Tuckered Out and a Giveaway

 

 

Christmas with Tucker **** by Greg Kincaid

 

 

I’m ending 2011 on the same note as 2010. . .Tuckered out and ready for a nap or the very least, curling up in a chair with a good book (or twelve :) for a month. . .

 

 

I posted this edible review for Food for Thought last December after our White Christmas. Here it is again~ and I’m offering a chance to win this Chloe & Gracie-approved tail :) along with some canine treats to wrap up the Holiday Season!

 

 

I’m happy to report that Food for Thought is starting back in January with pre-selected books to review throughout the year! If you’d like to join in the fun, you can email Jain or me for a list of books to review and dates.  

It will be fun reading with a playful purpose again :)

 

 

 

“It is the winter of 1962, and Kansas is hit with one of the worst blizzards in its history. It is during this cruel season that twelve-year-old George is called upon to endure more than even most grown men could withstand—the death of his father and the upkeep of the family that his legacy. When his mother and sisters leave for Minnesota, George has only his grandparents and the companionship of Tucker, an Irish setter, to help him persevere through these most difficult challenges. Can he find the strength to walk the road that leads to healing, find his true self, and ultimately become a man? A coming-of-age story for readers of all ages, Christmas with Tucker is a classic Christmas tale about a young man’s love for his dog, his family, and his farm.”

 

 

Young George has a lot on his plate with his responsibilities helping out on his grandparents’ farm. Snow days may mean a break from school, but there is no rest for the weary on a dairy farm. . .

 

 

Dairy cows require lots of water, with each cow consuming 25 – 50 gallons of water a day depending on the weather. When the electricity goes out and their stock tanks freeze, their next available source of water is a pond that needs to be ice-free so they aren’t trapped by the ice in their search for water & drown.

 

 

I hung my glittery snowflakes on the tree for a snowy effect for this review. . . not dreaming we would be gifted with a White Christmas, the first one here since 1947.

 

 

Our snow started Christmas Day and continued through the following day~ quickly melting~ but not before providing me with an opportunity to photograph some snowy barn scenes. . .

 

 

 

“There was this vague but growing conclusion settling in my young mind that life does not always bestow upon us everything we want or think we should have. We are forced to move away from hoping others will give up what we want, to a new place where we must discover how to find happiness on our own. Santa was the last vestige of youth where all our wants are magically delivered by some other.”

 

 

“It was like being in the middle of a really great Zane Grey novel, and when I got to page 100, just as I victoriously led my mare over the top of the windswept hill after outwitting the bad guys, someone switched in fifty pages of the bleakest scenes by Charles Dickens and messed up my perfectly good life.”

 

 

“Farm boys operate machinery, big machinery, by the time they were thirteen, and I was no exception. I’d learned to drive a tractor as soon as I was tall enough to reach the pedals.”

 

 

“He kept the harness and the old horse-drawn blade stored in the implement shed along with other McCray prized possessions: an International Harvester and a Massy Ferguson tractor, plows, cultivators, seed drills, rotary and sickle-bar mowers, hay rakes and balers.”

 

 

“My guess was he kept the horses and old blades around for a reason. If the maintainer ever broke, he was prepared to clear the roads with the horses, though by 1962 they were far too old to do the job. If the horses couldn’t pull the blades, he owned countless shovels and we would get at it one scoop at a time.”

 

 

George’s grandmother bakes chocolate chip cookies to fortify him for his wintry weather chores~

 

 

“He backed a few feet away from me and started barking, demanding that I play with him. I started to run away, hoping he would chase after me, but he was so excited that he set out circling the house at full speed, his big, floppy, red ears going up and down as he bounded by me. I wondered if doggie Christmas had arrived early for this pooch.”

 

 

“His warm body helped me feel safe and secure. I pulled him close to me, buried my face in his coat, and realized that all I could do was hunker down and get through the winter. I would have to accept that things did not always turn out the way they should. Maybe that was the new rule.”

 

 

The author, Greg Kincaid is a pet-adoption advocate who lives on a farm in eastern Kansas with his wife, two cats, and two dogs, including Rudy adopted from a local shelter. My searches for adoptable dogs on Petfinder not only pulled at my heartstrings, but led me to search for dogs named Tucker that ultimately landed me on Dogster.

 

Dogster lets you create a profile for your dog, upload a photo and show off your pooch. The most popular pet-based social network with nearly half a million visitors each month, you can find advice on dogs, connect with other dog owners, find a breeding partner and even adopt a new dog. Shhhh, don’t tell Chloe & Gracie there’s a place in cyberspace to receive virtual bones & make friends :-)

My search led me to 1,201 dogs named Tucker on Dogster. . .let me introduce you to a few of them~

 

 

Blazes of Glory Tuckers~

 

 

The Toy Group~

 

 

Tuckered out Tuckers. . .

 

 

The Sporting Group . . .

 

 

I’m dreaming of a White Tucker. . .

 

 

To find adoptable pets near you, visit Petfinder.com.

 

 

Just mention in a comment if you’d like a chance to win a copy of Christmas with Tucker.

 A winner will be chosen December 31^st.

Happy Reading & Bone Appetite!

 

 

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