Ikea Day Trip

Jeff has tons of vacation time to use up in the next two months. That happens when 5 months of the year is spent on disability from two rotator cuff surgeries. With this week being a short week, he thought he would take a few extra days of vacation. It's a shorter work week because GE employees get Veterans' Day as a paid holiday and since it falls on a Wednesday, he thought using vacation time on Monday and Tuesday made sense.

So we woke up on Tuesday morning debating whether we were going to see a $5 movie since the Marcus Theaters offer all movies for five bucks every Tuesday. And if so, what movie would we choose? Or what other options do we have for something to do? We love spontaneous day trips and he mentioned Ikea. Without even batting an eye, I said, "let's go!"

We took our time getting ready to go and planned out our day. I grabbed the Ikea catalog but I already had an idea of what I wanted to look at. So off we went. We love Ikea. It's not top quality when it comes to some of the furniture but it sure is a fun place to get ideas and look at the items available for organization and home decorating.

One of the best parts of the trip is our late lunch at Big Bowl. It is one of my very favorite restaurants. I absolutely love the Kung Pao Chicken. It is hot and spicy with its yummy tien-tsin peppers that rate a 60,000 on the Scoville unit scale. Nice. And. Hot. We always always go to Big Bowl after Ikea. I so look forward to it. This trip, I tried an apple sangria which was their special and it paired very well with my Kung Pao. It was slightly sweet and refreshing enough to counteract the peppers. It was a lovely way to spend this day...sure was better than the five-dollar movie.

Welcome Ruxin!

Now that Jeff's second rotator cuff surgery is complete, I find myself all alone. He is back to work and home is rather quiet and lonely. Since I struggle to do things I used to do, I don't really go out of the house much so there's not a lot to look forward to unless I am spending time with my granddaughters. I hate to admit it but I talk to myself a lot. Way too much. Jeff noticed my increased sadness and in an offhanded way, he wondered if I would ever be ready for another pet. I dismissed the comments though they were a nice gentle nudge toward filling my needs.

After a few weeks of increased loneliness at home I finally decided that it's time to get on with things...I want a new pet. Jeff's suggestion finally sunk in. I didn't think I could say that for a very long time. Between losing Toby and Nomad my heart has been so broken. But a new rescue kitty really feels right. So after making that decision, I started to look...and look. I've been drawn to the same kitty photo I found on a local no-kill pet shelter site. I finally got up the nerve to drive over to see said kitty only to find that she was gone. All the kitties were adopted at that location which was a good thing. But disappointing for me. So I got in the car and drove past a pet store that had a sign out in front stating they had new cats and kittens ready for adoption. So I took a chance and drove in.

I was glad to see the sign said cats and kittens. I really did not want a kitten. Everyone wants kittens. I wanted the unwanted. But not too unwanted. An adult cat was fine but I didn't want one over the age of 9 or 10 knowing my heart could be broken way too soon. I am just not strong enough for that as selfish as it may sound. And I wanted a kitty that picked me out, not the other way around. So I was looking for that one who was looking for me.

I walked into the pet store and the sign inside said that all the cats were from the Elmbrook Humane Society so if I get a pet there, I had to do the paperwork and pay for the cat through that shelter. I was glad to see that. I walked up to the glass window with all the kitty cubes and a few turned their heads to look at me then went back to doing what cats do best: sleep. Then there was this one guy who stared me down. The closer I got the more straight he sat up and even closer and he was trying to climb through the glass to get my attention. He definitely had my attention. So I asked if I could visit him. The store clerk put me through a series of questions before he would let me see the kitty. I was glad he was thorough.

I met the cat and felt an instant connection. So I went home to tell Jeff. He was thrilled. Little did I know that when I went to the Humane Society to do the paperwork, Jeff had to agree. So the shelter needed him to call to give me permission to get the cat. Talk about being careful with their charges!

So now we have our 4-year old little boy that Jeff named Ruxin. He was a stray when the shelter got him so he really didn't have a name that they knew of so we liked the idea of getting to give him one. When we got Toby he came with that name so we kept it. This time we got to choose, so since the kitty picked me, Jeff picked the name. That seemed fair.

Ruxin was a little skittish at first. He is afraid of loud noises and jumps at sudden movements. He was a bit shy but he is starting to warm up to us. It seems that he loves routine just like us. He is up with us early in the morning and if we stay up late, he is nudging us to go to bed. He knows when he gets fed and he knows when 'dad' gets home from work. He hangs out with me in my sewing room too.

I did warn him that he was going to have to like football so he is slowly getting used to us cheering when our Packers play. I think the fear of loud noises will wane. So we lovingly welcome Ruxin to our family. Our granddaughters love him too!