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Military Romance Author

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A Fresh Start For Kindness

January 18, 2023 By Kimberly A. Cook 1 Comment

Happy New Year, my fellow earthlings. Think I was kind of waiting to see if we actually made it. So far, so good. Bumpy, but we’re coping.

My goals this year are kindness, play, writing, and decluttering.

While I have been doing the last two, I need serious retraining for play, plus I’m working on kindness by trying to do a good deed each day. If I make you smile, this post counts for today’s good deed.

One article I read a long time ago said if you changed three things in your morning routine, it would turn your world upside down. Can’t even imagine what a multiple-year worldwide tri-demic does, but we’re beginning to find out. Think we are upside down, turned inside out, and floating in space.

While the entire planet is in various stages of flux and upheaval, we can recognize we are all in recovery. And that will take as long as it takes and is individual for each person and animal. Basically, this event screwed everybody, mammals, insects, all organisms.

Kindness to ourselves and others is a powerful way to move forward.

On Dec. 8, 2013, I was standing in the customer service line at Kohl’s to pay my almost overdue credit card bill. My dad had died early that morning, and my family were on our way home from saying goodbye to him at the foster home.

Sleep-deprived, grieving, in shock, and pretty exhausted, I felt like an empty vessel. Standing in line was taking way too much energy. After I paid my bill, the clerk gave me a business card. On it said #SHOWKINDNESS. I held onto that little card as if it was a surprise daisy in winter. I still have it.

You never know how you will touch someone’s life in a positive way. And sweet sea biscuits, we need as much kindness and love as we can produce right now.

Take positive baby steps. Whatever you can handle.

Elizabeth Lyon, a favorite writing instructor, talked about one percent improvement a week at a long-ago writing conference. She said we have to “chop wood and carry water” every day to be better writers.       

That goes for kindness and love too.

In that vein, I’m adding some of my new favorite videos to enjoy. I need more play and nature in my life, and given our winter weather, these videos help a lot.

The Movie Squirrels are from Norway and their humans are working to save the forest for the animals. Let’s do this!

(It’s eight hours, so pace yourselves. I watch it on my TV. You have to see The Nut Bar!)

https://youtu.be/cIvEGjm0qGM

And let’s finish up with some positive news from the Oregon Zoo!

https://youtu.be/gwBkeiHfFds

Gear up people.

Let’s get kindness trending!

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Filed Under: Motivation Tagged With: A Fresh Start For Kindness, animals, goals, good deeds, Happy New Year, Kimberly A. Cook, kindness, later in life romance novels, later in life romance readers, military romance author, Norway, Oregon Zoo, recovery, romance readers, squirrels, winter blues

Spring, Squirrels And Snow?

April 11, 2022 By Kimberly A. Cook 2 Comments

Looking North to Mt. Adams in Washington from the Packer Bakery last Thursday. Peach blossoms in the foreground.

Several days ago at midnight, I was herding a possum around my backyard wearing my long puffy pink bathrobe, nightgown, and black Skecher running shoes. It dawned on me I might have gone a bit off the edge. Not sure possum cross-fit training is a thing. Yet. But given all that is happening in the world, who knows. I’ve never been “normal,” so why start now.

Spring in Oregon is always a bit quirky, but this year Mother Nature seems to be going for the gold. Last Thursday a seventy-seven degree day was forecast. My friend and I headed for Hood River to catch the opening fruit blossoms and do cookie research. Packers Orchard and Bakery is our go to destination to perform this grueling task. We were not disappointed.

Peach trees blooms were pink and open, the white blossoms of the apples and pears, right on schedule. (There is a bloom watch website at http://www.hoodriverfruitloop.com) Purchased an array of needed cookie supplies and empanadas, took some pictures, sat in the glorious sun. Then off to The Riverside Restaurant for lunch, because it is right on the Columbia River. As the name suggests. Never did a tuna melt taste so good.

The hour drive home landed us in the middle of a freeway traffic jam, but we didn’t care; there were cookies in the car! My friend went home and mowed her lawn, since it was supposed to rain over the weekend.

Then this morning we woke up to snow. In April. In Portland. It’s the first time PDX has registered snow in April since 1940. Go figure.

Think this bird is as confused as I was about the snow this morning. But breakfast was provided!

Our fabulous Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood has had thirty-six inches of snow in the last seventy-two hours and expects to get about that amount in the next three days. The mountain looks so pretty all covered in white. And us valley dwellers cheer the rising snowpack for summer water reserves.

Since today is a snow day, decided to catch you up on all the goings on around here. The possum has disappeared. It may have been my outfit in the wee hours of the morning that did the trick. Or crossing the road. Always a gamble for critters. Not sure.

Also had a potential stray cat in my backyard and was trying to feed her/him/it when it took off. But the possum had found the cat food. Which he liked much better than the birdseed he’d been hoovering up. Which explains my midnight workout with the furry thing. But the possum rodeo might have done the trick.

But the squirrel is back. After the crows and hawk left. And now the little birdies and Mourning Doves have returned.

Nature is nothing if not resilient.

And so are we.

Enjoy Spring!

Recent sunbathing squirrel on my back fence. This is how I hope to spend my summer afternoons. This furry one is getting an early start. Watch and learn.

My blog post would not be complete without an Oregon Zoo video. This springy baby is adorable. It’s about how I felt in the orchards last week. But I can’t jump that high!

 

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Filed Under: home Tagged With: and Snow?, cookies, fruit trees, Hood River, Hood River Fruit Loop, Kimberly A. Cook, military romance author, Oregon, Oregon Zoo, Packer Orchards and Bakery, romance author, romance readers, snow, Spring, squirrels, weather

Twiggy Rides Again!

April 9, 2016 By Kimberly A. Cook 4 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook                (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

One of the most popular videos I’ve posted featured Twiggy the water skiing squirrel. So when I checked in on Twiggy today, seems they are making the rounds in Canada at the boat shows, complete with water safety gear. There have been several Twiggys it turns out.

Given we just had two days of 80 degree weather here in Oregon, water safety for squirrels and humans is a must. Hope you’re having a great weekend!

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Filed Under: Quirky Fridays Tagged With: animals, boat shows, Canada, Kimberly A Cook, pets, squirrels, Twiggy the Squirrel, Warrior Tales, water safety, waterskiing

Scrat In Space!

March 11, 2016 By Kimberly A. Cook Leave a Comment

by Kimberly A. Cook                            (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Not sure how I missed this trailer in December, but so glad I stumbled across it this week. Scrat is my hero! It also really lets us know how the universe was born. So if you’ve got rain and the will winter never end blues, let Scrat help you out. Scrat in space!

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

https://youtu.be/yPmm1JhygIo

 

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Filed Under: Quirky Fridays Tagged With: cartoons, fun, humor, Ice Age, Ice Age 5, Kimberly A Cook, movies, Scrat, Scrat in Space, squirrels, Warrior Tales

Got A Squirrel Snow Plow?

January 15, 2016 By Kimberly A. Cook 3 Comments

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!

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Filed Under: Quirky Fridays Tagged With: animals, backyard wildlife, humor, Kimberly A Cook, pets, snow, snow plow, snow removal, Squirrel, squirrels, Warrior Tales, winter

Squirrel Shakes? Shake Squirrel? Who Knew?

September 25, 2015 By Kimberly A. Cook 2 Comments

by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

So it’s not just me. Even the animal kingdom knows it’s Fall and they’re stocking up on food. This little squirrel went nuts over a milkshake. I can’t blame him I have the same problem with chocolate shakes, including trying to get the lid off the dang cup.

Of course, I don’t think we need squirrels high on sugar too. Chaos! So people, finish your milkshakes. Save a squirrel from sugar.

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!

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Filed Under: Quirky Fridays Tagged With: animals, chocolate shakes, Fall, food, humor, Kimberly A Cook, squirrels, Warrior Tales, writer, Writing

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