Welcome to the Monkey House

Which is a great album by the Dandy Warhols, I must say!

Yesterday was our trip to our local zoo, the Potawatomi Zoo. We picked up Ken’s Mom and her friend Yvonne, and headed out. It was a blazing hot day, and I was very grateful for all the trees at the Zoo. I tried to stay in the shade as much as possible! The Zoo has been there for many years, and I think the last time I went was when I was in grade school (or maybe junior high) and we took a field trip there. It was a pleasure to go back.

It’s a very small zoo, but it’s a pleasant part of our community, and it seems to get pretty good support. Potawatomi Park is right there by it, and I saw a lot of people picnicking and hanging out there. (By the way, the Potawatomis are the Indian tribe that was in this area; the Pokagon band of the Potawatomis are the ones who built and run Four Winds Casino nearby in Michigan.)

Since it was such a hot day, most of the animals were lounging in the shade, and not active at all. That’s probably what we should have been doing, too, but no...we were walking around the Zoo, looking at the animals lounging! I always love the big cats (it’s amazing to me to see how similar they are to domestic cats in their behavior, and vice versa), the monkeys, and the kangaroos and wallabies are super cute. But my two favorites were the red panda and the river otters.

The red panda (I didn’t take that photo above, but that’s about how our South Bend red panda looked) is really an adorable animal. He was snoozing with his mouth open, and it kind of looked like he was smiling. He has a big bushy tail that looks kind of like a raccoon tail, and just looks really cute and cuddly. Sadly, one of the pair at our Zoo died recently...I think it was the female. But I’ve read that they are getting another one from a different zoo.

The river otters are hilarious. Constantly squirming around, and the Zoo has a nice viewing area for them where you can see them swimming underwater. One was swimming and picked up a rock from the floor of the tank and was playing with it. It was so freakin’ adorable! Squeeee! Judging from the crowd in the viewing area, plenty of other people love the otters, too!

We’ll go back later this summer. My Mom wants to go, and I think she’ll enjoy it. I hope it won’t be quite as hot as it was yesterday, though. Ken’s Mom and Yvonne were troopers, but it really was awfully hot.

After the Zoo, we headed to the Oaken Bucket for a bite to eat. It had been quite a while since we’d been there, and it was great to go back! They are usually credited with having the best burger in town, and that’s what I had to have. Not a big place, and it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but mmm, the burgers are as good as I remember them! We’ll definitely be enjoying that place more often when we want to grab a bite, and Ken’s Mom liked it a lot, too. Next time, I hope it will be milder so we can sit out on the patio, which overlooks the St. Joseph River.

Tomorrow I’m having a late breakfast/early lunch with Cousin Shane at Cira’s Restaurant, a little place that’s been around for ages...but sadly, is closing soon. We’ve always said that we need to get there one of these days, and when we saw the story in the newspaper that it was closing soon, we leaped into action and arranged our date immediately! I’m so happy that it worked out that we can get there before they close, especially since we’re leaving on vacation soon.

After that, I’m going to get busy with laying out clothes for the trip. Time to get into gear!

A day like buttah

Loads and loads of real buttah! [private joke!]

It’s not often that you get a week-long stretch of just unbelievably gorgeous weather, but that’s what we’ve had this week. Cousin Shane has apparently developed psychic abilities and asked for this week off on vacation. I’m glad it’s been so perfect for him!

After a quick trip to the store this morning, I got in a super good workout. Beyond the 8 miles on the bike and doing weights, I did 35+ minutes and 1.8 miles on the elliptical! Woohoo! I’m going to go ahead and pat myself on the back for that one (pat pat), because when I first started on the elliptical, I could do about 3 minutes before I had to stop. So I’ve made some great progress, and I’m pretty damn proud of it! Since I started hitting it harder and eating smaller portions, I’ve lost 4 pounds, and I’m proud of that, too. Our upcoming vacation could be a problem, because I won’t be able to get those kinds of workouts done, but we’ll try to get in lots of walking, and the occasional workout at various hotels we’ll be staying at. I’ve already realized that I won’t be able to eat at every Route 66 restaurant, and definitely won’t be able to do breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just can’t eat that much! We’ll do what we can, we’ll eat at some good ones, and stop for a drink at other good ones.

After my workout, I got the stuff together in the crockpot for Italian beef sandwiches tonight, then spent some time on the deck—a little sunning (it was hot!) and a lot of reading. I got to watch a lot of birds stop by for a bite and a drink, and Chip and Dale (our chipmunks) chowed down on the corn I put out for them and then chased each other around. It was cute. :)

I made plans with Shane for a late breakfast/early lunch on his day off this coming Tuesday. We read this morning that a locally owned restaurant, Cira’s, is closing soon. Shane has been there a while back, but I don’t think I’ve been there since I was a kid. Apparently the elderly owner has had a health setback, and although the employees and family have tried to keep it going in his absence, they feel that he won’t be coming back to work there and the time has come to close it. Shane and I have talked about how we wanted to go there, and when we saw that they’re closing soon, we said, “We have to get there!” Thank goodness that we can both do it on Tuesday, before Ken and I leave on vacation. I forget exactly when the article said it was closing—sometime within the next couple of weeks, when we’re on our trip.

Our grandparents lived right around the corner from the restaurant, and I remember walking around that neighborhood when our folks would visit Grandma and Grandpa. I’m sad that this South Bend fixture is closing soon, but I’m glad Shane and I get to go before it closes its doors. It’s also a good reminder to do these things before it’s too late! How many times do you say, “We need to stop there” or “We need to go there one of these days”? After Ken and I get back from our trip, we’ll find a time soon to go to Buffalo Rose in Lakeville, because I’m afraid it might not be around for long, especially once the new highway is open and bypasses the town.

I’m learning that sometimes you have to make time to do these things, rather than just passing by and saying, “I’ll stop next time I go by,” especially when it comes to these little locally owned places. Our choices are becoming increasingly generic, so seek the unique! Hey, I’d better trademark that. Seek the Unique!™

Tomorrow will be a quiet day at Nutwood, with outside time and a BBQ42 (barbecue for two). Ribs, probably some grilled potatoes with onions, and cucumbers and onions in that creamy sauce (some of you know what I’m talking about!). I’m also thinking about a pomegranate martooni. Sunday is an afternoon at our local zoo (the Potawatomi Zoo), a fine little zoo for a small city and one that I haven’t been to since I was in elementary school, with Ken’s Mom and her friend Yvonne, followed by dinner at the Oaken Bucket. Another locally owned place, and one that has what are widely considered to be the best burgers in town. Lots of warm weather all weekend, which is exactly what I like, and it might even be nice enough that we can sit outside on the patio by the St. Joseph River.

Oh, and Mick Jagger is hosting SNL this week, with musical guests including Arcade Fire, Jeff Beck, and...Foo Fighters! Angels are singing, people! ANGELS ARE SINGING!