FOR MARCH 2, SOME HISTORICAL NOTES AND CHANCES TO MAKE PERSONAL HISTORY BY SAVING ANIMALS...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 [PetPowellPress] Remember last year when we were fed up with 100-degree temps and needed cool weather and rain? Well, here we are, learning that we have to be more specific with what we ask for, i.e., cool, gentle rain and comfortable temperatures. We’ll address March 2 in Contemplations.
NOW AND THEN THERE’S A
CHALLENGE TO THE HEART
This appeal was forwarded to us on Wednesday. It came via veteran animal-advocate Leanne Hayden who got it from a familiar voice in our animal rescue arena, Vanessa Johnson, the Senior Animal Care Specialist at the City of Carrollton. 
The note from Vanessa reads, “I am reaching out to try to help a friend rehome a family dog. His family member passed away and they are struggling to find a place for the 13-year-old Cattle Dog mix. I can’t remember if it’s a male or female. Family dog, not a farm dog- my friend is a rancher. Has lived with other dogs and did well. Has never had an issue with strangers. We found a place for the Anatolian/Pyr, we just need to find a place for the heeler mix” (To ask about helping this 13-year-old Cattle Dog, email vanessa.johnson@cityofcarrollton.com or call 972-466-3420.)
[LARRY ASIDE: Surely there’s someone who can give a 13-year-old dog a good home for as long as the pup will need it. It’s a family dog — needs a human or two to help its heart beat. to give it a good reason to stand up and smile when you come into the room.]
MEANWHILE, MAZIE’S MISSION’S
FASCINATING ANIMALS IN NEED
We got a news release/reminder from the rescue/hospital Mazie’s Mission Wednesday that included photos and stories of a number of the animals the non-profit is helping. So, here are two stories.
This first fellow is Melvin, a 2-year-old, 10-pound fellow who “found himself in a VERY full shelter with a broken leg,” the Mazie’s story explained,, then added, “He had been placed on a euthansia list so we needed to move fast.” 
He is now safe in a Mazie’s foster home. And the story adds, “Once Melvin arrived at our clinic, our veterinary team rushed him to x-ray to get updated images of the fracture. it turns out Melvin doesn’t have a broken leg. The shelter sent the x-ray of a broken leg “by mistake.” Turns out the little guy’s “very painful condition” was “luxating patellas.” And, “Melvin will need two knee surgeries to correct his sore knees.” Mazie’s will need some donations to help with that. 

We’re also citing this great momma dog Luna. She’s a 2-year-old who is “safe with Mazie’s Mission thanks to a wonderful foster who took them in. We already know that she is a great mama to her 10 babies.”
Mazie’s Mission is not only helping this family with it’s “supplies and medial, food, puppy pads, kennel, playpen,” etc. 
But one of Mazie’s “partner shelters is full of mamas and babies and young puppies in need of help. The shelter is no place for baby puppies with little to no immunity to common diseases, especially in the face of a Canine Flu outbreak.”
And, there you have it, the appeal Mazie’s Mission made Wednesday on behalf of animals already in good care and animals that deserve good care ASAP. 
Read more about Mazie’s Mission and how you can help with the helping by clicking on maziesmission.org.
And there’s this dramatic appeal from Mazie’s “If you have ever considered fostering, now is the time! We are dangling over the precipice of a major loss of life if we can’t get help.”
Here’s the LINK TO MAZIE’S FOSTER APPLICATION.
MEANWHILE, THIS CAT’S IN 

A ‘COMPLETELY FULL’ SHELTER;
SKYE WITH FOSTER — FOR NOW…
This cat is one of the temporary residents of the small Ferris Animal Shelter — and usually we highlight the dogs in that small facility. But this time the 4-Legged Helpers appeal for help began with the story of a cat called Emmie Mew-Mew.
The bio reads that she is a young Bombay or a Bombay Mix. And, the bio says, “Emmie Mew-Mew is the sweetest girl ever.  Very friendly and affectionate.  She was found out and about on her own.  Check out her gorgeous shiny fur and those stunning eyes.  A little sweetie pie.”
[LARRY ASIDE: I picked that photo of this young girl rubbing up against the cage door because I’ve seen my own feline friends enjoy a good doorway scratching through the years and it’s cute and it suggests to me that this Emmie Mew-Mew will be a pretty darned swell housecat.]

To offer to help her by fostering or adopting or rescuing, call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949–2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
The Helpers’ story on Skye is that the Husky mix was found in Hutchins “out and about with another doggie friend that we could tell she loved very much.  The other doggie was microchipped and returned to her owner leaving poor Skye alone. Just so sad.  A kind person now has Skye at a vet clinic but she can only stay there a few more days.  She is willing to pay for anything Skye needs including spaying, all vaccs, heartworm treatment if needed, etc. A FOSTER IS DESPERATELY NEEDED!!! Skye is so precious and she needs a temporary foster ASAP or she is headed to the shelter within a day or two.”

Call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949–2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 

See more 4-Legged Helpers projects by going to the Facebook page HERE. 
CONTEMPLATIONS
WHAT ABOUT MARCH 2?
OK, it’s the anniversary of the day in 1836 when Texas declared its independence from Mexico. A lot of good Texans have been celebrated in the years since that declaration. Politics, sports, education, entertainment, religions, business, medicine, etc. Texas, our Texas, all hail the Lone Star State.
So, before we close this Texas segment, I’ve got three songs for you that’ll sound like the attitudes that make up Texas. 
Here’s the Texas Tornados with “Hey Baby, Que Paso”.  Crank up those speakers.
Then, here’s a Willie Nelson song, Texas in My Soul.  [LARRY ASIDE: I apologize for any commercials that show up before you get to the song — but, as you know, making money is a theme in the Lone Star State. Heck, yeah.] 
And, we’ll close this segment with Tanya Tucker performing a downright, spot-on accurate contemplation of the State of Texas since the day it was first drawn out on a map. 
Click RIGHT HERE for Tanya Tucker singing a theological expression.
AND IN CLOSING, I actually encountered the great American author Tom Wolfe in Texas one day. Today, March 2, is the date of his birth in 1930. He’s the author of The Right Stuff (became an astronaut movie with Tom Hanks), The Bonfire of the Vanities (became a rich guy movie with Tom Hanks) and earlier in the hippie era of New Journalism, the books The Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test and The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake.
A writer, that’s what Tom Wolfe was.
 And I was able to help the great writer Tom Wolfe (1930-2018) at a key moment in the late 20th Century.
I was walking down the long 3rd floor hall toward the newsroom at The Big Paper Downtown and I saw, in the distance, a tall man walk through the newsroom guest elevator lobby, into the hallway and pause. He was wearing a white suit, had perfect  hair and a bit of a puzzled look. I recognized him but didn’t say anything as he appeared to be concentrating. But he said something to me. “Pardon me. Can you point me toward the men’s room?” And, yes I proudly could -- by this time in history newspapers had indoor plumbing. I nodded to his right and said, “Just beyond the service elevator door.” And he said, very literarily, “Thank you” and I replied, “Sure” and we parted. After that I only ever encountered him by reading some of my favorite books again. That's a photo from an online source. I’ve infrequently wondered if my simple directions made a difference in his writing life, perhaps allowing him to relax while being interviewed at a legendary Texas newspaper. Writing— it’s an intellectual craft that responds to movements. (Almost like politics, typed Larry with a smile, pausing a sentence because he needed to take the dogs out for their afternoon stroll so many years after that Encounter with Greatness Under Pressure.)
—- Offer ideas for profit or beg me to stop by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put ‘TEXAS IS WRITE SMART’ in the subject line. —-