Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Hello Dolly

 Tuesday, April 25, 201

I had been checking the Wisconsin Humane Society web page for their cats to adopt and a four-month old male May was coming soon. I thought I'd take a chance to see if it was in. I got to the center about noon, looked through the enclosures and May was in, ready for adoption.  I was impressed by the facility and the roominess of each pet enclosure. There was a bright window with a cat perching post with scratching material. There were crocheted afghans in each enclosure and they were very clean.  I had to register and there was another person interested in May.  While I was waiting to be called I looked in on the other cats and noticed Donna looking out the window.  When I tapped the glass, she looked at me and followed my fingers as I traced them on the glass.  She had very large eyes and a very small body, an eleven months old female.

I had a rather long wait until Marge called my name.  She said that May wasn't being released today because he was having some trouble using the litter box.  I said that I changed my mind and I was really interested in Donna now.  She put a sign on Donna's door indicating that she was being considered for adoption.  We went into her enclosure and she let me touch her, but was not too eager to be picked up, which is very understandable.  We went through her history and found out she is from Tennessee, has her rabies shot and vaccinations and is spayed.  When I asked how much it would cost, since she had all of these medical treatments, Marge said there was no cost since she was under a year, but I could make a tax deductible donation, which I did, $50.

I also got a certificate for a veterinary exam by my veterinarian and a small bag of Science Diet kitten food.  I had another long wait while paper work was being prepared.  I had a carrier in my car, that was using some foresight.  Next I was seen by another volunteer that went through a series of documents regarding the adoption and Donna's medical treatments that I can take to the vet.  I was leaving the center at about 2:30 p.m.

I put Donna in the carrier and we were on our way.  On the drive home Donna sat quietly in the carrier and when I reached in to touch her, she was very calm, not shivering or stressed at all.  I called Terry to say I'd be late for knitting; she said Bob would take her.  She also texted me that I should skip knitting, but I never read the text.  That probably would have been a good idea and I wouldn't have been so rushed and could spend more time with Donna.  We also went through some names, and I liked Cleo, but then I was calling her Dolly or Molly, and Terry suggested Hello Dolly, which seems to be sticking.  On the way home I stopped at Petco and bought a cat stand, a cuddly pillow and some food and treats.  I assembled the cat stand before going to knitting.  And after knitting went to Dominoes.

When I came back from Dominoes, Hello Dolly was walking around the living room and found my lap



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Friday, March 24, 2017

SEWMG to Chicago

 March 24, 2017

Friday, March 24, 2017

After a rainy Thursday, the sky was clear and the day promised to warm up by the time we reached Chicago.

We started at the Garfield Park Conservatory, triple the size of the Domes, restored and asked for only a donation.  Many plant systems occupied various rooms.  The entry had a showy display of azaleas.

There were numerous cacti, many in bloom.

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This beautiful fern palm had an unusual reproductive cone.

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Next it was about a half-hour drive to the Chicago Botanical Gardens where we had bag lunches waiting for us in a large lunch room.  When I first signed up I ordered some meat sandwich, not realizing it would be lent. I changed my order to a roasted eggplant and tomato sandwich, which was quite good.  We had ample time to view the spectacular display of various orchids.


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The day warmed up to 74 degrees.  We could walk outdoors through the gardens, but nothing was really in bloom.  Gardeners were doing a lot of pruning and cleaning up.

We got back to Milwaukee about 5:00 p.m. where we really shivered in a drop to 39 degrees. I called Peter and we agreed to meet at That's Amore.  I went home to change into warmer clothes, and as I was leaving, I couldn't remember if he said Steak Out or That's Amore.  For some reason my mind registered Steak Out, and that's where I headed.  I registered for two, but then I thought I'd double check when Peter wasn't there.  I called That's Amore, asked if there was a short balding gentleman named Peter there. Yes, he was.  I told the host I'm on my way.  I didn't take me long to find Peter at the bar.  I didn't even have time to sip my martini before we were called to our table.  We both had blackened catfish, which had a nice spicy tang.  There is a nice salad bowl where we helped ourselves, with bread sticks.  I ordered sweet potatoes to go with my fish.  We were very pleased.