The Story of Jack

This story has been a long time coming...almost a year, in fact. I have two kitties (well, they are really cats) named Jack and Pumpkin. Pumpkin was our first baby adopted from Alley Cat Angels when she was only a few weeks old. She is a very cat-like cat - she likes affection on her terms, she hides when strangers come, and she hates being dirty.

Jack was adopted from our local humane socitey when we decided Pumpkin needed a playmate. He was always a different cat, but I couldn't quite place what it was until I was living alone while Mike was at Basic Training/School. Jack thinks he is a dog. Throughout my 4 months in a scary apartment living alone, Jack became my guard dog. He made rounds every night, checking out all the windows and closets. He greeted me at the door and came to sit with me after work.

Jack has always been my kitty. He always comes when I call. Except for one night last October.

After a busy day, we were settling in for the night when I realized I hadn't see Jack all day. I checked his usual places in the basement, under the bed, even in the crawlspace. No Jack. The search continued outside in the dark - calling, shaking his treats, etc. I came in when it was too dark to look anymore, inconsolable.

Over the next 3 days I called/visited all of the local shelters, placed an ad in the paper and on Craigslist, and made my own LOST poster. On the 4th day I had an especially traumatic experience. Driving back to work from lunch, I spotted a black and white cat on the side of the road, obviously dead. I began shaking uncontrolably as I drove back to check it out, praying all along that this was not my cat. I grabbed a blanket from the back seat, ready to scoop up my little Jack. As I reached for the cat's feet I remember thinking "please, please, please have claws" And he did - my Jack has no front claws. I cried, so grateful that this wasn't my kitty, but also so sad for whoever he belonged to.

Halloween night we passed out candy AND lost posters. The kids in the neighborhood began helping us look for him and as we walked from house to house we heard many people mention that they had seen a cat like ours in the last few days. HOPE! But, still no Jack.

I woke up alone the next morning, both Maddie and Mike were gone for the day. The first thing I did was to go check outside - no Jack. I came back in and started my coffee, but realized I had left the garage door open. I shuffled out to close the door and there he was. Sitting perfectly still in the driveway. He was dirty, thinner...but there he was. He meowed and I ran to scoop him up - he didn't bolt (like a cat), but came running towards me (like a dog). I hugged him and hugged him and hugged him.

I know that cats run away and cats come home all the time. But for me, one very special cat took care of me when I needed him, had an adventure all his own, and came back to take care of me again.

Madison, WI - A Food Journal.

We recently took our family vacation to Madison, Wisconsin. While we did do a lot of fun activities, I was most excited to be a pretend food critic throughout our trip. Here is the key: A=atmosphere, S=service, T=taste, V=value, Q=quality. Our food journey stats at...

1. Einstein Bagels - OK, it's a chain and I won't put them through the whole song and dance, but they did have excellent coffee. Also, Mike and I had egg white sandwiches on whole wheat wraps. Under 200 calories and really pretty good.

2. Our first day we found our way to the Wisconsin Dells to see what we could see. By chance we walked by an interesting looking place called High Rock Cafe. We all had really unique dishes prepared with wonderfully fresh ingredients. Even Maddie was treated to a fancy juice box and "special" mac and cheese. Some of the highlights included WONDERFUL corn fritters with maple butter, a shrimp wrap w/wasabi and excellent garlic tater tots, and a shrimp and corn tartlet. High Rock is fancy without being pretentious and offers unique and fresh dishes in a beautiful cafe overlooking the main street of Wis Dells.
A=8, S=8, T=9, V=7.5, Q=9 Overall=8.3

3. Ella's Kosher Deli quite a unique experience. The whole restaurant is decorated with vintage/classic toys and they boast a working carousel out in the front (kids can ride with an adult for $1)! The meals, I've decided, are average, but you'll want to stay for dessert. Their "custard=style" ice cream is homemade and they have created some killer desserts with it. Our favorite is the grilled pound cake sundae (you can choose fruit or chocolate topping).
A=7, S=6, T=7, V=6, Q=6 Overall=6.4

4. Our next breakfast came from a recommendation that we were SOOO grateful for. The Sow's Ear, in nearby Verona, is a peaceful little yarn and coffee shop. We all had quiche - all varieties were excellent. Madelyn ended up having the best breakfast with her yogurt/granola parfait. I've never tasted smoother, creamier yogurt and the homemade granola was a perfect complement. After breakfast we were able to browse (and buy a little) the specialty yarns that line the other end of the cafe. The atmosphere was certainly "hooker" friendly, as we saw many people sipping their coffees as they knitted on a sofa or outside in the garden. SUCH a great place to eat and shop! BTW, I got a fabulous angora yarn!!
A=9, S=8, T=9, V=6, Q=8. Overall=8

5. Lunch found us at the Blue Moon, a little burger joint/bar in downtown Madison. After a tour of the free zoo (go there!), we were all ready to taste the "best burger in Madison." The burgers WERE good, but what we really noticed was the service. It was REALLY B A D! It was not especially kid-friendly (I know, it IS a bar)and the restaurant itself seemed like it needed a good cleaning. A good burger to be sure, but I'd take a worse one for a smile with the service.
A=4, S=2, T=6, V=6, Q=6 Overall=4.8

6. We HAD to visit Daisy Cafe and Cucakery, a specialty coffee and cupcake place! We sampled Blueberry vanilla, coconut chocolate, banana peanut butter, strawberry vanilla, and strawberry chocolate. All were pretty good, but the best by far was the coconut chocolate - very moist and sweet. Sadly, however, the cupcaketress was so depressing. I kind of expect a cupcake shop owner to be cheery and spunky. She was the opposite.
A=6, S=2, T=7, V=6, Q=7 Overall=5.6

7. Our best "find" of the trip was definitely the El Dorado Grill. We just happened to drive by this restaurant - it really doesn't look like much from the outside. We thought we'd give it a try and were very pleasantly surprised! Our waiter was extremely attentive and our food was fabulous! Selections included: grilled lobster, shrimp, and crab enchiladas with black beans and red rice; Bison meatloaf with pino beans and mashed potatoes; Spinach mushroom enchilada with black beans and red rice; Chicken fried steak with pinto beans and mashed potatoes; white corn soup.
If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend this restaurant!
A=8.5, S=9, T=9, Q=8.5, V=7 Overall= 8.4

8. The last stop on our food tour is from our last meal in Madison. The Hubbard Avenue Diner claims to be "famous for pie" and they did not disappoint! After my "Meatloaf of the gods", and our other lunch dishes we sampled some excellent pie. Banana cream, strawberry-rhubarb, lemon meringue, caramel apple, and blueberry - each flavor was wonderful and they had excellent crust as well. The diner itself was very cool - retro in decor - and was packed for a Monday afternoon. This is obviously a local favorite. And they're not lyin about the pie!
A=8, S=7, T=7, V=8, Q=7 Overall=7.4

We were very lucky to find a few gems on our trip to Madison (especially The Sow's Ear and The El Dorado Grill). I hope if you visit, you'll give some of them a try!

Think of Others!

Selfishness pervades our socitey and it has really been getting to me lately. Even from an early age, I remember rules being in place that were meant to respect others. It took me a while to understand why it was a very strict rule to not run in church. As it was explained, I could run into other people (elderly,etc) and hurt someone else or myself. It would have been more fun to run in church, but respecting others is more important than having fun. Am I wrong?

It seems that many, many, many people around me do not subscribe to the "think of others" philosophy. It continues to discourage me...the lack of respect and concern for other peoples' comfort, welfare, personal space, and ownership. As I've confessed before, I am kind of a stickler for the rules, for fairness, for doing the right thing. I'm reminded of these things as I:

Hear the neighbor kid play his drums in the garage at 10:30pm - where is his concern for others?

Endure night after night of fireworks (not on July 4th) well past our bedtime - these are adults, even...where is the respect for others' time and sleep?

See the things that belong to me (or others) misused or abused - where is the respect for the money that went into these belongings and the REAL owner?



I know and believe that there have to be some left on this planet with concern for others (hopefully, all of you reading out there). Not like concern about "climate change," but simply considering others in our daily choices.

Who is concerned!? Who will stand up to disrespect and selfishness!?!

A Confession

I feel the need to confess my general bad attitude/dislike. I can't explain why...well, here it is:

Our neighbors have 5 children. I would never choose to subject myself to the chaos that is 5 children, but more power to you if you have it in you. I do not (have it in me, that is). Apparently, neither do my neighbors because the kids run around the neighborhood from after school time until 10pm, completely unsupervised.

Now, according to my husband that is totally normal. It's what he did as a kids. Run all over the neighborhood, go to other kids houses, etc. Not normal for me, as one who is (as far as I know) still not allowed to ride her bike around the block unsupervised.

So, different perspectives breed different responses to the kids next door. I'm trying to be better about sharing our backyard. As long as one of us adults is back there with Maddie, they can come play. They cannot come play if we are not home. They always have to ask first. I'm comfortable with rules in place.

But, last night all the rules were off the table as Maddie invited her "friends" to come in her house. All of the sudden I've got 5 extra kids in my house (see first paragraph). They are running, playing with Maddie's toys, upstairs, downstairs, purple sand is everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can handle a lot of stress. I can plan an event start to finish, study and give a lesson on the prophets, plan healthy meals and grocery lists, keep the garden watered, do laundry, remodel the bathroom...all in a day's work for me. Why can't I handle these kids?

I don't like them. There, I said it. They have no boundaries, they lie to me (albeit white lies), and they think I'm mean for trying to impose some boundaries of my own. Why can't I feel some compassion for them? They have so little, they have ruined all their nice toys in their own backyard, their mom and dad pay very little attention to them.

But, I can't muster up enough compassion to let them into my world. My world where moms and dads do pay a lot of attention and where we have plenty, even more than we need, and where we have nice toys and clothes and shoes.

I guess when I think about it...it's becuase they are getting rewarded for bad behavior. It offends my very core when rule breakers get a free pass. It's just how I am hard-wired. Of course, I am a rule-breaker myself. Always falling short in a fallen world. But, I'm trying. I can and do respect those who are trying to do the right thing. There is no trying here...there is only wanting and taking.

It's a wrong-wrong situation in my estimation. They are wrong - in their devious plots to overthrow my peaceful world. (Well, maybe not devious). And I am wrong for my attitude, lack of compassion, and failure to be more Christ like in this situation. Who is the adult here, anyway?

5 Phrases I Never Thought I Would Have To Say

1. Don't bodyslam the cats.

2. Stop eating the diaper cream.

3. Don't drop your bagel into the paint bucket.

4. Why are you naked again?

5. No, you can't have ketchup on your apples.

I said all 5 today.

Review Number 2

I recently had the opportunity to have a lovely dinner at the Black Swan in Kalamazoo. It was a surprise event for my grandma's 75th birthday, so the occasion was especially special. The results are in...drumroll...

Atmosphere: 8 The dining room was very warm and inviting. There was a fireplace and lots of big windows looking out on the water. There was a rather large, noisy party next to us in a banquet room listening to what I can only describe as "booty music," but the waitress quickly shut their door so we did not have to enjoy that particular selection of music.

Service: 6 Our watiress was very very nice, but incredibly slow. She asked if we wanted to hear the dessert speicial, told us, then didn't come back for 15 minutes! I enjoy a leisurely dinner as much as the next person, but I also have a toddler so leisurely is not really an option.

Quality (food): 9 The ingredients were all fresh and desserts were all made in-house. They even prepared a special dessert in honor of grandma's birthday.

Taste (food): 8.5 I had a salmon dish, which was quite flavorful but overcooked. I was not a huge fan of the whipped potatoes, but they did have good flavor. The appetizers were wonderful and the desserts all fabulous. The chicken fingers and french fries (my toddler's fancy dinner) were excellent as well.

Value: 5 This is another special occasion restaurant. Dinner for two will probably run you $75-80.

Overall rating: 7.3 A traditional special occasion restaurant, the Black Swan will provide you with a lovely meal and pretty good service. Try the Creme Brule...totally amazing!

My First Restaurant Review

It has always been kind of a secret dream of mine to be a food critic. There is probably not a lot of stability in that line of work (or demand), but what a wonderful job; getting paid to eat and judge.

So, I will test my food critic skills on all of you. For my birthday yesterday, my husband took me to Zazio's in the downtown Kalamazoo Radisson. Italian food is my absolute favorite, so I was very excited about this dinner! Here are the ratings (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best):

Atmosphere: 8 The dining room had lots of big windows looking out on the downtown mall and an open kitchen, where you could see a lot of what was going on. Colors were bright and happy. The music (light Christmas jazz) was also nice.

Service: 7 Our hostess took our coats. Our waitress was kind enough to let us have the drink special (even though it was only supposed to apply to those in the lounge).

Quality (food): 10 The ingredients were fresh. Everything is made in-house; pastas, desserts, etc. Our appetizer included fresh vegetables that tasted great.

Taste (food): 10 Becuase of the great quality, these meals tasted excellent! I had a ricotta pasta roll w/fresh forest mushroom and my husband had duck breast w/butternut squash polenta. Both meals were incredible! My dessert (a hazelnut gelato over a chocolate torte) was both unique and delicious.

Value: 4 This is definitely a special occasion, adults only restaurant. Do not come here if you're looking to get a deal. If you like to order the whole 9 yards (drinks, appetizer, entree, dessert) don't be surprised to spend at least $80 on dinner for two.

Overall rating: 7.8 Come to Zazio's for a very special, unique dinner with lots of flavor and fresh, quality ingredients. You won't get a cheap dinner, but you'll get an awesome dining experience!