Remembering Elvis. . .

Priscilla Pressley was on the Today Show this morning talking about a documentary coming out called Elvis Pressley: The Searcher.  I don't know much about what kind of searching Elvis did, but it made me remember a time in the early 50's when my first husband, Artie Mogull, was working in New York City as a song plugger for various bands, and had just returned from a trip to Memphis, Tennessee.  Artie went on to become a legend in the music business, as CEO of Columbia Records and discoverer of talent like Olivia Newton John, Kenny Rogers, The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul & Mary. He was known for his ability to recognize talent early on. 

This was long before his halcyon days, however.  He was just out of college, we were  married only a few years and I was home in Mt. Vernon with our new little baby, Andrea.  He returned from the trip and was telling me over dinner about this remarkable local concert he had attended.  The young guy who was singing was playing the guitar and shaking his hips like crazy.

"I never saw anything like it," I remember he said. "He wore really tight white jeans kind of pants and you could  see the outline of his black underpants through the white.  The girls in the audience were all screaming as he sang, and when he finished, they actually threw their underwear up on the stage.  It was the wildest scene I ever saw."

I asked him the singer's name.  He thought about it for a few seconds and then said "Elvis something.  I don't really remember. Probably never hear about him again."

That was definitely one time you were wrong, Artie.
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I admit it. I'm crazy about animals.

It's great to have friends who do interesting things.  Saturday morning, during my five day quick trip to Miami, my old friend Diane Dickhut invited Paul and me to come to ZooMiami, where she is a tour guide as well as head of the zoo's volunteer association.  Sure, you can just walk around the zoo and look at the wonderful animals, but with Diane at the wheel of her golf cart, we got the full treatment, including back-of-the-house tidbits about the animals.

ZooMiami is nothing like the zoo's of my childhood.  I remember my Dad taking my sister Fran and me to the Bronx Zoo when we were kids.  Today, I realize with sadness that those animals were all in cages, staring out at us literally from behind bars.  At ZooMiami, any sign of a cage is long since gone.  Animals roam freely, in wide open habitats, separated by deep moats from the visitors, but close enough to be easily seen.  The emphasis is on conservation, breeding and the best of care.

Barney The Gorilla

Diane at the wheel

Great guide, great friend.

Mom and baby, born at Zoo

It is an amazing place and I can't thank Diane enough for a marvelous morning.
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Gone to the dogs, and loving it!

.

Is there anyone who knows me well that doesn't know my favorite TV show is Pitbulls and Parolees?  Well today, I got to live my addiction in spades.

The phone call came on Saturday from Cassie Peterson, Animal Care Manager at the Charlotte Humane Society.  "We are going to celebrate St. Pitties Day on Facebook on March 17th," she announced.  "All adoption fees will be waived for the event.  We need you and Maria to help us on Monday when you come to do the cats." 

St. Pitties, I quickly discovered, was short for Pitbulls, and I was to do the descriptions of the dogs and Maria Goto was to take the photos.  I am now on intimate terms with 20.. .I said 20. . of the most incredibly handsome and totally delicious pitbull mixes you have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  I have to write the lady in charge of the shelter on the TV show that she is absolutely right, this is the most misunderstood dog breed.  Every single one of the 20 we worked with this afternoon couldn't have been sweeter or more loving.  Never got so many kisses in my life.

Cassie bought bags full of St. Patrick's Day party stuff to dress the dogs, a challenging business to say the least when you try putting a hat and sunglasses on a very active, extremely happy to be out of his or her cage, dog.  Thanks to staff members Amber, Leona and Dyshan, we managed it, one dog at a time, working for some 2 1/2 hours to record each and every one.  If it helps to get some of them  adopted, it will all be very worth while.

Below are a few of my photos, not Maria's.  It was an exhausting but truly incredible day.


Maria hard at work.

This is Sugar Baby.

Say hello to Sparky.

Couldn't have done it without the wonderful
staff.

Cassie giving instructions.