A lost and abandoned Boxer mix is rescued off of South H street, more on the litter problem and look for familiar faces during the Tournament of Roses Parade

 * ... LOST DOG: If you believe one person can't make a difference, consider this uplifting note

 from reader Kristin Townsend about a Boxer mix who had been abandoned and was living for months in a field near the intersection of South H Street and Pacheco. He was elusive and scared, yet Townsend said he "developed quite a fan club... people left food, water, treats and even a dog house! But Bubba defied being caught until an animal advocate named Barbara Stubblefield became involved and spent weeks visiting and feeding him hot dogs and treats to gain his trust. Well this
morning she got him in her car and he is on his way to rescue! So many people cared and reached out to him. Thank you all! Bubba is now safe!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I know you’re supposed to have three balanced meals a day, but how many can I have at night?"

 * ... BAD FORM: You don't have to go far in this town before you find old sofas, chairs, televisions and refrigerators discarded in alleys, along roadsides and in parking lots. So it should not have surprised me when someone dumped a filthy old sofa and matching chair at the end of the bike trial off Enos Lane.

  * ... ROSE PARADE: If you are watching the Rose Bowl Parade you might spot a couple of familiar faces. Barry Rosenfeld and former local TV executive Jim Bell will be walking alongside Rotary International's 37th consecutive entry in the parade on Jan. 1, 2016. Rosenfeld and his wife Pat will be part of the group who will be assembling the float in December. Rosenfeld is a member of the Twilight Rotary Club while Bell serves as Rotary district governor.

 * ... THEFT: The theft of packages off our porches is a national trend, but Aneta L. Adams has a word for all those UPS and FedEx drivers out there: make sure to ring the doorbell. Said Adams:
"We had been expecting a delivery, so we were waiting for a knock or the doorbell. We went on with our business and forgot about it, until about an hour later.  We checked out the front door, and lo and behold, there the package was, behind one of our columns. The driver, however, never rang our doorbell or knocked on our front door, and we know for sure because we have two dogs! ... We understand their not wanting to wait at the door, but waiting is not necessary.  Notifying us that you just delivered a package at our front door, a package that we've been anticipating, or needing, or planning on giving as a gift, is mandatory.  This package was a gift, packed in dry ice, and therefore, perishable! For the love of God, drivers, KNOCK or RING!"

 * ... GOD: Jim Rummell of Springville sent me this note about the state of our nation: "I always enjoy your insights on current events, not only locally but in the world as well. I couldn't help but notice that it is easy to 'connect the dots' on several of the stories that you mentioned. Many people have turned their backs on God, in fact, it is now common to find an outright distain for those of us who pray and still believe. The handwriting is on the wall on where our world is going, and it starts with having no respect for the law or God, and begins with 'running stop signs' no matter who gets hurt. But Richard, make no mistake, putting 'gates' at every stop sign, or gun control laws, will not fix this world. Only a return to the teaching of Jesus will put an end to this madness. Maybe we should start by putting prayer back in school or teaching the 10 commandments. Just sayin."

The best image from the government shutdown: World War II vets pushing back barriers to visit the WW II memorial in Washington, D.C. And a woman searches for her beloved lost Yorkie

 * ... HONOR FLIGHTS: One of the more inspiring images to come out of this regrettable government shutdown are the dozens of military veterans crossing the barricades to view the World War II memorial. Two groups of Honor Flight veterans, one from Mississippi and one from Michigan, removed the barriers the National Park Service had erected to keep people out. The irony, of course, is that these men and women are visiting a memorial that honors their own service. And why the government felt the need to "close" the memorial by erecting barricades is beyond me. They are, after all, memorials erected outdoors so folks can view then on their on time and schedule. Finally, it is worth noting the federal government contributed just $16 million of the $197 million price tag to build the World War II memorial, the rest paid for by veterans, corporations and other taxpayers.

 * ... LOST DOG: A small Yorkie that belongs to a disabled widow has apparently been stolen out of her yard. This all happened about two weeks ago when the woman's neighbor was having a well attended garage sale. The woman walked outside to go to her mailbox and was followed by her two-pound Yorkie. When she noticed it was gone just minutes later, neighbors launched a search but it could not be found. Said a friend: "We live in a gated community (off Stockdale Highway) and this dog is her life," she said. "Someone picked up this dog and left with it. It is like the kidnapping of a child; it is all she has." The dog is chipped, collared and goes by the name Fancy. There is a reward offered. If you see this dog, call (661) 549-6733.

 * ... MOUNTAIN LION: My earlier blog posts about bobcats and mountain lions being spotted in the Southwest sparked this note from reader Mary Lewis. "About two months ago I thought I saw a mountain lion in a field on Brimhall and Coffee. Shortly after that my neighbors cat disappeared for three days only to return scared to go outside. Then my cat disappeared for a few days, returned injured and scared to leave the house. Obviously something was out there. Two weeks ago my daughter was in our front yard with our cat at 11:30 p.m. when she heard a loud roar coming from the field behind our house. She and the cat ran inside. So was it the bobcat or could I have seen a mountain lion?"

* ... GOOD FORM: With all the issues facing our stray animals, it's good to hear the story of a woman named Kathleen Davis and what she has done to help a stray dog off Porterville Highway. Coworker Linda Lincoln told me Davis spotted the emaciated dog "weaving along the road, nearly starved to death, scars all over his body, and a long chain around his neck. Kathleen called him ‘Big Head’ because of his emaciated body. Kathleen sees to it that he has fresh food and water daily. At first, the dog was very wary of her because of the abuse he was subjected to, now Big Head runs to her, grabs her legs to prevent her from leaving, and wants to play with her. The chain has fallen off the neck and his hair has grown back in! We worry about the dog going through another winter living in a culvert.  We are desperately trying to find a forever home for ‘Big Head.’ If anyone is interested he will come with all his shots, will be neutered, and with a dog house... I am proud to call Kathleen Davis my friend!" If interested you can email Davis at katbutch@yahoo.com

 * ... FIRST FRIDAY: I got a sneak peak of some absolutely stunning art that will be on display at First Friday. The work is the product of David Gordon, a former employee of the Bakersfield Museum of Art whose art continues to evolve as it captures not only Kern County, but Los Angeles and San Francisco as well. The show is titled "Further" and 30 pieces will be displayed at The Metro Galleries on 19th Street. It is well worth checking out.

 * ... BAKERSFIELD: J.D. Logan called to remember a young man named Napoleon Bradley, who Logan said was the first man from East Bakersfield to be killed in the Korean War. He said Bradley graduated from East Bakersfield High School either in 1949 or 1950.

A happy ending: the story of an abandoned dog, the farmer who found it and the trucker who adopted it

* ... JEFF ROSS: Shares in the mobile marketing company Velti PLC rose sharply this week after it hired a respected executive as chief financial officer. That executive is Jeff Ross, the former chief financial officer of the software maker Sybase Inc. Ross is a 1983 graduate of North High School and went on to earn a degree from Cal Berkeley. He is the son of Barbie and Dick Ross, who taught math at North High. Prior to working for Sybase, Ross worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and held other finance jobs at other companies.

* ... HAPPY ENDING: From my mailbag came this delightful story of a little chihuahua who was abandoned along the side of a local road and rescued by a farmer named Travis Fugitt. A "found dog" advertisement was posted in The Californian and - voila - a Chicago-based trucker spotted it while driving through town. Now the chihuahua, comfy in her new sweater, is at home in Chicago and named Baby II after the trucker's other chihuahua who recently died. She even accompanies him on the road and rumor is they will back through town this week. Who says there is no good news in the newspaper?

 * ... OVERHEARD: In Costco a middle aged man asks a young woman where to find Scotch Tape. "It's over there," she responds, "and it's delicious!" "Scotch Tape?" he queries. Flustered, the woman says, "Oh, I thought you said scalloped potatoes."

* ... BELMONT PARK: Last week I mentioned that the same folks who renovated the Padre Hotel three years ago had been awarded a contract to refurbish Belmont Park In Mission Beach. Bow Porter read that and mentioned that her mother, Alice Ball, was a cashier at the facility, which she referred to simply as 'the amusement center.' "My mom was a cashier at the Plunge and the Dance Hall when the center was first developed. My dad (Bob McGetchin) was a San Diego County surveyor, and a beach boy at heart... There was a dance hall that was quite plush, with a large stage and huge dance floor, and seating area... probably cocktail tables. As a child, I remember the marathon dancers, that would dance for days at a time, staying on their feet until they fell from exhaustion. The last guy standing won. As children we peeked thru the windows as we were not allowed inside without adults." (photos courtesy of Bow Porter)

 * ... MY TAKE: I personally welcome the national conversation about violence in our society in all its forms: mental illness, the culture of violence in movies and video games and of course gun ownership. But I hope we don't believe that banning military style assault rifles and the number of rounds in a clip will stop these types of senseless killings. These types of rifles are deadly, but any ballistics expert will tell you a simple semi-automatic shotgun (the type used for bird hunting or clay sports and easy to reload) can inflict equal or even greater damage at close range. This is not an argument against the ban, but rather a thought that the problem is larger than any single weapon design. Banning assault rifles may make us all feel good, but the truth is it is almost impossible to legislate our way to a safe society.