Oscar,
the staffer who helps me deliver our donation each week to PACC did not have
any time to chit chat. They were overwhelmed with Run Away dogs spooked by the
fireworks. They even had to open up kennels that have been closed down for
months. The yelping was disheartening.
Fireworks
are interesting and beautiful to see splattered across the night sky. But do we
need the explosions to experience a cheap thrill? Dogs sure could do without
it. Maybe that’s something else we change as we evolve.
This
week’s donation was 99.8 lbs. of pet food and $30.00 in two checks. In
addition, there were 3 pill bottles, a dog collar, a squeaky toy and a box of
treats.
Our
final 2018 – 2019 donations to Pima Animal Care Center totaled 9,274.7 lbs.
of pet food. In addition, $4,220.63 was in cash.
Right
now we just ended our 2019-2020 third quarter and we donated 12,941.5 lbs..
And we still have another quarter to go.
We
accomplished this goal because we bought quality Purina pet food at 50 cents a
pound with the donated cash. This is 40 cents a pound better than the price
PACC pays for pet food. (Note: Dollars to Food calculation in the chart above
is based on PACC’s 90 cents per pound purchase price.)
And
our food is specifically used to take care of the pets of the homeless folks
here in Tucson.
The
average donation was 308.1 lbs. per week. But as you learned last week,
our major donor has decided to focus on other charities in town. This means our
average donation has dropped to 146.8 lbs. per week.
We
donate several checks to PACC weekly and they love that. The cash we get is
what is used to buy the food at Walmart on Sundays. We normally collect around
$50 in bills. We need $100 more to maintain our record-setting contributions.
If
you have any ideas on how we can find more participants, please let me know.
And thanks for being such generous neighbors. Couldn’t do it without you.
This
week’s donation was 121.6 lbs. of pet food and $60.00 in checks. In addition,
there were 4 pill bottles.
Mostly Carlton and Tre and
I traded nods the past few years while I walked by their home with my pups and
one of them was out in their front yard with their handsome husky who, by the
way, is really well trained.
I know this because one day
the front door opened and the husky bolted out and darted across the street to
where we were standing. Cody and Haley didn’t react and neither did Tre’s dog.
Just a lot of sniffing. Tre hurried across the street, quickly
picked up the large pup and carried him home.
Monday, June 8, Carlton
stopped his car on the street, rolled down the passenger window and asked me a
question. I heard the words chin up bar but my early morning brain hadn’t heard
those words together for over 40 years so I said, “excuse me?” He said the
phase three more time and I finally got it.
I was soon to learn that
Carlton, Tre and their roommate are medical students at the U of A. Carlton
likes to work out on a chin up bar which he frequently used at the Miles
School. The school is also designated as a neighborhood park.
He recently was told he
could not use the equipment any more. My reaction was, to quote, “I hate this
f***ing world.” You see, Carlton and Tre and the roommate are Black. I got mad
immediately. Carlton smiled like well, what’s new.
The next day I handed Tre a
letter because he’s the one who answered the doorbell. In it I stated that
Miles is a neighborhood park which was championed by the mother of my good
friend Bob Aguilar. Instead of going around and around with the school, we
(mostly Bob) are going to build you a chin up bar. It will be portable so you
can take it with you when you graduate or give it to someone.
Bob was so inspired
he built the chin up bar in three days. It’s 10 feet tall because Carlton is
tall and as a kid I loved chin up bars but hated when my feet touched or were
close to the ground.
That’s my friend Bob and he said he is “feeling pretty short at 6’4.”
Click on the above grainy video to see Carlton work out. He shows a whole lot of strength highlighted by the fact that he gets his head so far above the bar.
Opening Up
The moral to the story
After the chin up bar was
completed and we delivered it to Carlton’s home, I thanked Carlton for having
the courage to be open enough to approach me. That helped open me to a new way
of thinking.
I grew up peacefully. We
had childhood diseases, but polio in the 1950s was something else. For years,
my mother isolated the four boys from all summertime activities. So social
distancing is nothing new to me. That was a spooky time and the images of the
iron lung terrorized me. See for yourself.
From then until now, few
white folks have thought about what it is like to be apprehensive just walking
around. They and me, too, were peaceful. Now along comes the Corona Virus and
suddenly everything you do could lead to illness and death. So now when you are
out you look at everyone trying to avoid harm.
The Black Community lives
this way all their lives in America. You’ve heard the expressions: Driving,
walking, bird watching, barbecuing, running, painting your home while Black.
The New York Times just
published an in depth article on how white Americans are waking up to the fact
that the injustices and the inequities facing Black folks in our country is way
worse than they thought. They are starting to think hard about racism and are
doing hard stuff to make it better like facing their insensitive behaviors with
respect to other races.
Myself, I going to take
what makes me feel at peace and offer that to my neighbors, Black and White and
Brown and whomever. I love landscaping—since I have a terror of a weed
whacker—so I am cleaning up Carlton’s home. He’s a student who rents but is expected
to keep the property weed free, with no provided tools, of course. So now
Carlton will have the peace of a spiffed up home.
Read The New York Times
article and think about how you can wake up and share your peace. If NASCAR can
turn from the pinnacle of Confederate Flags and deep seeded racism to
incredibly racial sensitive in a matter of weeks, we can surely make living in
America really peaceful for all of us.
Our largest donor who
provided over 200 lbs. of dog and cat food each week has decided to support
other charitable groups. This means I need help to get the word out to Miles
neighbors who might be interested in donating to PACC weekly. Just let me know
if you have someone in mind and I will gladly make a presentation.
This week’s donation was
84.9 lbs. of pet food and $55.00 in checks. In addition, there was a dog toy, a
cat collar, a Bark treat bag, a dog lead, a large bag of doggy diapers, a face
mask, a dog collar and 4 pill bottles.
A
number of Sundays ago, I got a note attached to a donation asking me to drop
off my two feral cat traps when I had a chance. The following week I gave the
traps to Ralph and explained how those tricky contraptions work. Push this in,
pull this up and lift the whole door. Two times through and he got it.
Around
the beginning of June, I met Ralph’s daughter, Avalon at the door when she
handed me their donation. We spent a few smiling minutes discussing catching
feral cats and community service in general.
Last
Wednesday, Avalon texted me at around 8 am that she had captured a shy, year
old grey kitten and asked if I could take it to the Santa Cruz Vet Clinic.
Sure, that gave me plenty of time to make their 11 am drop off deadline. The
next day, I picked up the neutered kitten around 11 am and returned it to
Avalon. This one she wanted to tame and take care of personally.
Friday,
Avalon texted me again that she had trapped another feral cat that was also
about a year old. He was a little more to handle because he was spinning around
a lot, looking for a way out. This one was definitely going to be released to
her wild backyard after we got back from the vet.
When
Santa Cruz fixes feral cats they operate one day and return the neutered or
spayed cat the next day … all for FREE. I think this is more
humane treatment. I’ve had same day fix and release and I was not too fond of
that program. Of course, I kept the cat in the cage at my home for a day or two
after the operation to let the fuzz ball regroup. What’s great about Santa Cruz
is you can turn in a cat on Friday and pick it up Saturday morning even though
the clinic is closed. Love those guys!
On
Saturday, when I returned the cat in the photo above, Avalon and I had a few
minutes to chat. She told me folks in the neighborhood are already asking her
to trap their feral cats. And she is delighted to help since she is getting
quite proficient at TNR. (Trap, Neuter and Release)
If
you would like Avalon’s help to manage your feral cat problem, just let me know
and I’ll pass your contact information along to her.
This
week’s donation was 336.8 lbs. of pet food and a $25.00 check. In addition,
there was one Bark treat, 25 gal. zip lock bags and 4 pill bottles.
Masks Make People Stay Away from You ... and That's a Good Thing
Massimo Marchiori, an
Italian computer scientist and his team, strapped on a social distancing belt
that measured folks reactions to seeing other folks. They walked around malls
and other outdoor venues.
When
a mask was worn, people altered their course and doubled the distance between
other humans. If the mask were handmade and seemed a bit tattered, maybe a nose
poking through, they gave folks even more space. When no mask was worn, folks
often drifted to within one foot of a passing stranger.
Covid-19
cases are still on the rise in Arizona and there are still folks who contest
wearing a mask. Perhaps they are starved for love and affection and need to get
close to someone, anyone … infected or not.
Whether
you believe that masks are effective safeguards against virus infections or
not, masks keep folks away from you and that’s the best protection of all.
This
week’s donation was 287.7 lbs. of pet food and $60.00 in checks. In addition,
there was a half pack of disposable diapers and 5 pill bottles.
This
week’s donation was 390.9 lbs. of pet food and a $25.00 check. In addition,
there were 355 gal. and 45 qt. zip lock bags and 7 pill bottles.
SPECIAL NOTE: Brush and Bulky is coming to the Miles Neighborhood the week of June 29.2020.
Trim your trees and collect
those bulky items in you backyard. One week before the 29th, place
your “gifts to the dump” on your curb or in your alley. The idea is to
keep the neighborhood looking great until you can hear those huge garbage
trucks come rumbling down the street.
“Other than the constant looming threat of danger, it’s a beautiful day.”
My friend, Beth sent me this New Yorker Cartoon with a note, “A little desert chuckle.”
I
needed that … maybe you do, too.
This
week’s donation was 315.2 lbs. of pet food and $65.00 in three checks. In
addition, there was a Scooby and a Bark treat, 1 bag of Greenies, 1 dog
harness and 4 boxes of 80 gal. zip bags. Those
boxes hid on the passenger floor board during the photo shoot but once
discovered, they at least deserved an insert.
