Cedarburg

Alan's Birthday found us wandering about Cedarburg, Wisconsin after having lunch at a German Festival. We then traveled to Cedarburg and took a tour of the Cedarburg Winery. What was amazing was that it used to be a woolen factory and until the 1960's (or so) had a tunnel that went under the street to the building on the other side. It was used to hide people at certain times in American history. My fanciful imagination imagines it was used during prohibition (long before it was a winery). Alan was enthralled with the idea of becoming a home wine brewer. Out basement would probably be the perfect year round temperature. The process on the other hand - not so easy, and who would drink the wine? But it was very cool. I mean, thinking about how they made wines a hundred years ago and got the yeast mixture to add to it. It was very interesting.

After the tour we went on to do our most favorite activity - Ice cream. I had a sundae - Alan had a float. Behind Alan was a full candy display. It took me back to the days when I was little and my grandma bought me chocolate stars every time we went to the Department store. I gazed at the stars and was instantly transported to 1970, 1971, 1972 at Randhurst Mall. A very nostalgic day. It was very nice.

Long drives and nights out at the local WalMart

I have settled in nicely. The drive to work is long, but my satellite radio keeps me good company. I may need a new one soon. It seems to have antenna issues - but then I switch to my Ipod - the best of both worlds. I especially love all the news feeds - I get Fox News (my favorite) and CNN. Then there is the comedy channels to make me laugh as I get closer to work. I am almost guaranteed to come in with a smile no matter how bad the construction traffic is (and it is bad).

Just once I got stopped by a train and I captured this picture with my camera. Until I get to the highway, the scenery is just beautiful. I can't complain. I bet even the snow will be pretty, slipping and sliding all the way in.

Most of our nights out this summer involved going to places in the Village, concerts on the Square, and our favorite weekly event - the nightly trip to the large Walmart the next town over. Some weekends we try to figure out what to do and go hang out at the Walmart just for fun (seriously). Last night was groceries and appliances. Alan started to do the speed walk through the store when he realized it was 7pm. He was missing Rat Patrol - an old favorite of his available on our cable channel. So at the checkout he abandoned me to get the car and have it waiting for a quick get-away.

Our check-out clerk, young college student, easy on the eye (wink wink) gave me a quizzical look. I said "oh, we have a hot date." He asked what. I laughed and said TV - Rat Patrol is on. He then had to ask "What is Rat Patrol". I told him he was obviously too young to remember that show. I said, you know, this is a day I realized I married my father. And he gave me this shocked look. I said oh, just wait, 20 years into marriage you'll look at your wife and realize you married your mother. He said, "oh, oh, that is sooo sooo Freudian - I don't think so". I said sure you will. That one out there (and I pointed to the exit) listens to Sinatra all the way to Minnesota until I am crazy. 10 hours of Sinatra. He then says "I love Frank, I fall asleep to him". I said "Are you sure you aren't his son?" I then thanked him for my groceries and made a graceful exit (for once). He is probably still trying to figure out who to marry so she is not like his mother! I wish I could put the shocked tone of his voice into this writing!

Well, home I am for the night and we need to clean, do laundry, clean piggers cage and all those good things. But I just want to take a nap. Maybe the nap will win. Ciao!

Men and Electronics Stores

We did the final move yesterday (Wednesday, 8/6). The movers moved the family room furniture that had been taking up living room space into the basement (despite it not being finished), which was nice because it was heavy as can be. Saturday the new carpeting gets installed and hopefully the Illinois House will sell soon.

The TV for the Living Room (27") takes a long time to turn on. It is 15 years old and so a decision was made to replace it with a thiner, sleeker version. So, off to our favorite store, Best Buy. Now time to decide LCD or Plasma, 720p, 1080p. Lots of choices and we haven't even come to size. We settled on 1080p first. Now for size. I voted for 42". The living room is not that big. It would look fine. Alan wanted the 46". Now came the pleading (Imagine a 3 year old in the cereal aisle). Oh, honey, look at the difference, don't you WANT the 46", please, please, please. Then plasma or LCD. LCD is better in sunny rooms (our Living Room is sunny), but Plasma will hold up better to the slobbery dog due to the glass front. So I caved. 46" plasma Panasonic. Settled. Then the bad news. We don't carry that one in this store. So now we had to make another choice. I was pushing for the 42" and hubby said, lets check on the Samsung 46" LCD. While the guy went to check, we noticed it was the only one NOT ON SALE. Almost $1900 for that one. So off the list that one came.

Then, there it was, THE ONE. The ONE HE HAD TO HAVE. Was it 42" - of course not. Was it an LCD - of course not. Was it a 46". Laughable. IT, the dream TV for our little living room was a 50" Plasma Panasonic TV. 20,000 to 1 ratio, 1080p, and so many good things, my head was spinning with "is he insane". Now comes the pleading again. Oh look honey, it is so great, look look look, please, please please - it's cheaper than the Samsung. I whipped out the Iphone and showed him the little living room. NAH. He wasn't buying it. So home it came. We spent the rest of the night setting it up and all he could do is say wow.... Wow.... WOW. He threatened to call in sick today - just to enjoy it. But he didn't.

Now we just have to build the enclosed DVD stand instead of the messy one. I shall take great pleasure in watching Big Brother tonight as one of the first full TV shows on it. And that is why he is never going to Best Buy again.

She Demands All

Mazie must have Siamese in her. She meows constantly. When you get her to sleep you can see the triangular shape of her face. She demands everyone's food. When we walk into the kitchen she races to meet us there - just in case there may be food. I want to know how she understands people food. I ate some cheetoes last night and she lost her mind. When I brushed her away and touched my shirt - she decided to try and suck the cheetoe cheese off my shirt. But I am having lots of fun with her. We especially enjoy watching her try and get to Q's food. She has absolutely no fear of him - he will be eating and she will sneak her paw into his bowl and grab out a piece of canned food. Then carry it to her plate of cat food. Any other dog and she would be part of dinner.

Then there is the matter of Charlie - he seems to really enjoy her on top of his cage and gets upset when she leaves. That is until she gets older and decides he is food too. For now, she is still more interested in the dangling toys. Let's hope her interests stay there!

Hoping to get some sleep tonight. Still like having a toddler in the house. We are tired! She may go back to the cat room tonight!

Mazie Discovers Charlie

The name is settled. Mazie - shortened for Amazing Grace. I ended up singing it to her last night again to calm her down during a storm and she settled in and slept in my arms. Amazing Grace soothes her. Maybe because the song soothes me. For too many reasons, she just is not "Grace" or "Gracie", but Mazie fits her. She has a bad case of the kitten crazies. She runs around like a banshee! She meows / talks all the time and is always asking for food. She has identified the kitchen with canned cat food and thinks she should get it each time we walk in there. I am trying to explain what the meaning of hard food is.

Then she discovered how to get on top of Charlie's cage. She likes the hanging toys Alan put in there. The first time she stood against it Charlie put his little paws on the cage and nosed her back. Now she just heads straight to the top of the cage. We have to find a way to keep her off before she gets bigger. She is sure full of energy.

Poor Neffie doesn't know if she is coming or going. Mazie chases her around the house and Neffie has refined her hissing to a new evil long drawn out tone. It stops Mazie in mid double-leg up prance. Hopefully we'll catch a picture. For now, Mazie spends her nights in the green room for her own protection, but when we are home she gets the run of the house - and we get some exercise. Stay tuned for further.

She Has A Name - Sorta

Finding a name has been tough. We went through Indie (Independence Day) - but that really did not suit her. She has the kitten crazies, but loves people. So next we tried a variety of names, none of which fit. That left us Zoe and Winnie. We settled on Winnie for about 8 hours. Then Kevin came to visit and she is Lil Roo. Roo fits her perfectly, the only problem is we call Q "puppa-roos" and he comes when we call Roo. Maybe she will learn her name that way. We call her, he comes. But then Alyssa weighed in. Alyssa said we can't call her Roo - Q is the one and only Roo (and Lil Roo is a boy in the Winnie The Pooh books anyway - didn't I know anything). So we are now stuck between Winnie and Pepsi. Leaning towards Pepsi. We should have a firm settlement by tomorrow morning - but I am not holding my breath.

She has settled in. She does not like being confined to the Winnie The Pooh room anymore. It is her comfort zone - but she really wants out into the living areas. She is quite small for her age. They found her Mid-April so that puts her at 10-12 weeks old. But at just 2.1 pounds and very thin and lanky, she needs to get some weight on her before next shots in 3 weeks. She loves Q's food and the plan to feed everyone together is working - so well - that she won't eat in her bedroom. Q still has a little of the chase instinct going on - and Neffie is just permanently in a bad state of mind. She finally ate with her last night, then proceeded to hiss and growl at the kitten during the last bites of dinner. This morning Neffie refused to eat breakfast with her at al. So adjustment is coming slowly. She loves to chew cords. I have her room all unplugged except for 2 necessary plugs and there is stuff in front of them. I need to pick up bitter apple before she can have the run of the house. She is very persistent - with very sharp teeth. I hope it works!

New Baby Kitten

We had a busy morning. A very unhappy Neffie went to the vet for shots. She sat very nicely on the table and had her nails clipped. But she eyeballed the 3 injection needles and I could see the processing in her mind (those are for ME?!) Then off to home for her and off to the shelter for us.

Neffie has seemed generally okay since Peri died, but the one thing that has not changed is that every day she saves half her wet food for Peri. She waits for Peri to come and after an hour, she comes back and eats the remainder. It is actually very sad. So we have decided to get a kitten. I had thought of going to a breeder, but decided to get one from the shelter. I forgot how much shelters break my heart. The dogs there were so sad. Many turned in by their owners - one was a pair of beagles - an older and younger dog. I wanted to bring them home. I know Q will love a kitten, but a pair of beagles would push his old man buttons!

So initially, I wanted a kitten from the "Flintstones". http://www.lakelandanimalshelter.org/kittenseason.html
Scroll to the middle to see the litter).

But in the end, it was Rosy who stole our hearts. She never stopped purring - she was very content to snuggle with Alan and me. I think she will do fine. She was not ready to come home today - she had just been spayed. So she comes home Thursday July 3rd.

Rosy needs a new name! We are thinking Gunnie (as in Gunnery Sergeant). But Alyssa said we just can't call her Gunnie. We haven't decided yet on a name. Let us know any thoughts you have!

Stay tuned for updates! The picture came from the shelter. Please support your local shelter!

Introducing Drill Sergeant Nefertitti

Neffie keeps Q company. Everywhere Q goes, so does Neffie. She particularly loves sharing his bed. I will post more pics later. But the best is when we sleep in on the weekends. My loving cat turns into a terror! Every weekend I usually wake up earlier than everyone and manage my way to the couch for some quiet internet time (meaning no television on!). Neffie refuses to join me. Rather, she sits in the bedroom doorway watching Alan sleeping with a really bad attitude. I tried calling her to no avail. When Alan finally got up (she woke him up), she marched him down the hall - Neffie leading, Alan then Q following. She had her ears back and was chirping and making these growly sounds. She marched them right into the kitchen for her breakfast. French Chartreux are mute! It was the funniest thing I had seen in a long time!


So this weekend I was determined to capture her on film. She raked her nails across the side of the mattress to wake up Alan. I grabbed the camera. This is the best shot. She is stomping through the living room by the DVD rack on her way to the kitchen. The best part was when Alan stopped and sat on the couch - just to make her wait. She then came and sat in front of him with her ears back and would try and lead him into the kitchen. Now, lest you think she is starving - she has dry food available. This whole output is for the small can of food she used to share with Peri. You just can't be late to breakfast in our house! I look forward to the ongoing saga. Alan said he is not getting up at 5am on weekends just to feed her.

Hide and Seek

I have a great story about Neffie (with Photos of course) and I have been spending time with Lucy from next door (Illinois House) - but alas, I have no camera transfer cable. I am now looking for the secondary card reader. Living in 2 places and still tons of stuff to unpack, Alan and I are beginning to realize just how much stuff we just cannot find. Over the weekend I found his camera cable and transferred some pictures. But I have no idea where mine is. Maybe Alyssa knows, but she is in London. Besides the camera cable we are missing a few boxes of papers, Alan's Birkenstock sandles, all the other shoes that were not currently being worn by the guys, and some of my pottery.

We started the Seek part of this game Sunday and it quickly wore us out. We managed to open all the boxes of Alan's mother's stuff we have been storing for 15 years and yes, still storing, until AJ comes home and decides what he wants of his Grandma's stuff.

Wish us luck. We'll be having a big garage sale soon!

In Loving Memory of Per-puppy (5/5/99 - 5/22/08)

We fell in love with the French Chartreux cats and in 1999 I I flew to Kansas to pick up Peri - to be a companion to our first French Chartreux, Nefertitti. Having shown dogs for a number of years I had pursued some interests in the cat show world (purely spectator). Thus, Peri (Perriwinkle Purrfection) born May 5, 1999, came to join us in July 1999. We convinced Alan that Peri was really part dog and after 3 weeks, Neffie accepted that too, allowing her to occupy the same room in the house with her now that "puppy" status had been conferred upon Peri. When Neffie showed Peri her mean side for her first 3 weeks in the house, Peri turned to the dogs for comfort and that was the turning point for Neffie too - all fell in love.

Before I flew to Kansas to get her, the breeder called to warn me that Peri had some interesting fur for a French Chartreux. Her fur was too long for the show ring. Well, we decided to take her anyway, and see how she turned out. She was basically a long-haired French Chartreux. Not real common and not showable. And my husband decided it was a lucky break (for him). She would be spayed and no show ring rounds for us. Alyssa had already told us Peri belonged to her and she was quite glad to have her all to herself.

Neffie and Peri had a hate/love relationship. I think it was more show for us - at night we could hear them stomping through the house playing. (Neffie is closet to the front in the photo.) While it took Neffie 3 weeks to accept that this cat was here to stay - I think it will take her much longer to understand she is gone. When we had Peri shaved due to being dog slimed, Neffie would treat her as a stranger until her fur grew back in. (Who can understand cats!). Richard said Neffie looked for Peri all around the house after we left for Minnesota.

Peri loved Alan and Q though. Peri loved to be at the center at whatever was going on. She always made sure to run her entire body under Q's mouth for much slobbering. When we moved, she took to the new house just fine and explored with great interest. She loved people and always came to see who had come over. She hated being carried or picked up. But lay down next to her or have her join you on the bed or couch and she was content. She wouldn't let you stop petting her!

Alan got home from work about 4:30 and found her laying on the floor by our bedroom door. She would not move. She managed one loud meow. When he picked her up she went limp. She was obviously very ill. Our regular vet said they couldn't see her. So Alan drove her to the vet in the nearby town. They were so kind and took her in. She passed away while they were treating her. I managed to make it to the Vet's office while they were still working on her. They brought her to us to say good-bye. We asked them to find out why she died. She was only 9. It turns out Peri had a large tumor in her stomach and it had invaded her liver and then her kidneys, causing kidney failure. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her. I know she is now at Rainbow Bridge.

RAINBOW BRIDGE
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to
someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are
meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they
can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water
and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to
health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made
whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our
dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy
and content, except for one small thing; they each miss
someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one
suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright
eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly
he begins to run from the group, flying over the green
grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special
friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion,
never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your
face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you
look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long
gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...