The above post card is from the early 1900s. It says: "We are the cats that come from manx land. We tell no 'tales' for we have no 'tails' to tell."

Since I am a Manx, Mommy has this antique postcard framed in my upstairs cat nursery. Charming isn't it?

Daddy is in California right now visiting family there. I miss him when he is away from home, but I know he will be back soon.

Meanwhile, I am keeping warm in our home with Mommy who spoils me on a daily basis. The photo above is an earlier one taken when she was in Monterey last year with Daddy visiting my step-uncle-in-law Charlie.

Sunny day ... And, Aunt Judith

Mommy and Daddy in matching khaki pants on a warmer day.

By the way, Aunt Judith is going to be having an art show. Judith, seen in the photo below, lives in Taos, N.M. Among other things, she illustrates children's books. She is also a writer of both fiction and non-fiction with a passion for art.

The artwork above was done by Aunt Judith.

See the below details about her art show:

"Late Autumn Arroyo Seco Crabapples"

2008 3"x 5" acrylic on canvas

Judith [LAST NAME NOT SHOWN FOR SECURITY PURPOSES]

Judith, two paintings, in Millicent Rogers Museum

On the homefront, Iowa has still been dealing with snow. None came today, and the skies were all sunny. But, since it is still winter here, there will surely be more snow on the way in the near future.

"Winter is a time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand, and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home."
Edith Sitwell

My step-uncle-in-law Charlie

My step-uncle-in-law Charlie enjoying a some cool Chardonnay.

Step-uncle-in-law Charlie knows everything about gardening and he lives in Seaside, Calif.

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”

Charlie would suggest we look to our gardens in much that very manner. At a time when natural plant and animal habitat is shrinking, we are often promulgating species that destruct these same native areas. He explores the idea of the garden as not just a tableau for aesthetic reasons, but an integral working part of nature. It is possible to provide the basic necessities for a large number of species in a small space if you make sure to keep in mind the four pillars of habitat:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Cover

Native plants are an integral part of all these pillars and the key to sustaining birds and butterflies in our backyards for years to come. The beautiful images below show some lovely garden work adding zest and color to lushes backyards.


By the way, one more note on Charlie. He has nicknamed me "Buddha Bob" and thinks I eat too much. I don't know what ever gave him that idea. I think I'm pretty fit, judging by the looks of this recent photo of me lounging in the formal living room (seen below).

Uncle Dan

Uncle Dan and Daddy are shown in the photo above.

Uncle Dan is a trial attorney in Orange County, Calif. He heads up the litigation section of the firm, and concentrates his practice in real estate, employment, mortgage lending, business, and civil litigation. He has successfully represented clients in both California and Federal Court systems, as well as before administrative panels and boards.

He is also a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Southern Districts in California, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Dan and his twin sons, Justin and Jordan, are shown above.

As if this isn't enough to keep Uncle Dan busy, he is also very active in charitable and other professional organizations. In 2005, he was the recipient of the Ed Arnold Humanitarian Award from Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Association of Realtors, and is a member of the American Inns of Court Foundation and the Orange County Bar Association.

Among his most latest endeavors is being one of the founders of Rescue Humanity. Rescue Humanity is dedicated to provide individuals and communities, primarily in the Himalayan region of Nepal, with education, housing, health, dental, optical care and loving support for the underprivileged. The organization is supported completely through personal donations and child sponsorships. Rescue Humanity is a U.S. registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit corporation, where one hundred percent (100%) of all donations made benefit those in desperate need of our help, especially the children.

Above is a photo of Uncle Dan with two children from Nepal. Some pictures of Nepal are shown below, courtesy of Rescue Humanity ...

Uncle Loren

Uncle Loren takes a break from reading this antique issue of the Post to have a photo taken.
Uncle Loren is shown mowing at Wood Haven Farms that he operates with Uncle Claire. One of their fields is shown in the background. As you can see in this photo the field has not had crops planted in it yet.

Uncles Loren and Claire are grain farmers concentrating on corn and soybeans. Iowa has kept its title as the nation's leading corn and soybean producer. The state's farmers produced 2.37 billion bushels of corn and 439 million bushels of soybeans in 2007. That compares with Illinois which produced the second largest crop at 2.28 billion bushels of corn and 350 million bushels of soybeans, according to USDA's annual crop production "final estimates" released in January 2008.

Increased acres and yield led to the increased corn production this past year. Farmers in the U.S. harvested 86.54 million of the 93.60 million corn acres planted for grain in 2007. In Iowa, farmers harvested 13.85 million corn acres for grain after planting 14.2 million acres. In 2006, Iowa harvested 12.35 million acres of 12.6 million acres planted.

Corn yields increased in Iowa and the U.S. in 2007, says Brad Parks, statistician with Iowa Agricultural Statistics, the government agency that is the Iowa branch of USDA's National Ag Statistics Service. Iowa ended up with a corn yield average of 171 bushels per acre compared to 166 bushels in 2006 and 173 bushels in 2005.

"The estimated 2007 U.S. corn yield is the second highest on record behind 2004," says Uncle Loren. "Corn production in the U.S. for 2007, however, is still the largest on record because farmers harvested the most corn acres since 1933."

U.S. soybean production at 2.59 billion bushels in 2007 is down 19% from the record large crop of 2006. "We had a huge U.S. soybean crop in 2006," he explains. "But in 2007 the U.S. average bean yield was 1.5 bushels per acre below the 2006 yield, and harvested acres across the U.S. were down 16% from 2006, to 62.8 million acres."

Iowa's 2007 bean yield at 51.5 is still the second best yield ever for the state, behind 2005's 52.5 bushels per acre.

Come Sail Away and Play with Uncle Claire!

Sailboats with their white and colorful sails provide a beautiful sight on the blue waters of the Iowa Great Lakes. Some sailors are out for the pleasure of sailing - for the enjoyment, while other sailors are out to test their racing skills.

There are many types of sailboats used for sailing pleasure on the Iowa Great Lakes. The wind is always shifting in small ways that can benefit the sailor smart enough or lucky enough to be on the good side of the wind. Since sailboats can’t sail directly into the wind, each skipper must decide if they will go to the right or left side of the course on their way to the windward mark. If the wind shifts in your favor you will be the first one to the windward mark, given comparable boat speed. Uncle Claire makes participating in sailing is easy and fun. Uncle Claire is the dark haired guy in the center in the above photo. He used to be a member of Okoboji Yacht Club that raced weekly during the spring and summer months on West Lake Okoboji.

Known as Iowa’s Great lakes, the Okoboji chain is a prairie oasis for Midwestern boaters.

Uncle Claire says some people from Okoboji ice sail in the wintertime with the Yacht Club friends as shown in the photo above.

But, now that the family lake home has been sold there is less sailing these days. Uncle Claire's sailboat is currently in storage on the farm but will hopefully be back in the water again soon. I'm hoping sometime in the summer that can happen. I know Daddy would love to go sailing with Uncle Claire.

In addition to being a great sailer, Uncle Claire is also a well-known musical saw player in this area of Northwest Iowa. Above you will see a photo of Claire, left, and another local musician Henry performing at the Storm Lake Star Spangled Spectacular event held earlier this year. Henry plays the accordion. They generally play Blue Grass. Think Alison Krause and Union Station!

A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound created is an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin, or a woman's clear voice. The musical saw is classified as an idiophone under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification.

Above is a Gold plate Mussehl & Westphal musical saw.

Above is a photo of a bronze statue of musical saw player Tom Scribner in front of Bookshop Santa Cruz.

The saw is generally played seated with the handle squeezed between the legs, and the far end held with one hand. It is generally played with the teeth facing the body, though some more timid players opt to face them away. Some sawyers choose to play standing, either with the handle between the knees and the blade sticking out in front of them, or with the handle under the chin (like a violin).

Uncle Claire and other musicians give a blue grass concert. Claire is the second guy from the right wearing the orange T-shirt.

To make a note, a sawyer first bends the blade into an S-curve. The parts of the blade which are curved are dampened from vibration, and do not sound. At the center of the S-curve a section of the blade remains relatively flat: this "sweet spot" can vibrate across the width of the blade, producing a distinct pitch (the wider the section of blade, the lower the sound). Sound can be created by drawing a bow across the back edge of the saw at the sweet spot, or by striking the sweet spot with a mallet. Harmonics can be heard by playing at varying distances on either side of the sweet spot.

Uncle Claire giving a musical saw concert at church.

The sawyer controls the pitch by adjusting the S-curve, making the sweet spot travel up the blade (toward a thinner width) for a higher pitch, or toward the handle for a lower pitch. Sawyers can add vibrato by shaking one of their legs, or wobbling the hand that holds the tip of the blade. Once a sound is produced, it will sustain for quite a while, and can be carried through several notes of a phrase.

And, sometimes Uncle Claire comes by to visit Mommy, Daddy, and me in our home. Above is a photo of Uncle Claire holding me in the formal living room at our home.

Spring Fever!

Here I am in Grandma's porch. This photo was taken earlier in the year. And, looking at it now as the snow if covering the ground here in Iowa, I must admit that it gives me massive Spring Fever! And, that's all I have to say about that ...


But, since it is still winter time, I guess I'll just stay inside with Mommy and Daddy and watch TV. ... until I finally fall asleep.

And, that's exactly what ended up happening as you can tell by the photo to the left. Mommy took this shortly after I fell asleep on my blanket with the TV remote in hand.

Mommy and Daddy Photos ...

Mommy and Daddy on their wedding day at Incline Village overlooking Lake Tahoe.

Daddy and Mommy at Calneva Lodge in Lake Tahoe.

Mommy and Daddy outside the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City.

Daddy and Mommy in Monterey, Calif. Don't you love Mommy's playful Mickey Mouse pants? Fun! Fun!