Daily Photo Reprise: A May Day in 2011, and More
Look at those two tortie butts! That’s Kelly and Cookie greeting a friend at the door in 2011. Who said torties were to be feared? The only thing to be feared about these two was that you might not be able to move from the door, ever, or at least as long as they followed their greeting protocol.
Our friend Lisa DiGioia-Nutini of Mexico Lindo posted photos of her lilac last year on May 5, blooming for the first time, planted in 2011 in memory of her Siamese kitty Poppy from seedlings from my lilacs. On May 3, 2011 she stopped over to dig them up, and when she mentioned this it reminded me of the greeting she got from my tortie girls. Cookie and Kelly had been on my lap as I worked at my computer, and as Lisa came to the door they both got up and hurried over to the end of the desk as if they’d been waiting for her! Below you can see two tortie butts side by side as Lisa reached to pet them both, Cookie on the near side and Kelly on the other side of her. I wish I’d been quicker, but this is the best photo I could get.
Kelly could be shy when she was young, but by this time you had no choice but to accept her abundant affection, and both she and Cookie loved their Aunt Lisa even though they barely knew her—cats know these things intuitively. Below is blurry, but it’s about the only photo I have of Kelly’s greeting performance—after the initial “hello” and sniffs, and here she allowed Cookie to have her due as the elder tortie, she would circle a bit, talking, then come back and do her little plié and relevé dance postures extending first one hind leg a-l-l-l-l-l the way out behind her then the other as she walked toward her subject, really stretching and then head-butt the person, loudly purring.
Then came the affection as it seemed Kelly could never be saturated and Cookie let her have our guest for a while. We did eventually get the lilacs dug up, and the Four and Mimi got a few pets too, but the girls took center stage for as long as they wanted. We remember the elegant Poppy and the sweetness of my two tortie girls. Really, everything is a big circle.
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Something Must Be Done, 2012
Isn’t something wrong with this picture? And not just the funny reflections on the glass?
The girls are inside and I am outside. That’s what.
Mimi and Kelly each spend a little time outside with me, separately since I can’t run in two different directions if they decide to part ways in the yard. I am glad for their company since Cookie is gone, though Cookie was steadfastly my guardian out there and these two have other ideas.
I’d love to see the two of them become friends. Kelly is a little intimidated by the black cats, all of them, and she doesn’t have an older buddy any more. Still, she and Mimi curled on my desk with Cookie and Namir and Peaches when Mimi first joined us, and in many ways they are alike. Let’s hope for a new friendship.
Well, they did learn to get along, and each of them spent some time out in the yard with me until the weather just got too hot. Mimi and I were out there today (as you’ll see later) and we remembered little Kelly—and Cookie and Namir and all the others— as we wandered among the forget me nots and the garden.
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Mimi in Forget-me-nots, 2013
Mimi wanted her photo taken with forget-me-nots too since we’ve recently featured Kelly, Cookie and Namir. She walked all over the yard, striking a number of poses, it was so hard to choose! But Mimi’s eyes always win me over, forget-me-nots or not.
If you look closely under her chin you’ll see a latch for a leash. The weather was so perfectly lovely today that I ended up out in the garden where I’d intended to spend more time indoors working. Poor Mimi had to stay indoors most of that time because I still have to keep her on a leash—I know she wants to go off and explore because she did with me following her through the neighbor’s yards last week, and I know she’s a streetwise girl, even now, especially since this was her turf for several years, but there are just too many dangers out there. I also have only an old collar that doesn’t really fit and an old leash that’s really too heavy for her, but I am looking around at my creative friends who make things like this to see if we can find the harness that will work for Mimi and a nicer leash.
For now we had a nice time in the yard and an even nicer time on the deck. I had let my deck go for a few years going back to when my mother was ill, but I love this deck and it carries the memories of so many kitties, plus I eat out there and sometimes I even work out there and call it my “garden room” I spend so much time out there, so this spring I’ve got it nearly all the way back in shape, and Mimi apparently approves.
Browse some rescued cats and kittens!
All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile 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.
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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!
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