Uncle Don is coming to town!

I am excited to report that next week Uncle Don and his son, Sam, are coming to visit us at our home. Don and Sam live in Paradise, CA. Above is a photo of Uncle Don and Messerschmidt. We are delighted to have some California company and to see family again!!!

By the way, below is article about Uncle Don's son, Sam, back when he won a national scouting award in 2005. I am very proud of cousin Sam for all his accomplishments so early in life!

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The American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year

Samuel Nassie Photograph Courtesy Of The American Legion

Samuel Nassie, 17, of Troop 770, Paradise, Calif., is The American Legion Eagle Scout of the Year for 2005.

The award includes a $10,000 college scholarship and recognizes Samuel's practical citizenship in school, Scouting, and his church, Craig Memorial Congregational.

Samuel's threefold Eagle Scout project consisted of:

• constructing and installing redwood benches for visitors at strategic locations around Paradise Lake.
• reforesting a plot using experimental species of pine trees.
• constructing and installing wood duck nesting boxes.

His efforts to improve the environment helped Samuel earn a William T. Hornaday Award silver medal, the highest youth BSA honor for distinguished service in conservation. He also received a BSA Medal of Merit, recognizing an act of service of exceptional character, for his work on his "Veteran's Honor" project. The project involved cataloging every veteran's grave in Paradise Cemetery.

An Eagle Scout since 2001, Samuel is also an honor student. He plans to become a high school history teacher and continue his involvement in Scouting.

The American Legion also awarded a $2,500 scholarship to Jacob Hanson of Venturing Crew 940, Alpine, Utah; Bradford Held of Venturing Crew 80, Clinton, N.C.; and Tristan Holtz of Troop 328, Vancouver, Wash.

The American Legion has supported Scouting since the veterans' group's first national convention in 1919. Legion posts are chartered organizations for more than 2,500 Scouting units, serving more than 69,000 youth.

Woodhaven Vineyards

So, Daddy and my uncles, Loren and Claire, put up some posts yesterday in our backyard along the property line for Daddy's small vineyard he has planted. Daddy has named it after Mommy's family farm Wood Haven Farms. Daddy's backyard vineyard is named Wood Haven Vineyards.


Daddy has a lot of fun working in the yard and becoming one with the earth!

Above is a photo of me lying down on the floor in the family room. Mommy took this photo of me just before she went outside to shoot the photos shown above of Daddy and my uncles working on the backyard vineyard.

Have a great day! ~ Robert

A summer day ...

So, it is hot and humid today. I hate this weather and wish it would cool down a bit. I spend most of my time napping and trying to stay cool when it is like it is today. The whole week is supposed to be like this.

So, above is a photo of Daddy's nephew, Jordan. He lives in Irvine ~ near where the Southern California earthquake was yesterday. While things in that area got broken and shaken, there were fortunately no injuries reported. Below is another photo of Jordan.

Jordan has a twin brother named, Justin. Justin lives in Hawaii right now although I understand he often misses Southern California.

Above is a photo of Jordan, Uncle Dan, and Justin. Dan is the twin nephews' father and my Daddy's brother.

I must get back to napping. Be well and have a great day! ~ Robert

So, today Grandma and my two uncles, Loren and Claire, came by to help celebrate my eighth birthday. The humans all had angel food cake in honor of me, and I had a fresh can of tasty A/D Prescription Diet Feline Cat Food. Yummy! Below are some photos Mommy took of me on my big day!

Above I am shown in Daddy's arms posing with my A/D food and candle that is the numeric number 8.

Then Daddy put me down so I could blow out my candle. After I blew out my candle, Mommy dished it up into my bowl for me. It was a grand day!!! PURRRrrrrrr ...

Let the rains fall down ...

So, this guy Dave just came by yesterday and installed new downspouts and gutters to our house. This will help with the summer rain storms.

Daddy's friend, David ...

So, the other day Daddy went to Omaha, Neb. to see his long-time friend, David Irving. David is a historian of primarily WWII history. He is also the author of 30 books, and is a best-selling author. Some of his books include: The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitler's War (1977), Uprising! (1981), Churchill's War (1987), and Goebbels — Mastermind of the Third Reich (1996).

Daddy said it was great to reconnect with David and see him again. See photo below of David with Daddy, which was taken in Omaha.

Kinda like Puss 'n Boots

So Daddy thinks I look like Puss 'n Boots. So, what do you think? Here I am posing beside two items that will soon be part of my kitty nursery area in the bedroom. One is a Puss 'n Boots vase that originally came from Hotel Beau-Rivage in Geneve, Switzerland. The other is a stuffed plush toy of Puss 'n Boots. I am posing here with these items in the hallway upstairs at our house.

Here is a close-up of the Puss 'n Boots vase and stuffed toy. Aren't they cute?

Roger Mouse and I

So, above is a photo of me on the steps in our house with Roger Mouse. He is one of my favorite toys. Daddy got him for me one day, and I play with Roger Mouse about every day. Below is another photo of me with Roger Mouse.

Hope you have a great day!!!

I am endorsing Obama!

I am so-o-o-o thrilled that Obama is the new democratic nominee for President! I could NEVER vote for Hillary Clinton. Besides, lets face it, I just couldn't bring myself to vote for Hillary or wear a T-shirt like the one shown below since a vote for Hillary is basically the same as what the T-shirt below says:

And, I am not alone! There are a number of other cats who feel the same way ...

Us smart-minded cats feel America is ready for positive change. So, we are backing Barack Obama.

We felines would never stoop as low as backing McCain, because we know the sad truth:

To see other smart cats, go to this Web site: http://www.catsforobama.com

Yes We Can!!!!

Above is a photo of my Aunt Annie's family. Pictured are (front row): Karl, Leah, and Payton. (Back row): Peter, Micah, and Annie.

The photo above is my Uncle Dan and his sons, Jordan (left) and Justin (right). Aunt Annie and Uncle Dan are twins.

Hope all is well with you today. It is windy today, but so far no rain or tornadoes. I'm keeping my paws crossed that it will remain a relatively calm day weather-wise!

By the way, Daddy thinks I look a lot like Puss 'n Boots. See image below of Puss 'n Boots for referral ...

Another tiring day!

After watching all the horror going on in the world on Lou Dobbs Tonight with Daddy, Mommy thought it would be a good idea for me to dream "Happy Thoughts" to ease my mind and forget all the whoas. So, she brought me upstairs to my kitty nursery for some restful ZZZzzz's. The photo above is me getting ready to nap on my baby blanket that Mommy got for me. It is warm, soft, and cozy!

Here is another photo of me taken as I get more tired and begin to fall to sleep.


Finally, I completely dose off to sleep. This photo was taken when I was dreaming of practicing Tai Chi moves, as you can plainly see by my left arm reaching and my paw grasping my left leg to raise it while I'm dreaming.

When I awoke I stopped on the steps before heading downstairs and gazed at the formal dining room to determine if that would be a place I would like to relax for the rest of the evening.

A tiring day!

So, today Daddy got some grape vines to plant between our yard and the neighbor's property line. They are for eating grapes. Daddy says they are going to be awesome looking in our yard! Daddy also went to Grandma's house, did some laundry, and helped Grandma with some insurance forms. Daddy was in the insurance industry for 25 years so he truly knows his stuff. I know Grandma appreciated his help.

Mommy was busy with her home-based business making money, and I ... well, I must admit that I had a rather stressful day. I mean look how stressed out I look in the photos I posted below that Mommy took from a couple of different angles. Yeah, sometimes life can be grueling! These photos are of me lying on the sofa in Mommy's home office. Watching her work wore me out, as you can plainly see here in these photos ...

New piano!

So, here I am lounging on the piano Mommy and Daddy brought home for me to perch on. I love how I can sit up high and overlook the entire living room. I can also look out the window and watch birds.

Above is another photo of me on the piano. You can see my Uncle Don's painting of a great bison hunt above me in this photo. Don is a professional framer and painter.

Below is a photo that shows the entire living room. You can see in the left corner where I am lying on top of the piano relaxing. The two paintings left of the window were done by Uncle Don. The smaller one is of the great bison hunt and the larger one is of four Sioux Warriors on their horses. The one right of the window was done by Mommy of a Native American woman.

By the way, Daddy finally got the wine cabinet done for the dining room. See some photos below:

The photo on top of it are Daddy's human children, Paul and Summer, when they were much younger. Soon I'm sure Mommy and Daddy will begin filling it with wine bottles. The three bottle holders under the wine glasses are for Champagne glasses (on the left). The eight holders on the right are for the wine bottles.

The plates hanging above the wine cabinet are called "Birds of the Season." I think the wine cabinet goes well with Mommy and Daddy's antique sideboard that was built in 1922 in Chicago (see below). Above the sideboard hangs another one of Uncle Don's paintings.


Above is another photo taken in the dining room. As you can see, the dining room has a bird theme. Most of the birds were inherited by Daddy from his mother. The antique Tiffany chandelier came from Daddy's mother's antique store where it hung for several years before she gave it to him.


Above is another view looking into the dining room. You can see the wine cabinet in the background. The dining table and chairs, by the way, is an antique pre-1920 Duncan Phyfe set that Mommy bought from one of her high school classmates who got a new table. The classmate had gotten the table and chairs at an estate sale. Like the sideboard, it was manufactured in Chicago.


Yet another view looking into the dining room is shown above. The photo above shows off the Tiffany chandelier a little better than the other photos.

Lastly, the photo above are prints done by Arthur Singer that used to hang in the home that Mommy grew up in. Her mother gave them to her to hang in her and Daddy's home, and I think they add the perfect final touch to this bird-themed room. One of America's finest wildlife painters, Arthur Singer was renowned for his illustrations of birds and animals in their natural habitats. His bold, fresh style emphasizing color, form, and movement is evident in his many lavishly illustrated books, which are well known to bird watchers. His art also appears on the 50 State Birds and Flowers stamps, which he illustrated for the U.S. Postal Service with his son, Alan D. Singer.

Isn't life just fabulously fun! Hope you have a great day! Until next time ~ Robert

Words To Live By ...

Sometimes people come into your life
and you know right away that they were
meant to be there ... to serve some
sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or
help figure out who you are, or who you
want to become. You never know who
these people may be but when you lock
eyes with them, you know that every
moment that you are with them, they
will affect your life in some profound
way. And sometimes things happen to
you at the time that may seem horrible,
painful and unfair, but in reflection
you realize that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never
realized your potential, strength,
will power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason!
Nothing happens by chance or by means
of good luck. Illness, injury, love,
lost moments of true greatness, and sheer
stupidity all occur to test the limits
of your soul. Without these small
tests, life would be like a smoothly
paved, straight, flat road to nowhere,
safe and comfortable but dull and
utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life.
The successes and downfalls that you
experience can create who you are, and
the bad experiences can be learned
from ... In fact, they are probably the
most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you or
breaks your heart, forgive them because
they have helped you learn about trust
and the importance of being cautious
to whom you open your heart. If someone
loves you, love them back unconditionally
not only because they love you, but
also because they are teaching you to
love and open your heart and eyes to
little things.

MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT! Appreciate every moment and take from it everything
that you possibly can, for you may never
be able to experience it again. Talk to people who you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, even if it doesn't seem right because you are too young or too far, just follow your heart. Surround yourself with those who make you smile, laugh, and make you happy.

Break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life then LET GO and LIVE IT!

Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul

and sings the tune without words,

and never stops, at all."

~Emily Dickinson

So, this morning Mommy and Daddy took off for Storm Lake with their new friend, Jean. They went to church and then out to eat at a Chinese buffet restaurant. So, I was stuck hanging out at home by myself. Got done with the book about Manxie yesterday and moved onto another great read that I recommend. It's called Koko's Kitten. It's an irresistible book about Koko, a lowland Gorilla with a 500-word sign language vocabulary and a tiny tabby Manx kitten she named All Ball. The way Koko signs her love and grief will interest all children and adults who wonder what animals think about. The book was written by Dr. Francine Patterson, is illustrated by Dr. Ronald Cohen, and was published by Scholastic in 1985.

I hope you had a great weekend!

More "Manxie"

So, today Daddy is working again, and Mommy is writing a story for her boss that he needs first thing Monday morning. So, I'm just hanging out today. I'm taking a quick break right now to type this entry on my blog, and then I'll get back to that great book I'm reading.

It's a collection of Manx cat stories called More Manxie by author Pam Way published in one volume. The stories include: Manxie Gets Married, Manxie Goes West, and Millennium Manxie. It's a wonderful book that was written and published on the Isle of Man, the original home of the Manx cat. It's a brand new 88-page book with cute black and white drawings.

Daddy at work ...

So, Daddy is at work right now. Mommy is busy and I'm typing on my blog. Below is a photo of Daddy at his work posing with an old Ford pickup truck that some Redneck brought in. When he brought it in for repair, it was full of snow and three dead Coyotes. Yee Haw Whimmy Diddle! I think the dead Coyotes are bad karma, but make for prospective stand-up material for Jeff Foxworthy to use in his "You know your a Redneck if ..." comedy routine. It could go something like: "You know you're a Redneck if you show up to get your pickup truck detailed and fixed, and there are three dead Coyotes with their feet sticking up out of the snow in the back."

I guess the guy with the truck full of dead Coyotes felt he should bring it to Ford and have it checked out. He probably had a mullet and a gay little diamond earing in his ear, and at 40 he is just trying too hard buddy.

Anyway, on a part-time basis Daddy works at Pocahontas Ford detailing cars and trucks. He thinks the people are great and since he loves vehicles, it's a pretty fun job for some extra spending cash.