Weekend in the Big City

Ma had a great time over the weekend.

Left Friday around 5, though I was delayed by two things:

1)stopping to water some transplants at the Ackley Memorial Garden. And it's good I did, since some were looking a tad wilty.

2)transportation of Miss Kitty to her new abode in an adjacent county.

A smallish, orange cat turned up at the Hoytstead last week, making instant inroads on the sympathies of Trevor and Nolan. And despite Ma's warnings, "Do NOT feed that cat!" some milk, at least, was slipped to the feline.

And I'm sure it got a few scraps out of the burn pile.

I could see where this was going, and had just about decided to whisk the cat away during one of their computer games times, but eventually decided against the sneaky approach.

Instead, along with dropping hints earlier in the day, and then telling them, "We're going to have a serious talk about the cat, later," I finally sat down with them for the dreaded session.

It wasn't that bad. I went through the rules of the house that forbade any pets, even outside, and then we talked about how the cat was eating now, and what would happen in winter. Particularly when the temps went below zero.

This naturally led to the question, "What do you think will happen to the cat when it get really cold and there's no shelter for it?"

"It will die," came Trevor's immediate and sober reply.

So that led to my pre-planned plan of finding a box, saying "Goodbye" to Miss Kitty and taking along some milk for her farewell meal. I told them it would be a good time to do this, since I was traveling down to Cedar Rapids anyway, and that I would look for a nice quiet gravel road with a house and outbuildings or barns, nearby.

This was done, though I had to be discreet, so it was not obvious I was "dumping a cat." Miss Kitty was glad to get out of the trunk, into which she'd soon escaped from the air-hole-laden box.

Though she'd been quite anxious to curl around my legs in the yard, she was somewhat less willing to be around me after the kidnapping, but I did get her to come over and lick up the puddle of milk by the edge of the road.

And then I left and felt recurring twinges of guilt most of the weekend.

But I figured it would be better to take the cat right away, then have Loren deal with secretive feedings and the boys getting even more attached.
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As to Cedar Rapids, I had a great time!

Particularly when I stopped being lost with an almost empty gas tank after taking the wrong exit.

Did get to use my new cell phone, however, which is a reminder: always carry your kids' cell phone numbers in your purse. I used Ardith's several times.

After dumping bags and changing into my "cool" outfit, complete with scarf in honor of Sharon. Then off we went to Napolis, to sup with Jason and the famed Josh and Anna Scholl, as well as amazing baby Grace and baby-boy-to-be.

They served Coca Cola products, which immediately put them in Ma's good book :-)

While our delicious pasta dishes were being prepared, out came a scrumptious salad and a plate of rolls. YUM!

I chose blue cheese dressing which was so creamy I couldn't help but utter,

"MMmm, this is SO GOOD !"

(to which Scholl immediately made comments alluding to the drastic nature of any diet that made a salad taste good)

By the time the main course came, Ma was practically full. But I made a brave attempt at 1/3 of my pasta sampler...oh my, so deliciouso. The rest is boxed in the fridge, waiting for tonight's supper.

Good times visiting with Ardith, Justin and Jason after supper, and then a restful night's sleep, followed by a 3-mile walk around the rolling hills of their southwest neighborhood.

Then, OFF TO THE BOOKSTORE!

Half-price Books is the kind of place in which I could spend hours. But 1.5 was enough to max out my gift card. My haul includes not only books, but
2 3-CD music collections; one of Handel and one of Sinatra.

*sigh*

Then it was off to another new dining experience for Ma...Vietnamese food! Great stuff, again. Especially loved the sweet sauce, though I bravely tried the hot sauce, as well.

For some reason, Ma had a hankerin' for ice cream, and Justin is such a sweetheart that he gladly took us to an old school shop for soft serve.

Yummo, again! And the weather was so nice that it was a pleasure to sit outside and dig into our generous ice cream portions.

All good things must come to an end, however, and Ma had to gas up the car and head for the north. Thankfully, Justin had gone through the roads and turns I would take in gaining access to the highway. A bit of roadwork in the area made for some detours but Ma had no problems, this time.

And thus ends another chapter in Cedar Rapids good timery.
 

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