Meet Kim!
You know that pretty professional anchorwoman you watch on Fox 12's Good Day Oregon every morning?
Well, she really wants to be a farmer.
“I want to learn how to be self-sufficient,” says Kim Maus. “I want to grow my own food on my land. I want donkeys, I want goats, I want chickens. My husband Matt and I just moved into our house two months ago, and once we get our barn built and get some fencing up, I think I've convinced him that I can rescue at least one donkey and some goats.”
That's not to say she's giving up her crack-of-dawn day job anytime soon. Kim says that being a broadcast journalist is the only thing she's aspired to do since she was 14. “I wanted to be Connie Chung,” she admits. “She was just my idol.”
In addition to dreams of being on television, Kim's childhood in southern California was also filled with animals. “Growing up, we had horses and chickens and two small dogs,” she recalls. “I knew when I was out on my own I definitely wanted to have my own dog.”
After settling in Portland in 1998, Kim kept that promise to herself with Blake, a Golden Retriever/ hound/Great Dane mix she adopted from Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter 11 years ago. She says it was a match that was definitely meant to be. “What's really funny is ... my top boy’s name was Blake. That's what I was going to name a little boy if I ever had one. And his name was Blake when I adopted him, so he's my boy.”
Rodeo and Blake
Kim went on to add a couple of horses to the family, and also became a “foster failure” with a sweet senior dog named Angel who passed away at age 14. It was while volunteering as a judge for OHS’s Top Dog Model benefit almost three years ago that Kim fell in love again: this time with a two-year-old Terrier mix from the Oregon Humane Society she named Rodeo. “He and Blake are like Mutt and Jeff — one's 12 pounds and one's 100 pounds,” she laughs.
Helping animals is important to Kim professionally as well. “One of the best parts of my job is that I continually get to take part in helping organizations raise money and awareness through what I do — whether I'm an emcee, whether I'm a judge for an event, or just being able to go out and volunteer my time because of my position in the community. I feel so incredibly blessed to be in the position I am.”
When she's not working or volunteering, Kim reveals that she's a textbook introvert with an artsy side. “I love to nest and be at home. I much prefer that to going out,” she confides. “My husband and I do a lot of projects together. We tear apart old saddles that can no longer be used and we make wine holders out of them, and saddle stools. We love to repurpose items and recycle things.”
No surprise then that the shoe that is “so Kim” isn’t a shoe at all. It’s boots — cowboy boots. “My girlfriend says ‘You have got the most bizarre life. You’re on TV every morning, and you’re dressed professionally, and then you go home and get in your cowboy boots and your t-shirt and you make things by hand,’” she laughs.
Kim has other talents she’s proud of as well. “I have a mean whistle,” she says. “My dogs know it, and Blake answers to it. I can clear a room with my whistle.”
Which may not seem like a useful skill for a television news anchor — but it sure is handy for a farmer.
About our Sponsor
Dignified Pet Services has served the Portland-area community for 13 years. In addition to their core business of cremation and memorial services, Dignified co-sponsors the beloved annual Service of Remembrance, this year Dec. 9th at The Old Church in downtown Portland, as well as serving as wonderful supporters and friends of pets and those working in animal welfare. Proprietors Michael, Randy and Avani live in Sherwood.
Michele Coppola is a Portland-based air personality for 99.5 The Wolf and copywriter for Entercom Radio. When she's not talking, writing, or pursuing quality couch time with husband Bryon and their dogs, Cindy and Lucy, she's also a proud volunteer for Fences for Fido and Family Dogs New Life Shelter.