Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

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Got Vinyl Records In Your Closet?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spent a busy weekend having Spec Ops Cat’s teeth cleaned, shopping and watching a ton of football. I even managed to get some housework done during the commercial breaks for the NFL playoffs. Those ad breaks are quite long.

See, a vinyl display! In the store!
See, a vinyl display! In the store!

But one of my favorite things was cruising the aisles of Barnes and Noble bookstore on Saturday. Was on a mission to pick up a cookbook my Mom wanted and a book I needed. Plus I found other things too. Always happens. Some things were half price on holiday clearance. Score!

Came around one aisle and ran right into a display of vinyl records. Wait one. Talk about an unexpected meeting. I did a double take and eventually took a picture. No one would believe this. Vinyl is back. I’ve heard whispers of this and read articles, but when there is an actual display in a retail store, time to pay attention.

Now, I confess I still have all my 33 rpm records from the old days. Also have the 45 rpm records and some 78s from my folks. For the digital natives among you, vinyl records are the prequel to the music cd. They are black mostly, vinyl, subject to scratches and bigger than a Frisbee. But they sit inside fantastic album covers.

With the age of steampunk parties, manual typewriters in vogue again and now vinyl, what are the possibilities? Maybe boomers will be cool one day too. Miracles happen!

Got vinyl?

Can You Tuck And Roll In The Snow?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Spent the last two days in fog, literally, but the sun poked out today.  Yeah! A co-worker at the day job shared this video with me yesterday and it is too cute for words! Love to cuddle the baby panda, but he might not quite cuddle back.

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

 

Time For New Dreams And Adventures?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Back to the day job after a nice vacation between Christmas and New Years. Had a calm and fun-filled time with lots of cleaning and rearranging and moving stuff. Made me glad to go back to the day job to get away from doing more.

First squirrel sighting of 2015! Notice Spec Ops Cat reflection in the window.
First squirrel sighting of 2015! Notice Spec Ops Cat reflection in the window. And his ear!

Took some time to read and watch movies too, plus football of course. Made big strides in my office rearranging my office closet and organizing writing projects. Put together another cubie divider to store the piles of projects which seem to get larger with research.

Some observations about trying to sort and purge items:

1. Sorting paper is an activity which can suck your soul. Since I keep all kinds of things for reference, research and sentimental reasons, the paper is the biggest challenge. It really does breed in the dark like rabbits.

2. I love my hardback and paperback books, but I still have too many. However, sorting them feels like choosing among favorite children. The upside is ones I can’t sell I donate to our Friends of the Library and they make money and the books go to new homes. Makes me happy.

3. Organizing and streamlining my office space is freeing up my mind space. And I can use all of that I can get! I’ve read clutter causes stress and that seems so true in my home.

4. Been reading “Plain and Simple – A Woman’s Journey to the Amish” by Sue Bender. It jumped out at me when I was looking for another book in my office. (See, I can’t get that serendipity book discovery on my ereader.) It is nourishing my mind and my sense of cleaning out. Great read.

Game on stare down between squirrel and Spec Ops Cat. Both think they are super heroes with two panes of glass in between!
Squirrel advances in the stare down game with Spec Ops Cat. Both think they are super heroes with two panes of glass in between!

5. New calendars, new checkbook register, whole new year to make magic and dreams come true. Yeah!

“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, something to give, and something to hope for,” by After Allan Chalmers from Susan Branch’s 2015 Heart of the Home Calendar.

Congratulations To The Oregon Ducks!

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by Kimberly A. Cook                 (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

My neighbor’s dog may never recover his hearing, but the University of Oregon Ducks won the Rose Bowl yesterday and I cheered and yelled for all I was worth. It’s so nice to see good folks win. Especially when they represent our state. Hat’s off to Florida State for trying, but the Quack Attack undid them in the third quarter. Reminded me of the swarm scene from the movie “The Birds.”

Best of luck to the Ducks in the National Championship, but win or lose, this team is classy and works with the “we” mentality.  And it shows. The team arrives back in Oregon today, so after a 10 minute celebration I know they will be getting back to the business of football to get ready for the next game. In the meantime, thanks for the great memories you’ve already given us. Go Ducks!

P.S. Yes, that is the song “Shout” they are singing at the end, since the movie “Animal House” was filmed at the U of O, it’s a fan classic at the games. Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

Moving Into A New Year Of Possibilities?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Here we are getting ready to move into 2015. A New Year brings high hopes and fond memories. Since five is supposed to be a lucky number, I’m thinking good things for all of us ahead. That is my wish for all.

Weather is odd once again, woke up to 25 degrees outside and high winds. But we have brilliant sunshine so I can bundle up no problem. Most of the U.S. is in the Arctic Cold outbreak once again so here are some fun things to do this week.

Spec Ops Cat demonstrating his Olympic level napping skills this week. He's a black belt Nap Master. Watch and learn.
Spec Ops Cat demonstrating his Olympic level napping skills this week. He’s a black belt Nap Master. Watch and learn.

1. Figure out what is bugging you the most and clean it out. Did this recently with the container next to my stove that holds my utensils. Couldn’t even get one more in the container, so sorted it out. Stuffed the overage into the kitchen utensil drawer, so now I need to clean that out. But I accomplished one thing!

2. Take a nap. Spec Ops Cat demonstrates his professional level at this activity in the photo. Remember to relax like a cat. Just wish I was as limber as he is.

3. Play a game from your childhood. Taking the Yahtzee game over for New Year’s Eve celebration treats tomorrow to play with family. Nothing like rolling dice and not losing money to make me a happy woman.

4. Read. A magazine, book, cookbook,  ebook or cereal box. It feels like a guilty pleasure to do this during the day in the sunlight, so count me in!

5. Socialize. Whether your watching the bowl games with friends and family, Go Ducks!, or visiting family and friends during the holidays, make time to bond. Actually listen and talk with people. Unplug! It’s a wonderful thing.

6. Be grateful. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the stuff and things and expectations, but the true joys in life are the little things; always have been, always will be. My favorites this past week were my sister’s pumpkin bread, a calm and happy Christmas, healthy family and friends, donating books to the library, spending Christmas Eve with my Mom, sleeping in and Spec Ops Cat cuddles. Priceless!

Hoping your holidays are going well and let’s all make fun plans for 2015. Happy New Year!

Spring and Summer are just around the corner!
Spring and Summer are just around the corner!

Wishing Our Military Service Members And Veterans Around The World Peace On Earth

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by Kimberly A. Cook                          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

While much of the nation heads into the heart of the holiday season today, I want to remember and thank our active duty, reserve and guard service members keeping watch at home and around the world to keep us safe. One of my all time favorite marching band salutes seems appropriate to let them all know we are thinking of them and their families during the holidays. A big thanks to my fellow veterans and always remembrance of the service members and families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free. Wishing all Peace and Goodwill.

(P.S. In the Coast Guard tribute the boat is upside down for the other side of the grandstand. Of course here at the Oregon Bar where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard’s special surf boats are designed to flip upside down and roll back up again. Yikes Coasties!)

So best wishes to all and let’s pass on some fabulous California Raisins for some holiday cheer for the troops!