Tag: 100 happy days

100 Happy Days: 54

There are some days full of such disturbing or sad news that an attempt to post about something happy seems like folly, or at the very least, insensitive. News stories from the Middle East, and closer to home, from St. Louis–and then to hear that someone else lost an argument with the lying bastard that is depression and ended his life…

I remind myself that yes, bad things, terrible things happen every day–and so do wondrous things. There’s a line from the musical Rent that always rang true for me: “The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation!”

So today, what made me happy is this. Murder By The Book put together an event for mystery writer Spencer Quinn’s new book Paw and Order, making the rescue I volunteer with the beneficiary of a percentage of the night’s sales. Quinn’s series features PI Bernie Little and his partner, Chet, who happens to be a dog. It’s the dog angle that makes the matchup between Spencer Quinn and the rescue group a good one. And as I talked with some of our volunteers and met new book fans and a new-to-me author, I was reminded that these are ways we affirm ourselves: gathering, sharing, talking, creating, laughing with one another. Turning to community. We’re all in this together, and I’m glad I share the planet with so many people who create–a true act of hope–and who do for and give to others, including our voiceless friends: homeless, neglected, and abused dogs and cats.

Spencer Quinn entertains a full house.

100 Happy Days: 52

I totally forgot I have a youtube channel. (Isn’t that what the kids are calling it these days? A channel?) And when I remembered and figured out how to sign in, I watched all my old videos, which was kind of funny, kind of sad. Lots of changes over the years.

I can’t share them with you, because I had to make them all private several years ago because some people are not balanced. But here’s a photo I took of my monitor showing Tim and Jim playing backgammon in our old office.

And another: When Jim tells Tim I’m taping as Tim is scratching his beard, Tim makes an affectionate hand gesture.

I miss hanging out with all my writing partners together (in the above scenes, River dog is standing in for Timmy), but I sure do have a lot of happy memories.

100 Happy Days: 51

There’s a wide median running the length of Heights Boulevard, and it currently features a number of sculptures as part of a public art installation called “True North.” Of course it’s no surprise which of the sculptures appealed to me. These are not so great cell phone photos, but I think you’ll get the picture.


Does he look like a cute little dog? He’s probably over six feet tall and eight feet long. Try walking that on a leash.


He’s made of fabric and paper and fur and I don’t know what else–a great representation of a “Heinz 57,” or mutt.


And he’s got great pointing stance as he directs us north. The sculpture is titled “Pointing North,” in fact, and the artist is Carter Ernst. She has a lot of other public and community art throughout Houston–and at least one more giant dog as well as a giant chicken.