Daily Delights - For the LOVE of Doggies!

NO. I. do. not. want. a. bath! Seriously though, don't we all wish that our fury friends could talk rather than just squeak, squeal, squawk, whine and yip? I can handle when my best friends' one-year olds do this because at least they will learn to talk eventually, but with critters I am perpetually stuck attempting ESP. But even worse than that? They can't talk to us, but they can still think! Sure, they don't understand human language the way we do so don't think in an internal monologue that we'd understand, but that doesn't mean they don't have their own internal monologue. Is there a doggy equivalent to "is she really wearing that?!", "did she really just say that?!" or worse, the "damn I hate that b*%#" as you're walking away?

My favorite insight into life with the four-legged kind is Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain. Whether you're an animal lover or not, it is extremely difficult to not fall in love with Enzo. But reading this novel comes with a warning: don't start until you're ready to not stop! If you are like me and fall instantly in love, you will be laughing, crying, burning your dinner because you forgot it was even cooking and then looking over to see that it is now 3am and you have finished the book....and may even feel like re-reading in the very next day!

Following Atticus - Quirky, Inspirational, Heartwarming and Oh-So-Memorable!

Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the world of 'feel good' stories, this one is tops. In a time where too many people do not take the time to smell the roses anymore, Tom Ryan not only realized that he was one of them, but he took the steps necessary to change that. With the help of his adorable and adventures miniature schnauzer, Atticus, Tom decided to tackle all of 48 of the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire's White Mountains and prove that "if an overweight middle-aged fellow with a fear of heights and a twenty pound miniature schnauzer could hike the 4,000 footers, nearly anyone could".

Not only did Tom find the love he had been looking for himself through his friendship with Atticus, he was able to share it with us so that we can fall as much in love with this little dog as he has. Tom treats Atticus the way he would want to be treated, encouraging him to be himself so that they can be successful together. Several times throughout this novel, I found myself thinking of Enzo from The Art of Racing in the Rain - Atticus cames across as almost human in Tom's descriptions, and I can picture Atticus and Enzo in front of the television, arguing over whether to watch auto racing or Nat Geo (except of course that Atticus would like be out hiking and not watching television!).

Tom is openly candid about his faults, his families faults and the faults of just about everyone around him, but he writes it in an honest and sincere way that does not offend, but just lends more weight and substance to his already inspiring story. He is not trying to tell us he is perfect, or that he expects anyone else to be. Instead, through simple but moving lines like "Magic is where you find it; the only thing that matters is that you take the time to look for it", he is telling us to be the best that we can be.

This is a 5 star story for me, but my only qualm is the 3 star writing (hence my 4 star rating). While much of the writing is straighforward, humorous, candid and easy to absorb, a few things keep hanging me up. First, and while I know this is not personal or likely intentional, he has a knack for repeating key items a few too many times, making the reader feel as though the expectation is that we won't be able to remember something told to us 3, 4, 5 times already. Second, his flair for the dramatic is a bit overboard in a few areas, such as the foreshadowing of "big" events to come that seem to appear at the end of at least every other chapter.

Overall, a fantasitc read that I would recommend for anyone who loves dogs, loves the outdoors, likes to see the best in people, or just wants some good old fashioned inspiration and reminder of the power of the human spirit.

View all my reviews

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


To say I loved this book is an understatement. I started dinner last night and then curled up on the couch to start this book while it simmered. Next thing, with my nose firmly buried in a book, I have completely forgotten dinner and it's burned to heck. Pause for a quick kitchen clean and nose back to book. Next thing I realize after that, through unstoppable sobs, is that it is now 11:45pm, completely dark and past bedtime, and I've just finished and closed the book.



This story is told by a human thinking dog named Enzo, and chronicles his life from puppyhood with Denny Swift, an aspiring race car driver, and eventually Denny's wife Eve and daughter Zoe. At times you forget that Enzo is a dog because he seems so insightful and observant but this is the very thing that snaps you back to realizing he is a dog....a person would never get away with much of the commentary he makes because people don't seem to like truth if it isn't what they want to hear, but truth is what Enzo is dishing out.



The "racing in the rain" is the backbone of the book's metaphors, beginning with Denny's excellent abilities at handling a race car on the wet track and the insights on this skill and other racing tidbits that he shares with Enzo over the years. Enzo then uses such insights as "when your eyes go, your car goes" and "that which you manifest will be" to remind us how very similar our lives are to the art of racing in the rain. The metaphors are intelligent, insightful, philisophical and simple enough to just sit and ponder without being down and insulting.



This is an amazing book, and one that I almost feel compelled to pick up and start reading over again today....but I might wait until dinner is off the stove this time....



View all my reviews

Monday UnDay

 

There must always be a time for a detour from even the most wonderful things like books and stories....so, it shall be Monday, the UnBook day.

Today's random thoughts? Mud Season! Hence, we meet one of my favorite dogs out there, Arthur. The Arthur is a chow/lab/rot and the happy companion of my best friend Jayne. More importantly, he's not to be confused with his step-brother, the deer-dog Artie. Yes, my best friend and her husband have Arthur and Artie, adopted from the Steamboat Springs Animal Shelter within a week of each other, gave them nearly matching names, and all of this about a month before Jayne and Alex met. Awwww, so cute and meant to be, right? Yeah, pretty much. In addition to the serendipitous(and crazy!) pups, they now have Reesa, their adorable 17-month old daughter.

This time of year always makes me think of my best friend and her family because Jayne is always cold. In the dead of winter, she wears more layers than should be humanly possible, with not a care in world about whether they match. Proof? I made her a camo bacalava for Christmas a few years back, which she happily showed off along with the 12 other colors she was currently wearing to ski(it's very hard to find that many coordinating layers....). The best part? I don't think I've ever heard her complain about being cold....she just says "it's cold!" with a very sweet smile and distinctive laugh, then proceeds to put on the next layer. That's just how she is. Positive, sweet, caring, and honest to goodness GOOD(yes, there are still some of them left out there, and no, you can't have her for your best friend! :o)

That's why I get sappy this time of year....things are melting, grass is showing, she can shed some layers and actually be able to move her arms enough to throw a stick at the dogs(I say at in a good way....Artie is blind as a bat and usually runs himself right into something instead of catching it), and she has real, live smile. She gets bubbly and excited that it will be WARM soon. We play outside. We walk around town. We play yard games. We relish the fact that "Look!! I have a yard!! I almost forgot after it disappeared for 6 months!!". We ride our bikes...until the dogs knock us over.

I love springtime because it makes me think of my friends, and the way everyone lights up with the sunshine lights up. It's a fleeting moment in the mountains, where summer is 3 months and winter feels like 11. But, it's almost here!!

Til then....time to play in the mud! 

Miss ya JRock and the Art-pups, it's your turn to visit! :o)