Five Stars for Doubletake (Amazon)

***** 5.0 out of 5 stars

 Very well done September 15, 2012

By Teresa Huddleston-garcia

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I grew up with horses, and when I was young, "Black Beauty" was still one of those books that everyone was recommending to horse lovers. So when I picked up Jumping Into Danger, I was looking forward to a horse book that gave the feel of the horse. I was not disappointed.

I particularly like how the author describes the horses moving. One is described as moving "like milkweed floss beside the heavier Rebel" which is a perfect description of how a horse just floats through the air when confident in taking jumps, and an excellent comparison in the way two horses move. The author's background shows in this book, and she really captures the excitement of meeting a new horse.

The story has a balance of fun and mystery, which builds. And, like your typical kids, the main characters embark on an exploration fit for Nancy Drew (another childhood favorite). It also moves fast, giving a thrilling experience. I also really loved seeing the interpersonal relations, and especially Jessica's sharing of her horse. This book teaches great sportsmanship, a perfect thing for a son or daughter to read since the lessons are so natural.

There was one scene that I want to particularly highlight, which got me a bit teary-eyed. The author does a very good job of depicting a horse that has suffered abuse, and I applaud her for this, because it is a very real issue that needs looking at. This abused horse has been rescued and is being cared for at a farm, in the story, and the main character assists in helping Star (the horse) adjust to her new, safe, life. I won't spoil it by saying just how, but it had my tearing and grinning like a twelve yearold.

I really loved the ending too. She really tied this up neatly. I was on the edge of my seat for the end, straining forward like a racehorse myself.

As with any book out there, I did come across a few typos, but these were extremely minor, and it did not kick in until I was several pages past them, and typos are something that cause a lot of hangups for me when reading. So it really speaks for the storyline that I was able to read over them without any mental bumps. The story flows that smoothly.

Needless to say, I loved this book. So if you are looking for a good short read, this might be what you are looking for. It's got meat, it's got flair, and you can read it in a day if you don't have too many interruptions (I started over again, just to be able to time it).

From the Cat's Mouth

Human post pictures where they look younger, so here is one of me when I first adopted my people.

Hi, it's me again. My owner has been busy working on her other books (something about YA paranormal or something, it doesn't have a cat it it, though it does have a dog, so I am not interested). She has been totally immersed in her project, so she has been out of it more than usual.

I didn't actually know that she could get even more spacey, but, hey, even cats aren't perfect (don't you dare tell anyone I said that). I learn things new about humans every day.

The other day she actually put the little rat-dog thing in the back yard. That little nuisence was small enough to squeeze out of the fence and ran away.

So, I went and caught the dog and brought her home and yelled at the door until they let us back in the house.

"See?" I told her. "Now I had to save your dog. Do I have to do everything in this household."

She was gracious enough to concede that I had saved her little rat. She said, "Good job, Jade."

Obviously, she forgot I was not a dog.

A Public Service Announcement from the Cat

I am in the closet, typing on my owner's computer. I have been reading her blog, and I know what she has been saying about me.

Though there is some truth in her libelous words against me, I must clarify our situation.

I lived in a beautiful apartment when I was a kitten. It was complete with an older cat for me to chase, a baby for me to hide from, and an owner who doted on me. I spent my days hiding under the couch.

My owner made the serious faux pas (or, in my case faux paw) or mentioning to the landlords that my mother was a Bengal, that illustrious breed of only semi-domesticated cats that are so much more beautiful, intelligent, and lethal than all the other breeds. The landlords could not take the competition of beautiful me (they only WISH they could purr) and so I put an ad up for myself on Craigslist.

Three people came in response to the ad. Well, three and a half people, actually. The female human was grossly pregnant. I mean, even her feet were swollen. I have no tolerance for humans who let themselves slip like that.

I could see that the man and the two young children desperately needed my help. She wasn't good enough for them. She obviously was too busy popping out hairless kittens to do a proper job of caring for the kittens she had. (I should mention that I should have taken the warning signs and had her spayed right away. We cats need to make sure we spay our females early on!)

So, I adopted them.

I immediately set to raising my young humans. The older boy needed some serious grooming, so I set myself the task of licking him clean as he slept, as any good mother would. She didn't do it. Her idea of a bath was sticking them in a huge basin of water! I am not lying!

The younger of the two needed some serious discipline. Oh, who am I kidding, he looked delicious, so I practiced my hunting skills on him. It's not like they were useful to anyone else.

When I went into heat I bathed myself beautifully, and pranced in front of the handsome and obviously available male, the human man. (Don't judge me, you know what it is like to go into heat.) I could tell he liked me better than the odious female, but he wasn't willing to abandon her with kittens all by herself.

Then She did the unforgivable.

She had me spayed.

Seriously. I was cast into a crate, drugged, cut open, and lost all the dignity and hope for kittens I could have had. It was cruel revenge on her part. I know she saw me snuggling with her mate!

I decided to sit down and give her the real run down. She was only welcome in my house as a pet. She could pop out kittens for me to raise, but the man was mine. The kittens were mine. All subsequent dogs, cats, and chickens were mine.

So, you can take Her spin on it, but what I am doing here is an act of gracious service! I am raising these poor hairless kittens.

It is a thankless job.

I must return the computer before She finishes suckling our latest offspring.

Once he is weaned, he will be mine, just like all the rest.

Purrfully Yours,

Jade

A Freebie!

Crash Course is FREE today! Enjoy!

Striding Forward

I got Strider for an English saddle.

The same saddle would have gotten me maybe $60 at the auction. It was a really narrow close contact saddle and was the cause of a hip injury that gave me years of pain. It was also the first saddle I had ever owned. I bought it around the time I brought Pacem, my first horse, home.

Strider was a case of love at first sight. He was huge and shaggy, like a woolly mammoth, not a horse. He was so thin you could have hung horseshoes from his hip bones. His muscles were so deteriorated that he could barely move.

He was headed to slaughter the next day.

I fell in love with him. I had to have him. He was so special, so wonderful.

The broker let me have him for the price of a saddle. He assumed that Strider wouldn't survive the drive to the processor. Strider was, he said, about seventeen years old, and had spent the last several years penned in a tiny stall as the muck pile grew, never getting enough to eat.

He was so huge, he really didn't fit in our trailer, but he was so good and sweet that we got him home in one piece.

Strider was such a sweet boy. When the farrier came to pull his shoes and give him a trim, taking two vertical inches off each hoof, he was terrified. That huge horse buried his face in my chest and closed his eyes. He trusted that I wouldn't let anything happen to him.

Strider was the bottom of the pecking order. Even the tiny Shetland pony we had would boss him around. He was a ham. He would 'give up and die', lying on the ground with his tongue sticking out.

Getting muscle and fat at his age, with the way all his muscles had atrophied, was a huge task. Once he gobbled down his special vitamin and senior feed mix so quickly that he choked. I was frantic. I called twenty-three local vets that night. Not one would come out, not one bothered to tell me that horses won't choke to death. He was fine, eventually.

He improved. I would climb on a stack of hay bales to get into his saddle. I would just wander around with him. We trusted each other. I'm barely 5'2", he was 19hh of fuzzy Belgian... we must have seemed an odd pair, but we understood each other.

Eventually Strider was adopted by someone who fell in love with him as hard as I did. He took one look at my boy and whispered, "Who is THAT?"

It was meant to be.

Months later I got a call. Strider had a stroke. He was paralyzed. They had to euthanize him.

On the phone, this stranger and I wept together, me a twenty year old girl, him a man in his forties. Both of us had just loved this horse.

Sometimes I wonder if I will see him after I die. I was only part of his life for a few months. I hope I will get to see him healthy and happy.

He will bury his face in my chest and I will scratch under that thick golden mane. It will feel like home.

When Dogs Look Like Rats to Cats

Korra

Harold

Harold: DIIIIIEEEE RAT!

Korra: I am not a rat, I am a dog.

Harold: Are you sure? You look exactly like a rat.

Korra: I am sure. See? I can growl.

Harold: So can I.

Korra: I am a dog. I swear. I can chase you if that will prove it.

Harold: That won't be necessary.

Korra: So? You believe me?

Harold: DIIIIIEEEE DOG!

Korra

This is Korra. Please excuse her pound mugshot. My two year old decided our camera needed swimming lessons in the kiddie pool. Don't recognize the name? You're not familiar with the REAL Avatar (as in Airbenders, not blue people)? Off you go, don't come back until you can tell me who Korra is, and... um... why there are conveniently a lot of flying bison all of a sudden.

Back? Good.

Korra came from the pound. She was a birthday wish from my boys and supposedly could help with one son's anxiety. So far it looks pretty good. He now has a way to calm himself when he worries. He just holds her and feels better.

She's a Chihuahua/Min Pin cross, which means she doesn't shake all of the time (just some of it) and she is really social.

She's also currently very sick. She got kennel cough at the pound. That's really common. I don't think I have ever rescued a pet from there who hasn't ended up with kennel cough.

There are mixed feelings about her in the family. Jade, the cat, is all for keeping her. Harold, the orange cat, suspects she might be a ROUS. The two big dogs think she is an evil alien from the planet Zurg.

The cutest thing about her would probably be her tail. It curls just like a pig tail. In fact, I wanted to name her Peppa or Miss Piggy, but I was vetoed. In the end it was between Toph, Kitara, and Korra. (You still don't know what I am talking about? For shame!)

Korra won. It's kind of hilarious because now #2's First Grade teacher things we named our dog after her...(Corrie).

 So far she has pretty much just been a really sick little dog. She sleeps in our (dirty) laundry basket. She also apparently doesn't eat or go to the bathroom. We have been tempting her with all kinds of good thinks, but it was an empty effort until today.

Eventually she will "go" outside when we are on our frequent outings.

Not in the back with Beauty Lightyear and Buzz Red, of course. They would destroy her and her home planet.