Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

writer

Happy May Day Everyone

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A bee hard at work in the azalea. Nature keeps working. That always gives me hope.

Just returned from a walk around the neighborhood on this warm, lovely afternoon. Wanted to take a posey picture to share with you. Sun is always a big deal here in Oregon and today is a bonus day of eighty-degree weather. May always heralds the true start of moving from spring to summer for me. Flip flops and naked toes are on the horizon.

While I can’t decide whether to do some mixed media art or take a nap right now, I’ve been doing a fine job of avoiding my current work in progress, Forbidden Warrior. I’m twenty-seven chapters in and this couple are having deep conversations and surprising me with things I didn’t know about them. While some romance authors strictly dictate what their couples do, I give mine a little wiggle room and they go rogue every time. That’s the fun part!

My obsession with Jane Austen continues as I discussed in my last post and now OPB/PBS is airing the short series Miss Austen on May 4 at 9 p.m. Why did Cassandra Austen, Jane’s sister, rush to locate the letters Jane wrote to her friend Eliza after the author’s death? What could have been in those letters that Cassandra wanted kept secret? Intrigue! Can’t wait.

Then there is my new HGTV fetish Castle Impossible, set outside of Paris with a young couple working to renovate/save a massive French chateau. This is home improvement on steroids. Plus, I don’t have to lift a brick, paint brush, hammer or timber and still get to visit beautiful France. 

Another way to celebrate May first is Lei Day, a state holiday in Hawaii. The people of the islands celebrate the love, friendship, and spirit of Aloha symbolized by the lei. The flowery necklace is a symbol of the Hawaiian culture, their connection to the land, the people, and the Aloha spirit. Whether made from flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, or other natural objects, they are a way to demonstrate love, caring, and welcome.

I’ve enjoyed wearing flower leis on my visits to Hawaii. I even keep fabric ones on my dresser mirror to remind me of my island times. This morning, I switched out my Easter decorations for a Hawaiian summer flare in the house. Complete with Cabana Boy pillows!

Wishing you all a very happy May Day.

The Aloha spirit is a wonderful thing to embrace and spread.

Aloha!

 

 

Ahoy Hugs And Bon Voyage Heat!

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This is what I do for fun in a heat wave. Take pictures!

Life is odd. Yesterday I had concerns my plastic bird bath was melting. There was a definite list to port. But the marine air fought its way in from the coast and saved us from the crazy weather we’ve had for three days. It was thirty degrees cooler in Maui than Portland on Sunday. That’s just so wrong.

But I’d prepared last week and stocked up on ice cream. Like most of my neighbors, if the decimated ice cream bar case was any clue last Wednesday. We Oregonians treat heat over ninety like a snowstorm; go home and hunker down. With snacks.

But I celebrated an early birthday present this month too.  I got to hug my mom for the first time since March 16, 2020. It felt longer, let me tell you. I managed to get two hugs. I became fully vaccinated June third and my first visit inside mom’s apartment was June 10. Fabulous!

Hugs are what I’ve missed most during the pandemic. I consider them energy transfers. Hugs are back!

I even got a hug from my computer repair wizard last week. Plus he gave me a ride in his new Tesla. Scared the bejeezus out of me. I’m not a fan of going over seventy miles an hour and quick acceleration with other traffic around. Maybe if I was driving? No. Don’t think so. But it was an adventure! I would like to drive an M1A1 tank. My fancy vehicle choices are different. And much more expensive.

But Oregon is very close (69.4%) to having seventy percent of our adult folks vaccinated. By tomorrow we should be there and the Governor is lifting restrictions. But we have to be on our guard, because mutant variants are literally roaming the country and multiplying. The unfortunate thing is unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people are at higher risk of hospitalization and death from the Delta variant. It takes five weeks from your first shot, of the two-shot regime, to be fully vaccinated. Run for the vaccines!

On flight status with the Air Force Reserve, I had to keep shots current for worldwide deployment as an Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Officer. We had monthly printouts to remind us what shots we needed. It was a bunch. Then if we deployed, we got more shots for that region. Please get the vaccine. Let’s put a wooden stake through this virus’s mutant heart, cell, replication, you get my drift.

Because I have a lot of missed hugs to gather and I need to know you’re all covered. Vaccinate to hug up America!

And with our new Oregon seasons of wildfires, ice storms, and heat waves upon us here in the West, I bet we get a snow storm in August. Time to buy more snacks!

I finished off that two pound bag of peanut M&Ms because they were past their good by date. I hate waste. That’s my story and I’m using it.

Summer Snacks ahoy!

Marine air from the Pacific Ocean works a four-hour miracle last night. This is what I call a happy ending! (No, I did not put the outside sensor in the freezer.)

Got Pandemic Short Timer Syndrome?

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Blooms in the neighborhood!

Spring Greetings! Unless you’re cowering under snow, then my apologies. We had a heat wave here in Oregon and it felt like August instead of April. Complete with fire warnings. Did that last year, no need to repeat, thank you very much.

Then the rains returned over the weekend. Good thing. We need to keep fire danger down.

But the two weeks of sun might explain part of our current Oregon Covid-19 fourth wave surge. We had sun for two weeks straight and lost our minds. 

Do you feel like you’re trying to give a cat a bath while trotting on a treadmill that’s sinking in quicksand? Yeah. Me too. I recognize this affliction. We called it short timer syndrome in the military. Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan veterans know about in spades.

It’s the limbo time before you go home from war, deployment, or get out of the military. Or in our case, mask wearing and pandemic social distancing.

It can be the most dangerous time of any mission.

You’re tired of everything. You want it to end. Your focus slips off the mission target. Then stupid stuff happens.

We be there my fellow recruits. Dig deep and hang tough. Last Monday I was released out of the gates like a greyhound chasing a real rabbit to sign up for a vaccine shot. And the race is on!

Since I’ve been too young and healthy until now in Oregon, grateful for that, I’m doing the shot-a-rama thing to get an appointment. Wish me luck! I’m the last in my family to get stuck and will do my part.

The Oregon Health Authority released a new web table tracking vaccines per county. OHA is doing a great job, by the way. And this fancy new graphic gave me an idea.

Let’s play a national game! We’ve got the data. In Oregon right now, Benton County on the coast is leading with 52 percent vaccinated versus second place Lincoln County coming in at 51 percent. You feel it right? The competitive American spirit. In a good way.

If we can get the National Football League to provide graphics, ESPN to get a Covid vaccine tracking board with a nightly update, Scott Van Pelt from SportsCenter to talk it up, we can ignite our competitive state pride. Add spiffy stickers to download for each state.

You know what will happen next. Las Vegas will set up the odds for the betting folk.

And everybody gets to play! Including Puerto Rico, Guam, District of Columbia, American Samoa, U. S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and all the outlying islands and atolls. (We’ve got a bunch of those folks.)

Because as dysfunctional a USA family as we might be; we are gamers. Digital and old school. Online and offline. And if we think we’re going to let another state or area beat us, heck no.

I’m up for doing whatever it takes to get us to national herd immunity. For once, I want to belong to a happy cow herd. I’m thinking 101 percent. 101? We’ve got not-yet-born babies percolating as we speak people. This is a moving target!

Prizes? Shots in arms. But also important? Bragging rights.

The smaller populated states and territories and the District of Columbia have a very good chance at kicking big population state’s butts. For once.         

But the very best part? Saving lives.

Now we need a catchy name. US Super Shots Competition? USSSC? Sounds like a legit thing to me. Dr. Fauci can be the Commissioner!

These are the days we have to be crafty and creative fighting this global enemy.

Don’t take your eyes off the mission, gamers.

I know we’re tired, exhausted and cranky. I’ve even rearranged my refrigerator magnets. But now is when we dig deep and continue to mask and roll up our sleeves.

Join me in becoming a contestant in the USSSC.

I think as the bonus prize, the winning state or territory gets to pick the military aircraft flyover of their choice. Because that’s how we do it here in the USA! And our military pilots need the flight hours. Plus, it’s cool.

My aircraft shopping list? Several C-17s. Some C-130s. One B-52 and B-2 bomber each. A herd of CH-47 choppers. A flock of A-10 Warthogs! A bevy of Apache and Blackhawk choppers for spice. Local Air National Guard fighters. And the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels with some kicking Coast Guard rescue choppers. That’s a good start……  

And I must leave you with a fabulous lemur video showing how they celebrate spring at the Oregon Zoo.

P.S. BREAKING NEWS: Just got my shot appointment scheduled. Syringe ahoy!

Baby Yoda at the Oregon Convention Center vaccine site supporting the National Guard! He is masked and vaccinated. My sister took this picture after her volunteer shift putting shots in arms and monitoring, while my brother-in-law escorts folks who use wheelchairs through the process. So proud of both of them. It takes all of us!

Happy May Day!

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Blooms for you!

Sun. Finally. I’ve been cooped up in the house for the last month with four unruly teenagers. Not humans, but book manuscripts. Making progress, but these kids are driving me nuts. So sunshine is a very good excuse to grab the camera and wander around my neighborhood after lunch. Instead of taking a nap. That hard job falls to Spec Ops Cat. He excels at it, trust me.

I’d noticed the rhododendrons blooming down the street and wanted to get a picture of the PINK blossoms. So pretty. There are some gorgeous red ones on another sunny corner, but they are almost bloomed out. Sun spots matter. 

Then what I thought was candytuft turns out to be something else, which I have no idea what it is, but it’s beautiful.

Very pretty. Something or other.

While I continue to slog through the technical side of indie publishing, wanted to let you all know I am still at it, giving it my best, and whining. Er, writing. A lot. That means I get rewarded with chocolate, so I’ve created my own fat monster. I’ve had to resort to giving myself a sticker on my calendar every time I complete another chapter. Fun stickers. Now I’m hoarding stickers.

The sticker fetish coincides with my new hoarding, er, hobby habit; stamping. I started with Anna Griffin card kits and it’s a slippery slope to Crafters Companion dies and stamps. Yesterday I almost grabbed a plastic wrapped magazine out of woman’s hands in Barnes and Noble because I thought she had the British stamping magazine I was stalking.

Lucky for her, she did not have the edition I wanted. My military background aside, I watch a ton of pro football. I’ve seen tackling moves. Consider that a warning to the stamping gals cruising the magazines at my Barnes and Noble. Just saying.  

When I did find the coveted issue on the stands, I practically yelled in glee. The holy grail. Swan stamps and dies. They GIVE you cling stamps with the magazine. There should be a law against that, really. Monday I actually went on eBay to purchase two back issues I had to have. No judgments. Stop me before I stamp again!

But stamping is a great stress reliever from dealing with said teenagers. I even get to switch chairs in the office. Purple for writing, pink for crafting.

There is nothing like coloring in the lines of the stamp and then using water and a paint brush to turn them into watercolors. If you use permanent black ink and watercolor pencils. Only a few of the thousand needed accessories. Including a baby toothbrush to clean my stamps with baby shampoo and water. Scrubbing the ink off the stamps calms me down too. Simple pleasures. That whole cleaning and scrubbing calm does not apply to the rest of my house. Not the same thing.     

So I wanted to show you my first effort at making stamped cards. Since no guts, no glory, I started with probably the largest and most intricate stamp I own for my first project. Also, the first time using a rocker block too. Did a couple of test stamps that came out great, and then on to the watercolor cards. No fear!

Three cards. One for Mom, and the others for friends dealing with health challenges.

I’m a rookie stamper. I admit it. So all I can do is improve, right? And I bought some glitter ink. Because of the teenagers! That’s my tale and I’m sticking to it. It helps me relax. Fun colors and it’s cheaper than therapy. I think.

Got the crazies? What’s your craft therapy?

Happy May Day! 

And the promised pink blossoms. In today’s sunshine. The bees were very busy on these blooms, but I couldn’t get a bee butt picture. They move. The quest continues!

  

Time For A Spring Whittle?

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Wreath bells and decorations. The pine cones are in the garage. Somewhere.

I’m rebooting myself. If we can do it to computers, we can do it to ourselves. Between the crazy cold weather, my too long sick bay recovery and the state of my house, something needs to be rebooted. So I’ve decided to start with moi.

Mucking out the house seems a first priority. Since Spec Ops Cat refuses to do dishes and housework, I had to keep up with those necessities. But cleaning out closets when homebound has led to a plethora of boxes in the living room bound for Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and recycling.

Normally I would move all this flotsam into the garage, but it’s a mess too. Seems when I’m not feeling well I order things from Home Shopping Network to cheer me up. Then I throw the empty boxes into the garage until I can break them down. That also includes my Christmas wreath.

Miracles of miracles Monday, the sun came out and it was pleasant outside. I toddled out to the garage and proceeded to breakdown cardboard boxes and fill the entire recycling cart to the brim. Then I actually unwound the wire off the wreath, salvaging the bells and pine cones, and put the very dead fir limbs into the yard debris. 

Now I also kept the round wire frame. I’ve been doing this for years, buying holiday wreaths and then saving the frames. Haven’t used one yet. But I might. I’ve watched too many YouTube craft videos this year and I own an unused glue gun. Chaos will certainly reign at some point when it comes to these two items. I can only imagine the things I can stick myself to with a small amount of effort.

Yesterday I almost took the electronic recycling in the back of Subie to the drop off place, but I couldn’t get my butt out the door. Today is another day! The old HP printer and monitor belonged to the ancient computer I finally switched to my new computer. It only took six months, two technicians and a ton of chocolate. I’ve kept the old desktop just in case. I might need a doorstop or a boat anchor.

But I like to think this is progress. I also dragged some boxes to sort from my parent’s house out of my exercise room, it holds equipment, not that I use it. I am happy to say Subie will be driving a vintage punch bowl set to a friend of mine to donate to her church. One more box out of the house.

I watched a lot of videos while cooped up and stumbled upon Mari Kondo’s Netflix series about Tidying Up. Basically it all comes down to one thing – you have to sort your crap, er stuff. But the series gave me hope that one day I will again park Subie in the middle of the garage and perhaps see the rug in the exercise room.

Don’t get me started on my office. Between papers and books, it’s easier to fight my way to the computer and ignore it. But I am whittling on it all. That’s my new word for sorting and cleaning. Whittling. Doesn’t seem that hard to whittle away a box at a time.

My goal is to have it done by this Fall. Or at least by the time I buy another holiday wreath.

It could happen! 

Got anything to whittle at your house?   

New Goat In Town

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The holiday season is crazy, even if you’re just trying to keep out of everybody else’s way. Then you go to make a blog post and they changed the format again. Tech. The digital nightmare that keeps on giving.

But then we get to see the new goat in town at the Oregon Zoo, Bruce Wayne. Officially the smallest goat on campus at the Zoo’s family farm, he doesn’t seem to know it. Let’s all take a break from crazy and watch the baby goat. I’m in!  

Have a great, safe, weekend and Happy Quirky Friday!