THE CHILL OF AUTUMN IS THE CAT'S MEOW; WAYS TO HELP ANIMALS; CONTEMPLATIONS & CASH...

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPT. 9, 2024 [PetPowellPress] We open this edition with a report from Andy Fisher, Executive -in-Chief of our Eastern Seaboard Bureau based on Indian Lake in Denville, N.J.
Andy, a veteran print and broadcast journalist, provides this report. It is from the hub of experienced news-gathering also known as “the Garden State Bureau” of readlarrypowelldotcom.
The newsburst from the Bureau was captured in two short sentences by veteran newswriter Andy:

“Fall is here. Chloe has ordained it.”
Chloe is the Eastern Seaboard Bureau’s Executive Office Cat. As people in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth Summertime Sizzleplex enjoyed wonderful lower temps over the weekend, things in the Garden State were genuinely chilling.
On Sunday morning, Andy reported, “It was 48 at dawn; still hasn't hit 60 and the weather experts don't expect it to hit 70 this afternoon..”
Andy and wife Annie, Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Seaboard/Garden State Bureau, adopted the rescued kitten Chloe several years ago and she immediately became a guiding personality in lakeside Bureau..
On Sunday, as the temp was still in the “cool” category, Andy reports this background regarding Chloe’s declaration of the arrival of Autumn: “Around 3:30, Chloe jumped up on the bed and snuggled under the comforter. THAT made it official. 
“Taking a seat in the middle of the wreath was icing on the cake.
“She's been out on the deck twice this morning, but she came back in very quickly because she doesn't like the breeze. 
“It's supposed to warm up later in the week, so summer isn't over, officially or unofficially.”
And from Andy on the Sports Desk, “Right on schedule, the Mets and the Yankees have gotten hot; that's so they can dash whatever hopes they've managed to drum up. That's it from the Garden State Bureau; back to you at the News Desk.” [LARRY ASIDE: Chloe has a great face, doesn't she!!!]
Andy also confided that Sunday’s temps influenced the season’s “second wearing of the St. Louis Browns pennant hoodie.” Andy is a longtime supporter of the legendary St. Louis Browns. [LARRY ASIDE: More on the Browns in Contemplations. It’s been decades since they had a disappointing season.]
COMING SATURDAY IN GBC:
LOW-COST CLINIC & A QUILT

We’re just going to label this a “Combo-Effort” by the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the non-profit that operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas.
First, on Saturday the 14th the Friends will will convert the spay/neuter clinic into a low-cost clinic of a different type. (This occurs periodically -- the spay/neuter clinic is always open on Tuesdays.)
From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, the Friends will host a clinic with “affordable pet vaccinations, microchipping, heartworm testing, more!  No appointment necessary.”
The clinic is at 122 Old Gun Barrel Ln #8, Gun Barrel City, TX 75156. That’s where the low-cost spay/neuter clinic is conducted on Tuesdays each week. And, on periodic Saturdays, the Friends tend to other veterinary needs of animals at that clinic.
Questions? Contact our pal Sydney Busch, longtime voice and guiding light of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. The numbers are 903-451-4701 or 214-808-4701. Click on friendsoftheanimals.org or find the Friends on Facebook HERE .
 
Also, note this: You can, at that clinic, buy tickets for the November raffle of this quilt created by the members of the Gun Barrel Quilting Guild. These gifted quilters traditionally donate a quilt for the annual fund-
raising raffle to help the Friends continue working to spay and neuter and to maintain the health of animals in the area.
The tickets are $5 or 5 tickets for $20.
The whimsical cats in the cups is the front of the quilt and the flowers are the back. You can see it in person at the clinic.
Or email [email protected] to ask how to buy tickets if you’re not going to be in the neighborhood before the November drawing for the quilt.
And don’t forget, the Hometown Cinema in Gun Barrel City is currently runnng a "round it up" fundraiser benefiting the Friends -- moviegoers round up the purchase price of their tickets or snacks and the rounded up money goes to the Friends of the Animals.
GOING BACK IN TIME
TO SAY HEY TO ZORRO

[LARRY ASIDE: Readlarrypowelldotcom hasn’t actually met this boy Zorro, but we did watch the Walt Disney TV series of the same name in the late 1950s and we do endorse giving dogs such good homes that Disney might make a movie about you and your dog. Probably better odds getting Disney film than winning Lotto Texas, right? OK, back to Zorro.]
Our Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog-writer contact Debra Chisholm provided the photos and story of “this handsome pup,” she calls him. Zorro is “listed as a Bernese Mountain Dog mix.  He arrived on 8/30 … as a stray.  This delightful and charming youngster weighs 52 pounds, is approx 8 months old and has been neutered since arriving at the shelter.  He would seem to be the perfect puppy for an active family with children who would play with him and give him lots of loving attention.”
Debra reports that Zorro “walks well on a leash” and is “ playful and enjoyed playing with toys.  He has a moderate activity level.  He likes to be petted and is a friendly and sweet-natured boy.  He doesn't jump on you.  He has such a pleasant personality and nature.” She also says “He would not be suited to life in someone’s backyard.” Yep, he’s got what it takes to be a companion in front of the TV or on the couch, etc.
Zorro is #56670189 — Cite his ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email
rescues@cityof mesquite.com. Same system for this cat Kimmy.
You can see Kimmy and Zorro and many other dogs and cats by clicking on the shelter’s website HERE.
Kimmy (#56664022) is  listed as being “25 days old” and a small, white and grey Domestic Shorthair Mix.
She arrived at the shelter on Aug. 29 and is currently “rescue only” in the care of a staff foster.
[LARRY ASIDE: Everybody needs a chance to spoil a kitten. It’s a joyous way to get to understand a cat and how a cat can spoil you.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
BASEBALL, SEASONS & COLD CASH
Back to the St. Louis Browns mentioned in Chloe’s opening declaration of autumns arrival. Chloe’s human Andy Fisher is a genuine fan of the Browns because, as he once explained, the team hasn’t let him down on the field lately. True, the Browns quit playing as the St. Louis American League team back in the mid-20th century or thereabouts. FYI: History shows the Browns left St. Louis for Baltimore and became the Orioles. You kids may have heard of the Orioles. Moving along …
Baseball fans will understand that St. Louis Browns reference. The Browns won their only American League Pennant in 1944 — lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. You can look it up in baseball history during any season: Autumn, winter, spring, summer, baseball, football, soccer, Oscars season…]
[AN ADDENDUM: One more AUTUMNAL NOTE from LARRY:
The high temp in D/FW Sunday was, the online report read, 95. Still cooler than two weeks ago and the 100s. Autumn will officially get to the Eastern Seaboard Bureau at 8:44 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 22, and arrive in Texas at 7:44 a.m. CDT the same day. Can we then relax? Nope. We prepare to ‘FALL BACK” at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3 — Election Day is the 5th. Relax, nobody’s ever “normal” on presidential election day.]
ABOUT THE COWBOY QB’S PAYCHECK: I kept reading the stories about how the Dallas Cowboys and Quarterback Dax Prescott agreed, as the stories read, “on a 4-year, $240 million contract extension.” Immediately I flashed back to my decades spent as an editor and then as a columnist at The Formerly Big Paper Downtown. I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to spend all the money they were paying me — pretty sure I’m not the only ol’ newshound who had that fear.
Making more money than you ever expected to make typing for a daily paper is a real challenge. You can’t have enough car trouble to run completely out of money!
Journalism schools oughta teach a college-level class titled “WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY TYPING TALES FOR A LIVING!” You shouldn’t have to beg the company to terminate you just so you can clear your head and think straight again. (Just kidding the tightwads who’ve traditionally run print journalism!)
—- Offer objection or confirmations by clicking on COMMENT below or email [email protected] and ask to borrow 5 or 10 bucks from me to get through the week. —-