The Ranzencats and friends

When I married Karen, she said her goal in life was to become a crazy cat lady. I should have listened.
It turns out that I love these critters as much as she does. I'm a man who loves cats.
It recently dawned on me that I sometimes will put cat pictures up on Facebook, but I've never shown off all the cats at once. So here's your chance to meet all the felines in the Ranzenmenagerie. They run the joint. They own us. We just wait on them.

• Minden, the alpha cat: Siamese. We've had him and München since 2008. He rules the upstairs with an iron paw. Karen is his human.

• Gus, the senior cat: Large domestic shorthair. Rescue cat. Gus wandered out of the forest of the Upper Peninsula and adopted Karen’s mother about 13 years ago. We inherited him. While he was once a hunter, he’s retired into a life of indoor luxury. Dad is his human.

• München, the skittish cat: Siamese. He was born about the same time as Minden, but in a different litter. He’s just happy to be under the protection of Minden, especially now that there are other cats around. Robert is his human, and München misses him.

• Ziva, the shadow cat: Domestic longhair. Rescue cat. Ziva’s usually the only female, and the youngest of the bunch. She’s always happy and dancing - but she’ll disappear at the first sense of anything at all.  She hasn't really picked out a human, but many nights, she'll cuddle up to Dad.

• Max, the spoiled child. Siamese, mostly. Rescue cat. This is Katherine’s cat, and he's her big baby. He’s around for a couple of weeks. Although he’s about the same age as Ziva, he’s still getting used to being part of a big, big family. Katherine is very much Max's human, and  he misses her a lot. While she's gone, she Facetimes with him almost every day. Seriously.

• Princess Sophia, the baby cat. Domestic shorthair, mackerel markings. Rescue cat. Sophia was rescued from on top of a power pole, and eventually made her way to us. She's currently recovering from being spayed, and soon will be on her way to live with Karen's friend Debbie. She doesn't let the boys pick on her.

Meet the little princess, Sophia

Princess Sophia discovers the joy of a kitty toy upstairs at the Ranzenhaus.

We first became aware of this little girl cat when a friend of our posted a panicky Facebook message: She'd climbed to the top of a power pole, was meowing piteously, and refused to come down.

She was up there for a couple of days before a generous electrical contractor used a 40-foot ladder to bring her down.

But she couldn't stay at the friend's house, which already was the home to a Malamute who seemed to have decided that little Princess Sophia really should have been named "lunch." Another Facebook message went out - Sophia might have to go to the shelter if someone didn't step up.

Karen plays with Sophia

It turns out that family friend Debbie needed a cat. Debbie's long-time companion, Amanda Cat, had passed on. Debbie needs a cat. Welcome home, Sophia.

A literal rescue cat - rescued from atop a power pole!

Sophia will be spayed, get her shots and soon go off on another adventure. Just stay away from tall trees, power lines, telephone polls and large dogs. Debbie will make sure of that.

Memorial Day weekend in Frankfort

Another weekend - and another day trip to Lake Michigan. Frankfort and Elberta are two of our favorite shoreline communities on Michigan's west coast. The beaches are beautiful, the people are wonderful, and the two-hour drive isn't hard on a sunny spring day.

Karen decides she's going to get adventurous and check out the breakwall that separates the calm harbor waters of Betsie Lake from Lake Michigan.

It's a long way out there, but the view of the Frankfort North Breakwall Light is very nice.

The light, built in 1912, is a symbol of the region.

On shore, we met retired humanities teachers Dan, left, and Carole Reznich of Higgins Lake, who love to spot passing lakers.

Far beyond the breakwall, a laker heads downbound.

Karen primps a little as she prepares to take a selfie on the beach.

That's nice.

She loves her newly spiffed-up platinum hair!

For dinner, we went to the Cabbage Shed in Elberta. Local food, craft beers and general wonderfulness. Bluegill, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed, fresh asparagus. We'll be back.

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Kissy Missy's Milestone

It was Mother's Day - and perhaps more importantly, it was a major milestone birthday for Karen. (She doesn't look a day over 27.) She was absolutely clear about how we would celebrate: Dinner at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth. And we celebrated.

Karen, her BFF Deb and accordionist Linda Lee, decked out in a Bavarian dirndl, show the tradition. Lee played "Happy Birthday." Not all the kids could make it - Katherine and Andrew both were scheduled to work, and Robert had this little commitment to the Corps in Hawaii. After learning of this, Lee played the "Marines' Hymn." 

Matthew and Amanda drove up from Grand Rapids to join the celebration.

Amanda hadn't had the Bavarian Inn's chicken dinner before, and she pronounced it delicious!

The Bavarian Inn provided a special Bavarian chocolate mini-birthday cake.

And Karen really loved the orange-and-vanilla swirl over cranberry ice cream.

Even the gnomes in the Royal Gift Shop wished her a happy birthday and happy Mother's Day.

Coach Karen

The phone call came late in the week, as IMG Sports General Manager Steve Klein invited Karen to join the staff of honorary assistant coaches on the sidelines of Saturday's Central Michigan University spring football game.
How can anyone say no to an offer like that?
Saturday, the Maroon team tangled with the Gold team - and Karen was on the sidelines.

Football graduate assistant Jameson Zacharias listens to his headphones as honorary assistant coach Karen Ranzenberger observes during Central Michigan University's annual spring football game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Central Michigan University Student Government Association President Chuck Mahone, left, an honorary assistant coach, listens as coach John Bonamengo explains the role of the honorary assistant coaches during a briefing in the Indoor Athletic Complex.

Coach Bonamego tells the honorary assistants they'll get to call some plays.

Honorary assistant coach Maggie Blackmer, center, a Lake Orion junior and vice president of SGA, practices a play-calling signal as Karen, left, and football graduate assistant Jameson Zacharias look on.

Karen and Maggie prepare to call a play.

Starting quarterback Cooper Rush, a junior from Charlotte, drops into the pocket.

Kicker Brian Eavy, a Grand Ledge junior, attempts an extra point as the Maroon team jumps out to a commanding lead.

Karen Ranzenberger looks at the scoreboard.

Bonamego gestures to the sidelines from the field.

The honorary assistant coaches pose at midfield during halfime.

Coach John Bonamego talks to his honorary assistant coaches at the half.

Quarterback Ryan Lamb, a junior from Cardiff, California, drops back as Bonamego and his staff take a look at the reserves.

Karen  likes what she sees.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Oakley of Osceola, Ind., gets some playing time.

Maggie and Karen confer during CMU's annual spring football game.

A Titan Equipment scissor lift carries video gear; a solid parts department is ready to supply any needed repair parts during the season. 

Karen takes her own shots from the sidelines.

A homicide down the street

This is too close to home. A man from Fenton was shot and killed, seemingly execution-style, in broad daylight in the parking lot of Chase Run Apartments - just across the field from where we live.

Michigan State Police evidence technicians collect evidence from the Dodge Journey where a 39-year-old Fenton man was killed in the parking lot of Chase Run Apartments Saturday, April 18, in Mount Pleasant.

Chase Run Apartments residents watch as Michigan State Police evidence technicians collect evidence from the Dodge Journey where a 39-year-old Fenton man was killed just steps from their door Saturday, April 18, in Mount Pleasant.

Children's toys and an evidence collection kit sit next to the Dodge Journey where a 39-year-old Fenton man was killed in the parking lot of Chase Run Apartments Saturday, April 18, in Mount Pleasant.

A Michigan State Police evidence technician confers with a Mount Pleasant Police officer near the scene where  a 39-year-old Fenton man was killed in the parking lot of Chase Run Apartments Saturday, April 18, in Mount Pleasant.

Chase Run Apartments, where a 39-year-old Fenton man was killed in the parking lot Saturday, April 18, in Mount Pleasant, is across a field from a popular park and a quiet, upscale condominium development. The apartment complex is located next door to the building housing Isabella County Central Dispatch and the Michigan State Police Mount Pleasant Post. 

New Years in Chicago

I'm not sure whose idea it was, but sometime after Christmas, Kissy Missy and I decided that it would be fun to celebrate New Year's in Chicago. We had no solid plans, but we knew it would involve good food, some interesting places, and some wind chill. We dressed warmly!

One of our first stops was the Bohemian House, styled as BoHo, in River North. It's central European cooking the way I wish my grandmother had done it. For an appetizer, a fabulous knackwurst.

Kissy Missy got the chicken paprikash - excellent!

I dined on pork schnitzel.

And they call the dessert "coffee and doughnuts." Those are fresh - right from the fryer - doughnut holes, still warm, served with coffee-flavored gelato. And yes, that's real coffee.

We stayed at a hotel called the Club Quarters, in the tall, spired building to the left. It's on East Wacker, right on the Chicago River. It's a business hotel, but on weekends and holidays, when there aren't many business travelers, you can get great rates there.

It's a 41-story spire on a tiny piece of land. It was built in 1923 and refurbished in the 1990s.

New Year's Day was sunny and bright - and Millennium Park, with its famous Bean, was full of people.

The skating rink was open.

And the city was beautiful!

Dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, Chicago, next to Chuck Berry's guitar.

While we were there, we decided to check out some Chicago history. Say hi to your Uncle Al, Al Capone.

Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse on West Kinzie, on the Near North Side, has a marvelous display of Mob memorabilia. Ya just gotta know who ta ask!

They even have mobster Frank Nitt's draft card!

The Biograph Theater, in the 2400 block of Lincoln Avenue near Lincoln Park, is where the FBI found bank robber John Dillinger. The theater is still standing, and now presents live shows.

Kissy Missy does her best Dillinger in the very alley where the feds took him down in a hail of gunfire.

Later, we discovered Harry Caray's actual Holey Cow.

And who would have thought that Cheech and Chong were so hot?

One of Chicago's best performance venues is the House of Blues, part of the Marina City complex.

Dinner at the House of Blues' restaurant was excellent!

And the show featured five Chicago bands, including Fletcher Rockwell, which combines rock and roll and the heartland sound. Watch for these guys on an alternative station near you!