Celebration

We are celebrating something in 5 days.  Look for it.

Edit:  We aren't going to celebrate the floor.  It was just the best picture we had of us "LOOKING", MOL!

Oops, we got something wrong.  Never mind...  The celebration is delayed...

Freaky Friday

We gotta acknowledge a dedication to THOROUGH visiting like we never had before...  Ya know how when ya are behind visiting a friend, ya make sure to comment on the most recent post or even 2 posts?

Well we got comments on 14 posts yesserday from our friends at http://pipoandminkoandmrjackfreckles.blogspot.com/.

Oh Bast, that sure made our day wunnerful an exciting! Thank you guys fer a wunnerful evening full of reading happiness. 

A then we were so excited we ran outside ta run around in joy!

Garden Tour Thursday

AYLA:   I asked Iza iffen I could show the plants on the deck, since thats where I spend most of MY time outside, and she said that seemed good. 

The planter pot plants are starting ta fill in and bloom.  This one of Pinwheel Zinnias have many colors.  Two different yellows, an orange, a red, and on the left is a cream, but its not blooming right now.  But there are lots of buds, so it should really look good soon!

The middle pot here has Caladiums and Yellow Marigolds.  The smaller pots have Orange Zinnias.

These Yellow Zinnias were blooming when planted, but when they got put in real dirt, they switched over ta getting bigger.  Which is good, cuz now they have lots of buds all over.  

These are a differnt Yellow Zinnia.  They are growing lots, too!

The Marigolds all seem a bit sprawly, but iffen they all drape over the sides, that should like nice eventually.

Our funny tomato plant is growing and there is even the first little tomato starting.  The flowers are Orange Zinnias, but there is 1 Red Salvia in the middle that will get taller.

This is another Caladium pot with Marigolda draping over the sides.  That curly thing is the watering hose.  It is easier ta drag around the deck than a regular one, and it kinna puts itself away when not in use.  TBT read about those an some had problems with leaks, but he saw which one Home Depot was using and figured they would know which kind was best!

IZA:   Well, pretty good job, Ayla, Thank You!  Now lets go out in the yard and look around...

The Black-Eyed Susans are doing nicely.  They are native here, so they are used ta the droughts and heat.  You'll see patches of them scattered around the yard.  TBT dint plant them all over, they just find the spots they like best.  Smart plants!

 Next ta them are 2 Star-Gazer Lilies.  This one is fragrant, so TBT has them next to a path.

This is a pretty sight.  Black-Eyed Susans growing up through our Nip Patch!  

This funny thing is a Crocosmia.  The flowers are small, but the plants are finally spreading and they dont need any care.

The Impatiens are starting ta bloom and fill in...

And next ta them are Coleus.  They are filling in, too.  They and the Impatiens are under the shade of the deck.  AND they get extra water from when the deck pots above are watered.  They like staying moist.

 They are really fancy seen close up like this!

And I have a couple of insects ta show...

The Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are enjoying the Butterfly Bushes.  There are lots of small orangish ones I think are called Painted Ladies, too.

This is just a picture TBT took earlier today (because they have certainly moved away by now), but I wanted ta include it cuz we might see some around during the tour.  But they probably wont be doing THIS!

TBT saw the large Praying Mantis walking over some viny plant, and THEN he noticed the smaller one following it around.  The larger one is probably a female and the smaller one a male.  So he stopped ta watch cuz he thought they were gonna mate and he had never seen THAT before. 

They kinna act like some spiders do.  They mate and then sometimes the female eats the male afterwards as a big protein boost fer her ta develop her eggs.  This male dint even get THAT chance though.  Apparently she wasnt in the mood.  She just pounced him and started eating.  He seemed really unhappy about that!

Well, I like a nice crunchy buggy now and then, too.

Speaking of food, lets go up on the deck now that it is shady and have some snacks.  We are keeping it simple this time.  We have minced chicken breast and water with Nip leafs crushed in it.  And of course, there is fresh Nip at the bottom of the deck stairs.  Feel free...

Thanks for coming on my our Garden Tour!

Werdy Wensday

AYLA:   I wanna thank Megan fer suggesting I tell TBT ta take away that green towel and put a bloo one there on the plant rack.  Im so much happier on bloo!  He put a green towel there because the plant rack is green, but what does he know about color?  I mean the PURPOSE of the towel was ta make a comfy spot fer ME ta sit and look good while I look outside!

It feels more PROPER now...

 I look a little annoyed though, cuz he took about Eleventy-One flashy pictures.

I can solve that though.  I'll just close my eyes!

We Hit 100+

AYLA:  Yeah kittehs, the thermometer passed over the 100F mark yesserday. At 10:30 am.  In the shade!

And the radio-signaled digital thermometer (also in the shade) agreed.  102...

So guess what TBT wouldnt let us do.  If ya guessed "go out" ya got that right!

Thank Cod it is 72 inside the house!!!  As strange as it may seem, the "heat pump" is a very efficient air conditioner.  We don't know why, and don't care.  Ya can get a long annoying explanation from TBT iifen ya want one).  But he says our total energy bill (we are all electric here) in Summer is about $150-200 green papers per month and he is happy with that.  Winter is not so good, it gets up to $400.  But we and he live in here 24/7, so he pays it, and WE sure arent complaining.  We asked once about why the "heat pump" costs more fer heat than coolth and he yammerred along about it til we all left the room, so don't say ya werent warned...

He is watering the sunnist part of the lawn for the first time in years (its planted just last year and is still fragile)!  3 hours now and the ground is hard as a rock...  We cant figure that out.  Water costs like only $40 a month and he CRINGES every time he uses it outside... 

Mebbe he hates that he cant keep it...  Who can unnesrstand Bein ways?   Purrsonally, he could pave the whole front yard an it would be fine by US.  WE never go there.

But TBT hisself is crazy.  HE werks outside in this HOTS.  He was werking a minor project to hold the fence gates together.  He made some turny thing to hold the gates together when he was on the wrong side of the latch (dont worry, it makes sense - details iffen ya ask) but it is so hot the construction glue wouldnt set...

It just stayed like frosting onna cake...  MOL!  Well, not that we get frosted cakes, but we have seen pictures.  He never saw that before and says he hopes he never will again! 

But thats not OUR problem.  WE are stayin inside and waiting ta see the Evil Skwerls bake and fall outta the trees.  We would run outside briefly fer THAT!  Or a baked birdie on the deck.  But out and in real fast, the deck is HOT HOT these days...

Stay frosty (cool and watered), friends!

Its Too Darn HOT!

Its too darn hot,
Its too darn hot.

We’d like ta sit on TBT outside
We’d like like snack with TBT outside,
We’d like ta play with TBT outside,
We’d like ta chase the fun balls outside,
But it’s too darn hot!

It’s too darn hot!
It’s too darn hot!

We’d love to go chasing moles,
We’d love to go out chasing voles,
We’d even love to catch birdicide birds...

But its too darn hot, 
It’s too darn hot.

We’d go out after the birds that fall,
We’d go out after the voles that stall,
We’d go out after the moles y’all...

But it’s too darn hot!
It’s too darn hot...

A month from now when the hots depart
When cools begin to arrive in part
We surely will be out again
And really catch the mice again,
We surely will enjoy the coolth,
And love the backyard then, forsooth!

But its too darn hot, 
It’s too darn hot.

And to demonstrate it it...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8akvxDJQVc

O.M.C...  We thought we had the 3 minute version,  but we will leave it...  Cuz we can't find the shorter version again.

Easy Like Sunday

AYLA:  The HOTS are getting depressing!  Its gotten over 90F for at least a week (I just cant remember back much further than that) and TBT says it will stay this way for another week.  We go outside and even in the shade we are ready ta come back inside (where it is very comfortable) after 20-30 minnits!

TBT was nice enough ta put a folded towel on the plant rack so we can look into the back yard while staying cool.

Green isnt my favrit color ta sit on, but I can put up with that iffen it means I can be  cool while watchin the Birdie TV.

I wish it would rain, cuz it is all dry as dust out there...

Pee Ess:  TBT said I should have been clearer about the temperatures.  The coolest day the past week was 90 and the past few days have been 97, 98, etc, which will last several more days.  The "feels like" temperature has been 105 to 110 what with the humidity and bright sun and stored ground heat and THAT will continue several more days. 

Sorry abut that.  ~ AYLA 

Caturday Saturday

MARLEY:  We were having a nice night on  and around TBT.  Iza was at the TV, I was on the ottoman.  Ayla was on a nearby towel.

I wasnt actally napping, just sitting and thnking.  I do that sometimes.  I asked Iza once if she does that and she just looked at me weerd.

So I shifted around trying ta get some ZZZZs, but the TV noise was disturbing.  Lots of sudden loud sounds.  TBT lives in a noisy world...

Iza wasnt bothered.  She could nap through a Vishus Deer attack!

But then TBT watched the end of some monster movie.  We dont like those.  You can see even Iza leaving the room.  And there was even a CAT involved!  The woman is holding it.  We all went to the bedroom.

We knew it was late and TBT would be joining us soon.  And he did.  And we all slept fer 12 hours...

Freaky Friday

We saw a show on the TV about us cats yesserday!  This was normal ta us.

But there was some stuff WE didnt know.  We get spied on!  Satellites or drones or something.

What, TBT?  Its collars?  Hmmm...  Annyway, the Beins studied some cats and THEY had tracking collars on.  The yellow is one cat, the green another.  It showed how we wander more than most Beins realize.

Dang, they figured it out...

Now TBT wants one of those ta put on US.  Right.  Good luck with THAT.

There was also some stuff about how we see and how Beins see.  We couldnt see the difference.  TBT said well of course not.  We are still thinking about that.  He claims there are colors he sees that we dont.  Like how we can smell things he cant.  This bothers us.  We are purrfect.  How can there be senses he has that we dont?

This part was about cat doors.  Some don't feel safe ta use cuz there is no hiding places right outside.  So The Science Bein told the  House Beins ta move plants close to the door so the house cats could peer around carefuly before really going out.  DUH!  Well, that worked fer that cat, so GOOD!

We asked TBT about a cat door, but he says we dont have the right kind of door one.  BAST!  But he says he has an idea that might work, so GOOD.  We would love ta be able to go out and in when we choose.

This was one of the cats studied.  

Close-up...

Glanor shot...

With Being...

Nappy...

Cute....

There were warnings about the little Beins that pull tails.  One cat in the study moved to a new home 3 yards away because it got tired of the tail-pulling ans chasing AND the Beins brought in a loud yappy dog.  So it found a better place.

Happy there...

Even with a cat it dint know before...

These are some farn cats.  They mostly feed themselfs on mice, but they got treated to a whole chunk of meat.  We think that is a turkey neck.  We have told TBT WE would like  whole turkey neck.  BTW, they said we were just fine with raw bones, its just the cooked ones that are bad fer us.

And then they closed the show with THIS handsome cat.  

We want TBT to buy us this show so we can watch it again.  He says it is on every few weeks and he might record it.  Either way is fine with us. 

Garden Thursday

IZA:  Today isnt actally about the garden, so much as one of the visitors to it. 

 This is one of our prettiest birdies.  And he seems ta be eating our Nip flowers.

Thats OK, we dont care about those flowers.  TBT says he is only eating the seeds annyway!   He knows he is bein watched...

He hopped around from flower ta flower.  I have no idea why one flower seems better ta him than anny other flower...

He spent a lot of time looking around.  Probly cuz he is close ta the ground, where we hang out.  Smart birdie!  Its the 1st time we have ever seen one of these guys in our Nip plants.  They usually land on the ones with bigger flowers and bigger seeds.

 Eat as many seeds as ya want, birdie!  We want ya ta get nice and plump...