EDITION OF TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2024 [PetPowellPress] Ah, the morning arrives and TV is back to normal in the pre- dawn hours. That was some Monday with all that eclipse and weather stuff merging in the Metrosprawl.
Also, I'm pretty certain that by now just about everybody may have been worn out by photographs of the eclipse -- beautiful pictures of the event that occurred entirely within our solar system.
Some eclipse, right. Here's one of my photos snapped during the eclipse. I was trying to walk past a table on our patio and I somehow captured a photograph of my own feet in my spacetravel sneakers.
I'd call this picture "Down To Earth" except I'm standing on cement and "Down To Cement" just doesn't have the tone you'd want to hear. Falls flat.
BARGAIN DOGS READY
AT MESQUITE SHELTER
[LARRY ASIDE: We've never run into a dog or cat that wasn't a bargain. But in today's consumer climate, a $20 dog is a fantastic bargain. Mesquite Animal Services offered the $20 deals in March and things worked out, so, it has been continued through April. As Debra Chisholm, one of the hard-working dog-biographers at the shelter wrote, "The shelter is critically overcrowded and the stream of dogs and cats entering the shelter continues. We could use some rescues and adoptions to loving homes.]
We begin with a dog with great eyes.
We got the bio of this dog courtesy of Mesquite volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. [LARRY ASIDE: Sky looks like the kind of dog who'd be quickly adopted from a city shelter.]
Judi writes, "Sky is a little shy at first. She does best with a slow introduction. With time and TLC she warms up. Sky is a 3-year-old, 50--pound Alaskan Husky that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 3/31. She was brought in by one of our officers.
"She is very soft and has the typical Husky fluffy tail. She has one blue eye and one brown eye.
"If she had not already had a name when she came in, I would’ve named her Beauty. She is very gentle and calm.
"Because she’s so timid it was difficult to judge her true personality. In a loving, secure environment of a home she should blossom. She’s well-mannered. She doesn’t jump on you. She was also very curious and explored the yard but after a while would come back to me," Judi wrote, adding, "She sat one time for me, but I think it was more because she was tired. I’m not sure she knows the sit command. She was not interested in my treats. She went nose to nose with several dogs without showing any negativity. She walks very well on a leash. She seemed to really enjoy her stroll …getting out in the fresh air! As soft and gentle is, she is she ought to be a good cuddler. Because she’s so gentle she should be good with children. She wants to be an inside dog mostly."
To ask about Sky, cite her ID #55633565 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Same system when you ask about this pup Cole. He's #
55625586.
Debra got to meet up and hang out with Cole. She writes, "This sweet and adorable pup is Cole, a mixed breed picked up by one of our officers on 3/29 ... Cole weighs 20 pounds, is approx 6 months old and is neutered. The little fellow is uneasy and nervous at the shelter. And who can blame him? He was out wandering the streets, picked up by animal control, resides in a rollaway kennel because of the overcrowded conditions of the shelter and has just gotten neutered. He's hoping for better! He does walk on a leash but at this point a little hesitantly. He is intimidated by the other dogs barking at him. He's skittish and timid. But, OH! the potential!!! He is a sweet-natured little guy with the cutest stand-up ears. He did warm up and accept treats which he took gently.
"We will work with him helping him to realize he can trust the caring staff and volunteers. He will doubtless warm up and build confidence."
When you go to this MESQUITE ANIMAL SHELTER LINK you can see many more Twenty-Dollar-Dogs and quite a few cats and kittens, too.
We've mentioned handsome Otis The Orange Cat a few times before. He's #47919634. Otis came in on February 12. He's available for adoption or rescue. He's listed as "3 years, 6 months, 5 days" old. [LARRY NOTE: He may be one of those rare strays who carries his documents with him wherever he wanders.] Otis is a medium-sized Domestic Shorthair Mix and he's been neutered. Look for him in the Mesquite Animal Services Conference Room. [LARRY ASIDE 2: At 3 years-plus old, Otis has experience in conferring and leading discussions. Pretty sure.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
BASEBALL, STARS AND ECLIPSE MYTH
A phrase I hate to hear the morning after a Texas Rangers baseball game: "The Astros bats got hot." ...
Great National Anthem before the Texas Rangers's game -- to see it, google "Sabrina Patel National Anthem 4/8/24". [LARRY EXPLANATION: When I try to copy the link from Youtube, it fills my screen and obscures the link -- I am technologically inept. You should all be grateful I didn't get into medical school.]
The whole video has a respectful tone -- the first minute, as announced by the great Chuck Morgan, is a silent tribute to the late Texas Rangers Security Officer Michael Benninger. Then the video moves to a lovely violin solo of the National Anthem by young Sabrina Patel. And during the anthem, members of the crowd, as they do during the vocal version, shouted/sang (maybe sang) "STARS" whenever the name of the local NHL team appears in Francis Scott Key's
song, i.e., "Whose broad stripes and bright STARS..." Patriotism with a fan base. How 'bout that. ....
That photo? Not a myth. It's real. So is the dog. That is my girl Porche Noel in her eclipse glasses. She didn't see the eclipse but she kind of liked the glasses. She spent the eclipse snoozing on her spot on the living room couch. We didn't let the pups out while we sat in the backyard and watched the event. They were happy to be napping. They're always happy to be napping. The cats? They have some kind of link with a cat named Spot who has Observatory connections via his role as "pet" on a starship. That's what they told me. William said, "We have data to prove it." He might have said, "Data." When you're on Earth, you never know what's in orbit around the planet.
--- Offer orbital advice or down-to-earth tips by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing [email protected] and put "WELCOME BACK TO EARTH' in the subject line. ---
