From the Archives: Lucy’s Garden, 2007
It’s hard to believe I took this photo ten years ago. I remember these photos from January 2007, thinking how this little kitten had grown and time had flown since the previous May when she’d joined us. She was nine months old. The next youngest cat was Kelly at 14. The oldest cat in the house was Stanley at 25. Still, Lucy enjoyed her kittenhood and adored her older fur siblings as if they were her playmates.
You may recognize much of what’s in this photo—aside from all the missing house plants—since it provides the setting for many photos of Lucy’s immediate family, as well as her extended family in the form of the cats who’ve lived with me through the years and who live with me now, but when Lucy was here she spent so much time in it I called it Lucy’s Garden or Lucy’s Jungle, depending on how she was acting.
You may notice there is a faint rainbow to the right of her on the wall; I did have crystals suspended in each window at that time, but in truth rainbows followed her everywhere.
Lucy constantly found ways to play hide and seek with me, and I always obliged. It took some planning and patience to capture this image through the leaves and stems of the Lucy kitten who never stopped moving, as you see below, when this place is Lucy’s Jungle.
At this time we had recently lost Sophie at the end of December, and were caring for Stanley, who was in his last month, and spent much of it in the bathroom, right around the corner. I had lost 15-year old Cream the previous March and my precious formerly feral Moses in February. It was a very sad time for me, and for my household. Seeing young and happy Lucy in her garden when I went to check on Stanley was heartening for me, and I’m sure she understood her role. You can see that somber expression on her kitten face.
All the cats who were with me then are gone now. Not one of the cats who are with me now were even known to me on the day I took this photo. Lucy was the bridge between then and now. They are all together.
I think I need to finally take the time to paint this photo.
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Photos From the Archives are digital photos taken before I began blogging, and Vintage Photos are from my film archives back to 1983 when I purchased my Pentax K-1000 camera.
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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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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Pingback: From the Archives: Cookie, Namir, Lucy, Peaches, 2007 ~ The Creative Cat
Lucy was such a gorgeous girl! This photo would make a really beautiful painting. It would make a fun coloring page too! It reminds me of something you could find in an adult coloring book or in stained glass. 🙂
Robin, you are right on both points. I can’t wait to get to the painting, and I’ve been trying to make the time for a coloring book made from some of my more realistic paintings. Lucy continues to inspire.
B…this photo is totally awesome…..everything in it highlights everything else….including the faint
rainbow on the wall { to the right of the tulip } L ♥♥♥
Tabbies, that rainbow is significant, as I’d mentioned. I’m not sure I saw the rainbow when I took the photo, but years later when I looked through photos of Lucy I noticed there were rainbows in many of them. I love this photo so much!