Fido and Friend in Five: Kathryn Erskine and Fletcher!

Kathy Erskine, author of National Book Award winner, Mockingbird, was one of the first authors to visit Fido and Friend back in March of 2011, with her dog Maxine.

 Since then, Kathy wrote another best-selling book, The Absolute Value of Mike, and, sadly, lost her precious Maxine.

But times moves on. All dog lovers must have a dog in their lives, while they hold their past dogs in their hearts. It's what our dogs would want from us to honor them: to open our hearts and our arms and our homes to another dog. And that's what Kathy has done. This past year, she and her family welcomed a new dog into their lives, a most handsome Labradoodle named Fletcher.

Kathy Erskine has also written a new book, Seeing Red, which will hit bookstore and library shelves in late September! Seeing Red is the story of twelve-year-old Red Porter, a kid growing up in the early 1970's in small town Virginia. Red recently lost his daddy and everything has changed. Before his daddy died, he was happy just to work in their family garage with him. Now he considers himself the man of the house, even if his mother and brother don't quite see it that way. His relationship with his friends becomes strained, and then there's some family secrets that come to light. As with all her books, Kathy has written another powerful book about family and friendship. This is one I can't wait to read!

Aren't you done yet?

1. How did you and Fletcher find each other?  For the first time ever, we went to a breeder. My daughter seems to have developed allergies so we wanted a Labradoodle, and it's very hard to find one at a shelter or rescue organization, although we tried.

Tired, happy dog!

2. What makes Fletcher's tail wag?  Going to the dog park, playing with neighborhood dogs, attention from anyone, playing fetch, treats of all kinds.

3.  If Fletcher could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  I think he would like me to sit at my computer less. He sometimes sits there and stares at me, and then starts rifling through my inbox. That's when I know it's time to play!

4. What's your all-time favorite dog book?  Well, since I've answered this before and there are so many great dog books out there, I picked your latest, The Dogs of Winter. Talk about a powerful story! And the fact that it's based on a true event--wow! Given how much I love dogs, it's surprising I haven't put one in a novel yet. I'm sure I will, but they may not be stars, like your dogs, Bobbie! (aw shucks)

5. In just five words, tell us what Fletcher means to you:  Activity, laughter, friendship, kisses, joy.

To smell you is bliss...

Thanks so much to the lovely Kathryn Erskine and her new BFF, Fletcher, for spending some time with us today on Fido and Friend in Five. To find out more about Kathy and to read her blog, visit her website!

Fido and Friend in Five: Annemarie, Zola and Zar!

Annemarie O'Brien

Tim Jessel's gorgeous cover!

Annemarie O'Brien and I go way back on the long, and sometimes, arduous road to publication. We first met around 2006 at Nancy Sondel's amazing Pacific Coast Children's Workshop, one of the very few writer's conferences just for folks who write fiction for middle grader's and teens. Neither of us had published--yet. She was deep into Vermont College's
 Master's program in writing for children and young adults; I had just written my first novel, The Ring, and was impatient to get published. We met several times again at Nancy's PCCW. While I railed against the rules and difficulties of getting an agent, much less an editor, Annemarie patiently worked and refined her skills and manuscript.

And now here we are! Annemarie's debut novel, Lara's Gift, will hit the bookstores on August 6th, and my humble little blog is the first stop in her blog tour! As she said, it just seems fitting.

Lara's Gift is a beautifully crafted story set in Imperial Russia about the love and devotion between a young girl and her dog. And this is not just any dog: Zar is a borzoi, the hunting dogs of the Tsar himself. Lara is being groomed to do what her family has done for generations: run Count Vorontsov's kennel which provides these stately and noble dogs to the Tsar. The borzois and Lara have a special connection, one that both frightens her and makes her proud, a gift that her father views as an abomination. Will Lara be able to convince her father it is her destiny to run the kennel? Will she be able to convince him that even though Zar is the runt of the litter, he has the courage and heart worthy of a Tsar? The ever-stingy Kirkus reviews gave Lara's Gift a starred review, describing the book as "engrossing and powerful."

Annemarie is able to write so convincingly about Russia and borzois in Lara's Gift because she once lived and worked in the former Soviet Union, and she shares her life with two borzoi, Zola and Zar. Let's kick off Annemarie's blog tour with this very special Fido and Friend in Five!

1. How did you and your dogs find each other?  Both of my borzoi, Zola and Zar, are rescues through their respective breeders. They inspired the fictional characters in Lara's Gift. We found Zeus,

Zola & Zar

our silken windbound (best described as a miniature borzoi) from breeder Cynthia Dell. I fell in love with borzoi when I was gifted a puppy in Moscow where I worked after graduate school. Dasha was like no other dog I'd ever had. I grew up with spaniels and retrievers who wanted to be everyone's pal. Dasha was selective in the people she allowed to pat her on the head, so she made me feel special.

Let's run Mom!

2. What makes Zola and Zar's tails wag?  The leash, my running shoes, and of course, a meat bone!

3. If your dogs could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  That's an easy question. If they could, I'm sure they would snap their paws and make me an instant lottery winner so I wouldn't have to work so much and could take them for more runs!

4. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  This one is hard because there are so many. But I guess I'd have to go back to my kid days and say Lassie Come-Home, Lady and the Tramp, or 101 Dalmations. 

Breed of the Tsars

5. In just five words, tell us what Zola and Zar mean to you:  Love. Love. Love. Love. Love.

Love. Love. Love

Okay, so I know after you read this, you're just chomping at the bit to read LARA'S GIFT! So here's your chance to win a free, signed copy! All you need to do to enter a drawing to win a signed copy is leave a comment below and share this post on your fav social media site! Could it be any easier? I'll draw the winning name on August 15th. 

For more opportunities to win a copy of LARA’S GIFT and/or a manuscript critique by Deborah Halverson from Dear Editor, check out these blogs on these dates: Fiction Notes (7/31); Kissing the Earth, Quirk and Quill, or Simple Saturday (8/1); Coffee with a Canine, Dog Reads, or World Reads (8/5); Dear Editor (8/6); Word Spelunking (8/7); Random Acts of Reading (8/8); The Hiding Spot (8/9); Beth Fish Reads (8/13); and Sarah Davies’s blog at Greenhouse Literary (TBD).

For more information about LARA’S GIFT, check out the web page:

www.AnnemarieOBrienAuthor.com

Teacher Guide:

http://annemarieobrienauthor.com/contact/

Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whcIDqxCq9g

Fido and Friend in Five: Sam Angus and Sundae!

Sam Angus

One day several years ago, Sam Angus was stuck in traffic, heavily pregnant, on a blisteringly hot day in London. Trying to distract herself from her misery, she turned on the radio and stumbled upon a program that would change her life. The report was about the animals--mostly dogs and horses--who'd sacrificed their lives during World War I. The program was airing around the time that a memorial to these valiant beings was erected on Park Lane. As it happened, the road Sam was stuck in traffic on was Park Lane. She could see the memorial through her car window!

As she sat in her car, spellbound, Sam learned that dogs in WWI served as sentinels, scouts, sentries, ambulance and messenger dogs. She also learned there had been at least 7,000 dogs killed in action during WWI. She heard numerous stories that hot afternoon of the almost miraculous deeds performed by these four-footed heroes, but it was the story of Jack, a mixed-breed messenger dog, that inspired her to write her debut, middle-grade novel, Soldier Dog. 

WWI Messenger Dogs

Soldier Dog is the story of 14-year-old Stanley and his bond with a messenger dog named Bones. Trapped in a troubled home, Stanley runs away and enlists in the British army to try and find his older brother Tom. There, because of his experience with dogs, he's assigned to a unit using messenger dogs. That's when he's assigned to Bones, and later, to Pistol, in France. It is here that Stanley's dog must cross no-man's land alone, under heavy fire, to return to his side. Only complete loyalty and love will pull the dog through a firestorm of battle, back to Stanley's side. Reviewers have called  Soldier Dog War Horse meets Lassie Come-Home. Quite a compliment! Soldier Dog is also on many award lists across The Pond: the Carnegie Prize, the Redbridge Award and the Branford Boase Award, the Hawick Children's Book Award, the North East Children's Book Award, and the Warwickshire Teen Book Award. Just this April, it was released in this country.

Sundae's pack

Sam Angus was born in Italy, grew up in France and Spain and now divides her time between Exmoor and London. She has a a lively life with her husband, five children, horses, rabbits and Sundae the dog. Let's meet them in today's Fido and Friend in Five!

Chillin' on double-d. bus!

1. How did you and Sundae find each other?  My husband and daughter found Sundae as a tiny puppy and brought him home to me, so small that he stepped onto the saucer when I lifted up my coffee cup and fell asleep there. He was as white, fluffy, ridiculous, irresistible and sweet as an ice cream sundae.

2. What makes Sundae's tail wag?  A walk. Dinner. Other dogs. a football. Snow.

3.  What's your all-time favorite dog story?  Soldier Dog and

Lassie Come-Home.

Sundae and friends

4. If Sundae could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  He would like me never to sit down at my desk or do any work, so I would spend all day in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with him. Then at night, he would turn me into someone who likes dogs on their beds.

Best friends

5. In five words, tell us what Sundae means to you:  Love. Loyalty. Company. Protection. Playfulness.

Many thanks to Sam and Sundae for visiting with us today on Fido and Friend in Five! Be sure to check out Sam's website to find out a lot more about the hero dogs of WWI. You'll be amazed, and maybe even inspired!

Fido and Friend in Five: Dianne Ochiltree and Sally!

Reading prolific picture book author, Dianne Ochiltree's, biography on her website is like reading the ideal childhood--especially to someone who had a much less-than-ideal childhood. She grew up in small town Warren, Ohio, with three siblings, a stay-at-home mom, and grandparents who lived right next door. As she says, "I grew up around dozens of cousins, bunches of uncles, and
oodles of aunts." Every Sunday, this large extended family gathered  at her grandparent's house for dinner, with the grownups telling jokes and stories, and the kids making up musical plays. Not only did she grow up with a house filled with family, but also animals! "My family shared our house with an ever-changing, ever-growing "zoo". The pet parade included at times: ducklings, bunnies, baby chicks, stray cats and their kittens, guinea pigs, hamsters, painted turtles, guppies, white mice, gold fish, and a dog or two." Raise your hand if you want Dianne's childhood!

Luckily for her many readers out there, this stimulating childhood and raising her two sons led to a career writing picture books that make learning fun. From learning to count, to subtraction and addition, to finding out about the first female firefighter, to books that are just plain fun, Dianne has covered it all. Her latest book (coming out May of 2013), A Firefly Night, is already garnering lots of praise; her 2012 Molly, By Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, American's First Female Firefighter won the Bronze Medal in the Children's Literature Category of the Florida Book Awards
competition!

Simon the Office Asst.

Dianne lives and writes in Florida with her husband, Sally the lab, and Simon the kitty office assistant.

Let's meet Dianne and Sally in today's Fido and Friend in Five!


1. How did you and Sally find each other?  Like most modern couples, we met on the internet! My

Love at first sight!

husband and I had lost our yellow Labrador retriever, Stella, and were so eager to have another lab in our lives that I immediately started a search for a puppy. Not wanting to "replace" Stella, we decided to adopt a chocolate Labrador retriever this time around. I searched every breeder website in Florida, or so it seemed! Luckily, there was one chocolate lab puppy still looking for a new home and ready to travel in a few days. That was how I found myself on Valentine's Day not at a romantic candlelit table with my husband, but in the car together as we made the three-hour trip to Ocala to fetch our little bit of chocolate, immediately dubbed "Sally Valentine." Trust me, it was love at first sight!

Sally's Halloween

2. What makes Sally's tail wag?  A few of Sally's favorite tail-wagging things: leaping into the deep end of the pool just seconds behind a tennis ball headed in the same direction; senior citizens and first graders making a fuss over her on one of our therapy dog visits; and luxuriating in a belly rub anytime, anywhere--it's her hands-down favorite!

3. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  Easy choice: The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. So beautifully written, illuminating key life truths as subtly as morning light touches a leaf.

4. If Sally could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  It would be my memory. She would wish a very selective amnesia on her owner. I would never remember how many treats I'd given her...or indeed that I had given her one. I would become a living, breathing dog-cookie vending machine at her disposal 24/7.

Sally's Chrismas

5. In five words, tell us what Sally means to you:  Furry fun on the run!


Many thanks to Dianne and Sally for visiting with us today on Fido and Friend in Five! Be sure to check out Dianne's website to find out more about her and her books.

Fido and Friend in Five: Jane Paley and Hooper!

Jane Paley

We all remember those heartbreaking images in the days following hurricane Katrina: stranded people perched on rooftops surrounded by rising water, desperate for rescue; bodies floating in the water, and people frantically trying to leave the city any way they could. And then there were the animals. So many left behind either because their people were sure they'd be back the next day, or because authorities would not allow owners to bring their animals along. As a result, hundreds and hundreds of dogs and cats were left homeless. The lucky ones were eventually rescued by the various groups (Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society) who came in the days after Katrina. Some were eventually reunited with their people, but many were not.

Jane Paley is many things: an Emmy award-winning television producer, an assistant professor at St. John's University in Queens, New York, a writer, and a dog lover. It is the collaboration of the writer and dog lover in her that produced her first novel for middle graders, Hooper Finds A Family, which I read a couple of months ago. Can I just say I loved the book? I mean, you have to love a happy, goofy, plucky golden lab who loves to play games with his bone in his back yard somewhere in New Orleans, right? But then the hurricane comes and, like so many animals, Hooper is left behind. Suddenly, he is in a dramatic, can't-put-the-dang-book-down fight for his life. And even when he finally does get adopted, it's not exactly smooth sailing. I really admired that about the book, because often in adoption situations, it's not all rainbows and sparkles at first. But love and patience find their way, and Hooper did find a family to love.

TV Star!

I googled Jane Paley to find out more about her. I was stunned and excited to discover that her book (although fiction) is based on her own Hooper who she adopted from Labs4rescue, and he had been orphaned by hurricane Katrina! In the years since his adoption by Jane and her family, Hooper has become quite the celebrity. He's been on televsion several times (including CBS Early Show!), been written about in the New York Post as well as several other magazines, and has become a much beloved therapy dog.

Given all his star power (he has been called the Brad Pitt of labs), I'm very honored to have Hooper and Jane on today's Fido and Friend in Five!

Therapy Dog!

1. How did you and Hooper find each other? We met on-line. Days after the death of our previous dog, Hammer, I poured my heart out on-line, desperate for grief counseling. In minutes, I heard from compassionate rescuers, one of whom sent a photo of Hooper with a note about how he was a healer. My husband was skeptical. Moreover, he wasn't ready for a new dog, especially one who was sick (heartworms) and far away in New Orleans (Jane and her family live in New York). Many tears and entreaties later, he could no longer buck my force-of-nature determination and made all the travel arrangements. The rendezvous took place late at night in Richmond. From that moment on, Hooper was a healer, as advertised.

Tennis Ball Hoarder!

2. What makes Hooper's tail wag?  We play a game called 2-ball with tennis balls. Hoop won't do traditional toss and fetch because once he gets the ball, he doesn't want to give it up. So we show him the second ball so he'll drop the one he's retrieved. This can go on for 15 minutes or so until he tires. At that point, he simply trots to the back door believing he's won the U.S Open.

3. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  I suppose it's de rigeur to say Old Yeller, or one of the other classics, but the truth is, I love Stanley's Party by Linda Bailey. When Hooper and I visit libraries (we're a Pet Partner team), I always read Stanley to the kids and we laugh ourselves silly.

4. If Hooper could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  Nothing. He thinks I'm perfect. What a rush.

The Dog of Her Dreams

5. In five words, tell us what Hooper means to you:  The dog of my dreams.


Thanks so very much to all that Jane and Hooper do to make a positive (and pawsitive) difference in this ol' world of ours. You really must check out their website to read all the fun things they're doing!

Fido and Friend in Five: Susan Taylor Brown and Zoey!

When my editor for A Dog's Way Home, Molly O'Neill, told me I needed to have a "presence" on social media when my book came out, my heart sank and my hands grew clammy. I couldn't imagine spending time at my computer tweeting, friending, and being linked in! And while I'm still only an occassional tweeter (and have avoided being linked in), I do enjoy the friends I've made on FaceBook. Some are old friends, some are dog friends, and some are author friends. And some are both!

Susan Taylor Brown is a great example of why I enjoy Facebook. She's both an author and a dog person--a passionate and very knowledgeable dog person, I might add. She's also an amazing photographer. Trolling through Facebook, I always look for her photographs, particularly of her gorgeous white (newly adopted) German Shepherd Dog, Zoey. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

First, I want to say this about Susan: she has a beautiful soul. No, I've never met her, no I've never seen her soul, but she's a poet and an artist, garderer, and a dog lover. That's enough evidence for me. She's the author of the multi award-winning middle grade novel in verse, Hugging the Rock. Susan is also the author of several picture books, including Oliver's Must-Do List and Can I Pray With My Eyes Open. She's also published a whole mess of books for the educational market. What else does this amazing woman do? She's a motivaltion speaker and teaches poetry to incarcerated teens. Don't you think that earns her some angel wings? Susan is also one of the "authorletes" in this year's March Madness Poetry Tournament!  How cool is that!

Speaking of angels, there's her dog, Zoey. She's as white as an angel with the same soulful eyes. Okay, so she may act like the devil sometimes, but Susan loves her all the same. Let's meet Susan and Zoey on today's Fido and Friend in Five:

Angel girl

1. How did you and Zoey find each other?  We adopted Zoey from the German Shepherd Rescue of Northern California, which is the same rescue group we adopted our last German Shepherd, Cassie, from.  We lost Cassie in December, and when I contacted Cassie's foster mom to let her know, I asked her to keep an eye out for another potential dog for us. She said she just happened to have one she was fostering that she felt would be a good match for us. She worried that it might be too soon after losing Cassie, but we had been grieving Cassie for several months as her health went down hill. We knew we didn't want to be without a dog for long. We set up a meeting with Zoey (who was being called Noelle by the rescue group) ASAP. It took all of about 5 minutes for Zoey to lean into me and "claim" me as her human.

Fast girl!

2. What makes Zoey's tail wag?  Playing chase or anything involving food! Probably chase most of all. She gets the "zoomies" and loves to run, and she is FAST! I think there's lure coursing in her future, maybe even flyball.


3. What's your all-time favorite dog book?  Because of Winn-Dixie

4. If Zoey could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  That my bum knee would let me run and chase her more often and faster than I can right now.

5. In five words, tell us what Zoey means to you:  Pure joy fills my heart.

Pure joy...

Thanks so much, Susan and Zoey, for sharing your love with Fido and Friend in Five. Be sure to check out Susan's website, and particularly her blog, to find out the latest with her writing and with Zoey. Ever blog entry is graced by one of Susan's arresting photographs. And beautiful Zoey also has her own website! Be sure to check out more news about her life and her growing vocabulary. 

Fido and Friend in Five: Jacqueline Kelly, Molly and Laika!

Last week's Fido and Friend in Five spotlighted Sheila Turnage, whose book, Three Times Lucky, had just won a Newbery Honor medal. Continuing along that path, today we have 2010 Newbery Honor winner, Jacqueline Kelly and her two dogs, Molly and Laika!

Jackie's beloved debut novel, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, captured the hearts of many readers as well as the Newbery committee. It's the story of a young girl at the turn of the century in a sleepy little town in Texas trying to stay cool during a very hot summer. Her attempts to find ways to stay cool (back before the days of air conditioning, of course), lead Callie to spend lots of time down by the river with her cantankerous grandfather. Despite his grumpiness, he instills in Callie a love for the natural world and a yearning to live beyond the confines of what it means to be a girl during the turn of the century. Jackie has said she was inspired to write Callie's story during a blazingly hot summer day at her 120-year-old Texas farmhouse. "With the thermometer almost boiling over, I began to wonder how people stood the heat a hundred years ago with no air conditioning, especially since they had to wear all those clothes. Callie and her family sprang to life at that moment."

In 2012, Jacqueline's new book, Return to the Willows, was welcomed into the world with open arms! Publisher's Weekly called it, "...an affectionate follow-up to a classic of children's literature, one that succeeds on its own." And it is beautifully illustrated by Clint Young.

Jackie and her husband share their homes in Austin and Fentress with three cats and two dogs, Laika and Molly. Let's meet them all in today's Fido and Friend in Five:

Laika, CoyDog

1. How did you and your dogs find each other?  Laika was an abandoned dog living on top of a picnic table down my the San Marcos River. My husband fed her once or twice and--surprise--that's all it took for her to think she'd found a pretty good deal. We believe her to be that extremely rare mixture of chow and coyote. There's actually a word in the dictionary for a dog/coyote mixture: coydog. (My Boo is also a coydog!). Molly is of more refined blood, coming from a pair of purebred Goldens, but she does not lord it over Laika, who is definitely top coydog. Molly was just such a fat, jolly little pup that she stole our hearts when we went to pick her out.

2. What makes Laika and Molly's tails wag?  They both get very excited at meal times (show me a dog that doesn't) but very excited when they know it's time for their run.

Sweet Molly

3. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  As a youngster, I was terribly fond of the Lad, A Dog series by Albert Payson Terhune (me too!). Sadly, they have been out-of-favor for quite a while now. 

4. If Molly and Laika could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  Molly and Laika would like to go on two runs daily instead of just one, thank you very much.

5. In five words, tell us what your dogs mean to you:  Love. Slobber. Hair. Endless vacuuming. Love.

Thanks so much to Jackie, Laika, and Molly for visiting with Fido and Friend in Five today! To find out more about Jackie and her books and her background (did I mention Jackie has worked as a doctor and a lawyer?), be sure to visit her website. 

Fido and Friend in Five: Sheila Turnage and Jake!

Lately, I've been attracted to books with the word "Lucky" in the title. Maybe it's because I'm supersticious about the number 13, and I'm trying to take my mind off the fact that this is 2013. Or maybe it's because I've been thinking for the last couple of years on this whole concept of lucky/unlucky (for reasons that shall be revealed eventually). So when Sheila Turnage's middle grade novel, Three Times Lucky, came in to the library, I snatched it up. Then when I read it was set in a small southern town (my favorite setting) and that Sheila lives in North Carolina (one of my very favorite states), I knew I had to read it.

Three Times Lucky is one of those rare stories that is several things at once: a murder mystery, a character-driven novel full of charming, quirky characters, a coming-of-age story, and a story of friendship--all done amazingly well.  As Kirkus said in their starred review: What do you get when you combine Because of Winn-Dixie’s heart with the mystery and action of Holes? You get an engaging, spirit-lifting and unforgettable debut for young readers.

You also get a Newbery Honor winner! Yes, just this past week, Sheila's Three Times Lucky won a Newbery Honor. I'd say she's now four times lucky!

Sheila has also published poetry in a variety of periodicals, and won the Katherine Kennedy McIntyre Light Verse Award for her poem Thank You Note. She's also written several nonfiction books about her beloved North Carolina.

Sheila lives and writes in an adorable house with an inviting porch on a farm in eastern North Carolina. She lives their with her husband, chickens, a cat, and yes, a dog. A very smart dog named Jake. I know he's smart because 1) he's an Australian cattle dog and 2) Sheila says so.

Let's meet this brand new Newbery winner and her dog Jake in today's Fido and Friend in Five:

I choose you!

1. How did you and Jake find each other?  I met Jacob when he was still a pup. He had a number of brothers and sisters (all very cute). I really wanted a dog, and I had come to check them out. I thought I was choosing a pup, but I realized one of the puppies had left the pack and was sticking by me! I had my dog and my dog had me!

2. What makes Jake's tail wag?  Going out to play ball. He also likes to hear "walk" and "ride in the truck."

3. What's your all-time favorite dog story?  I didn't read lots of dog books growing up, but I loved to watch the dogs who had their own TV shows: Lassie, Rin Tin Tin...I loved Old Yeller (though I wasn't crazy about the ending). They were fantastic because they were so smart. And I STILL like smart dogs!

Fill bowl. Fill bowl...

4. If Jake could change just one thing about you, what would that be?  I would develop a complete willingness to fill his bowl on his psychic command.

5. In five words, tell us what Jake means to you:  Smart, funny, faithful, protective friend.


Many thanks to Sheila and Jake for visiting with us today! I know Sheila has to be busy since her Newbery Honor win. Be sure to check out her website to find out all her goings-on and to find out more about her. Jake, make sure your mama still gets out every day to play.