By Etude, brother to Rondo, the Brave.

Grammy's awning was scheduled to be installed today.  To accommodate the installers the old dear trekked pots and planters and her chair to the livingroom and safety.  So you ask, what's so interesting about that?  Read on and I'll tell you.

Rondo's bionic ears picked up a sound and got out of his bed to investigate. The old boy might be aging but those ears can hear a cupboard being opened, no matter how quietly Grammy does it.
No, not in the kitchen... so, onward into the living-room.  Ear in constant side to side motion stopped moving as he honed in on the hum amongst the conglomeration of pots and plants. What could it be?  Nose twitching he ducked under the towel covering the plants and just as quickly reversed.  Something was moving and buzzing amongst the foliage. Out it popped and flew up to a vase of Grape Hyacinths.

Grammy, the old dear, finally saw the great buzzing bumblebee.  It hovered, sipped and moved on to another hyacinth. Having exhausted their nectar Miss Bumblebee searched in vain for more flowers and bumped into the window.. Unfortunately the other flowers were outside and she was trapped indoors.

Grammy grabbed a paper cup and towel from the kitchen, trapped the buzzing bee in said cup with the towel and transferred it to balcony.  We think little Miss B was so happy to escape that she bypassed the flowers on the balcony for the greater outdoors.

I do hope she will return with her hive-mates once the awning is up and the balcony becomes a thriving bee smorgasbord and source of kitty entertainment.

Three cheers for Rondo, the Brave. 

Rondo at the keyboard...

Grammy has finally taken the hint... She's spending more time with us and leaving the plants to sprout without her constant attention. She kicks those needy plants out onto the balcony in the morning to get some sunshine and fresh air and leaves them there until dusk or at least until it gets too chilly for them.

This means we get more attention from Grammy. Yahooooo!

I've been getting extra treats and Etude is soaking up all the cuddles he can.   Yup, he's a cuddle bug.

Not much more to be said about that good news.

Now a couple of shout outs to our friends.  First let's say a Very Happy Birthday to our neighbour's daughter, Camille.  She gives us treats and lots of pets when she visits.  We love all the attention we can get.

AND to our feline Femme Fatales who recently turned 14 years old... and are about 4 weeks older than us.  Happy Birthday, Agatha, Barbara and Ruthie, the Mystery Kittens. Ooops!  I should have said Mystery Ladies We heard that they each got new beds.  How wonderful. Their mummy gives them lots of attention. Hint, Hint Grammy!

Back to cuddles and treats with Grammy.  See you next week.

Be kind. Help others where and when you can.

Good afternoon, Friends

Once again Etude and I are being neglected.  Yes, you heard it. We're practically abandoned.  Why, you ask?  

Well, I'm sure you can guess from the title.... Yes, the old girl has a garden plot.  #6 in a row of 32 plots allotted to residents of the complex.  With over 500 units many of whom wanted a spot and so few plots Grammy feels very privileged. 

And so who suffers?  The neglected kittens! Yes, we are! Grammy goes down to her plot every day... to clean it up ready to plant next month.  It isn't big.. only 3 by 5 feet (90 x 150 cm) but sufficient for a family of one and 2 abandoned kitties.  So far she's removed a gazillion stones, loosened the soil and removed more stones, raked and dug some more.  More stone removal to go... then fresh veg and herb soil going in to amend it.  IT NEVER ENDS! 
 
On the Balcony Chives and Ivy overwintered and her Bougainvillea too.  Do you remember the ROSE in The Little Prince?  Well, under the Bell Jar the mollycoddled  Bougainvillea is coming back to life.  Another thief of our Grammy time!  

And then indoors Grammy has a nursery.  A planter of Morning Glories incubating and three boxes with plastic containers of all sorts for Tomatoes, Spinach, Carrots, Beets, Lettuce, Green Onions, Parsley, Cucumbers and stinky Marigolds to deter slugs and carrot flies.  And some of them even have their own little incubators.  Do you believe it?  We think she's gone overboard but she told us to mind our business. HOW RUDE! 

We do mind our business, or would if she'd plant CatNip.  But Nooooooooooooo! "If you boys nibbled and slept maybe but, you both go absolutely bonkers and scrap on CatNip!  I don't need any additional vet bills! AND I don't need furry paws uprooting my plants to make room for more CatNip!  WHAT A GRUMP!

And when she isn't in the garden or nursery SHE KNITS! *SIGHS*

Anyone out there want to adopt two thoroughly neglected kitties?  

Friend, Be safe, be kind SMILE and help others as and when you can.

By Etude and Rondo:

Friends, this is a short one. 

Grammy is too busy between prepping the garden, starting seeds in egg cartons, cut up plastic bottles and other weird containers to assist us.
 
Tomatoes, Green Onions, Beets and Spinach today,  Tomorrow, Carrots and Lettuce. 

Weeks of nurturing them, hardening them off then popping them into the garden to follow.  

And where does that leave us?  Neglected!  That's what.  Barely fed and watered, definitely attention deprived.  We are soooo sad. 

See you next week, friends.

Be safe, love everyone, keep smiling, help where and when you can.  

We love you, 
​Rondo and Etude. 

Happy Friday, Friends.

​​Grammy's being a real slacker once again.  Late with lunch for the millionth time this week.  She's either in the vegetable and herb garden getting it ready to plant, on the balcony puttering or knitting and napping- mostly napping. *giggles*

Today the cleaning lady arrived to make things spic and span for us.  The only beef we have with her is she uses that noisy dust gobbler. She is much more attentive to our needs but unfortunately Grammy, the old meanie, gave instructions,, DON'T FEED THE BOYS. 

Grammy went out on an errand and we almost had her convinced we were dying of starvation. Rondo hopped on the counter and showed her where the food is kept when Grammy walked in the door.  *Sigh*
LIFE IS TOUGH!

The photos below are Rondo in his condo in the sky avoiding the vacuum and me giving Grammy attitude.

Friends, be safe, be kind, help others where and when you can.  

Spring has arrived!  Yahoo!  Warm weather, Soft Breezes and Chirpy Birdies.  Ooops!  It arrived, left and has arrived again!  Such fickle behaviour....  and yet, it's here.

How do I know?  The CANADA GEESE have returned. They've moved onto the roof above our next door neighbour. Papa Goose saunters over to where we can see his tailfeathers overhanging our balcony,  honks then flies around protecting Mama Goose and their clutch of Egglings.    He's a noisy, scary guy.

Grammy promised she wouldn't report the squatters until the fledglings fledge and head for greener pastures.  Pity the cleanup crew. *giggles*  Glad it won't be up to Grammy or her neighbour.

On a more gentle note...a reprint of some of Rondo's Poetry.  Think croci, daffy-dills, two lips and chirpy birds.

Birdie

Birdie birdie in the tree, 
Won't you come and visit me?
Bring your twigs to make a nest 
Then set upon those eggs and rest.
And when those babies chirp for food
You'll elevate my int'rest and my mood!  

Crocus

Little crocus 'neath the snow so deep
Wake up from your winter sleep
The sun shines down and warms your bed 
So ope your eyes and raise your head.
Time you push through, take a peek
For winter's 'most o'er and it's you I seek.

Buds

I see the buds upon the tree,
Nubs on branches, they are wee
But as they swell 
They'll soon burst free
And shower us with their heav'nly smell.

And let's remember our baby Sister.  She passed 2 years ago and we miss her feistiness and her beautiful blue eyes.  

Be kind, help others where and when you can and pray for peace. 

​Love you all, Etude, and his literary brother, Rondo.

Good morning, Friends.
We're a day late and a dollar short... tehee.  Our scribe was out galivanting yesterday with her friend L.  No Scribe, no Post. Seems that's how things go around here.

BUT on the plus side... Grammy was at Walmart where they no-longer have baskets to fit onto rollators for purchases.  We think they want people to spend more and fill those big carts. Luckily enough the staff were setting up a Purex display and gave Grammy one of their empty boxes.  Perfect size for Grammy and Aunty L. 

On checking out Grammy kept the box and brought it home.  We immediately sniffed it, approved and took possession.  Nothing like having a clean laundry smell where you lay your head.  With a few hints from us the old girl lined it with layers of blankets and it's hardly been empty since. 

​We, Etude and I, deem that a successful shopping trip. Yes siree!

Be kind, stay safe and help others where and when you can. 
Hugs and whisker kisses, Etude and Rondo

Etude on duty today.  It's a short blog today.

Grammy is a goofball.  She started a new knitting project making techno-coloured socks.  Part way through working on the first sock she realized she made an error in the toe that would make the sock baby-size.  Yippee!  We like when she makes mistakes, especially on woolly projects. 
Why, you ask? She converts them into stuff for kitties.  

Well, that sock toe has turned into a perfect sized ping-pong ball cover.  It doesn't bounce but it's fun to bat at it, grab it with a claw and toss it around. At least, it would be fun if we played with it.  We prefer soft cosy blankets.  *sigh* Grammy's disgusted with us because we ignored her efforts and threatened to give it to three beautiful, energetic girls who love playing with their toys. 

In the past we've  had numerous mousies and crocheted spirals and even a few blankets to curl up in - preferably the latter.  So, we say... Grammy, make more mistakes - make blankets.  We love your errors.  See photos below.

That's all for today, friends.  Stay safe, pray for peace and tranquility and support opposition to tyranny and tyrants. 

Blanket shared by the foster kittens many years ago. These two are our siblings, since adopted.  Meet Scherzo and Musetta playing with Rondo.

Good morning, Friend and Family, feline, canine, bovine, ovine, ursine and all the other 'ines' we cannot think up to list at this precise moment. 

While it is bitter cold outside, at this instance the sun is shining,  the ice has melted and the balcony is clear.  AND WE ARE HAPPY ABOUT THAT!  There is definitely a hint of spring in the wings.

So, you want and update on our week?  "sleep, eat, eliminate, beat up on each other, pet Grammy's cheek, get kisses when pet and snuggle her" Everything between those quotations covers OUR week..... Sad, but true.  

Now, Grammy, on the other hand, has been busy.  The ancient one has vision and hearing issues. Despite having new lenses she still has a problem with the computer and her knitting.  SO, we sent her off to get special glasses for the computer.  Good thing too, because we need her to type our blogs for us.  We also booked her an appointment for a hearing test this week.  She's not responding when we scream  for food, or tell her it's bedtime... and the television or radio can be so loud it's a wonder you, friends, aren't disturbed by it.    Any day now we're anticipating neighbours banging on the walls and shouting, "Turn down that music!"

The good news is... She's finished up another knitting project that gets shipped out today. Yahoo!  Another item off the list.  Another to go, then she can start two projects for herself... a pair of colourful, fun socks AND a linen sweater in creamy-beige.   The remaining delinquent item on her knitting table? ANOTHER sweater ... more that 70% done.  Sweater by Spring if her fingers don't scream. We are counting down. 18 days until winter is officially finished, and the sweater too.  

In breaks from knitting the old girl is planning her gardens, both community and balcony.  Gathering 'stuff' and reading about the best way to organize her vegetables.  Companion plants to deter carrot mites and snails are a must.  She read marigolds are good for this. While she dislikes their scent, she's willing to give it a try in the community garden.

AND hopefully, this year she'll get more than ONE tomato off her tomato plant.  *Giggles*  Last summer she was so disappointed...but, she said the tomato was delicious and the most expensive tomato she'd ever eaten.  

Well, that's it for now, friends.  See you all again, next week.

 Be safe, be kind and keep praying for peace. 

Good afternoon, Friends. So happy to be on-line again.  Took Grammy forever to retrieve our blog and get it published again.

Sorry we've been gone so long but we finally made it back.  Last post was Ursula in August 2023.  WOW!  Grammy's been lax.  Don't ya think?
​
Sadly, our mother, whom we knew as Fidelia, but had her name changed to Ursula when she was adopted, has passed on. Wasn't she a beauty?  Must be where we got our good looks, don't you think?  *giggles*  (see photo below)

Well, let us tell you... a lot has happened in the past 18 months.  Grammy calls us her little old men.  We've become crochety and that's not a crafting term. *giggles*  Our joints are getting stiff and annoyingly creaky and we don't play much anymore.  But, enough of that. 

What have we been doing for the past 18 months? 

Well, our biggest time consumer is SLEEPING, followed a close second by EATING.

Etude.  THAT OLD BOY... he likes to snuggle with Grammy and drive her nuts. (a short trip at best!). He steals her knitting needles and yarn, tosses scissors, crochet hooks and measuring tape off the table onto the floor.   AND he likes to plunk his chubby butt on top of whatever she's working on demanding cuddles and pets.  Takes Grammy a day or two to de-fur the garment when she's finished making it. Naughty, Isn't he!

Whenever Grammy's not watching he pounces on my back, bites my neck making me cry for Grammy's help.  This sweet little old gent who says he is PERFECT is NOT PERFECT.  Don't believe him.
 
Me, I'm the sweetheart.  Sweet, gentle Rondo.  That's me. I politely meow until Grammy picks me up onto the kitchen windowsill and feeds me kibble or wet food by hand.  Yes, you heard it.  She loves me so much she gives me special service - one bite at a time, straight from her fingers.   

Grammy:  Sweetheart?  Tyrant is more like it.  Wet food is so gross.

Rondo:  But then, once I'm fed I return to my marshmallow bed, take a bath and watch kitty movies on the bedroom television. The perfect feline gentleman.  Yep!  That's me.

Etude:  Don't believe that curmudgeon.  He turns on the television and THEN GOES TO SLEEP!

Move over Etude, this is my blog...

Check out Etude's new coat.  It's reversible... depending on his mood - Zebra or Cheetah.  I think I'm going to steal it and go Cheetah when he pounces.  Try and get through that armour, old fella.   

Well, that's all for today, friends. ❤❤
Hope to see you soon. 
Whisker tickles and kisses,
Etude and Rondo 

Check out a few photos of our handsomeness below...

Check out our mummy, Ursula aka Fidelia

​

My new favourite place to rest while Grammy showers.