JACK,aka Jack Sparrow,aka Captain Jack

Gosh, has it really been almost three months since I was on here? YIKES! I am either so busy or the two brain cells I have left are working overtime and they burned out, or I am suffering big time from "Part Timers" and just don't remember I have a blogspot. So, for all three of you who check this often and nothing is there, I do apologize.

Our summer is going quickly. We have spent two months(with a month between in MN) in Oshkosh, WI at our condo near the family there and trying to make it a bit more livable and not so much camping out. We first bought a Cal King bed and metal (nickel-colored) head board so we are sleeping comfortably. We brought over a nice cocoa brown leather sectional with 3 recliners that we found at the Slumberland Outlet store and now all six of us can sit on it and watch the big 52" screened TV together and be comfortable. (We had been using some folding chairs borrowed from our son and his family.) Now we need to address the dining area and something to eat on. We have been using a small round plastic patio table and using the folding chairs there too. I have a nice round antique table, about 48" across but the two leaves need some repair. It has a pedastal base from another table. Those two pieces came from my maternal great grand mother. I have my eye on some deep red chairs and hope to use them with the round table. If not, then I will be looking for a table I like. I am partial to the farm-table type that is narrower than most but big enough to seat six.

Our biggest news is that we adopted a stray cat that was in our neighborhood for at least three weeks, and he was starving. The neighbor kids caught him and we called a "No Kill" rescure organization to see if they would take him. They didn't have room, but asked if we would foster him and they would pay for his vet care and they would have more room this fall. We agreed. He was checked out and did not have any diseases. They also paid to have him neutered. We started with him living in a kennel in the garage and we would have the door up in the daytime. Then we let him roam around the garage with the door down part of the day for him to have exercise. Then we brought the kennel in the house and confined him 3 days to let our cats get used to him and then we let him out in the daytime only. Our cats were hissing and growling and hiding. We took them all to WI on our last trip, with Jack in the kennel for the 6 hour ride. In the condo, he was loose and we all did fine. Mari seems to be having the hardest time accepting him. Luci actually has played chase with him doing most of the chasing. He is bigger and longer than Luci so can outrun her easily. He is only 1 1/2-2 years old and a very sweet, playful cat. This past Sat we adopted him from Last Hope officially. We could have just kept him, but we know they need the funds to rescue other animaals, so made a donation. Today he is being declawed and will need to be back in the kennel for a couple of days to keep his toes out of the small litter so that they do not become infected. We chose the name Jack because his one eye is lined in black fur and it looks like eyeliner and Johnny Depp used lots of eyeliner when he played the part of Capt. Jack Sparrow in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". Also, One-eyed Jack, from a deck of cards, fit him. So "Jack" it is, and the grand daughters really like to say his name.

So that is our summer so far. We plan to travel back to Oshkosh the middle of Sept for another month. We have our RV for sale at a super price, if you know anyone looking for one. We have sold our car-trailer and my Corvette (We were able to get nice appliances for the condo with some of the Corvette funds.) We will be wintering here in MN and WI from now on and that is a big change for us. We have been coming down to TX for 11 years since Bill retired, to see our daughter, Beth and my family. Beth may be moving in the next year so I will need to travel by air to visit my mom and sister. Change is inevitable.