Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Squirrel

Bring On 2018!

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by Kimberly A. Cook

It has been a really nutty year. Many times I felt like we were in a squirrel rodeo combined with a rat race and a bad SciFi movie. Imagine my delight to find out we are not alone, even the squirrels have wacko race events.

While we kick 2017 to the curb to start a shiny New Year on Monday, let’s practice the Golden Rule, be kind to others and help each other out. We’ve got work to do to save the polar bears and each other in 2018.

But this weekend it is chips and dip time. Regroup and gear up.

Happy New Year and Happy Quirky Friday! Hugs to you all!

Blankie Time?

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by Kimberly A. Cook

The past two weeks family commitments have kept me busier than a popcorn fart, as my Dad used to say.  Nothing bad, just hectic. Plus given the news lately, sometimes I don’t even know what to write.

But here goes. Compassion fatigue is real. Back in the day we had three tv channels that went off the air at midnight, no cell phones and social media happened at the hair salon.

So feel free to unplug, turn off and give yourself a break. Take action to focus on family, friends, pets and neighbors close to you. What you can control.

Believe it or not, we are USAStrong. We’re a very big family, a dysfunctional bunch, but that is true with most families. So practice kindness and see what happens.

With that goal in mind, here are some of my favorite recent pics to focus on pleasant moments.

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The Fall colors are here. Gorgeous.

 

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A picnic lunch last week at Chinook Landing in Fairview to watch the Columbia River presented us with river breezes and the approaching storm front.

 

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This little guy was very busy storing snacks for the winter while we were on a neighborhood walk.

 

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After passing Mr. Squirrel we came upon this gorgeous view of Mt. St. Helens, our resident volcano, across the farm fields.

 

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One of my favorite roses, The Fairy, is still blooming in October. How about that magic?

 

And if you could use more happy moments, the Hallmark Holiday movies launch this weekend on their two channels. Get your blankie, eggnog and snacks and start training for the holiday movie/series marathons of your choice.

There’s nothing like a good jammie day to pick up the spirits!

 

 

Does Snow Make You Nuts?

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by Kimberly A. Cook                  (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Feeling a bit squirrely today.  Forecast says chance of snow next week and the freak out is on here in normally wet Oregon. We love Mt. Hood to be covered with snow, looks gorgeous right now when we can see it, but snow in the valley makes us nuts.

Folks back East think we’re wussies about it, but with a high water content we get snow/ice. In my opinion the only good uses for ice are hockey rinks, skating and alcoholic beverages, not on roads.

So while the grocery shopping frenzy ramps up for chips, dips and ice cream in the Portland metro area – our preferred snow supplies – let’s check out how our furry friend handles the white stuff.

This little guy reminds me of trying to find my car at the shopping mall. Or has he lost his nuts? Join the crowd little guy!

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

https://youtu.be/wcmzdTXCMjE

Got A Squirrel Snow Plow?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Sunday before last on Jan. 3rd we all woke up to snow. It was quite the surprise since we were expecting freezing rain at 4 p.m. not snow at 7 a.m. But Mother Nature doesn’t like to disappoint, so we got freezing rain later in the day too. Fantastic!

Us Portlanders who listened to the weather reports swarmed the grocery stores on Saturday; one must not be iced in without snacks and junk food. I’d filled the bird and squirrel feeders too, just in case they had those YakTrax non-slippy things for their feet.

Spotted bird tracks in the snow, but no squirrel prints. Until I saw this video, little did I know he might have been out working the power lines with our PGE crews. How good is this squirrel at plowing? Would you do this for peanuts? He did! Bet his nose was cold too.

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.

Can You Water Ski Like Twiggy?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

We’re heading into a glorious weather weekend here in Oregon, 80 degrees and no smoke, high humidity or scalding temps. What will we all be doing? Heading for the water and picnics to enjoy this blessed gift of great weather.

What better way to send us off on the weekend than getting tips from Twiggy the water skiing squirrel. This athlete not only water skis, he watches the spectators, grooms himself, goes one hand only and hands free while on his ride. What a performer!

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!