Introducing Oliver

So I adopted a 17 year old cat today. I was at MAADC, the Milwaukee pound, as I'd given LuLu a ride to pick up her kitten post-neutering. I'm not saying I knew I would be adopting a cat when I went with Lu, but I'm not saying it wasn't a possibility. 

  I had seen, online, a cat named Oliver, age 17, and a hefty 13 pounds. So I asked to see him in person, and, while Lu waited in the car with her kitten, Junie and I were introduced to Oliver. 

He was as big as advertised, very chill, friendly (but not a purr-er, at least not yet) and spry for his age and size; twice the volunteer stopped him from leaping atop a filing cabinet. He had been a stray in 2009, when he was adopted and spent the next 15 years in the same household, coming back to MAADC after his owner's death. He had been front-declawed, something we would never do nowadays, but was common a few decades ago. 

 I had mixed feelings, knowing that at 17 our time together would amount to a few years at best, but in the end I said yes to taking him home. 

And then, as I was checking out, a family came in saying they were there to see Oliver. Perhaps, I thought, a family a little less chaotic would suit him better.  So I approached them and offered to let them skip the rest of the line and meet Olivier; if they wanted him, I would pass on him and wish them the best. In a burst of introspection, I also wrote this in the family chat: 

I'm also in a depressive episode right now, and I want to make sure I'm acting rationally [by adopting Olivier] and not out of a need to fill a void. 

A few minutes later the family came out and said they did NOT want Oliver; he was too old! Why ask to see a 17 year old cat if his age was an issue? 

I took it as confirmation from on high that I was making the right decision. I adopted him right there, on the spot. 

We ran some errands before heading home, and he kept popping his head out of the cat carrier, like a little furry tank driver

Once we were home, Kahuna was NOT having the new addition.  

Quoting Junie: 

Airplane ears. Mad as hell. Side eye. . . but she started purring immediately after being taken upstairs and thrown onto my bed lmao

So far the dogs have been ok with Olivier. Sawyer has honored the warning hisses and kept a distance, while frankly Huckleberry seems afraid of him LOL I'm sure they'll be a dustup eventually, as Sawyer will want to test him out, but Oliver seems to have a been there/done that attitude that I hope will end the matter quickly. 

I don't know how long he'll be with us - I hope a few years - but we hope to make the final chapters of his life good ones. 

A Touching Gift

YaYa painted this homage to Benny and presented it to LuLu Christmas Eve. 

Goodbye Benny

I wrote that post about the upcoming HOF election while sitting outside an Indian restaurant, waiting on my carryout order.  It was nearing the end of a very light, very easygoing day.  I was looking forward to Christmas Eve the next day. 

A half hour later I was on the phone with an emergency vet, as LuLu's beloved Benny, who had been acting odd all week, was shaking and in obvious pain. 

Originally, Junie and Lu were to drive alone to the vet, but I went along at the last minute. 

The prognosis wasn't good.  He had a blockage in his urinary system, preventing him from emptying his bladder; essentially, his body was poisoning itself with waste.  Just determining what the blockage was and where would require an overnight hospital stay, with surgery to follow. We ran through multiple options, which all ran into four figures, and none of which guaranteed anything but a brief respite from his pain before the problem returned again. 

LuLu made the reluctant decision to end his suffering. 

The staff was kind, both to LuLu and Benny, and allowed them time together. He was also given pain killer to allow his last few minutes to be peaceful. 

The end was quick, as he was held in the loving arms of his chosen Person. I was blubbrering in the corner, and Junie, who had never before seen a pet euthanized, was a little shook. I apologized to Lu for not being able to take her cat back home tonight, and we drove home together. 

Goodbye Benny. You were a good boy, and I thank you for the years of love you gave my daughter. 

RIP.

Today was such a good day until I came home to you so sick. This was so unexpected. I love u forever benny boo. see u on the flip side. 

- LuLu 

Backyard Cleanup

After my nasty fall, the three youngest were sent out to finish winterizing and cleaning the backyard. I must admit, I was both happy and a little surprised that without any instructions from me (well, none that they followed) they did a formidable job. 

Thank you!

Sawyer at the Salon

Back on the 8th Smiley and I took the dogs to a salon on KK to have their nails trimmed. Alas, aside from the copious amounts of hair they left in my car, only one of the two behaved well enough to actually get their nails done. I'll let you guess which one (and it isn't this one). 

At any rate, here are some pics Smiley took. 

A few days later, Lulu took Sawyer to his usual salon where they successfully did the trimming. 

 

        

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival 2024

LuLu graciously agreed to go with me to the Pabst Theater to attend the final day of the 2024 Fresh Coast Jazz Festival. If you were expecting mellow sounds and a prim and proper crowd, you were mistaken - the joint was jumping. 

Heck, there was even an obnoxious legally blind woman that security randomly sat in front of us, and who then turned on the flashlight on her phone and began a long, loud Facetime call with her man. We moved to different seats before I got to the point where I grabbed her phone and tossed it off  the balcony. 

 

Up first was Aussie Andrea Lisa, whose voice and guitar work were superb. 

Then Lemek and Quintin Gerrard W, a father/son combo, took the stage. They were great, but of the three acts we saw, were our least favorite. 

Finally, the headliner! The incomparable Boney James!!! 

How was Boney? Let me quote a guy I overheard in the stairwell on the way out. 

"Boney James don't owe me nutthin.' That man gave me what I paid for," 

It might go down as my favorite compliment of anyone, EVER. 

A Christmas Gift (from 3 years ago!)

 Today was pretty low key. I slept in, then drove Lu to work before going to Mass, then ran some small errands in the evening with Junie (pharmacy, Walmart, storage, etc). 

But right before Mass I swung by Collector's Edge Comics and FINALLY used this certificate Junie got me for Christmas way back in 2021! To my shame, I lost track of it for a long time but was overjoyed to rediscover it. 

Despite the expiration date being two and a half years in the past, the owner honored the gift certificate. I raided the discount bin and picked up ten copies of the great 80's run of Blue Devil. 

Thanks Junie!

Grandpa's Day 2024 Pt 1

Friday was the 41st anniversary of Grandpa's Day,  a day trip I took with my Grandpa only two weeks before he died.  To celebrate,  I took a much needed day off of work. 

Late in the morning Lisa and I drove down to Kenosha for lunch, taking the scenic route down Hwy 32. We ate at the Union Park Tavern, at the recommendation of a co-worker.

I will say that there sides were grand.  The jalapeño poppers featured red jalapeños and had a delicious kick to them. 

The potato wedges were on point,  and Lisa enjoyed the cheesy hashbrowns. 

The restaurant bucked tradition and in place of rye bread provided a thick slab of Italian bread.  I found this to be an abomination,  but it was much to my wife's liking. 

The fish tho . . . this was my 3rd fish fry in Kenosha and I just don't think they've got the knack for it. The batter was light and had almost no crisp to it,  the cod itself was average, and the seasoning was meh.

Sigh. 

Oh, and look at this egregious error in the 'newsletter' they have at each table:

"Wayne Cochran"????????? Do you mean the late, great EDDIE Cochran sir?????

Still a nice lunch.

Afterwards we drove home and enjoyed a nice nap before being awoken by Lulu constructing a new garbage cart for our kitchen. 

Then Lisa headed to work and I stopped by the cemetery to pay my respects and say another thank you for that great day we had together so long ago.