Today, the Mama and the Daddy played the stairs game with me. The Mama goes upstairs and the Daddy stays downstairs. The Mama calls me and I run upstairs to see her. Then, the Daddy calls me and I run downstairs to see him. and then the Mama calls me upstairs again.

I like playing the game but after a few laps it makes me tired. The Mama tells me that the exercise is good for me.

After the game is over, I go to the water dish and drink and drink. Then I go and take a nap.

The Daddy took a movie of me playing the stairs game. Click the > button to see me.

While we were vacationing in Arizona earlier this month, we visited a state park north of Phoenix called Lake Pleasant. At the visitor’s center, there were a number of saguaro cacti in bloom. This bunch of flowers was atop a ten-foot tall saguaro. Much of the central to southern part of Arizona is home to forests of saguaro and other drought hardy vegetation.

The saguaro flower is Arizona’s state flower. Even though here in California our state flower, the California Golden Poppy, is a very beautiful flower (I have many in bloom in the garden now), we will be proud to have the saguaro flower as our new state flower.

Verna and I went to the South Coast Botanic Garden today for the bonsai show. After viewing the bonsai on display, we visited the koi pond. A couple of ducks have adopted the pond lately. I took a picture of one of them wading in the pond’s waterfall. Click on the image to enlarge.

Earlier this month, when we were on vacation, we saw wildflowers everywhere it seemed. Today, while out running errands, Verna snapped this picture of a pair of pink wildflowers growing out of a crack in the concrete gutter. I guess when you’re in an urban location, vacant land is few and far between and the wildflowers have to find somewhere to grow.

Click the image to enlarge.

When I went out onto the patio, I noticed one of the Asian lilies was open. I usually remove the pollen pods from the flowers to make them last longer. After I went out and removed them with a tissue, Bear got curious about what I was doing to the flower, so she went to the flower and sniffed at it. My camera was ready and I snapped this picture. Click on the image to enlarge.

The Mama sprayed me with the skin stuff and then brushed me. I don’t like getting sprayed but the Mama and Daddy tell me I’m pretty after I get brushed. I like getting brushed. I like to take naps too. I guess I’ll go take one now.

Our neighbors are doing a face lift on their home. As a part of that work, they were kind enough to offer to fix an eyesore. A few years ago, a car went over the curb and hit their wall. They repaired it, but the patchwork was clearly visible on our side of the wall ever since the incident. Today, the neighbors’ construction crew put on a coat of concrete. In a few days, they will paint it white to match our fence and gate.