A BREAKFAST TRADITION; HELPING ANIMALS VIA THE FOSTERING PATH; UFOs and Ding-a-Lings?

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY DECEMBER 12-13, 2024 [PetPowellPress] Dear Santa, For Christmas I'd like a good night's sleep. Keep that in mind when you stomp off our roof, jump down into our front porch cactus display and react with an unfortunate expression that startles the reindeer into clomping on the rooftop shingles like they were tap dancing on Broadway. Sincerely, Larry.
LARRY CONFESSION: OK, I'm trying to be a good boy -- this morning I committed a royal sin. I usually save the final three bites of my healthy breakfast for the pups: Dudley, Wendy & Porche. But I was in a Thursday morning
rush to get something typed before I forgot the words ---it's a constant challenge in my wandering morning mind.
Acting against breakfast tradition with the pups, I quickly spooned the final bites of a vegetarian fake sausage into my face like a starving cartoon bear. Suddenly I realized Dudley the Angel was sitting in his usual breakfast place. I could swear he had tears in his wonderful eyes. He was wearing a stunned look on his face. Something had happened that NEVER happens -- I neglected to share a meal with him.
Porche went back to sleep on her bed. Wendy left the office and went back to her slumberspot on the living room couch. Dudley did move to his usual hallway napping spot and Wendy, after visiting me for treats, went back down the hall to check on her pal Dudley. Everybody's happy. They swear.
Keep in mind, all three had already had their healthy morning breakfasts.
Dudley continued to stare at me -- as if he was auditioning for the roll of a street urchin trying to get a pence from Scrooge in a dinner theater production of A Christmas Carol.
So, I tried to reverse the emotions. I quickly nuked a vegetarian burger patty as Dudley, still wearing his sad look, stood loyally, hopefully by me in the kitchen.
When the patty was ready, I went back down the hall to the office and Dudley followed. I sat at my desk and he sat next to me, looking up.
I made sure the patty was cool, pulled an inch square piece of it free and held it down for Dudley. He looked at it. Looked up at me. And then he walked to the other side of sleeping Porche and flopped down to nap.
I got the message. Breakfast traditions are meant to be kept. Never finish the meal without first giving the dogs their happy bite of the morning!
Dudley did give up the nap charade long enough to eat most of that patty from his prone position on the floor. Porche continued to sleep (that's an "awake" photo of my personal dog. 
And I vowed to never again to forget the traditions of breakfast with Dudley the Angel. It's been years since I had a meal at home without a dog staring at me. You may know that amusingly happy feeling -- if you're blessed with the love of a dog.
MEANWHILE, FOSTERING
IS A YEAR-ROUND GIFT ...
When I clicked onto the ol' computer this AM one of the first things I saw was a post by The Great Foster Patty Sprong. She was tipping her readers/fellow animal fans to a special project of Emma's Wish Senior Dog Rescue.
The summary from Emma's Wish reads, "Honey Girl's owner can no longer care for her due to medical reasons so we need to help find her a new home or we can take her into the rescue with a foster offer.
She's almost 13 and weighs about 11 lbs. Honey Girl can be a bit snippy if startled so a home without kids is best. Although she hasn't lived with other dogs, she has been around them and does fine.
Please let us know if you can help Honey Girl! We don't want her to end up in the shelter." Here's the LINK TO EMMA'S WISH.
CONTEMPLATIONS
GEEZ, WHAT CAN WE THINK ABOUT?
OK, we'll start with something upbeat. Our pal and former colleague at The Big Paper Downtown, the writer Joyce Sáenz Harris, has great story in today's edition about the efforts made to preserve writer Larry McMurtry's book store in Archer City. THIS LINK may get you there or you may need to Google for the report.
The basics are that the prize-winning writer of so many Texas-set novels (and creator/writer of Lonesome Dove) nurtured that bookstore in Archer City for decades -- he's been gone since March 25, 2021.
And now, Joyce's story explains, McMurtry's beloved Booked Up has been sold to the Archer City Writer's Workshop. Read Joyce's story to see how and why all this works out. FYI: Archer City is 2 highway hours or so northwest of the Metrosprawl. [RELAX, NEW TEXANS, the roads are paved.]
Some of us have been reading McMurtry's work since we were danged near kids. My favorite McMurtry novels? The Last Picture Show and All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers.
Heck, yeah, I've made a pilgrimage to Archer City to visit that store -- years ago, when McMurtry was still there. I also made a pilgrimage to Alpine, Texas, in honor of H. Allen Smith. But that's a tale for another day, teased the semi-literate writer who appreciates anyone who can write a book about a cat inheriting a big league baseball team, i.e., Rhubarb. ....
The good folks at the online calendar Holiday Insights report that December 12 is National Ding-a-Ling Day. The song of the day is the Chuck Berry's 1972 hit, My Ding A Ling. (I'm not making this up, honest! larry). So how did December 12 become National Ding-a-Ling Day? No idea. And the Holiday Insights folks write, "Despite our diligent efforts, we have yet to find the Ding-a-Ling who created this neat day.  Nor, did we find factual information about this day.
"We found no congressional records or presidential proclamation required to create a true 'National' day."
At readlarrypowelldotcom our theory is Congress has been too busy trying to uncover the truth about The Intergalactic Jersey Drones rather than set up an official Ding-a-Ling Day in honor of members of Congress. Relax, I'm kidding the elected officials. Not all of 'em, of course. I'd never kid an actual ding-a-ling.
--- Offer advice or fave McMurtry titles by clicking on 'comment' below or email [email protected] and put 'GIT LITERATE' in your subject line. ---