First of all... since we have the Magic in the title, it doesn't have to be committed to Mondays, or the first SOAP meaning

Magic SOAP box Mondays started on July 5th using a social platform called Clubhouse at a local brewery.    SOAP is an an acronym originally standing for Sharing Our Amazing Potential.. but we will be using stories of pets to start.   Kelowna Brewery Company on Academy way, makes a leftovers of beer biscuit that my dog Prince and most of the horses like.   Hank (King now) is fussy.. he  often does little more than sniff at treats, so his lack of liking is not to be measured much. 

  I had heard about a contest for a commercial of a brewery that i thought would be fun to do and I had mentioned it to a friend who i knew has been a professional actor.   He told me about the app and how I might want to use it to find people who could help with the idea but also as a place to do a mock run of it and promote it.      I listened in to a few of the rooms of Clubhouse and started following some people.   Turned out one of the people i followed someone who joined my actor friend and i via Clubhouse while the actor friend and i shared beer at the brewery.     Most of the first session was used to figure out things, but we did chat a bit about reptile pets with our server (who has 2) dog supplements that can help with joint pain and the use of pets as assistants to behavior therapists.   The person from Clubhouse was someone from California who has done work with therapists.    

It was a fun outing, but now I am aiming to have a special story/ speaker that I can advertise for future nights.  Someone who might possibly start some story sharing for next sessions.    I have sent an invite to a friend who has an incredibly story of a cat that was missing for more than a couple of years but then was returned to her.  It was amazing on a few levels including how old this cat lived to be!   Never hurts to have good news and get together with good people.   Fort Socs is ultimately meant to be a place of respite and rescue and this is a bit of an outreach effort to meet folk who love furlegged and other pet friends that help us people gain perspective. 

.   The Magic SOAPbox Mondays  is meant to be a start to some potential global wave of Meetmore initiatives that stemmed from the idea that Firedrill Friday climate strikes is not proactive enough.   I had read:  

 Now, I don't know but I been told

If the horse don? t pull you got to carry the load

I don? t know, whose back' s that strong   

Maybe find out before too long  

 In a book Jane Fonda wrote about her time in Washington when she was doing Firedrill Fridays.   Turns out it is from a song called 'New Speedway Boogie' by the Grateful dead.    I had thought of pulling Steeel   from Vernon to Kelowna along the Rail Trail as a money and awareness raiser, but then realized it needed some promotion of some kind first and then it got super hot!  Steeel is a donkey made of metal that is on wheels.  It was originally a paper mache donkey named Dave.. which is really a love story between two horses.. but for another time)  I also got thinking about  how communities would be better off with people stepping out of their work or school to help at farms, senior homes, and with other families/ individuals.   We all eat, have been kids , hopefully will be seniors and have probably all grateful to have a hand once in a while.   Pets tend to be that missing link many times.     There is a definite play in words on meatless mondays as  few people would ever think about eating their pets  but few people think about the intelligence / empathy and pain the animal their food may have experienced in becoming part of their dining experience.   

The clubhouse is an iPhone exclusive app that enables users to either initiate or listen to conversations.  My handle is Silverado Socrates@fortsocs    Have been listening to some pretty amazing people on it and have spoken with a couple of them too.   Exciting times!

June 2022 follow up.   Meetmore Monday became Horseshoes in the hood!  First on Mondays in May and then literally rolled into Sundays after the flea market for June.   Has been fun with some songs/ stories/ lassoing of Steeel and bringing King/ Lady J to the Ben Lee Park in Rutland at various times.  This game is harder than it looks and I have great appreciation for those who can throw decently consistently.   It has been fun meeting people and their pets as well as walking around the park and seeing other things going on from skateboarding to wheelies on bikes.   One fella saw my guitar and wanted to play- seems he used to be in a band and it brought some great memories to him.