Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Warrior Tales

Can We All Downsize In Place?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

I’m reading a book about getting organized titled, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” by Marie Kondo. She has two rules of getting organized and the first one is the hardest; discard what doesn’t give you joy. This includes sorting everything in your entire house.

Goldmine! Not that I need these, but I had to bring a few home! For decorating. Really!
Goldmine! Not that I need these, but I had to bring a few home! For decorating. Really!

It sounds simple, but she recommends a six-month process to make this happen. I think I’ve been trying to do this for sixteen years myself. Truly, I have a collection of decluttering books! Case in point.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is realizing our lives and activities have changed but we hang onto the clothes or sports equipment or artwork from the past.

Another favorite organizing book had some powerful advice; “storage is sorrow.” Whether past triumphs or tragedies or both, if we don’t love the items or display them as keepsakes, storage is not honoring the role of those items now, so set them free!

Easier said than done. Lately I’ve been shopping my clothes closet. While pretty organized, I have more stuff than I can remember. Found some shoes I’d forgotten about which are just the right sandals for this summer. Breaking in one pair of them today.

I’ve also been watching a lot of style tv shows, a favorite is “Love, Lust or Run” with Stacy London and “Dare to Wear” on TLC. Think I must be craving a change in fashion. Part of it comes from getting used to my thinner bod and wearing clothes that actually fit. New experience.

So today I boxed up some clothes to donate that I truly loved but am not willing to pay the cost of tailoring. I’m going to set them free so someone else can enjoy them and I have a cleaner closet. Now, I have drawn some lines so far; beads, yarn and books. Yes, I will sort them, but I’m not going to be brutal about it. Luckily they don’t take up much space. Okay, if I’m truthful I’m not going to get rid of beads – period. But the books and yarn are smaller than a bass boat! I think.

Of course, my fun trips to my favorite antique mall are not stopping either, but I’m trying to be very careful what I bring home. Last visit I came across a basket of 45 RPM records and sorted through. Pounced on one by Elvis and several made in Hawaii with the label in a red and white floral print. Plan on using them as wall decorations in the Maui/Elvis in Hawaii bathroom. Now if I can just find where I put them …..

P.S. For those of you keeping track, I finally switched out my cable tv modem this past weekend. With cussing and lots of chocolate, I made it work. Then I downgraded my tv package, kept football of course, and they sent me a new DVR to switch out. Sigh. Now I have to actually watch the shows on my old DVR. Stop the insanity!

Of Bunnies and Blue Moons?

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

It’s been a week here in the land of “Portlandia.” Between a 103 degree heat wave, protestors hanging from one of our bridges and today’s Blue Moon, it’s actually pretty normal for us. And people wonder why I’m quirky.

While Spec Ops Cat is hunting something with the sound of small feet in my kitchen wall, which I’m ignoring for the moment, time for a fun video. In honor of Beatrix Potter’s birthday this week, what better way to enjoy tonight’s full Blue Moon than watching two species get along, one being Bubbles the bunny!

Stay cool, drink water and Happy Quirky Friday!

Been On A Weekend Shopping Safari?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Spent this past weekend dashing around like a maniac. Zipped over to Craft Warehouse for their tent sale on Saturday, then managed to get stuck in our first rain storm in two months on the freeway. The downpour created two traffic jams and two car wrecks I avoided in 75 minutes trying to get to my writer support group; but All’s Well That End’s Well. Made it!

A favorite sign at Craft Warehouse. I may have to go back and get this....
A favorite sign at Craft Warehouse. I may have to go back and get this….

On Sunday I zoomed over to the grocery store to hand off a wedding gift and try to beat the after church crowds at the same time. While waiting at the designated outside meeting spot, I noticed the bees busily working away on the flowers in the garden center. Go bees! Took out my ever ready camera and got a few pics.

Then finished up Sunday by binge-watching three “Who Do You Think You Are” shows on The Learning Channel before the start of the new season that night. It’s like a cozy mystery for every show and so fun to follow the genealogy trails.

I enjoy when they use military records, since heaven knows there is always paper involved when serving in the military. A nice by-product of the tv watching was Spec Ops Cat approved of the lap time.

So we got some rain, had a cool weekend, and here comes the heat again. Seriously, Mother Nature is having hot flashes and I can do without temps in the 90s. Let’s hope for cooler temps than predicted and if not, keep your cameras ready for the outfits! In high heat I see the most amazing clothes combos.

Bee on the job. Even on Sunday!
Bee on the job. Even on Sunday!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Beatrix Potter today. Her “little bunny book” as she called it, “Peter Rabbit,” helped her preserve hundreds of acres in the Lake District of England. The little bunny that could!

Now That’s A Music Concert!

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by Kimberly A. Cook            (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

Obviously I’ve been living under a music rock. When I went trolling for YouTube videos today about outdoor/indoor summer concerts I stumbled across this mega show World Wide Tour with a HUGE stage. Holy Batman!

Amazing glimpse of the show and yes, it did look like the Palace I saw in Vienna for some strange reason; they took a life-size replica with them! Now that’s a logistics nightmare! Then add all those ball gowns? Horses! Fountains! Wow. I must buy the DVD of this Andre Rieu tour.

Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend and A Happy Quirky Friday!

Summer Loving, Photography and Grease?

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by Kimberly A. Cook           (Twittter@  WarriorTales)

Some of my best summer kid memories are staying outside late playing when the weather was warm and the air smelled like endless time. Those days seemed to last forever.

Summer sunset in the park with John Travolta singing "Greased Lightning!" Damn!
Summer sunset in the park with John Travolta singing “Greased Lightning!” Priceless!

Even riding in the bed of my Dad’s pickup to go watch the fireworks with family and friends was a big thrill. Yes, current safety concerns aside, many of us boomers did survive the attempt to perhaps thin the herd when we were young; no bike helmets, no air bags and no seat belts for a while. It may also explain a lot about some of us, come to think of it.

This past Friday I joined family and friends and went to see a free movie at the park, “Grease.” I always have my camera with me. After I plopped my butt in my fold up chair, I took a couple of pics of the pink sunset.

Now I didn’t move, mind you, I just clicked away. I like this one the best of the lot, given I was using telephoto to block out fellow movie goers and buildings, the scene might be in a forest. Think fairies and unicorns.

But to prove I am true to my word, here is the rest of the Friday night movie going herd waiting for the fun to begin in the second photo. One of my favorite scenes in another movie “The Wedding Planner,” is when they are watching black and white movies in the park. How romantic! Us real people can actually do these things, especially during the summer.

Used telephoto on this pic too, since we were back in the cheap seats on the hill. This is what America means to me! Outside free summer movies and people watching!
Used telephoto on this pic too, since we were back in the cheap seats on the hill. This is what America means to me! Outside free summer movies and people watching!

So check your parks and library folks and see if there might be a fun free outside movie in your future. In downtown Portland they even show them on top of parking garages. Maybe it’s just us West Coasters who enjoy the outside movies, but I doubt it. Enjoy summer and be a kid again!

Grab your folding chairs, blankies, hoodies, snacks and get outside for movies! Don’t forget your camera too. Magic might happen!

Can You Balance Better Than A Goat?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@   WarriorTales)

Goats have been on my mind this past week. At the day job we put some goats on contract to eat vegetation at one of our sites. They’re doing a fine job and I even got to see a photo of them in action. Cutie pies and top rate work too. So besides being paid to eat, I wondered what other skills they might possess and found this fascinating video.

This must be how they start to train goats to surf, is what I’m thinking. Then they could go on to work at the Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui that I love. Practice makes perfect. Do they have Velcro on their hooves? And are those baby goats too cute?

Have a great weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!