Dodgers – Me and the Doods.com

Stanley Is a Dodger Dog

While I was writing this post, a rare tropical storm was wreaking havoc in Southern California. Then, when I thought things couldn’t get much crazier, we had a small earthquake! I turned on the news and heard it was a 5.1 quake centered in a neighboring county. One of the reporters said it was a “gentle” quake.

ELBEE Isn’t that an oxymoron

Can you use a Dodger break?

Wednesday afternoon, the UCLA People Animal Connection had a special visit with the team. About a dozen dogs and Blue Moon, the miniature horse, brought animal therapy and love to Dodger Stadium. Like the Taylor Swift event (Henry is a Swifty ) a few weeks ago, it was a bit chaotic but fun.

There was no question which of the Doods to take. For as long as I can remember, Stanley has been a Dodger fan. When the games are on, he flops down on his spot in the family room and watches the tv. He doesn’t take his eyes off the screen.

Gus and Henry just don’t have the same enthusiasm, although when Gus met Clayton Kershaw he stared up at him adoringly.

We greeted staff, then mingled with fans who arrived early. And who can resist a photo with a giant Dodger. Well, actually, Gus had a moment a few years ago but wasn’t quite so comfortable. And Henry met him at the hospital and was terrified.

Even though it was a hot afternoon, we headed out to the warning track for a meet and greet with some of the players. Being a “grandma groupie,” that was such a treat.

ELBEE Unfortunately, one time she shared that information with manager Dave Roberts.

Several Dodgers, including Freddie Freeman and James Outman, were on the field but this photo with superstar Mookie Betts was a highlight for me.

Despite wanting to stay there and take it all in, it was still very warm so I went into the dugout to get Stanley some shade. To my delight, sitting there were former player and now announcer Nomar Garciapara along with sideline reporter Kirsten Watson.

They were both so nice but I want to give a shoutout to Kirsten. She had a small, battery operated fan, and the whole time we were chatting she held it above Stanley to help keep him cool.

A Very Copacetic Pack

A few days ago I was walking the dogs in the neighborhood when I saw a disturbing sign. Someone was looking for a home for their French Bulldog puppy because their other dog was attacking it.

Sadly, it reminded me of a time, years ago, when we had a couple of dogs that didn’t get along. It was challenging.

ELBEE For the record, I wasn’t one of them.

On the bright side, it made me incredibly grateful for the way our other dogs have bonded over the years, like Cody, a sweet Golden Retriever and Larry, an incredibly smart Aussie/Border Collie mix. They came together at a very difficult time in our lives.

It was the fall of 1995 and we were living at the beach while our house was being repaired after the Northridge earthquake. Cody had miraculously survived the devastation.

Then my brother Stan was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. After major surgery, he came to stay with us while he recuperated, bringing Larry with him. Cody and Larry connected instantly. When they weren’t running on the sand or wrestling, they sat quietly at Stan’s side or took walks up the beach with him.

My brother fought hard and even returned to work in San Francisco for awhile but lost his battle in the Summer of 1996. That’s when his beloved Larry became our beloved Larry. He and Cody comforted my brother when he was dying and then they comforted us. They were inseparable.

After Cody and Larry left us, Riley, another Golden, was our next dog. He was joined a few years later by his nephew Charley, our first Goldendoodle and my first therapy dog. Since Charley, we have been a Doodle family, adding Charley’s half brother Elbee to the mix.

ELBEE That’s all she’s going to say about me? Hello? I was a fabulous therapy dog.

Even though we had three, when Jack, my mentor at UCLA, called to see if we had room for Gus, a sweet natured Teddy Bear Doodle puppy, who needed to be rehomed, how could I say no?

Eight year old Gus, the only surviving member of that pack, is now part of a wonderfully copacetic pack that includes four year old Goldendoodle Stanley and sixteen month old Pyredoodle Henry. By virtue of his seniority, Gus should probably be the pack leader but I don’t think he wants all of the responsibility. They seem to take turns.

Whether running to greet Doug when he comes home from work, sprawled around us when we watch the Dodger games or simply sitting with their heads in our laps, the three of them offer such comfort and joy. They fill the house with unconditional love.

ELBEE Old people need that.

It’s Time for Dodger Baseball

When Vin Scully’s passing was announced during Tuesday’s Dodger game, along with millions of others, I felt as if I ‘d lost a family member. Touching tributes have been pouring in from around the world. I just wanted to add my own small note.

Anyone who’s a Dodger fan is a Vin Scully fan. He was the face and the voice of the team. The legendary broadcaster was one of my idols. Hearing him say, “It’s time for Dodger baseball,” always made me smile.

Many years ago, my late brother Stan, a television director in San Francisco, had the joy and privilege of working with Vin at a Giant’s game. What struck Stan was his ease at broadcasting.

Vin Scully was known for his storytelling. My brother said what amazed him was that Vin would be chatting with him during a break, turn around to announce the game, then turn back and pick up right where he’d left off without missing a beat.

I’d always been excited to catch glimpses of him in the announcers’ booth when I paraded around the warning track during the annual pups in the park event at Dodger Stadium. Then, thanks to Charley and Elbee, I had the chance to meet him in person.

**Pups in the Park with Charley & Elbee**

I was walking with the dogs at an upscale mall in Calabasas, when, to my delight, Vin came walking out of a store. As soon as he spotted them, I heard that familiar voice say, “Will you look at that!” For a groupie like me, it was a surreal moment.

ELBEE It’s probably totally inappropriate to comment here, but she really owes me for that one.

While he waited for his family to come out of the store, we talked dogs and Dodgers. He was even nicer than I’d hoped he’d be.

This week, during all of the accolades, I heard so many people refer to his incredible sixty seven years in the broadcast booth, beginning with the Brooklyn Dodgers. They shared fond memories of listening to him on the radio in his early days.

It brought me back to when I was a little girl in Syracuse, New York and my dad had baseball games on in the car. We didn’t have our own team, so he could easily have been listening to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

At the time, I was not really a fan so it seemed like background noise with a lot of static. Now to think that I may have heard that familiar voice all of those years ago takes my breath away.

Vin, you touched so many lives without taking credit for it. Your grace, your kindness and your humility are an inspiration. This Dodger fan thanks you.

Me and My Shadow

ELBEE It’s ironic that someone who is such a bad singer has a propensity for using song titles.

This post was going to be about Henry following Stanley around like his shadow, the same way that Stanley shadowed Elbee. To be honest, I was surprised that he followed Elbee rather than Riley, our late, very patient Golden Retriever.

ELBEE I resent that. I was a mentor extraordinaire.

Henry runs laps, plays tug-of-war and has spirited wrestling matches with both Gus and Stanley. Still, he seems to take his cues from Stanley. Even his brief puppy time outs are usually lying next to or on top of Stanley.

It’s so helpful with his training. When I’m about to head out the door with the dogs and I tell them to wait, he looks to Stanley for guidance. When someone comes into the house, instead of getting carried away with puppy exuberance, he mimics Stanley’s attitude.

As I said, that’s what I was planning to write about. Then, instead, goaded by Elbee’s voice, I began going off in a different direction. It may also be due to the stress of watching the Dodgers play.

Actually, the title song of this post, aside from relating to the dogs, has very sentimental meaning for me. My dad used to sing it when I was a kid.

We spent summers at my grandparents’ resort in the Catskill Mountain. It was like Dirty Dancing without Patrick Swayze. On weekends, my dad would emcee the hotel shows. He would often sing when he was onstage. Goodnight Irene and Me and My Shadow were two of his favorites. I can still picture him.

For so many of us, special songs entertain and bring back memories. Music has been found to be very therapeutic. At UCLA, before COVID, there was sometimes a woman in the lobby playing a harp. Leaving the neuropsych units with the dogs I would often chat with another woman who was waiting to go in and play keyboards for the patients.

There is so much laughter whenever I have the kids sing while Gus is dancing or Stanley is dancing with me. I wonder if I could take it a step further. If I really practiced, maybe took lessons, could I improve my singing? After all, my father and brother could each carry a tune. Then I could integrate it into my hospital visits with the dogs. It would be a win/win situation.

ELBEE Only if the patients were hard of hearing.

Leader of the Pack?

ELBEE Somehow that title makes me want to sing.

There is cause for celebration on the sleeping front. Instead of barking at five a.m., Henry now waits for me to come downstairs with Gus and Stanley around seven and then greets us enthusiastically. Surprisingly, Gus, who can be a diva, seems especially happy to see Henry.

GUS I’ve actually grown quite fond of him, although I don’t understand how these SHORT dogs keep ending up taller than I am.

ELBEE Poor Gus is developing a Napoleon complex.

They’re getting along so well, it’s as if they’ve formed a three-pack.

ELBEE A three-pack? Seriously?

When a friend asked me who was the leader of the pack, I really had to think about it. There was no Elbee in charge.

ELBEE And there never will be another one quite like me.

In the house, Henry takes his lead from Gus and Stanley. Although I’d like to take the credit, it’s mostly due to them that he’s does commands like sit, down and stay. He likes to cuddle next to them for naps and waits with them when it’s time to eat.

When the plumber Pete was here the other day, instead of being goofy puppy, Henry greeted him calmly with the other two and relaxed with them while Pete worked.

ELBEE And that is interesting, why?

I think I would have to say that Stanley is the “indoor” pack leader. Henry is particularly attached to him, sometimes too attached. He follows him from room to room like a shadow. I have even caught Henry watching a Dodger game next to him.

The reason I said “indoor” is because once the dogs are out in the yard it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s Henry’s time to play and he wants the other two involved. He turns into everyone’s nightmare of a personal trainer.

He barks in Gus’s face until Gus finally gets up and runs with him. Barking won’t work with Stanley, so he sits on him or hangs from his hair.

GUS He is keeping me in fabulous shape.

STANLEY If he makes one more spit ball out of my hair I may lose it, but my hundred yard dash has really improved.

Henry won’t stop until they’re all chasing each other around, wrestling or playing tug-of-war. When they’re finally worn out, they collapse near each other on the grass.

When you bring a new puppy into the mix, it’s a lot of work and you never know quite what to expect. You just hope and try for the best. I am so happy for the way that Henry has fit in with Gus and Stanley. During these still uncertain times, watching them together has brought so much joy and laughter.

Traditionally Nontraditional

In the past I’ve written about my exploits on Yom Kippur, a biggie in the Jewish religion, the holiest day of the year.

ELBEE I don’t think that “exploits” is the appropriate term here. And “biggie?”

It’s a day of atonement, reflection and remembrance. Traditionally observant people fast and spend most of the day in temple, some stream services on line. Nontraditional people watch Dodger games, hike and take their dogs to the vet. Perhaps I should explain.

GUS & STANLEY She really should.

The Dodgers are in a tight race with the Giants in their division so they need all the fan support they can get. It was the eve of Yom Kippur, barely dark out, so I was almost in the clear. And would they have won without me watching?

In the morning I hiked up to my favorite overlook in the Santa Monica Mountains, my sanctuary, my spiritual place. As I sat on a boulder, with hawks soaring over the canyon, memories washed over me of some very special people who left us way too soon.

My parents passed in their forties so I see them as young and vibrant. I can picture my dad emceeing shows at my grandparents’ Catskill resort. I can see my mother’s knowing smile when I was up to something. I think she realized that I was going to marry Doug before I did.

In the silence of the mountains, I can almost hear my brother Stan’s laughter. He could light up a room. A TV director, he put everyone in the studio at ease, from stars to stagehands. He passed away from cancer at forty seven.

My dearest friend Eileen is another person I celebrate on Yom Kippur. We loved, understood and supported each other. Since Eileen’s ashes are in the ocean along with my brother’s, her kids and I have made it a holiday tradition to drive to the beach and place flowers in the sand for them. It’s our way of saying Yizkor, the prayer for the deceased.

Since I am not going to lie about Yom Kippur, I have another confession.

ELBEE She’s probably hoping to get dispensation from a rabbi.

Instead of making the pilgrimage to the beach, I took all of the Doods for their vaccines. In my defense, with COVID and lots of people adopting pets, it’s very difficult to get an appointment, let alone three. I made them weeks ago and had no idea they fell on the holiday.

When my cousin Janet shared that she had watched services on line, I felt a slight twinge of guilt. When she admitted that while she was watching she was also texting, knitting and drinking coffee, I felt so much better.

Canine Cupids…Past and Present

Valentines Day is a special event at UCLA Medical Center. Traditionally, the dogs in the People Animal Connection deliver gifts and hand made cards to patients and staff. Decked out in festive attire, they bring the holiday to the hospital.

On one occasion, Gus and his valentine Lola rode around in a red wagon filled with cards. Just last February, which now seems so long ago, Gus and his buddies Tommy and Finley cheered up an adolescent girl who’d been in and out of the hospital for years. Who would ever have believed that would be one of our last visits before COVID-19 shut down their in-person cuddles.

This year, sadly, the visits had to be virtual. On the bright side, they were going to include Dodgers and robots. As a huge fan, I’ll settle for even virtual Dodgers. Wasn’t sure about the robots.

Since it was going to be on Zoom, my first concern was how do we dress to impress.

ELBEE Seriously?

Should we go with traditional valentine ensembles? Dodger blue? Robo chic?

ELBEE She googled “robot chic.”

On the big day, I settled on Dodger blue with valentine accents. Unfortunately, when I signed on, my only Dodger contact was a virtual glimpse of a player’s face as a robot in a blue and white shirt rolled by.

ELBEE I am so confused.

We spent the morning visiting patients on iPads with Paula, her dogs Windy and Georgia, plus Abbey and Gus’s valentine Lola.

GUS Lola looked fabulous.

This all sounds so crazy but it’s the norm right now. We stopped in to see a few toddlers and then a slightly older boy who understood what was going on better than I did. At least we were able to bring a little happiness to the kids, their parents and the staff.

In the afternoon we had a holiday Zoom meeting for the UCLA volunteers. As part of the presentation, Jen from PAC did a slide show of special valentine moments with the dogs, past and present.

I couldn’t help but smile as the photos, set to music, rolled by. Then I had a deeper emotional response. I wanted so badly to bring Gus and Stanley into the hospital to make the toddlers giggle. I also thought about Valentines Days with Charley and Elbee.

More important than all of the costumes and cards is the unconditional love of the dogs. Let’s hope that next year the in person presence of our canine cupids will light up the halls again.

October Joy

First of all, I have to say thank you to the Lakers. They won the championship and brought some much needed joy to this pandemic world. Paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna made the celebratory moment even more special.

Now it’s up to the Dodgers. Watching them come back from being down three games to one to reach the World Series was a nerve wracking treat for all of us fans. As I share this, they’re up three games to one over the Tampa Bay Rays. Let’s hope they’ll play their way to victory.

October twelfth marks fifty one years that my mother has been gone. She was another shining star, dimmed too soon.

ELBEE And that is joyous how?

The positive part is that on that particular day the husband was cleaning out some cabinets (a plus in itself) and found an ancient photo album that somehow I don’t remember ever having seen. There were incredible black and white photos of my parents as young lovers.

There were also lots of pictures of me which I’m not sharing. Unfortunately, they were proof of something I’d heard over the years. I was truly an unattractive baby. I think it was my brother who spilled the beans and he was probably the one who hid the album.

ELBEE I saw them. He was doing her a favor.

Another positive is that the weather has turned grey and cloudy. You may be asking yourself how is that a good thing.

ELBEE Exactly

Well, the temperature has come down too so the dogs and I have been doing lots of walking. Despite the masks and social distancing, it’s comforting to run into familiar people. It’s like being in a small town.

One man said that he was so happy to see us because the dogs and I were a fixture in the neighborhood. I’m not exactly sure if that’s a good thing. Then I had a very special encounter with a woman who called and waved to me from a parking lot as we were passing by.

She began by thanking me. She’d had health issues over the years and the dogs and I had come to see her in the hospital. She had never forgotten those visits because they meant so much to her.

As we stood and talked, I couldn’t help but think that here we were, two relative strangers, engaged in a very deep exchange. With all of the anger and divisiveness in this country, it didn’t matter who we were or what we believed.

I think that sometimes we get so involved with issues that we forget our basic humanity. The dogs are a unifying factor. Just as the hospital visits resonated with her, her gratitude resonates with me.

Drag Queens and Dodgers and Dogs, Oh My!

If I were to ask you to guess what the Doods and I did last Sunday afternoon and you said drag queen bingo, you’d be right!

The UCLA People Animal Connection holds an annual volunteer appreciation luncheon. With COVID-19 making that impossible this year, they held a virtual volunteer appreciation bingo brunch.

I have to admit when I first scanned the email, I wasn’t too excited. I’m really not much of a bingo fan.

ELBEE Hate so say it but she’s right. Bingo can be sort of a snooze.

Then I reread it and saw that it was going to feature Charlie Hides, drag queen extraordinaire as the caller. Now that was a whole different story.

I logged in on bingo day and there she was in all of her cotton candy hair and fabulous make-up glory. She was pure energy and fun.

As a plus, she’s a dog lover and a true believer in pet therapy. She was as delighted with our group as we were with her.

We didn’t just play bingo we did classic dances. We laughed at her constant banter as we joined in on head, shoulders, knees and toes, the chicken dance and YMCA. Gus and Stanley were right there dancing along with me.

ELBEE Classic dances?

Out of curiosity, I asked if she’d ever been on RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’m a huge fan. Not only was Charlie on the show but she was the oldest contestant ever. We were stunned when she shared that she was over fifty!

ELBEE Her skin was amazing.

As if that wasn’t great enough for the week, the Doods had a major Dodger moment. Fans haven’t been allowed in the stadiums during this season of the pandemic, so cardboard cutouts are taking their place. Cutouts of Gus, Stanley and some of their PAC buddies are now gracing the stands at Dodger Stadium.

As someone who once told Dodger manager Dave Roberts that I was a “granny groupie,” I was thrilled. The baseball season has been shortened but I am grateful for every game I’ve watched, especially the winning ones.

Seeing cardboard Gus and Stanley sitting in the stands is crazy. It’s definitely a far cry from pups in the park when you can bring your real dog to a game. Still, they are there in spirit representing all of us at UCLA Health.

During this challenging year of illness, isolation and discord, we need to celebrate the positive whenever it’s possible. Whether it’s a fabulous drag queen bringing us together in laughter or our favorite baseball team winning the division, those moments are gifts in this most difficult of times.

ELBEE RuPaul and the Dodgers? Someone has very eclectic taste.

A Triple Header

ELBEE For the record, the last baseball triple header was in 1920!

Recently, with my growing Zoom expertise, I was excited to have Gus and Stanley do a virtual visit for some of the UCLA nurses. I confidently signed in and then it happened. I couldn’t unmute the sound. The nurses were very kind and acted as if they were happy just to see Gus and Stanley but I was embarrassed.

ELBEE It was an epic fail.

Very concerned because I had three meetings scheduled for this past Wednesday, I turned to my tech support team.

ELBEE That would be the youngest daughter, her four old and and her seven year old.

They did some trouble shooting and went so far as to set up a test Zoom conference. It seemed like things were back on track but I was still nervous signing in for our first Wednesday visit, the kids in the UCLA neuropsych units.

Sure enough, I logged in early and my computer started acting up again. Fortunately, Jen from the People Animal Connection helped me though it. By the time the kids joined us, I was talking loud and clear. The kids are so honest, I can only imagine if there were glitches. For instance, one little boy immediately wanted to know why Stanley’s beard was brown.

ELBEE I had the same issue when I drank water.

Our second meeting was with the Mattel Ambassadors Program, a wonderful group of about 50 teens interested in going into medicine. Three PAC teams plus some of the staff were there to talk to the kids about the work of the hospital therapy dogs. I was thrilled when it was my turn and they could actually hear me.

The third meeting was “yappy” hour. All of the PAC members (including dogs) are invited to a virtual cocktail party with drink of choice. It’s a great way to reach out while social distancing. It’s reassuring to know that we’re all is this together. None of us have been able to bring our dogs into the hospital since March. Just one more challenge in this time of challenges.

What better way to end this triple header of a day than with a Dodger game. It’s a crazy, shortened COVID-19 season, but it’s still a season. There are no fans in the stands, but for fans like me, watching the games on tv and hearing the reassuring banter of Orel Hershiser and Joe Davis brings a kind of normalcy. As a bonus, that night, the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 7-6.

The next morning, coincidentally, Vin Scully, long time announcer and one of my personal idols, was doing a spot on the radio. When he ended with his classic, “It’s time for Dodger baseball,” it bought a huge smile to my face.