To the shame and amusement of my family and friends I never miss a Bravo show.

They laughed on the other sides of their faces when Julie wrote her book on celebrity and she had to come to me for a description of some of the seamier reality shows so she could include them.

Well I’m watching something now that has left me without breath.  It’s Ken Burns’ epic on country music.

So much of it is important. A million thoughts are going through my head and in no particular order I’ll tell you some of them.

I have been following Rosanne Cash on Twitter. I’m even not talking about her music, I so love the things she cares about.

I’ve been a Johnny Cash fan for almost ever. I learned something so great about him in this series.

He was a man of conscience.  He hated the way Native Americans and other downtrodden groups were treated and worked hard to fight this.

He would be so proud of his daughter.

He loved all kinds of music. He and Bob Dylan were friends. To say I love Dylan would be an understatement but when he was included  in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I thought it was ridiculous.

Seeing him included in this documentary makes so much more sense.

I’m at the period of 1968 to 1972 which is bringing to mind the Viet Nam war and the disparagement between my generation and the generation in power.

I couldn’t help but remember the feelings of togetherness at being surrounded by so many like minded people in Bryant Park.

Or the terror of standing with a huge line of policemen on horseback facing me in Central Park.   It was right after Kent State and any security of knowing I was on “God’s side” was crushed by the memory of that.

It brings to mind Greta Thunberg’s activism and the others who are demanding control of our planet and our guns..

Once again the youth is here to bring sanity to what is insane.  The millions of young people showing up to demonstrate that they will pick up the banners that we’ve dropped.

All I can say is thank you.

 

 

 

 

As many of you know (since I’ve been whining about it for 5 years) I am divorced, dropped like a hot potato, at liberty.

Although my finances are not terrible, they are not what they once were.

It is for that reason I’ve decided to go into my second act so to speak and add to the coffers.

What to do? What to do?

First where do my talents lie?

When I was a social worker in the South Bronx I once tap danced from the Intake section back to my desk to raves from my fellow workers. It’s been awhile but I could brush up on that.

Singing? I could do that but I think the kids are into the rap so a hit record would be really hard since I mostly know celtic dirges. I do yodel though so I’ll keep that on the back burner.

Then I thought “Hey my niece Julie Klam has made quite a name for herself writing dog books, “You Had Me At Woof” etc.” and it hit me.

I can train dogs.

I know I have a knack for that and who’s to say that I couldn’t follow it up with a book or a video??

So my dear readers here are a few of the tips that I’ve picked up in owning many dogs and one cat some of which will be included in my teachings.

I had some birds too but one of them fell in the bathtub so I think the less said about that well…

1. SELECTION

Get a pet that isn’t passive. You know one with a backbone.

I have found that saving them from being bullied can be embarrassing to the pet and yourself.

What you want is a pet that is assertive . One with chutzpah.

My dog Debby showed the Super who’s boss while he fixed our sink.

 

2. STYLE

I’ve always found that if your pet is stylish the world is his/hers.

3. BATHING

I’ve heard many people complain that it’s difficult to wash cats.  That may be true in the olden days but now we have modern conveniences,

Just remember to click on light wash.

4. INTELLIGENCE

There are animals that are more intelligent than others.  For example did you know that many cats can read?

5 RELIGION

I’ve found that giving your pet a strong religious background can definitely be a plus.

I’m Jewish but you are free to raise your pet to follow whatever God you pray to.

5. EXCERCISE

Say you don’t feel like going out yet your dog looks at you like “Hey I need some sunshine”

I find that finding a sunny spot where they can get a tan and do some calisthenics can get them off your back.

6. FEEDING

They will let you know when they are hungry…

and if they are pleased or displeased with what you’re serving them.

Dogs aren’t stupid. Give’m a bit of leeway and you’ll find that they can fend for themselves.

To sum it all up. With a little thought and discipline you’ll end up with great watch dogs.

See how good these two watch?