A Visit to Ikea and Mama Rosa

Today was an unexpected good day. My daughter finished work at noon. She wanted to go to IKEA in the worst way. She was on again and off again several times. My days are very boring and sometimes lonely so I'm up for most anything these days. As long as I am able, I will leave at a moments notice. The closest IKEA is about 1 3/4 hours away in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. She finally decided she would go and so we were on our way. 

The traffic going into Milwaukee was very busy, and I was very happy not to be driving. I don't like to drive mainly because I can't look around. I like to enjoy the scenery. What I miss a lot about my former life is having a chauffeur. Remember the movie Driving Miss Daisy? I wish I could afford to hire a driver to take me for rides in the countryside and to take me where ever I want to go.

IKEA was fine. I don't need any home furnishings or household devices, but I loved the cafeteria. We had the Swedish meatball dinner which included meatballs, mashed potatoes, peas, lingonberry sauce and of course dessert. We had Lemon Blueberry Mascarpone cake. It was delicious. I am not a Scandinavian for nothing. That's the kind of food I was raised on. 

 

We shopped for quite a while and then headed back home. Following the Scandinavian theme of the day, we stopped at Wauwatosa's Firefly Grove Park to see Mama Rosa. Mama Rosa is one of the newest Thomas Dambo trolls and the only Dambo creation in Wisconsin. Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist from Copenhagen, Denmark who creates large one of a kind trolls throughout the world. This one is a 24 foot troll made from all recycled material. It was made from trees recycled from Wauwatosa's forests and other items from the city. The bouquet of flowers is made from old Wauwatosa streetlight posts. The plaque in front has a poem written by Thomas Dambo.

Something funny with these flowers

Some have special needs and powers

There’s no roots beneath these flowers

Rain don’t ruin upon these flowers

 

Something funny with these flowers

Comes from nothing in an hour

There’s not honeybees, these flowers

Have no honey in these flowers

 

Something funny with these flowers

Stands all summer, won’t go sour

When the sun’s asleep, these flowers glow

I wonder how these flowers grow

       - Thomas Dambo

This certain troll has only been in Wauwatosa since May of 2025 so it is very new. Already bees have taken up residency in his ear. It looks like he has a hearing aid. The hair is also unique, it is made from oak branches. 

 My daughter and her husband had visited one of the Dambo troll sculptures in Breckenridge, Colorado so she knew about them. This one is called Isak Heartstone. They are all unique and maybe someday I can see more.