Mr. Bacharach was 94. Great songwriter.
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M. Joe RIP
Mendelson Joe has died. He was 78. Back in the 80s when I lived in a storefront on Ossington Ave – back before the street was populated with fancy-shmancy eateries – he lived up the street from me (Joe was also a storefront dweller back then). He would often sit on his stoop, dressed in screaming yellow overalls, spattered with paint, cut off into shorts, and he would play his guitar and sing. Often he could be seen in the same unmistakable outfit, zooming up the street on his motorcycle. And at that time he was making a lot of paintings, which, if pressed, I would describe as folk or outsider art, and in a way he was an outsider, a man with many opinions, carving a colourful and unusual niche for himself.
Back in the 60s, Joe was in a Toronto blues band called McKenna-Mendelson Mainline. They produced an album which became very well known, maybe even historic, called Stink. Later, he made plenty of music as a solo performer. I really enjoyed his album Not Homogenized.
I only knew Joe to say hi to, as neighbours do. One day I was setting up a studio exhibition and he stopped by to have a look at my paintings. His advice: “Show the ones you love best”.
I have long respected Joe because he did things his own way, and he did it with a load of passion. Although he later moved up north somewhere, I still think of him as a Toronto character, and our city was the better for it.
Dance with Joe; don’t be a shmoe.
RIP Mr. Joe.
Wrestlemania (Mudfest 2023)
Playdate at Clyde’s place today….
How to get good at stuff…
…according to GM Ben Finegold. Well, he’s making a good point. Do you agree?
Everyone Loves Someone
Here’s the polka king, the late great Li’l Wally, performing Everyone Loves Someone, from way back in 1966, singing in Polish and English. Bonus: come for the music, stay for the fab dancing!
Everything is Broken
This is Knee Deep playing Bob Dylan’s Everything is Broken. Fab vocals on this. Enjoy.
Gum Tree Canoe
Every now and then I need a dose of John Hartford. Here’s Gum Tree Canoe. I think this one is also known as Tombigbee Waltz, or at least there is a Tombigbee Waltz which is pretty similar.
Bonnie is settling in fast
Strides
Regular readers know we brought home a rescue dog yesterday. She has had a great day today and is adjusting much faster than we had expected, so much so that she is obviously a great fit in our household and we’ve already told the rescue folks we’d like to finalize the adoption during the week.
She came to us as Teya, but today, we stated calling her Bonnie, both because the name seems to suit her and because her new best buddy is Clyde from up the street, and they are clearly going to be sidekicks.
Bonnie is setting into the house very well. She is shy of new people but doesn’t seem to be shy of new dogs. This morning, she had a short leash walk. I would say she was interested in her surroundings but still somewhat scared of the big world. Since then she’s had 2 longer walks with Clyde and his human, Sharon, and did very well. Her on-leash skills aren’t great but they are not that bad either, considering she has had only a bit of practice. We’re using 2 leashesThe last walk took us into Sam Smith Park. Bonnie really enjoyed all the smells in the park and was startled by a flock of ducks taking flight. She seems to enjoy the snow. On the way back, she initiated play with Clyde. Her confidence has already grown a great deal, even from this morning, and we think as we establish our routines with her, that will continue.
Bonnie doesn’t like leaving the house yet. Maybe she is afraid of more change? Once outside though, she relaxes and does well. She was overwhelmed by our back yard yesterday but today let Sheila know she needed to go out and happily went out to take care of business in the yard while I was out grocery shopping. She’s a smart dog and a sweetie-pie and she’s making strides fast.
Those who know us know we have a few cats at home. One of our cats, Phyllis (AKA Bunny AKA Miss Canada) has been actively making friends and I believe she spent last night sleeping in box a few feet away from Bonnie. All the cats have checked out the new dog except Bugs, who has stayed away. That’s not too surprising as she wasn’t impressed with the Newfs either. I think they will all be able to coexist well together. We are very lucky to have found a dog who seems pretty much somewhere between indifferent and friendly toward cats.
The rescue group, Just Paws is super-professional. Everyone we’ve talked to from this organization has been just great. They ask a lot of questions and that’s a good thing for everyone, plus they are very organized and communicative. We exchanged several texts today as Bonnie began the process of settling in, and it’s great to know they are there to support us. As well, the couple who fostered her did a great job preparing her for a new home. We feel very fortunate and very well supported.
New Kid in Town
After our Newfoundland George died, we decided to look for a rescue dog. After some looking we made an application at Just Paws Rescue for a dog who seemed, at least from the online description, to be a good fit for our home, which includes cats. Today we drove out to Campbellford to meet this dog. She came to Canada from Tennessee and has been living with a foster family since.
She is the sweetest dog. She’s a little shy, but that’s understandable, considering she has been in a shelter in Tennessee, at a foster in Tennessee and now at a foster up here in Canada. We agreed to bring her home. The idea is there is a one-week foster arrangement with us as an evaluation period, during which we can adopt the dog or return her to the foster.
She was given the name Teya at some point along the way. We may give her a new name to go along with her new digs but we’ll decide that as we get to know her. She is apparently around a year old and they think she is a Pyrenees/Lab mix. She weighs 68 pounds and is perhaps a just a little underweight.
She was very well-behaved in the car. When we got home, we let her check out the back yard. That was pretty scary for her and she wanted to come into the house after a short while. She seems very comfortable in the house – now it’s time for her to go out and pee but she wants to stay put. We’ve read that we should start our routine on the second day, so we aren’t pushing the issue tonight, and if she has an accident in the house overnight, that’s not the end of the world.
In the morning, we’ll try a little leash walk. She has little experience with a leash. For a while, we’ve been asked by the rescue to use 2 leashes and a collar + a harness until she gets past any fear of change and the new environment.
Our cat Phyllis has already made friends and Jack and Gracie and Jacques went upstairs to check her out but they kept their distance. The dog seems fine with all the cats.
This coming week, we’ll start establishing our routines with her and if all goes well, we’ll formalize the adoption at the end of the week. Although she is a little overwhelmed by her day, leaving the foster where she was starting to feel at home, I think she’s doing pretty well. It could take weeks or even a few months for her full personality to come forward.
UPDATE
We did finally have a short venture outside. We just walked 2 houses north then 1 house south and then happily came back home.
27th Street 