
— Offer Foodie Tips or Diet Tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “NO SECONDS, MR. HEFTY” in the subject line. —-
