Friday, March 29, 2024
cat photographsdaily photofrom the archiveskellytortoiseshell cats

From the Archives: Autumn Sun, 2008

Autumn Sun
Autumn Sun

A series reminiscent of yesterday’s Sunny Morning, same window opening but totally different bathroom as well as a different cat.

Kelly lazily observes something high up the sunny window as the sun’s warmth both shines and reflects on her, from 2008. The light is so warm and the various patterns of hammered glass in the window create a feeling of seclusion and solitude, and all these reasons drew Kelly to this window regularly in all her years here.

This is what the bathroom window looked like before my bathroom renovation with the nice new double-hung window. That steel-frame casement window was quite ready to be replaced as I tried in earnest to paint over rust on the muntins and keep the window panes in place with glazier’s putty. Years of the siding chalking down onto the outside of the glass had left frosted areas on the outside. But in a photo like this all the details of the disrepair only add to the interest, and ironically it even matches Kelly’s tortoiseshell coloring. Early on in photographing my cats and other subjects I would never have shown this because I would have been embarrassed for my housekeeping, of all things! But I like the rough, weathered look and saw details like this in photos by others. Along with Kelly herself it’s part of the familiarity that makes it look like home.

Below is a close up of Kelly with her head in a resting position, soft in a near-silhouette. I loved it when Kelly was relaxed.

Autumn Sun 2
Autumn Sun 2

And one more shot, nearly the whole window with tiny little Kelly in the corner, a feline silhouette in an old window with the old sun of autumn.

Autumn Sun 3
Autumn Sun 3

After I lost Cookie and Kelly in 2012 I began reposting images from previous years as they come around on the calendar just to keep new readers and current readers up on the members of my feline household and to continue to enjoy photos that were popular; this was when the “From this date in previous years” tradition began. But in 2012 I also discovered that in the three years I’ve been posting on The Creative Cat I hadn’t posted anything at all on October 1. That was when I began posting photos “From the Archives” and “Vintage Photos”, from the digital image archives in addition to the ones I’ve posted from the vintage film archives. At first it was to fill in the gaps, but then Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday came along and I regularly use them then.

In black and white

I do love the subtle colors in these photos—they are what give the photos their warm feeling, and I love remembering Kelly’s amber and tan spots. But these are also the sorts of scenes I love in black and white—contrasty, detailed, plenty of different patterns. So here they are below in black and white, still a sweet memory of Kelly.

Autumn Sun 3
Autumn Sun 3
Autumn Sun 2
Autumn Sun 2
Autumn Sun, black and white.
Autumn Sun, black and white.

~~~

Photos pulled “From the Archives” were taken by one or another digital camera of mine between 2002 and, well, yesterday, but usually they are older than that, and I had never had the chance to feature them. Vintage Photos are from my film archives back to 1983 when I purchased my Pentax K-1000 camera. They’re a fun way to “introduce” other members of my feline family who came and went before I began blogging, and to illustrate my feline family in general from days gone by.

. . . . . . .

From Instagram

I added a #littleblackcat to my autumn decorations. Today it’s raining, so we remember the sunny afternoon.

Mimi adds to the decorations.
Mimi adds to the decorations.

. . . . . . .

What other photos have I shared on this date?

.

From the Archives: Cat Laundry, 2005

cat in basket
That’s an interesting piece of laundry.

That’s an interesting item in my laundry basket. Wonder what it is?

Perfectly fills the basket.

cat in basket
Perfect fit.

I should have guessed. I still get this expression when I disturb my cats with this silly habit of taking photos. Too bad it’s so blurry!

cat in basket
That expression.

. . . . . . .

What other photos have I shared on this date?

.

Annual Exams, 2013
two black cats in exam
Jelly Bean whispers something into Giuseppe’s ear.

Jelly Bean gives Giuseppe a little moral support while his veterinarian attempts to listen to his heart and lungs, covering his nose to try to stop his purr for a few seconds at least. Ironically, Jelly Bean’s brotherly love probably made him purr harder!

We turned our kitchen into an exam room this afternoon as our veterinarian and her veterinary technician arrived for the feline family’s annual exams. I’ll be writing more about this a little later, but for now, everyone is well but has gained a bit of weight, except Mimi who has lost a tooth and a few ounces. Emeraude’s combo FIV/FeLV test was negative, which was expected, and she’s doing well but showing signs of renal failure. All in all, it’s quite positive. This house call veterinarian has been caring for my feline family for nearly 20 years, and that’s been a lot of cats.

All kitties were well-behaved and charming during their exams. We even had a little waiting area with the two dining chairs lined up against the cabinet. Below, Mewsette has her exam as Giuseppe supervises, Jelly Bean muses, Sunshine possesses the magic doctor bag on one chair and Mimi waits her turn on the other chair.

five black cats in exams
All five participate in the household exams.

Read about the whole-house exams from 2012 and 2011.

. . . . . . .

Wordless Wednesday: Shades of Brown and Black
black cat from behind
Mewsette watches in shades of brown and black.

. . . . . . .

Fun in the Sun, 2012
two black cats in sun and shadow
Fun in the Sun

The morning fog burned off and suddenly a dull and dreary morning turned into a full schedule of fun in the sun—bathing, hanging out together and chasing one’s tail, or your brother’s if that’s what’s presented, as Giuseppe and Jelly Bean demonstrate. I love the silhouettes against the floor, and also the reflected light that just defines them enough.

. . . . . . .

Showing Off, 2012
black cat on door
Jelly Bean shows off.

Seeing movement out of the corner of my eye I turned around to see…Bean standing on the top edge of the door! He loves to show off like this and walks around on the edge of the door as if it’s the floor.

Here, however, he’s looking into the reflection in the glass on the painting near him on the wall, and I sincerely hope he doesn’t think it’s a place he can step into, like Alice.

I had to help him down, though. I’ve never seen him on this door, and I couldn’t figure out how he got there because there is precious little to leap from anywhere near. But he had apparently jumped up from the tiniest little spot on a table on the other side of the doorway, and aiming to get back down was apparently too much of a challenge. I rolled my chair over to him, which is actually tall and used for a drafting table, but it’s black and he apparently couldn’t see it well enough. So I got up and lifted him off the edge of the door.

Then I moved things on the little table he’d jumped from and another near the door. Best just to be prepared for him next time! And I can’t…well, no I can wait to see what he gets into next!

. . . . . . .

From the Archive: Hide and Seek, 2011
cat in weeds
Find the tortie in this picture.

Tortie Cookie blends in with the autumn abundance of overgrowth in my garden last year on October 1, 2011, the golden late-afternoon sun contrasting with the deep patterns and giving Cookie the perfect camouflage. She is well aware she is camouflaged and is looking right at me because she wants me to find her. If I did not, she would find me, or she would emerge from her hiding place…

cat in weeds
I’m right here!

. . . . . . .

From the Archive: One Undercover, 2011
two cats on bed
One Undercover

It’s feeling a little chilly for the first time this year, chilly enough for Giuseppe to find his winter napping spot—underneath whichever bedspread is currently on the bed. Here, he and Mr. Sunshine are curled back to back, even though G is under the quilt and S on top, a happy situation on a cold, rainy October afternoon.

Funny, that’s pretty much what it’s like today, weatherwise and catwise…some things never change.


Art and Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy~~~

Bella and Her Foster Friends Tote Bags from Portraits of Animals!

Bella and Foster Friends Tote Bags

In May I created a silhouette from Bella and stenciled it in onto a canvas or twill bag and embellished with buttons sewn on by hand. I know that not all kitties are black, despite what my house full of housepanthers try to tell me, and I decided to try out a few other kitty colors that work with a simple silhouette. Bella’s friends are white with bright blue eyes, gray with blue-green eyes like Bella’s, and ginger with bright green eyes. Read more, and purchase.



Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


Subscribe to my e-newsletter

Subscribe to The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter.


© 2022 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:

Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life

Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters

Tuesday: Rescue Stories

Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork

Thursday: New Merchandise

Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy

Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats

And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

 
PORTRAITS OF ANIMALS WEBSITE
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE| EMAIL | PATREON

HOME

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

One thought on “From the Archives: Autumn Sun, 2008

  • Such gorgeous photos! We especially liked Kelly in black and white.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this:
Verified by ExactMetrics