Vintage Photo: Sally of the Brussels Sprouts, 1996
What better place for a white kitty to be on a hot summer day than sleeping under the big round leaves of Brussels sprouts plants?
These were the days when Kublai and Sally were my main garden sprites, though sometimes Stanley and Moses and Cookie joined us. Sally adored the vegetable garden, not even visiting other areas of the yard. She delighted in wandering between the tomato plants and crouching behind a row of beans to leap out and surprise a cluster of mourning doves who were quietly gathering in the corner of the garden. Brussels sprouts grow tall with many leaves growing in descending size up the stem; the sprouts grow at these intersections, and the leaves provide deep shade for the roots of the plant to conserve moisture, and for a sleepy white kitty to have a nice cool nap after prowling every inch of the sunny garden.
Despite her elegant pure white tresses Sally was totally unconcerned about dirt of any sort and was regularly found with leaves or soil clinging to her fur, kind of like her human can be sometimes, or, when I first moved into this house, decades of cobwebs and soot as she explored the ductwork in the basement. At least she was relatively easy to see among all the green and earth tones.
Sally was deaf and I kept a close eye on her, of course, following her around, getting work done only when she settled in one spot for a nap, but at least she was easy to see. I’ve always wondered if the pull of her other senses kept her in this lively place, smelling other things more acutely, possibly even feeling activities under the soil in her extra-sensitive paws—my means of signaling her by stomping my heel on the floor in the house even worked in some areas of the garden.
Being a white cat I had to be careful of her coloring in the sunshine, and couldn’t always depend on her sensibilities to creep under a Brussels sprout plant when the sun was the strongest. She had a little sunburn on her ears one time, and after that it was early morning or late afternoon only. If you have a white cat who spends time in the sun, even in a sun puddle, check your kitty’s ears to make sure they aren’t turning too bright of a pink.
As Mimi and I walk the garden, as did Cookie and Namir and me, I feel the memories of others who spent time with me out there, and I’m so glad to share this photo today. Perhaps I envisioned a white cat under the Brussels sprouts this morning.
Read more about Sally, pure white with pea green eyes, totally deaf and unforgettable.
See more Vintage Photos, scanned from prints on film through the years.
Also see more photos of Garden Kitties.
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 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!
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© 2016 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski
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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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She’s beautiful 🙂