Frozen Lake Trail out of Sunrise, Mount Rainier National Park.
June is Great Outdoors Month. I love this month because… well… um… I love June because Mom loves June. And I love everything Mom loves. (Except broccoli. Gag me with roughage!)
Hurray for Great Outdoors Month!
Back to June. Check it out: Hiking! Frisbee tossing! Swimming! Canoeing! Frisbee chasing! Kayaking! Fishing! Frisbee-ing! Picnicking! Biking! Frisbees! The beach, the mountains, the desert, the plains!
Did I mention Frisbees?
Isn’t that a great word? Learned it from Mom the other day. As in, the 149th annual Run for the Roses is today! So debates about who was the Greatest Thoroughbred of All Time are… inevitable.
Or so I’m told.
A few other things I learned:
The “Run for the Roses” is also known as The Kentucky Derby. The Derby is always run on the first Saturday in May. It’s the first jewel in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred horse racing.
Why do I, Kimber the Magnificent, care about Thoroughbred racing? Well, I don’t. Not really. But Mom does!
She’s been reading a Walter Farley book about one of the greatest champions to ever set hooves on a race track: Man O’War. Along with legendary Triple Crown winner Secretariat, Man O’War is a top contender for Greatest Thoroughbred of All Time honors.
Back to the Farley book.
First off, this is NOT a bookish post. This is a KIMBER-ish post. So if you’re okay with that, keep reading. If not, you know what to do. As long as it doesn’t involve chocolate. Lemme explain. Like this:
The Great Almond Bark Disaster occurred one month to the day after a family member’s trip to the E.R. with anaphylaxic shock. (Hi, Lisinopril. Incidentally, 15 hours in the E.R. is a really lousy way to spend the night/next day. In case you’re wondering.)
The little stinker (the furry one) is back to her usual “I love everyone, ain’t life grand?” effervescent self today. Bein’ All Magnificent and everythin’.
Her Crankiness is still recovering.
‘Meanwhile, back at the ranch,’ one of us is So Not Interested in racking up any more emergency frequent flyer miles. Mom’s just funny that way. 🤦♀️
Reminder: NEVER give your dog chocolate. It can be deadly. Kimber was lucky. The jury’s still out on Her Crankiness.
Now if we can just get Kimber the Intrepid to the U.N. She’d have world peace figured out in no time. As long as it doesn’t involve almond bark.
What?
We will return to our regularly scheduled broadcast next time.
I know you’re all ginormously disappointed that a little furry face we all know and love isn’t kicking off today’s post. Sorry ’bout that. (Naw. Not really.) But there’s a reason I’m leading off today:
This post is about a wonderful little book I recently came across via Net Galley. It’s called Ava Loves Rescuing Animals.
Talk about a girl after my own heart!
Did you know that Kimber’s a rescue dog? Yeppers. She came to us in 2016 via a mutual friend who works at the local rescue shelter. Kimmi was ten weeks old going on 92, if ya know what I mean. She’s been an Absolute Delight ever since! (Don’t tell Kimber I said that, okay? I’ll never hear the end of it!)
So I wanted to share this delightful book with you, with a sweet furry face in mind. Here goes:
I’m a tag expert. Get the ball? I’m on it! Fetch the stick! It’s mine! Grab the Frisbee? Oh yeah! So Mom says we’re getting the tail wagging for 2023 with a January Book Tag.
“Someone say ‘Fetch’?,”
Ready to play? It’s goal-setting and challenges for the year. Aw, come on! It’ll be fun! Let’s jump on it! Ready? Set? Let’s go:
Kimber here. I’m taking over for Mom today. Cuz she’s buried in a new book. Again.
But there was this New Year thingy the other day. It’s a human thing. Big booms. Silly hats. A nice ham dinner. Bacon. Leftovers…
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. New Year’s.
It seems there’s this Reading Challenge thing around New Year’s. It makes the rounds of the reading world every January. “That’s now,” says Mom. (She’s a genius. Like me.)
Anyway, I’m supposed to ask if you are or will participate in this year’s Reading Challenge? Like, how many books do you plan to read this year?
Hello Friends!
Kimber the Magnificent here to tell you something you probably already know (if you don’t, you should):
MOM IS SERIOUSLY PAWSOME!!
She not only cooks a mean T-bone steak that’s all luscious, delicious and flavorful, mouth-watering and juicy and…
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Mom. Seriously PAWsome. As in, Bibliophile Extraordinaire and World Class Reader. Like this:
You read that right: Mom and I read 403 books in 2022. (Well, it was mostly me. But Mom chipped in. A little.)
It’s a New Personal Reading Record for most books in one year. And nope, we didn’t review every book. Cuz that’s just silly.
I’d let Mom tell ya more. ‘Cept she’s snoozing. For obvious reasons. I ‘spect she’ll wake up around spring. Or maybe later.
You gonna eat that? Askin’ for a friend.
What are your eating… I mean, reading goals for 2023?
Mom and I have cooked up something short and sweet for you today. Well, actually we cooked this up last year. But who’s counting? Besides. Ya see, one of us is being a lazy slug today (Hi, Mom). Come to think of it, I, Kimber, am a bit tuckered, too.
Mom says solitude can be hard to come by in our rush-rush, hurry up, instant everything society. Grabbing a few quiet moments to refresh and recharge can be a challenge any time. But it’s particularly tough during the holidays, huh?
So if holiday merry-making has you ready to tear your hair out or your festive feathers are a bit ruffled, this is for you.
Slow down. Grab a hot cuppa. Plop in a peppermint stick. Sit down. Put your feet up. Give Manheim Steamroller’s Stille Nacht (Silent Night) a listen. Five quiet minutes. You’ll be glad you did.
Know someone who could use a yuletide boost? Don’t forget to share!
Snowy field image credit: Public domain
You’ve heard of the Academy Awards. The Emmys, Tonys, and Golden Globes. But you may not have heard of The Biggest Bow Wow of them all:
What? You haven’t heard of this prestigious honor? Maybe that’s cuz I, Kimber, just made it up.
Well, okay. Mom helped. A little. She lobbied for “World’s Most Super Duper, Seriously Splendid, Extra Excellent, Terrifically Talented, Genuine Genius-y, and All-Around Awesome Author Awards.”
I nixed that. After all. Someone has to be the adult in the room. (Well, okay again. It was mostly me. But Mom helped a bit.)
Where was I? Oh yeah. The Kimber Awards. … Continue reading
Kimber here. I’m an expert on thanks-giving. Just ask Mom. I’m thankful for just about everything and everyone. That dropped bit of bacon. Unattended hot dogs. Belly rubs! Sea gulls! Snoozes in the sun. Walks in the woods! My favorite blanket, right next to the heating vent.
Mom says words related to “thankful” include gratitude. Appreciation. Gladness. Being at peace. Contentment. Cheer. Like me! Mom says I’m “thankfulness on four feet!” See? Told you I’m an expert.
As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I thought I’d mention a few things that make my tail wag like a pinwheel (do any of these ring a bell?):
Pages & Paws 