Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Kimberly A. Cook

September Squirrel, Holiday Shopping And Pumpkin Spice Lattes?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Is it just me or has somebody cranked up the calendar and put the holidays before the horse? And the sleigh? Three weeks ago I noticed the Halloween candy was out at the grocery store. August, it was August! People were already buying their pre-holiday taste testing goblin candy to devour before they have to buy more candy for Halloween. (You know we all do it.)

Notice how dainty and well-mannered Mr. Squirrel is while he scarfs up all the purloined bird food.
Notice how dainty and well-mannered Mr. Squirrel is while he scarfs up all the purloined bird food.

Then this weekend I saw KMart advertising Christmas layaway on tv with Santa shopping from a scooter and a walking Christmas tree using a grocery cart. Hope Santa’s okay. Maybe his sleigh doesn’t work well in KMart. Reindeer droppings I bet.

Our weather dipped into the 50s on Sunday and didn’t reach 60 degrees all day. I went hunting my new alpaca socks to wear. Now the weather guy says it’s going to be 90 degrees on Friday. Must be Fall in Oregon.

I ripped out my tomato plants yesterday because we were both tired of each other. I took in the last harvest and now have a science experiment in progress to see if the green ones will ripen. Put them in a leftover Chinese takeout food plastic container which I think looks like a mini-greenhouse. Perfect. Harvest time. Must be football season! Yes!

On the local news Monday night they spilled the beans that the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes, using real  pumpkin, would be available today. As opposed to using alien pumpkin ingredients I guess? BUT, if you wanted to get the treat on Labor Day, you had to use the password PUMPKIN. How clever is that?

Without great personal restraint this would be me in any bakery I enter. It's been a miracle I haven't climbed into a pastry case yet. The season's still young!
Without great personal restraint this would be me in any bakery I enter. It’s been a miracle I haven’t climbed into a pastry case yet. The season’s still young!

By accident I noticed the squirrel feeder was out of food when Mr. Squirrel was snacking at the ground bird feeder, instead of HIS feeder. Got a couple close up pics by carefully opening the screen door, but my favorite is the last one I had to shoot through the window for the perfect angle.

If winter must come then we all might as well chow down by hopping into the holiday food trough just like Mr. Squirrel. Forget dainty and bashful.

Local weather forecasters say due to a historic El Nino the Pacific Northwest should have above average temperatures and less rain this winter. Right.

Time to go find my snow shovel, reactivate my Netflix account and get a few cases of Halloween candy. Mr. Squirrel knows something.

Start hoarding the Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Are You Ready For The Ninja Mice?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

It’s Labor Day weekend eve and I can’t wait to cuddle up with the tv remote and find something to binge watch; either football or movies or both! At the day job we were discussing cute commercials and this series of Blockbuster Video ads was mentioned. I even had stuffed animals of these guys.

What better way to start off a long holiday than spending time with Carl Floppy Feet, Ray and the Ninja Mice! Back in the old days we used to drive to stores to rent videos. Videos came before DVDs, streaming and on-demand movies. Back in the dark ages video stores had to run ads to compete for our business. I loved the Ninja Mice!

Have a safe and happy long holiday weekend. Happy Quirky Friday!

On September, Pears And Alpacas

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

On this first day of September it’s fun to look forward to the fruits of Fall. That’s what I do to distract myself from the coming shorter days when the sun retreats to Bermuda and we get longer nights and shorter light. That rhymes!

Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?
Alpacas, sun and a pasture with a view. What more could you ask for?

Part of this ritual included escaping the storm we had over the weekend and venturing off to Hood River last Sunday. The promise of sun peeking out after the wind and rain squalls had us driving out-of-town up the Columbia River Gorge, one of my favorite spots in Oregon.

First was lunch at the Sixth Avenue Bistro for the famous Walnut and Pear Salad; which I have threatened to lick the plate to get all the maple vinaigrette. Then on to Packer Orchards and Bakery to the Cookie Bar and picking up some pears and jams and a cookie, of course.

Then the highlight, baby alpacas and yarn at Foothills Yarn & Fiber! Since getting to the alpacas is quite easy with a right turn right after the Cookie Bar, it’s the perfect expedition. The baby alpacas were four to six weeks old and had already been shorn of their coats.

We watched the babies lie in the sun, chase squirrels and chew grass.

Summertime and the liv'in is easy. I'm sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.
Summertime and the liv’in is easy. I’m sure this little guy is singing that song in the sun.

A fabulous outing! A thorough recon of the yarn shop turned up two skeins of alpaca yarn I had to have, plus a backup pair of my favorite cold weather alpaca boot socks. I use them as slippers. Toasty toes this winter.

Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?
Pear a palooza! Are these ripe and ready or what?

On the trek back down to Highway 35 I stopped to take some quick photos of the laden pear trees ready to drop their beautiful bounty.

September is pear month and harvest time in Hood River, so we might have to come back. There are some new hard ciders I need to try to support the local economy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’m telling you, this harvest season shopping is a great way to enjoy Fall! It might become my new fav season yet. Fresh pears anyone?

Let’s Play Indoor Games!

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

The rains are finally coming tonight and I could not be happier. This unexpected weekend rain storm should really help with the forest fires here in the West. Mother Nature must have heard our prayers for our neighbors, firefighters and Oregon and Washington National Guard troops out fighting the blazes.

So let’s all do our part by enjoying this rainstorm and play inside. Let’s follow the lead of these two buddies, Jet and Emilia, having a fun time in the house. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday. Let it rain!

Do You Have The Eye Of A Photographer?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Spent part of last week on vacation at the beach, Depoe Bay, Oregon, one of my favorite spots on the planet. In the quest to get there we ended up in two traffic jams, so a stop at the Oregon State Park Van Duzer Corridor rest stop in the Coast Range was a great idea and a necessity.

Photo 1 - overall scene setting shot. Photojournalism rule - always make sure you get an overview picture.
Photo 1 – scene setting shot. Photojournalism rule – always make sure you get an overview picture.

I love to visit the stream which runs through the trees by the picnic tables, away from the rest stop building. The sound of the gurgling water is so relaxing. Even with low water at this time of year.

There are two rest stops, one North and on South. On on the way back we always check the river on the South side too, since it runs deeper than the North side stream.

I’ve been travelling this road for 35 plus years so I must have hundreds of photos of this stream. Thought it might be fun to show you the series of photos I took that day, in order. Kinda.

Photography, like writing, requires practice. What better fun for us shutter bugs than to take pictures outside by a forest brook? It was late in the afternoon so the light was still bright, so the green in the left side of photo one fades by being bleached out by the sun.

Next up I decided to zoom in and focus on the larger rock in the stream bed in photo three. Normally the water is deep here any other time of the year, so this was an opportunity to use the rock as a focal point in the lower left of the photo.

Photo 3 - yes I skipped two. I put the rock in the upper third on pic 2, then changed my mind and put it in the lower third to draw in the eye. Better.
Photo 3 – yes I skipped two. I put the rock in the upper third on pic 2, then changed my mind and put it in the lower third to draw in the eye. Better.

Close ups are good, but I also wanted to see what a mid-range photo would look like so I pulled back the zoom and framed shot five. Liked the filtered light coming through the trees and into the water and the better contrast between the water, rocks and trees.

So the last picture is my favorite of the five I shot in this series. I checked the times on the photos and I shot them all in two minutes.

The great thing about digital cameras is you’ve always got pixels to spare; as long as you carry an extra charged battery and memory card.

Spent part of the trip trying to use my new Canon PowerShot Elph 340  HS camera. Somehow managed to shoot video when I hadn’t planned on it, so more time is needed with that camera. It has a much longer zoom and greater pixels, the better to get harbor seal close-ups!

These stream photos were shot with my trusty old Canon PowerShot Elph SD800 IS. It’s so hard to give up an old reliable and move onto the next one. I’m talking about cameras here, by the way, just to be clear.

Have you played with your camera today?

Picture 5 and my favorite. I can count, I just skipped two other photos in between.
Picture 5 and my favorite. I can count, I just skipped one more photo in between.

Can We Blame Miss Kitty?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Seems like I’ve been trying to eat every carb and sugar item on the planet since July. Think this might have begun with the multiple retirement and baby shower parties the end of June. Once bitten by the sugar/carb beast, seems I didn’t want to stop.

Now with the days getting shorter and the golden light of summer turning to harvest colors, it seems I’m at it again trying to put on pounds for winter. Mother Nature is very tricky. And she’s still more clever than the cat food feeder  manufacturers who think they can outsmart a cat. Especially Miss Kitty.

Imagine the owners concern when Miss Kitty still gained weight on her diet using the special feeding machine. But it all became clear soon enough to her pet parents. Miss Kitty is no dummy. Check out the antics of this fabo feline. Maybe she knows something about winter we don’t?

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!