I had an interesting sequence of events take place during the course of the past week (May 13-17). It began when I was walking Mini on my usual route on the evening of Friday the 13th. Lots of other people also like to walk their dogs on that same walking path, and if you go out at similar times every day, you're likely to see a lot of the same people on a regular basis.
One of the other regulars saw me with Mini and asked a question that puzzled me. "Was it your dog that ran out in the street?" I didn't know what he meant, but I answered that no, thank God, Mini had never run into the street.
It wasn't until I reached the far point of our walk and started on the return trip, that I started to get an idea of what he meant. I noticed several posters on the way back reading "FOUND 5/12/11 -- blond/beige Chihuahua. Call [phone number]". Aha, I thought. Mini fits that description. He must have seen that and thought it was her.
Still on my way back, I encountered the daughter of the man who'd asked me the question, and she asked the same thing. Then she explained that a stray Chihuahua had been chased into Broad Street by a larger dog, and unfortunately had been injured by a car. :-( The person who rescued the dog and took it to the vet had also put up the posters.
Well, DOUBLY Thank God, Mini is not the dog mentioned in the posters. But of course, I felt sad for the poor tiny foundling dog, not only separated from its family but injured into the bargain. I hoped the FOUND posters would be effective in reuniting the dog with its family.
Fast-forward to Monday the 16th. Mini and I were on our normal walk, when I noticed a new poster at the point where I turn around to come back home. "LOST - CASH REWARD - 5/12/11 - 6 year old female Golden Chihuahua", with a photograph and a phone number. It doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to realize that the same date, same breed and description, and same neighborhood means it's probably the same dog. I took a cell phone picture of the LOST poster. Then on my way home, I located and took a cell phone picture of a FOUND poster.
Then I did my best to get the two poster-makers in touch with one another. You'd think that would be a simple process, but human nature makes everything more convoluted than it needs to be.
First, I phoned Mr. Lost Poster to give him the data on the FOUND poster. He became confused and thought *I* had his dog. "No, I don't have your dog, sir, but the person who found her put up a poster on H____ Street and here is the information on it. [read the info]. If you have a number where I can send a picture message from my cell phone, I'll send you the picture I took of the FOUND poster." Which I did. He called me back. "That's not a picture of my dog. That's just a poster." I don't HAVE the dog. The person who made the poster has the dog. Call the number on the poster to talk to them."
So that's how that convo ended. Then I called the number from the Found poster. I got voice mail. I left a message that I'd found a lost poster, etc., etc. For good measure, I took a chance and sent that number a picture message of the LOST poster, and promptly got a text message in return asking who I was. I explained how I'd seen both posters while walking my own dog, realized they were both probably referring to the same lost Chihuahua, and was doing my best to get both people in contact with one another. The Found Poster person texted back that the dog in question was at the vet's in bad shape :-( , there was a big vet bill, and that three other people had already tried to call and claim the dog as theirs.
I texted Found Poster Person that I was sorry to hear that, and that they should try to contact the person who made the Lost poster, as that individual actually had included a picture of the dog on the poster so they were probably legit. They wrote back that they would do that.
I thought that would be it. Nope. The next day, I got a call from Morris Animal Refuge about the dog I'd found. I explained that I hadn't found the actual dog, only two posters, and related everything that'd happened. Seems that Found Poster Person hadn't returned the calls of Mr. Lost Poster, and so Mr. Lost Poster contacted the animal refuge, giving them my phone number along with whatever other info he told them. So I gave the requisite phone numbers to the person from Morris, and they said they would work to get the two people in contact with one another. Then I asked them to keep me updated, as I feel invested in seeing that the little lost dog gets reunited with her family.
Whew. I sure hope the right people get in touch with one another and everything works out. Poor little doggie. I'd feel for her even if I *didn't* have a dog that pretty much matches her description. But I have a major soft spot for Chihuahuas now, so I want this to work out even more.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Still here!
Hey, all! Sorry to say, the Rapture never did take place on May 21 (last Saturday), so I'm still here on Earth.
This van drove past the Melrose while Betty, John R., JFM and I were having lunch. I got a photo of it as it sat on 15th Street waiting for a green light. A few minutes after it passed, an SUV with big yellow posterboard Judgement Day signs plastered over its rear and rear-side windows (isn't it, er, ILLEGAL to block your field of vision like that?) drove past the diner, heading east on Snyder Avenue. The waitress remarked that she had seen several similarly-marked vehicles during the course of the day. I wonder if there were even more of them driving around, or whether it was just the same few making a circuit repeatedly all day.
Either way, I feel legitimately sorry for anyone who quit their job and burned through their life's savings, thinking that they wouldn't need either one after May 21 because they were going to "meet the Lord in the air". I feel only partially sorry for anyone who decided to run up enormous debts in advance of May 21, thinking that they would never have to pay for any of it, because gaming the system is decidedly UNpious and would probably have eliminated them from being Raptured up anyway. And for Harold Camping, the delusional self-styled preacher who started this mess, I wish his family would seek involuntary mental health treatment for him.
I'm curious to see how quickly the lawsuits start being filed by the people who feel deceived and cheated, particularly those who gave Camping and his Family Radio their life's savings to help spread the word about this bogus Rapture event. After all, one of his slogans was "The Bible GUARANTEES it!", and he was on TV, radio, and in print stating things like "This will happen beyond the shadow of a doubt", "There's no way this doesn't happen", and so on. That's the kind of verbiage that has led to people being held liable for damages in a court of law.
You know what upset me the worst about this whole thing? I read an article last Tuesday about the May 21ers, and some of them were planning to euthanize their pets (!!!) in advance of the Rapture. Their logic was that they didn't want their pets to suffer on earth between May 21 (the day of the Rapture) and October 21 (the day when the Lord would come back and destroy the Earth completely). The thought of those innocent pets being betrayed so terribly by their misguided owners literally made me cry. :-( I hope that the vets either were able to talk the owners out of it, or covertly re-homed the perfectly healthy pets. I certainly would have done my best to do the one or the other, had I been the vet.
In any event, Watch This Space for any reports of lawsuits that I happen to run across. And if you feel like utilizing Bible verses to determine how best to end up in Heaven with the Lord for all eternity, let me direct you to a few that will actually be of use. First of all, remember that in Matthew, Jesus is quoted as saying that not the angels, nor the Sun, but only the Father knows the day and the hour that the world will end. So instead of worrying about that, we need only worry about our own behavior between now and the time we stop breathing. And how, pray tell, should we behave? Well, Jesus has another quote for that: the most important Commandment is that we should love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind, and the second-most important Commandment is that we should love our neighbor as ourself. He said the whole of the law and the prophets is based on these two commandments. So there you have it. Two commandments to follow, and you're good to go for all eternity. Simple, isn't it?
This van drove past the Melrose while Betty, John R., JFM and I were having lunch. I got a photo of it as it sat on 15th Street waiting for a green light. A few minutes after it passed, an SUV with big yellow posterboard Judgement Day signs plastered over its rear and rear-side windows (isn't it, er, ILLEGAL to block your field of vision like that?) drove past the diner, heading east on Snyder Avenue. The waitress remarked that she had seen several similarly-marked vehicles during the course of the day. I wonder if there were even more of them driving around, or whether it was just the same few making a circuit repeatedly all day.
Either way, I feel legitimately sorry for anyone who quit their job and burned through their life's savings, thinking that they wouldn't need either one after May 21 because they were going to "meet the Lord in the air". I feel only partially sorry for anyone who decided to run up enormous debts in advance of May 21, thinking that they would never have to pay for any of it, because gaming the system is decidedly UNpious and would probably have eliminated them from being Raptured up anyway. And for Harold Camping, the delusional self-styled preacher who started this mess, I wish his family would seek involuntary mental health treatment for him.
I'm curious to see how quickly the lawsuits start being filed by the people who feel deceived and cheated, particularly those who gave Camping and his Family Radio their life's savings to help spread the word about this bogus Rapture event. After all, one of his slogans was "The Bible GUARANTEES it!", and he was on TV, radio, and in print stating things like "This will happen beyond the shadow of a doubt", "There's no way this doesn't happen", and so on. That's the kind of verbiage that has led to people being held liable for damages in a court of law.
You know what upset me the worst about this whole thing? I read an article last Tuesday about the May 21ers, and some of them were planning to euthanize their pets (!!!) in advance of the Rapture. Their logic was that they didn't want their pets to suffer on earth between May 21 (the day of the Rapture) and October 21 (the day when the Lord would come back and destroy the Earth completely). The thought of those innocent pets being betrayed so terribly by their misguided owners literally made me cry. :-( I hope that the vets either were able to talk the owners out of it, or covertly re-homed the perfectly healthy pets. I certainly would have done my best to do the one or the other, had I been the vet.
In any event, Watch This Space for any reports of lawsuits that I happen to run across. And if you feel like utilizing Bible verses to determine how best to end up in Heaven with the Lord for all eternity, let me direct you to a few that will actually be of use. First of all, remember that in Matthew, Jesus is quoted as saying that not the angels, nor the Sun, but only the Father knows the day and the hour that the world will end. So instead of worrying about that, we need only worry about our own behavior between now and the time we stop breathing. And how, pray tell, should we behave? Well, Jesus has another quote for that: the most important Commandment is that we should love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind, and the second-most important Commandment is that we should love our neighbor as ourself. He said the whole of the law and the prophets is based on these two commandments. So there you have it. Two commandments to follow, and you're good to go for all eternity. Simple, isn't it?
Friday, May 13, 2011
Scary stuff
I was walking the dog tonight on the walking path that borders what used to be a hospital. Lots of other dog walkers also favor that path, and I've discovered that if I go out at similar times each day, I'm likely to encounter some of the same people.
Tonight, I met up with a Corgi and his owner, who was with another man walking a pair of Dachshunds. The Corgi's owner asked me, "Is your dog the one that ran out into the street?" I answered no, thank God, she hasn't run into the street.
A few blocks later, I saw a sign attached to a telephone pole. "FOUND: BEIGE/BLOND CHIHUAHUA" and a phone number to call. I felt sorry for whoever might have lost the dog, and it was not lost on me that Mini fits that same description.
On my way home, I saw the Corgi again, this time being walked by his owner's daughter. She also asked me if Mini was the Chihuahua that had been found, since she remembered seeing us on the walking path. I also got a bit more backstory from her: the found Chihuahua had been chased out into the street by two larger dogs, and unfortunately got hit. But someone took her to the vet for treatment and she's going to be OK. And now they want to reunite her with her owner.
Thank God for good people in the world. I hope they're able to find the Chihuahua's owner. But I was impressed that more than one dog-walker actually remembered Mini and me when these events took place. South Philly -- a small town in a big city. Seriously.
Tonight, I met up with a Corgi and his owner, who was with another man walking a pair of Dachshunds. The Corgi's owner asked me, "Is your dog the one that ran out into the street?" I answered no, thank God, she hasn't run into the street.
A few blocks later, I saw a sign attached to a telephone pole. "FOUND: BEIGE/BLOND CHIHUAHUA" and a phone number to call. I felt sorry for whoever might have lost the dog, and it was not lost on me that Mini fits that same description.
On my way home, I saw the Corgi again, this time being walked by his owner's daughter. She also asked me if Mini was the Chihuahua that had been found, since she remembered seeing us on the walking path. I also got a bit more backstory from her: the found Chihuahua had been chased out into the street by two larger dogs, and unfortunately got hit. But someone took her to the vet for treatment and she's going to be OK. And now they want to reunite her with her owner.
Thank God for good people in the world. I hope they're able to find the Chihuahua's owner. But I was impressed that more than one dog-walker actually remembered Mini and me when these events took place. South Philly -- a small town in a big city. Seriously.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wonderful News
Today, I received a piece of wonderful news!
Longtime readers might recall that I was feeding a stray kitty for a few weeks, about 5 years ago. She was a pretty little gray-brown tabby with just a hint of orange here and there, including a distinctive orange tabby spot on her forehead. I guessed her age to be about 6 months old, and she was pitifully thin and extremely affectionate. Had I managed to convince Mark that we should adopt her, I would have named her Spirit because of that little "tongue of fire" on her head. But before I could bring Mark fully on board with the idea, she stopped coming around. Since then, I've wondered what became of her. I've feared the worst while hoping for the best, and prayed that she was an indoor cat being spoiled senseless in a loving home.
Well, this morning, I got conclusive proof that my neighbors, an animal-loving senior citizen couple, adopted her. I would know that orange spot anywhere! They saw me walking with Mini, and the wife invited me to see her kitty, who was sitting in the cellar window (which is not visible from the street). I went up to see the cat, and recognized her the moment I laid eyes on that spot. :-)
Spirit's name is now Honeybunch, a fitting name for such an affectionate purr machine of a cat, and she is no longer an undersized waif. She has filled out into a beautiful adult cat, with a very pretty face and a temperament to match.
Seeing her thriving, and knowing she's in a home where the sun rises and sets on her, absolutely made my day! I'm SO glad for her! :-)
Sent from my iPod
Monday, May 02, 2011
Make My Day Monday
In honor of Good winning a battle over Evil, everyone reading this please join Twitter's Make My Day Monday and do a random act of kindness. Celebrate by making the world a better place!
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Breaking News
CNN is reporting that Osama Bin Laden is dead. God forgive me if this stance is a sin, but GOOD. I hope the evidence is incontrovertible that we did, in fact, get the 9/11 mastermind. And I hope when he met his Maker, he got the most unpleasant shock of his (after)life. Mass murderers don't go to Paradise, with or without getting 72 virgins.
Let me just post this now. I expect the Internet to slow to a crawl as the news spreads, and posting anything anywhere will become a challenge.
Let me just post this now. I expect the Internet to slow to a crawl as the news spreads, and posting anything anywhere will become a challenge.
Crackdown
Philly Cops Crack Down On Texting and Driving, Jaywalking, Bicyclists
Hallelujah! Philadelphia is about to crack down on people who text while driving (or walking), ride bikes on the sidewalks, etc. GOOD. I've had it with people creating even more hazards than exist naturally. Go get 'em, cops; the city could use the funding.
Oh, and you darn kids, get off my lawwwwn. ;-)
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