Daily Photo: Ay, There’s the Rub
“Ay, there’s the rub.” Quoting Shakespeare again, from Hamlet but not in the same sense, though it’s what I think every time these two, or Mimi by herself, goes into one of these rubbing sessions. Mimi is all about her face rubs, but Mewsette goes all out and uses her entire body, dragging herself along the back of the settee. I would guess the settee is pretty important to them to have all this scent rubbing, or maybe it’s because I had been sitting there and they needed to add their scent after me. Either way, it was pretty interesting to watch along with the rest of their activities on the settee.
After they finished all the rubs they started scouting the back yard.
Then they have to check in with each other.
Then Mewsette has no idea how big she is as she crowds in next to Mimi, but at least she waits in line!
And there’s another one from this session below from Instagram too!
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From Instagram
Mewsette: Hey mom! Whatcha doing?
Mimi: Trying to figure out why our human is lying in the mud and laughing.
I love their reactions to things I do.
And the daffodils not only persist but sprout even more buds.
Enjoying a strangely mild afternoon in the backyard with the girls on the green wicker settee.
A honeybee in February nibbling on an apple peel in my compost. Hope this little guy finds a warm place for the next few days. Maybe those daffodils will bloom extra early.
Mimi is defying gravity.
A gorgeous sunny afternoon. I got some garden time. I’m just going to go with this too-early spring weather.
I am making a salad.
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From the Back Yard and Beyond
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From Portraits of Animals
From around this date in past years
Rolling With It, 2021
These sunny winter mornings have always been Giuseppe’s favorite. He gets in that sunbeam from the back door across the floor to the opposite wall and he just rolls all around. He rolls around at other times, but not with the joy he does in the winter sunbeam.
I love watching him so much I did a couple of sketches of him rolling when I was doing daily sketches. Click on either one to read more.
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From Instagram
Talk about sunny mornings…”What a nice warm, sunny winter morning.”
From the Garden and Beyond
This little plastic pinwheel sticking out of about 6″ of snow looked cute before it started spinning, and put on a colorful show when it did.. Click here to see it on Today.
From around this date in past years
Sun on My Back, 2021
The sun was warm, but the day was pretty darned cold. Still, Mimi braved it for the chance to get some sunshine. She even photobombed my setup for my weekly photo challenge, hopping up onto the orange metal rocker as if she hung out there all the time, while, typically, she ignores it. She had a really good face rub on the arm of it and knocked off some paint chips, which I wasn’t happy about because I love to photograph chipping paint. Mimi did a bunch of other things that day too, including running around to the front porch, and we both had a great time on a rare sunny afternoon. The photo challenge was “orange”, and the photo is below.
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From Instagram
Mimi’s expression when she realized she is not the subject of my latest painting.
We came up here to check if you’re still alive. It has been a long day in the studio, very productive, and I hardly noticed the passing time. This was Sunday, after I was done painting Sienna’s painting—to my surprise, they all left me alone all day long, except Mimi who slept in front of the heater vent behind the door. But it was a good day. Mimi, Sunshine, Giuseppe and Basil came for an intervention.
Today, Mariposa shares her furnace vent with her favorite cuddle buddy.
Some synchronized sleeping with the fancy boys, on a bright sunny winter afternoon.
Mariposa is basking before the furnace vent (our fireplace), which she has all to herself for once.
Sienna, honey, that’s not a good idea. (She’s aiming for the ductwork, and that would not be a graceful landing.
Monday morning cuddle puddle, Mimi is curled up on top of Bella. It’s warmer that way. Bella may look a little miffed, but she’s actually quite pleased that the mom has chosen her as a cat bed.
There’s a squirrel in the attic, and Basil is on the situation!!
Everybody raise your tails.
Just a few more and then I’m caught up! And a few multiple photo posts from January.
From the back yard and beyond.
Stark winter sunlight pulls details and color complements not seen at other times, like the cold metal and warm sun. This was taken for a @digitalps weekly photography challenge: “orange”.
A fun way to feed the little birds a special treat: spread some peanut butter on an old metal grater and hang it outdoors. The peanut butter settles in the large and small holes, and also coats the steel, but in small enough amounts that birds can pick a little at a time, as the wren did. The chickadees will find it first, and they’ll let everyone know about the new thing in the yard. The nice thing is that the grater isn’t easy for larger birds to land on, so the little birds get most of the treat.
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bernadettestoday.com/peanut-butter/
The girls having a sunbath between my neighbor’s yard and mine this morning. Look near the right edge beside the upright doe’s cheek, you’ll see the fawn’s ear. Look on the left at the base of the tree and you can see the top of the other doe’s head. I hadn’t seen them for a few days. They didn’t seem happy to see me and my camera either.
These two. Looking for trouble. They shred my bird feeders and run around on my roof and even into my attic. But they are so cute! I love to run out the door yelling at them and see the big dramatic leaps to get away, when they know they could outrun me. This morning they were chasing each other around in the sun on the small limbs hanging down from the big maple tree, upside down, sideways, around and around, until one of them fell off and then they both raced up to a safe spot.
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bernadettestoday.com/these-two
From around this date in past years
Waiting in Line, 2020
Mr. Sunshine and Hamlet waiting in line for my lap. I’m not surprised at Sunshine, but the day Hamlet steps on my lap I hope I don’t frighten him off with happiness. He has never made a move toward my lap, but last year he has come to me at certain times, rubbed against my legs, waved his fluffy tail around and asked for pets, and gloried in it as long as I petted him. It’s so “normal” I’m still a little shocked when it happens. In the past month or so I’ve looked up or around and found him sitting quietly behind me, waiting for attention. When I’ve greeted him and quietly reached to pet him he sometimes runs off, but not too far.
Then this. It’s just a matter of time! I think hanging out with Sunshine has given him some courage. Mr. Sunshine has always been bold and confident about asking for what he wants, and getting an answer.
This was an instagram photo, actually from yesterday (Wednesday) and I’m trying to catch up with my week today (Thursday), and yes, they did have to ask for my attention. I’m still limiting my computer use to a certain extent, trying to just take a break when my eyes start to feel strained, several times a day. That gets in the way of getting work done, since nearly everything I do is done partly on the computer, including the illustration I did this week for Patricia Fry, and of course, blogging. But I’m glad I took the time because by today my eyes feel strong. And I started getting caught up with making cool new things and artwork!
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Photos from around this date in previous years
Mimi Considers the Snow, 2019
Mimi decided to visit the yard with me today (Monday) and you can see she had a few things to say about it. She actually walked in the snow for once and checked her pee mail—we both know we’ll be indoors for a while with this polar vortex coming.
From Facebook
A family gathering at the “hearth” (there’s a furnace vent behind all that fur). They’re practicing for colder days to come. Giuseppe with Jelly Bean, Sunshine and Mimi all using Basil for a pillow because he’s absorbing all the heat.
Photos from years past.
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Bella Telling For-tunas, 2018
Bella is continuing to get in touch with the lamp and whatever secrets it has to tell. Or perhaps she’s just warming her nose and arm. Whatever she’s doing it’s really amusing—she is so serious! Purrhaps it’s my late 60’s Pisces medallion channeling some otherworldly energies. Below, she is really reaching out for communication.
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Meanwhile, shared on Facebook
We’re tired of being exploited. We’re stealing your camera. (They didn’t make it through the afternoon before my camera reappeared and they started posing again.) Really, I “lost” my camera in the house and found it behind a stack of matboard in my studio. They know where everything is, and wouldn’t tell me. Brats.
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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?
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Exhausted After Play
Hamlet and Ophelia cuddle and nap after their second high-speed chase of the day.
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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?
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Flower Child, 2015
Bella is just feeling pretty mellow yellow as she settles in her little world within her basket. Along with the blue seasonal bow on the handle there was one little yellow flower twined along the edge. I left it to see if she or anyone would take an interest. Bella is well aware of her charms and her beauty, and just how to compose a good photo. Below, she’s feeling groovy.
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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?
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A Situation Involving the Basket, 2015
What is Mr. Sunshine thinking? That basket isn’t for big ninjas! A big blue bow and a yellow flower? Smokie tries to set him right on all this, but Bella quietly observes from the cat tree. She has a little crush on Mr. Sunshine. More on that later. But for now, the basket once again belongs to only Bella.
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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?
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A Cat With…Two Bodies? 2014
Not sure what’s happening here…maybe I need to catch up on my sleep? Either side of Mewsette could actually be her body, but…both?
“Don’t worry,” says Mewsette, “I’ve got Mr. Sunshine under control.”
She’s pretty cool for laying on his head possibly smothering him.
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My Basket Runneth Over, 2014
A slightly-too-small basket makes for a good tight cuddle for Mimi and Mewsette. One would think I’d get larger baskets, but then possibly the photos wouldn’t be as cute. And one thing I can say for this family of felines—they don’t mind being packed together into a small space. They just adapt to whatever is there.
Mimi had to reorganize after a while, though. Mewsette is a big girl.
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Customizing the Bed, 2013
In his quest to burrow under the covers of my bed—after I had neatly made it up—Giuseppe manages to completely peel back the comforter and sheets and rolls himself into a cozy little kitty burrito.
Of course, he thinks we can’t see him.
A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
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Could You Work In the Face of This? 2012
If you had to look at this all day, could you get any work done?
This is what I have to deal with at my computer day after day, and I ask you: is this fair? Should I have to deal with this sort of distraction while I’m trying to earn my living—and theirs? Do they do this intentionally to test me and see how committed I am to what I do? Or should I just be committed? How many photos do you suppose I took of these two while they cuddled cheek to cheek right there in front of me? Do you think I got anything at all done?
And if you have any doubt at the difficulty of working with such distractions, here is the full view of them on my desk, right in front of me.
This is hopeless. There is nothing I can do but gaze at them and take photos.
Somebody make it stop!
The top image may look familiar—last year when I posted this photo readers remarked, “This would make a great Valentine!” So I designed one!
I like the second image too, but it’s just not sharp enough to use as a closeup. I may try to do something else with it, though…
Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
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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.
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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!
A happy rub is a good rub! Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us!
And to you and yours too!