Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

calm

Time To Wander In The Woods?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Since today is Election Day, I decided it was time for a mosey on one of my favorite trails along the Metolius River in Camp Sherman, Oregon. We can all do with a pause that refreshes given the past eighteen months.

Picked out five pictures I took the end of September to share the peace, quiet and beauty of a nice stroll through the woods along a fly fishing only river.

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We started out late in the day and the golden light began to make an appearance. Smell the fresh air.
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I love this simple path through the woods which runs alongside the river. It makes me calm down just by looking at it again.

 

 

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The sound of the water moving along and the slight breeze of wind through the trees. 
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Now we are headed back to the trailhead, but I can’t resist looking behind me and snapping another picture as the light continues to fade.
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So when life gets a little crazy I can dream about relaxing in the little gazebo in the campground on the other side of the river.   

This calming interlude brought to you by Mother Nature, the State of Oregon, the town of Camp Sherman and the U.S. Forest Service. Relax and enjoy the views!

 

 

Up For An Urban Adventure?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                     (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

While the East Coast hunkered down for snowstorm Jonas last Friday, those of us on the West Coast felt a little guilty. On my way back from grocery shopping that day I decided to take a detour and check out a park by the river. I drive by the road to the park each work day on my way to and from the day job, but I’d never taken the turn less travelled, so to speak.

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A river, a boat and tranquility. Ah. 

 

I wound through an industrial area and continued around a few curves and then right there, a park! Motoring into the little gem, I found a nice parking lot with bleachers and restrooms, lots of grass and a boat launch. There were quite a few people out unloading fishing gear, vacant boat trailers and some people just watching the river from their vehicles.

Being close to water calms me down. Not necessarily in it, unless it’s a hot tub, but I love a bubbling brook, stream or the crash of the ocean. One of the books on my nightstand right now is “Writing Wild” by Tina Welling. It’s all about getting in touch with nature to increase your creativity.

In these days of hurry, rush, too much traffic, noise and digital everything its the perfect time to reconnect with nature and take a calm break. Now the folks back East got a little too much nature this past weekend, but some hardy souls enjoyed it if they had power and snacks.

Saw people on tv playing in the snow in Central Park and Times Square in New York and sledding down the “Rocky” steps at the art museum in Philadelphia. Definitely a one-of-a-kind urban snow adventure.

Do you have natural places close by you pass and never visit?  Do you take them for granted? Maybe it’s time to stop and smell the trees!

 

Got Gifts This Year?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                    (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Fighting the mall traffic, the crazy weather and the to do list as long as a roll of toilet paper, we can forget the real gifts we’ve already gotten. So this time of year I like to reflect on what I’ve already received and am thankful for all year long.

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Spec Ops Cat shows off his pre-cuddle exercises.
  • Kitty cuddles from Spec Ops Cat complete with free purrs
  • Laughter with family, friends and co-workers
  • Hugs from family and friends
  • Listening ears when I’m cranky and tired
  • Sleeping in my own bed
  • Heat
  • Hot showers
  • Massages
  • Good health
  • The colors pink, purple and teal
  • Books and reading
  • Digging for thundereggs
  • My Subaru getting me through the December monsoons
  • Faux fur blankets
  • Imagination
  • Tea pot collection
  • Fuzzy socks
  • Heating pad with timer
  • Elvis
  • Classis Christmas songs
  • The Minions
  • Taking photos
  • Daffodils
  • My writer friends
  • Oatmeal with peanut butter
  • Alpaca socks
  • Yarn
  • Home
  • Flannel sheets
  • Roses
  • Red sparkly nail polish
  • Daydreaming
  • YouTube animal videos
  • Cartoons
  • Raspberries
  • Garfield
  • Beads and jewelry pieces
  • Writing
  • Warm summer night breezes
  • Blog readers
  • Naked toes in sandals
  • Carnations
  • Purple glasses
  • The calls of frogs and crickets
  • The ocean
  • Bunnies
  • Hummingbirds
  • Hot tubs
  • Rainbows
  • Creative minds
  • People who do good things
  • USA
  • Squirrels
  • Sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing
  • Chocolate
  • Support

That’s the short list. This month I’m finishing my nineteenth year of keeping a daily Gratitude Journal. Because besides the tinsel, wrapping paper, gift cards and crazy, the true gifts we receive all year long are the most important.

Here’s wishing you all happy holidays and gifts all year long on your very own all ready gotten gifts list. We are all more rich than we realize. What’s on your 2015 gifts gotten list?

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