Rosie's Anniversary

It was one year ago today that Rosie entered our lives. We were in the car ready to leave for Ames, Iowa where Brian was attending a conference. Normally the kids and I do not tag along because Brian usually flies to this conference, but we decided to go and stop in the home of John Deere (Moline, IL) on the way back. Brian realized he forgot something, got out of the car and went back to the house. At this time, one of our neighbors walked past us with a kitty following him. The man asked Brian if he recognized the kitten or knew of anyone missing a pet. We didn't. The man said that his family had been searching for the kitty's owners with no luck. He then asked if we were interested in taking the cat. Brian's eyes immediately lit up at the idea of having another cat in the house. He looked at me assuming I would say yes. I wasn't ready for another cat. We had just put Allie to sleep in January and I couldn't replace her with another. Plus we had just gotten Sophie Dog from the shelter in Miller. Sophie was still adjusting to our family and we were still house training her. All we needed was another pet to add to the chaos! With disappointment in his eyes, Bri told the guy we couldn't take her, we were going out of town and it wouldn't work out at this time. The man left, kitty following behind. A few minutes later, our neighbor, Lori pulled out of her driveway and stopped to talk. Brian told her the story about the poor homeless kitty. Lori, being an animal lover herself, said,"Well, we'll watch it while you're gone." Once again, Brian got that look in his eyes and I knew the decision had been made. We got in the car, drove all over looking for the man and kitty. Finally found him and took the kitten. The poor thing was covered in fleas! What could we do? We couldn't give "flea Cat" to Jeff and Lori and tell them to take care of the problem. We drove back to the house. Brian spoke to Jeff and they decided to leave the kitty in our mudroom until we got home. They would take care of her until our return. Well, they not only fed her, but gave her flea medication, took her to the vet and played with her (probably several times a day) and gave us daily updates.

We came home to a cute little kitty. The kids and Jordan named her Rosie. It's now a year later and she's still a keeper!