Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Happy Tuesday!

Hi there! It's another bright, sunny day! I appreciate you stopping by my blog today and checking it out. ~ Robert

Flowers in little pots on the patio that faces the street, shown in the photos above and below ...

The Four O'Clocks alongside the patio continue to grow, as do the potted lavender plants, as you can see by the photos above and below ...


After momentarily shocking out from being transplanted, the ferns between the Hostas alongside the house, are perking up again as you can see by the photos above and below ...


The Clemitis vines are growing a little more behind the arbor in the back yard.

The Niagra grape plants in Daddy's mini-vineyard are also growing a little taller, as you can see by the photo above.

The flowers in the window boxes on the garden shed and the rhubarb patch behind the garden shed continue to prosper.

Meanwhile, Daddy continues to work on the construction of the new fence for the backyard and garden area.

And, I stayed inside our air conditioned home and helped Mommy tend to the laundry, as you can see by the photo below ...

Monday, June 29, 2009

Happy Monday!

Daddy's two grills on the back side patio.

Happy Monday! With summer being fast around the corner, Daddy and Mommy are prepared to do a little bit of outdoor dining ...


Umbrella table and chairs on back side patio.

Sitting area on back side patio.

Antique frog above and ...

... some antique turtles.

Meanwhile, I've been hanging out today in the formal dining room inside our house ...

Me relaxing on one of the formal dining room chairs.

A glimpse inside the formal dining room in the photo above and the ones below ...

Hope you have a great day, and thanks again for stopping by!!! ~ Robert

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Happy Sunday!

Relaxing on Daddy's lap this morning on top of one of my
baby blankets in the family room recliner.


Hi! It is a sunny day and the humidity has backed off a bit. So, it should be a little nicer today around here. Meanwhile, I spent the morning hanging out with Daddy while he read his book that he's been reading the past few days (as you can see by the photo above) Below are some more close-up photos of me on Daddy's lap taken this morning ...

Me posing for the camera.

And getting pet by Daddy!

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope you have a terrific day and super upcoming week!!!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Remembering an Icon ...

Well, it's Saturday, and I am just sitting here with Mommy in her studio/home office. The sky is overcast and looks like rain.

I'm sure by now you have heard about the loss of Pop Music Sensation and Icon Michael Jackson's recent death. It's been all over the news ...

Anyway, be sure to turn off the Josh Grobin music that plays on my blog, and play this little number in honor of the talented singer that was Michael Jackson. I felt this number would be very fitting for the circumstance ...

Friday, June 26, 2009

Happy Friday!

Me on the armrest of the love seat in the formal living room.

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by to check out my blog today. Hope all is well with you. It is another blazing hot and humid day here. Hoping for a break from the humid conditions soon. I will likely just lay low and hang out near the air conditioner vent to keep cool as long as it remains hot and humid.

Enjoy your upcoming weekend! ~ Robert

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Happy Thursday!

It is another hot and humid day here in Northwest Iowa. Mommy attended a funeral this afternoon with Grandma, and now she is home again has decided to stay inside where the air conditioner helps keep her cool.

The photos above and below show me sleeping on some freshly washed blankets and sheets.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying staying in today, too. I have been napping most of the day on some freshly washed towels that Mommy originally had folded and stacked on the formal living room sofa. I decided to spread a few out and sleep on them since they feel nice, soft, and cozy. I'm sure Mommy won't mind.

By the way, just because I'm napping, don't think for a minute that I'm not keeping tabs on things around here ... Plus, even when my eyes are closed, I have really good hearing and sense of smell.

Have a great day! ~ Robert

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Happy Wednesday!

The rains that moved in this morning made our house temporarily dark inside. Mommy had to turn the lamps on in the formal living room to brighten up the place, as you can see above. Mommy also did a little dusting around the house this morning so while she had all the bison figurines off the top of the piano for cleaning, I decided to sit up there. I love that is nice and high and I can look over the entire room!

Above is a close-up of me on top of the piano in the formal living room.

When Mommy was ready to put the cleaned bison figurines back on top of the piano, I was told to get off. So, I crawled under the love seat and pouted for a while.

Mommy's freshly cleaned bison figurine collection back on top of the piano again.

Above is the view from the family room looking toward the formal living room. The two rooms are open to each other.

With everything back in its place, Mommy decided to go outside and see what Daddy was doing since it stopped raining and the sun came out again. At this time, I decided to get back on the piano, but since the top was now taken over again with bison figurines, I kept myself to the piano bench this time.

Me on the piano bench relaxing in the photo above and listening to Mommy telling me she would be right back in the photo below ...

While outside, Mommy took some photos of Daddy working in the backyard. He is still designing the garden area out back. In this photo he is standing in front of the garden shed. Above you can see that he is wearing that new straw hat I got him for Father's Day. It will keep the top of his head from being sunburned in the blazing heat and sun of the summer months.

Above is a close-up photo of Daddy in the backyard snapped by Mommy before he gets busy doing more garden work.

As you can see by the photo the Clematis vines planted behind the arbor are beginning to grow. Clematis has been called "queen of the climbers", and it's a must-have vine. The species have graceful nodding flowers and the large-blooming hybrids come in a variety of colors and flower types from single and ruffled to double. The kind Daddy planted behind the arbor in our backyard will have beautiful white flowers on it, and is expected to grow between 20 to 30 feet tall, according to the nursery where the plants were purchased.

The mini-vineyard Daddy planted in the backyard is also continuing to grow. The vines Daddy planted in the backyard are Niagara grape vines and they are the preferred vine for short season regions. It is also the plant of choice for grape lovers in colder locations. This vine will treat Daddy and Mommy to large full clusters of medium to large green gold berries. They are allegedly supposed to be sweet and juicy with a strong flavor. They are supposed to ripen very early in season, and the bold textured deep green foliage turns bright in the fall. In addition, the dominant trunk and branches will give winter interest. Daddy and Mommy eventually hope to use the grapes to make jams and things, and perhaps to experiment with a little wine making of their own. Daddy hopes to expand the mini-vineyard in our backyard by adding two more rows of vines next year.

Above you can see that Daddy garden he is adding to our backyard remains under construction, but is progressing nicely. He is currently adding wire fencing around the garden area, and building raised beds to hold vegetables. Eventually the entire garden will be lined with evenly spaced raised beds and stone walkways between the raised beds. And, next year Daddy hopes to plant roses along the wire fencing to add both a splash of color and camouflage a bit of the wire. The wire, of course, is idea for keeping rabbits and such out of the garden area. Daddy was also able to salvage some antique metal gates for the garden fence he is building. The antique metal gates were originally located on the more than a century old farm that Mommy grew up on. The original fence they belonged to on the farm was torn down several years ago.

In addition to working on the garden area, Daddy also did a little bit of weeding along one our patios. You can also see in this photo that the Four O'Clocks that Mommy planted along the patio are sprouting up nicely, and rose bush is also beginning to bloom.

Have a great day!!! Until next time ... Robert

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Happy Tuesday!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by today. It looks like rain outside as I sit in the window, occasionally watching birds in the yard. The weatherman predicts storms. Hopefully nothing severe will hit my lovely home here.

By the way, I've discovered by overhearing conversations between humans that many don't know how to compare cat ages to those of humans. So, in case you were wondering, here is an easy conversation chart to put things into perspective:

Aging Table

Calendar Years Equivalent Human Years
1 15
2 25
3 29
4 33
5 37
6 41
7 45
8 49
9 53
10 57
11 61
12 65
13 69
14 73
15 77
16 81
17 85
18 89
19 93
20 97

The oldest recorded age for a cat is 34 years.

So, as you can see by the chart above, I am 8 years old in cat years and that means I am 48 human year's old. Interesting little tidbit, huh!

Mommy explained to me that the conditions in which a cat lives will greatly affect its lifespan. It is not unusual for a house cat to reach 15 years or even 20 years of age, whereas an intact tomcat living in the wild has a life expectancy of about 3 years. Therefore, I am very thankful for the fact I am full-time house cat, as I will likely have a longer life span that any outdoor tomcat.

Here are some more statistics: The average life for a house cat is about 1/5th that of a person, not 1/7th. A cat has a relatively short childhood. A cat with an expected lifespan of 15 years would be mature (sexually and physically) within 1 year. A man with an expected lifespan of 75 years (the current approximate male life expectancy in developed countries) would reach the equivalent maturity at 15. Thus, the cat reaches maturity in 1/15th of its lifespan, whereas the person reaches it in 1/5th (15 years / 75 years) of his lifespan. Therefore, an accurate mapping of cat years to human years needs to consider factors other than expected lifespan. Thus, a 1-year-old cat has the same maturity as a 15-year-old human; a 2-year-old cat has the same maturity as a 25-year-old person. Thereafter, each calendar year a cat will age the equivalent of 4 human years.

Although one cannot predict the health of a cat, one can increase the probability of better health and longer life through careful choices and proper care. Please consult your Vet for detailed information.

Be well, and have a happy day!! ~ Robert

Monday, June 22, 2009

Happy Monday!!

Happy Monday!! Thanks for stopping by blog. It is another hot, sunny, and humid day. I am enjoying hanging out in the air conditioned house and staying out of the heat.

Meanwhile, the yard continues to progress ...

The veggies are sprouting in the raised beds Daddy built for the garden area he is creating for the back yard.

The flowers continue to bloom and grow in the window boxes on the garden shed.

The flowers are looking bright and pretty on the side patio outside the breezeway between the house and garage.

The Four O' Clocks Mommy planted alongside the patio are sprouting up, and the lavender plants are growing taller, as you can see by the photos above and below ...

Meanwhile, Daddy is in the garage building a new DVD/VCR stand for the upstairs library as you can see by the photos below ...

And, Mommy is working in her home studio in the upstairs library area, and I am watching birds and bunnies play in the side yard from the family room window.

Mommy put a nice soft towel on the window ledge so I would have some nice padding while I spent the afternoon being entertained by the birds in the yard. I love Daddy and Mommy!!!

Have a great week!!! ~ Robert