And the "WORD OF THE YEAR FOR 2023"...is...

 

What was the word of the year chosen to be?

The word of the year was chosen by a dictionary company, Webster, but of course, and the word is... drum roll, please...!

"Au·then·tic

/ôˈTHen(t)ik/

adjective

• 1.of undisputed origin; genuine:"the letter is now accepted as an authentic document"SimilargenuineoriginalrealactualOppositefake-spurious
• 2.(of a church mode) comprising the notes lying between the principal note or final and the note an octave higher."

*Apparently, it's a rarity in this environment.

Moving on...

Although, I am being my authentic self when I write this.

The pause in the war is still happening, i.e. the Israeli /Hamas war... for those not aware of the pause or which war I am talking about, that's okay there are too many things happening in the news to remember everything unless you are personally involved in any of it or care!

I know that was rather harsh, but that's just me being AUTHENTICALLY ME.

Sure I have been watching, reading, and breathing in the news in spite of cutting back on too much unhealthy consumption of it, like ten or twenty hours, which is possible with all the media accesses!!!

Even when you consider that over the last several days FOOTBALL has been taking over many screens/channels!

No more purist stations they all seem to cow tow to the sport!

Not that I myself have not loved sports after all I used to be a cheerleader, though in junior high and only a substitute! But not for very long since I was a passenger in a car accident which ended that career...! This caused me to miss two months of the eighth grade!

What a sadsack am I, but again AUTHENTIC! 

News, news, news...I suppose being a child of the forties, fifties, and 1960s is what drives most of us born during those time frames, us BABY-BOOOMERS! "Baby boomer

• The term “boomer” is derived from the phrase “baby boomer,” which was used to describe the increase in births in the U.S. after World War II. It is not a typo or typing mistake. The term has gained popularity in recent years as a catchphrase for younger generations to express indifference or criticism towards older adults’ outdated ideas."

You have to admit a lot of important history occurred during those years!

1940s - Wikipedia

The 1950s - American Culture & Society | HISTORY

The 1960s History - Events, Timeline & Facts | HISTORY

 Let me introduce you to the crew...

Lastly, moving on to who they are, our crew...

3 months and 4 years old, now 6!    

   

Aussie, say good day!

I am Aussie, not from Australia, but American-made. 

I will comply because it is fun and say good day!

I am called Aussie because my mom asked a sixteen-year-old girl looking at me in the crate I was in at the adoption site that day what she thought I should be named. Mom asked her age, but not her name... ha! And without hesitation, the teenager had said Aussie! By the way, she was just looking, so my mom did not steal me from her.
We never found out the girl's name; mom liked Aussie too. Since then, we have discovered that it is a ubiquitous name, but it is still just right for me! My parents think that I am uncommon, even say unique! I do like that.
I am an Australian Shepherd, a red Merl. And here is an interesting factoid about me: I was supposed to be a miniature Australian Shepherd, but as you might know, I AM NOT! I am a standard Australian Shepherd! Although I am now six years old, I am the baby, though I am the largest of the fur babies, and due to my breed and being standard, I am just right, ha! 
I was three months old when Mommy and Daddy adopted me. I had been taken- out of a hoarder's home in the Carolinas with my litter. 
Above is my PIC, taken on the birthday I share with my dad, but dad is much older than me!!! I was the first to be adopted, on February 16, 2018, on Dad's brother's birthday.

No tail/tale publishing, circa 2018.

Get it? I was born without a tail, preferable for all Australian Shepherds; only one out of five are born that way!

                                           

Hello, I am Bella, in the picture above, a Maltese Yorkie, a Morkie. I might be eight years old. We are all rescues, so no one knows our ages for sure. I am the middle child, so I am what you would expect, with all those idiosyncrasies accompanying that! Being the only girl has its rewards as well as its difficulties. 
I was turned in by my previous family, stating that I was misbehaving with their elderly dog it had been said that I was driving him crazy! I was the second to be adopted on 8/18/18 on clear out the shelters day!
My record called me Belle, so for no known reason, Mom decided I was more of a Bella; beautiful either way!

Hey, wait! Please don't forget me! I am Chance, pictured above, a Bichon Frise! I am nine years old, so they think, and the eldest, and I like getting up early with mom and Aussie. Bella sleeps late with Dad, till after seven most days, even later sometimes! 

I enjoy a good tug-a-war on the ropes Dad had twisted for Aussie and me, and sometimes even Bella plays, too! I was the last to be adopted on January 23, 2020. 

I had been wandering the neighborhood for days, and then I saw Aussie and Bella in their living room window, so I hung out there... 

The animal control lady had been called and came out to see if I had a chip I.D. with her machine, and Dad told her that he wanted to name me Chance. His reason is that if no one claimed me, "I want to give him a second chance!" So that is how I got the name Chance!

The Animal Welfare League checked me out and kept me for sixteen days until I was allowed to be adopted. Good evening.

Easy as Aussie, Bella, and Chance, now you got it! In order of adoption!