Daily Photo: I Feel Like I’m Being Watched
This boxpawty may not be so fun. Hamlet tends to be suspicious that someone or something wants to kill him. Basil can have really crazy eyes. It never amounts to anything between them, but it’s really amusing for me. Look how they both have their ears in the same positions.
From around this date in past years
Meeting of the Girls Club, 2022
A meeting of the Girls Club was called in the kitchen because a most purrfect box had appeared, segmented specially to fit each of the girls.
When Basil showed up and said Mariposa had sent him because she was busy and couldn’t make it, we had our doubts. But then I took a look in the next room, and realized that Mariposa had stolen my desk chair and was not leaving, and furthermore was in the middle of a very impawtant bath.
Such is the tail/tale when I bring home a box full of groceries that had been packed into smaller boxes before being packed in the big box, and empty it just in time. Cats have such vivid imaginations.
The results of the meeting seem to have been inconclusive.
The cast, in order of appearance: Mimi, Mewsette, Sienna, Bella, Basil, Mariposa
(#littlemimicat #bigbeautifulmewsette #siennafostertortie #bellagirl #sweetbasil #mariposawhitemittens on Instagram)
I just love to make things up off the top of my head, even when it messes up my hair.
I typically won’t use a cell phone photo as a featured image here because they just aren’t good enough, but the boxparty was too good not to share right up front.
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From Instagram
Above! and…
Friday Night Catnip Pawty!
Party like no one is watching, except that someone is videotaping you… This kitty didn’t care who was watching, he was having one great Friday night catnip party all by himself!
I’m fairly certain he’s someone’s pet, none of our caretakers recognized him. But he stops down pretty frequently to get his nip on. The plants did really well this year, Mimi had her fun, I brought some indoors and dried it, so if he gets a buzz from catnip twigs, more power to him.
From Around the Garden and Beyond
Dark Sunset
It was beautiful in its drama. I was happy just to see this much color and light.
From around this date in past years
One of Our Visitors, 2020
One of the things I have completely neglected to share here is our feline visitors! Some of them come down from Denise’s colony at the top of the hill, especially once they discovered Mimi’s catnip plant. Some are neighbor’s cats, and I always work on finding out who they belong to, just to know. Several of them are black, as if they know where to show up.
This substantial housepanther visited our porches three times during November (that I know of, the kitties may have seen more often). He (I presume from size and shape) is clean and looks quite well fed, and is fairly friendly, and has a collar and tag. I call this guy “J”.
The first time I saw him I went outside and greeted him, petted him a bit, and tried to get a feeling for him. He’s obviously socialized, not skittish, pretty chill and curious. He has a collar with a tag, but his fur is dense and half the tag is usually buried in his fur. His name looks like two initials, the first of which is “J”, so that’s what I call him.
The first time he showed up was November 2, and then again about a week later. I only see him at night, so he may be one who is let out when someone comes home from work or school, yes, even during the pandemic.
On November 23, Sienna saw him out on the deck! Everyone’s reactions to his arrival were pretty funny. Sienna saw him first and went to the door growling.
Then Mariposa came to see what was the matter.
I decided to lie down on the floor to be at eye level with the kitty, at which point several cats decided that perching on my back was a good idea.
Mimi came along and said nothing, but apparently her expression caused the cat to move to the top of the steps.
Mariposa I was shocked, I tell you, shocked!
But then everyone settled down for a nap on my back and legs and the kitty left.
I’d like to find out where he belongs so that I know who he belongs to, or if he’s lost, or otherwise in need, I’ll do something about it. We have no current openings in the housepanther clowder right now.
Mimi’s catnip plant is within the sensor circle of my motion sensor light out front, and since then we’ve found him snacking on the catnip at night, but he hasn’t come to the door again when we’ve been around.
Speaking of housepanther friends…
When I fed Denise’s cats for a few days in November and December I also got to see Maxi! He was being mysterious in the bay window.
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Photos from around this date in previous years
What We’re Waiting For, 2020
From all the way back on December 18, its the four siblings plus Basil. Not sure of the reason for the gathering. They were watching me as I worked at the sink but I wanted a better angle to see all five so I walked over by the basement door and they followed me. Except Mewsette, who is often deep in contemplation. I posted in Instagram saying, “Hmmm…..” This was during the week after my open house when I was still inviting people and others had contacted me about stopping, and I decided to make more dish towels and totes and accessory bags, and…and…they just wanted some attention. Well, who could resist?
From Instagram
Today! I am finally caught up with Instagram photos from 2019
I don’t think Bella ever spent a winter day outside, and that’s because this #formerlyferal girl was #rescuedandsocialized before that could happen. So Bella enjoys #birdwatching from inside! Happy New Year!
She was watching me as I filled the bird feeder. I love photos of them through the reflections on the windows.
Front porch fun.
Mimi had a great time enjoying the sun today. So did I!
Winter Artifacts
I’ve been watching this feather through the back door, tangled on the bare honeysuckle vines, waiting for a sunny morning to capture its transparency. Today could not have been brighter, but the gusts of cold wind kept the feather on the move, and my cell phone couldn’t compensate. I still like the composition, the colors, the shapes.
Still, a friend gave me a roll of black and white film, and once I’ve used up the roll with my old Pentax K1000, I’ll see what I managed to capture with my lens and converter.
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Photos from around this date in previous years
Can’t You Do Something About This?, 2018
“I don’t mind cold weather. I’ll even walk in snow. I used to live out there, I can take it. But when it’s too cold even for me, you know it’s cold outside.”
Words spoken by Mimi, and could have been spoken by me too, except that I never lived out there. But she and I both enjoy being outdoors and generally don’t mind what Mother Nature is serving up because the weather changes all the time. Mimi keeps hoping things will have changed each time I open the door. They have not, and I can’t fool myself. But I’ll tell you, when the temperature hits 32 degrees we will both run out the door and stay there! Below you’ll see some photos from this date last year and the year before, and there are still green leaves! Parsley and rosemary in my pots on the steps! But even then, I knew we were getting off easy.
In the meantime, they are enjoying their new room!
Cat toys always make things look a little messy. Looks like home! The cardboard boxes stacked beside my rocker will all be packed into the entertainment unit when I take the time to sort through another section and toss out old software boxes and old receipts for taxes. But the room reminds me of when I moved in, all the light, the open space, and already the cats are playing more.
I haven’t been posting on Instagram since well before Christmas. I miss sharing photos there and onto Facebook, so I’m sure I’ll start it up again. But for now, I’m just posting them here.
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What other photos did I post on or about this date?
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Mimi Starts the New Year With a Good Luck Scratch, 2017
Mimi loves her scratching post! I’m sure someone would think a fierce panther had left her mark on that birch tree. It’s interesting to see what Mimi likes in a scratching post: she likes to stand up and stretch, and she likes a really rough surface. I have two chunks of wood with bark in the house for her and others.
You can kind of tell I’m playing catch up here…
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What other photos did I post on or about this date?
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Enjoy the Sun While You Can, 2016
Rather than race out into the wet cold yard, Mimi decided to pause at the top of the steps on the deck to enjoy the brief bit of sunshine we had today. A wise girl is Mimi, and she probably learned that lesson living on the streets for several winters—you have to make time to stop and enjoy the sun while it’s shining where you are, in fact, you should go out of your way to be where it is if you can. Within minutes the sun was gone, and the day became quite dark and gray. But that has its beauty too as everyone had really good naps all day long.
I enjoy those quiet winter mornings outdoors. I was out in the yard adding warm water to the bird baths and topping off the feeders. I actually fill them in the late afternoon for the birds to have a snack before they go to sleep, and then to have the seed as soon as they awaken. There are many cats to feed in the morning and I don’t like for the birds to go hungry waiting for all the cats to get their fill.
The parsley is the green behind Mimi. It’s protected on the deck and stays green, reviving after each freeze as long as they aren’t too long. Fresh parsley in winter is a real treat! As is the rosemary.
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Shared on Facebook
Bella set me straight on a few things.
” ‘Your’ tablet? Surely you know that all papers belong to cats for whatever purpose they choose even if you are currently making your scratchy marks on it. You can finish your scratchy work later. You see, it fits me purrfectly, so of course it is mine.”
Guess Bella told me. I keep a tablet for cat notes in the kitchen and record at least what I fed them and what they ate each meal and anything else I observe that I might want to remember. Comes in handy when conditions arise, but apparently it’s not as important as Bella’s bath and nap. Actually, it means she kikes me and wants to be part of what I’m doing.
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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?
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Iz Cute, 2014
“The human will never notice me here—I blend right in with the background!”
I have to move all their stuff out of the tub to bathe—a concept they still don’t understand—and the cat tree ends up straddling the sink. Ernie hopped up to investigate it and was very cute about it. But everything he does is cute. You can’t have a triangular nose patch that runs all down onto your chin and throat without being cute about everything you do. His triangular nose is very kissable too. I do that as often as possible. He likes it. What was that about feral? Yes, he is still a little shy, and he models that below.
Later in the day Dr. Michelle came to visit. Before Christmas they’d still been in the carrier and hiding in the tub when anyone came to visit, and hissed, but they were markedly different this time! We did have to coax Bert out form under the cabinet though.
His brother Ernie is a little more relaxed and encourages him. “Hey, dummy, if you don’t come out, we don’t get treats!
Bert has no problem taking the treats though. The rule is that they have to take them from your fingers, no cheating by putting them on the floor or even in the palm of your hand. When food is concerned they can learn to trust this pretty quickly, especially with the right flower essence on your hands.
“Hey, you forgot me!” Ernie waves one of his white mittens to alert Dr. Michelle to a possible problem.
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How They Celebrated New Year’s Day, 2011
A Nice, Quiet, New Year, 2011
It started out as me and Kelly and Cookie, and one or two at a time the family decided to join us after dinner, so we had a nice New Year all together at the table.
Kelly is at the water bowl, and on the table from the left is Jelly Bean, whose butt is the only thing showing, Cookie, behind her is Mewsette in profile, next to her is Mr. Sunshine, and in the crochet bag sitting up looking at Sunshine is Mimi, lying down in the bag is Giuseppe.
Mimi hopped into the crochet bag when Cookie hopped out to get a drink of water, and Giuseppe, ever the mama’s boy, joined her in there. Mewsette came to hang with me and Cookie and Kelly who were fussing with my crochet project. Jelly Bean felt left out so he wandered around and finally settled on the crochet project as well when Kelly went to get a drink of water. I had been sitting in the chair just behind Cookie and JB.
I had actually finished this scarf and it’s going to a feline-loving friend who will probably not notice a few spare cat hairs!
Here they are from the other angle, which is what I saw before I decided to get up to take the photo.
I love it when they all settle around me, but this has been a novelty in my years of living with cats. It’s mostly because five of them are related and often do things all together, while Cookie and Kelly are usually with me. When Dickie and Peaches were here they added to the fun, though I never managed to get a photo of all nine together.
If I need for them to move I actually get up and walk away and one or two will follow. Believe it or not, there are times when I need for them to move.
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