Daily Photo: Mimi’s Discovery

September 5, 2018September 5, 2019 Bernadette

Mimi wanted you to “Enjoy a rest in the shade on Labor Day!”

She’s found a new area to model her little black cat self. Really, I just follow her around and take photos. She does all the rest.

This is the flagstone walk that leads around the side of the house from the back yard. It had gotten overgrown over the course of the past few years, not the least from the forsythia that wants to take over my back yard. As part of my cleanup campaign this summer prior to my open house I uncovered the walk once again.

The flagstone path that leads around the house.

It’s a little rough. When I start out a new flagstone area I just lay the stones down until I have them together well enough to fit, which can take months because I carry stones home from everywhere I go. Then I dig up the soil, lay down a plastic barrier and settle the stones so they are level on top, then sweep soil over them. I started this several years ago but the intervening years were busy. One of these days I’ll do that.

Mimi has always liked it. On these hot days she has headed over to that side because it is shady for a good bit of the afternoon. Then over the weekend she decided we needed to have a photo shoot. Above she’s on the path. Below, she’s modeling her charms at the edge of the herb garden.

Mimi in the herb garden. She knows exactly what she's doing. — Mimi in the herb garden. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

"You don't interest me." — “You don’t interest me.”

Isn’t she the best?

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From Instagram

Toes on Tuesday. Hamlet’s elegant fully floofy toes are observing me while Hamlet sleeps.

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What other photos did I feature around this date?

Too Many Ears and One Eye, 2017

I have to get bigger bins. They can only fit four of the family on top of one of the size I have now. Because, you know, they have to be together.

Yes, there are eight ears. They brothers are all there with their heads together, and Mimi is on the corner, curled up. I took several photos, most of which looked like the one below, but Giuseppe just happened to open one eye. He is such a ham. He knew exactly what he was doing. Doing to me, no less. How do I get anything done when they do things like this>

And the ones below show they really do this all the time!

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From Instagram

We had a nice Labor Day and hope you did too.

I took this photo and couldn’t decide how I liked it best. The top one is the original photo, then I made two variations. Mimi, laundry, shadows, bricks, seems to be a theme.

Mimi on the bricks with an Instagram filter.

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What other photos did I feature around this date?

From This Week, 2016

Yes, they’re keeping a close eye on me ………. zzzzzzzzzzz …………. also still getting a lot of mileage out of that box. Giuseppe, Mewsette and Bean from way back on August 30. But along with the photo below they kept a close eye on me all week and made sure I got the work done. And didn’t run off and disappear for days and weeks at a time again.

I think they're trying to make sure I don't run off again. — I think they’re trying to make sure I don’t run off again.

Then just this morning, photos taken with my tablet and shared on Instagram from an absolutely perfect early September morning, cool, sunny, low humidity, the basement door open and everyone feeling good, milling around and wrestling. It’s the morning zoo at the basement door, seven black cats enjoying the purrrfect sun and breeze. Basil and Bella are wrestling at the door, they’ve been back to it since the heat ended. Mr. Sunshine is in the shadow upper left waiting to leap.

Mimi and Bella have a little girl time.

Nothing to see here, move along.

Then later, Giuseppe and Bean, one on each side, lovin on their mom. Mimi just stepped up onto them and laid down. They are all stuffed into that exhausted little box. Great way to end the week.

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What other photos did I feature around this date?

Daily Photo: Bella Studio, 2015

Bella looking lovely as I mat and frame my photos.

What would I do without my studio cats watching over every detail of what I do, and often being very artful and inspiring in their own right? Bella means beautiful after all. I can forgive the cat hairs on the mat.

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Home Remodeling Inspectors, 2013

two black cats — Mimi and Mr. Sunshine are ready for work.

Mimi and Sunshine are ready for their supervisory duties, Mimi for aesthetic design and Mr. Sunshine, of course, for engineering and technical support.

I’m so glad I have such talented cats, and that whenever I need to do something around here they are ready to serve as supervisors at a moment’s notice. I installed two new ceiling fans in my kitchen this afternoon, replacing the one remaining of a set I moved here with and installed nearly 23 years ago. Yes, it was time. My kitchen needs far more than this, but this is a start. Below, Mimi lets me know it’s time for her mandated break so she stretches out on my directions, ensuring I won’t continue (don’t be too sure Mimi, your human has installed about three dozen ceiling fans in her life…). It is, after all, Labor Day weekend.

black cat on cabinet — Mimi tells me it’s her break time.

My kitchen was originally two small rooms, a 7′ x 10′ kitchen and an 8′ x 10′ dining room, and the wall was removed between though there are still two ceiling fixtures in each section. I haven’t had a fan in the kitchen portion since the bathroom flooded in 2009, and the light fixture wiring went bad on the one remaining in the former dining area; both were ones I’d installed when I moved in, but had actually moved from the house I rented and had installed there in 1986. I got my money’s worth out of them, for sure.

So now I have light and air in both portions of the room, the better to photograph black cats, and nice for kitties to spread themselves out beneath in warm weather. Mr. Sunshine tells me I need to check the level on that fan before I go installing any fan blades. Note his brothers lazily sleeping in the box while he works hard. They were assigned to chase down any screws or other hardware I dropped, but I was left to do that on my own the one and only time ( yay me) I dropped one. Of course, Mimi and Sunshine could not do this as that type of unskilled labor was not in their contract.

black cat looking up — Need any help up there?

The newer styles of fans are much more efficient and much quieter than the older ones, so I won’t be relighting the pilot on my stove all the time and turning up the volume on my radio as when both fans were running. Mr. Sunshine decided to immediately try out the air flow across his belly—to ensure it was properly installed, of course. “Piece of tuna cake,” he said. “I could do this job in my sleep.” And so he proceeded to demonstrate his proficiency.

black cat on back — Mr. Sunshine checks the air flow with his belly.

Other daily photos shared on this date

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2012: First Morning

black cat silhouette in window — First Morning

It’s not autumn yet, and this particular morning was actually warmer than some lately. But we can tell by the hour of the sunrise, the color of the light, and the busyness of the birds, September is here. But Giuseppe enjoys a warm morning by the open window as I enjoy watching him.

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2011: You’ve Really Made a Mess Here

You’ve made quite a mess of my table.

I was planning to have a nice evening nap here, but you’ve completely ruined that possibility.

Do you intend to clean this up?

[The idea of Kelly demanding anything in that way is totally ludicrous, though sometimes she shows a little tortitude. She was not so angry as she was somewhat frightened by all the stuff on her favorite hangout, so I did at least organize my things. Silly human.]

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

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Feline Photographs from Portraits of Animals!

These three really have to stop this sort of thing. I have work to do and I can’t be distracted by such serious cuteness. Mimi, Sunshine, Jelly Bean. 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.