Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Daily Photo: Is Life a Bowl of Cherries?

Testing the bowl of cherries theory.
Testing the bowl of cherries theory.

Six cats trying to determine if life is, in fact, a bowl of cherries. From the top center clockwise it’s Bean, Basil, Mariposa, Giuseppe, Mimi and Mewsette.

Sometimes you just get an interesting photo, like, what’s really going on here? Still doing the bowl of cherries thing.

Um, just an interesting photo.
Um, just an interesting photo.

The reason for the cherries jubilee? I stopped at the farmer’s market. Lunch, dinner, snacks, where do I start? I can’t garden this year so I buy fresh, buy local.

Fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables.

All the colors. Got to have some flowers. Echinacea.

echinacea
All the colors.

All these photos were shared on Instagram first, but I don’t think anyone minds. One of these days I’d like to get a cell phone with a better camera, but until then this is what we’ve got.

 

Photos shared in past years

Sienna’s Cool Place, 2018

Sienna at the window.
Sienna at the window.

Sienna has found a cool spot in the basement and centered herself purrfectly. Really, no fancy cropping or straightening, just Sienna’s silhouette and the light coming through the glass block with some ivy on the outside. Lovely.

From Instagram

The above photo was first posted on Instagram too. The next two were actually taken on Sunday.

They can’t wait to get out there and explore. It’s Mimi and Mewsette, and Mewsette has no idea how big she is.

Mimi and Mewsette hurrying outside.
Mimi and Mewsette hurrying outside.

We are being watched by four housepanthers.

Mimi and I sat on the deck last evening when it rained, and eyes collected at the door. It’s Mewsette in the back, Bella on the lower left and Sunshine on the lower right. Jelly Bean is in the middle but closed his eyes, as usual.

Four at the door.
Four at the door.

From Previous Years

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream, 2011

To Sleep...
To Sleep…

Just because it’s one of my all-time favorite photos of Sunshine having a summer nap on his back…

No living creature sleeps better than a cat. Out of my cats, Mr. Sunshine, seems to sink deepest into dreamland, rolling on his back and simply collapsing into whatever heap of plushy black fur his limbs go to, toes curled, mouth open, all afternoon. I often wonder what sweet dreams his feline imagination composes for his unconscious enjoyment; he is motionless, not running or nursing or doing anything in his sleep, just slowly breathing. I imagine him imagining himself sleeping in some quiet field in the sunshine with a light breeze and birds singing.

He usually does this on top of the file cabinets in front of the window where I can turn to watch him in repose, a little tingle of jealousy in my belly; but I like what I do, I enjoy spending my days in pursuit of truth and beauty and, I’ll admit, enough almighty dollars to pay the bills, I really wouldn’t want to sleep my life away. No, I wouldn’t, and I’m happy Mr. Sunshine is here, sleeping his life away on my filing cabinets instead of some less desirable alternative.

When I first took this photo I was so angry with myself for framing it badly, not capturing the lower part of Sunshine’s head and body, and while I liked the focus on his nose and the softened focus on all else, I thought it would have been a better photo with all the rest of him in there; in fact, it might just be confusing cropped the way it was. But the photo stayed with me for days and I realized it was absolutely perfect the way I’d shot it, the nose, the curled paw, the relaxed hind paws, the tail stopped in mid swash when he fell asleep. I cropped the excess from the top—a tall, narrow image was what I’d been angling for—and left him in a heap at the bottom. As I said above, it’s one of my all-time favorites.

~~~

So Pretty With My Flower, 2017

Mewsette with her green eyes and pink flower.
Mewsette with her green eyes and pink flower.

“I am so lovely with my flower.”

Big beautiful Mewsette is lovely all the time with her green, green eyes and plushy fur, but especially with a little bit of phlox that’s growing at her level. Pink and green and white and black, what a wonderful combination!

Made in the Shade, 2016

Mimi has it made in the shade.
Mimi has it made in the shade.

Mimi enjoys a rest in the shade after our photo shoot this week for the June 2016 Feline Sampler Box. We haven’t been outdoors too often because of the heat and my selfish schedule, so she was very pleased to have a little time to prowl and look elegant.

. . . . . . .

From Facebook and Instagram

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I’m Done

That’s it, they’ve finished me off. These two have been 37 kinds of cute at the top of the stairs and I’ve taken way too many photos. Good night.

Giuseppe and Bean being incredibly cute.
Giuseppe and Bean being incredibly cute.

. . . . . . .

And in our back yard, and front yard…

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The Adventurous Fawn

The whitetailed deer have naturally produced a fawn but this little one isn’t interested in listening to its mom. Three times it’s shown up in our front yard, right on the sidewalk! Mom Doe is not at all happy! From yesterday…

The little fawn was in the front yard again today, and his mom was not happy! I guess he’s curious and adventurous. He walked back down to the side yard and headed for the gate and I could see how he’d escaped—it was open just enough for him to get through. He kept pacing back and forth by the fence looking in the yard, but couldn’t figure out how to get back in because it was open in the opposite direction. He couldn’t quite figure out how to get back through, in the end he did. I decided I had to close the gate so he wouldn’t get in trouble with his mom.

Look at those incredible spots.
Look at those incredible spots.

From last week…Some little fawn was out frolicking in the rain and turned our motion sensor porch light on. Mama Doe was not happy at all–I could hear her stomping and snorting out of view. I may have to move my bike for better views. Look under the end of the seat to see the fawn peeking at us.

And two weeks ago, the first time we saw the little one out here…And then this happened! I saw nearly all the cats lined up at the front windows, and really flat so there had to be something really good in the front yard. And it was! This year’s fawn! her mom and I think a yearling sister travel through the yards in the afternoon when it’s quiet. Look at those spots! And those ears!

. . . . . . .

What other photos have I posted on or around this date?

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Wordless Wednesday: Take Time to Smell the Flowers
Mimi takes time to stop and smell the flowers.
Mimi takes time to stop and smell the flowers.

. . . . . . .

Daily Photo: Call Me Alvina, Please
My name is "Alvina".
My name is “Alvina”.

You wonder why I don’t come over to you when you call my name? Didn’t you think to look a little closer at me?

No, Alvina, when Debby brought you here she thought all three of you were boys, and you were all too frightened to check under the tails that day! No wonder you gave me funny looks when I called “Alvin”!

You can see the lovely hazel color of Alvina's eyes.
You can see the lovely hazel color of Alvina’s eyes.

Alvina was the shyest of the three kittens, and at this point gray Theodore and black Simon come over to me purring before I even come in the door, and greeted Dr. Michelle today without hesitating. Alvina hid behind the toilet, and she also hides at first when I come in.

Alvin’s mom Cruella was feral, and mom and brothers were trapped and taken in a week before Alvin so she spent a week outside, all alone, until Debby could manage to lure her into a trap. One week in a kitten’s life between 8 and 12 weeks is months of development in human terms, and critical for socialization. Even though she only had one extra week outside it was enough to set her back to hiding, avoiding being touched and even today cowering from my hand, although once I touch her, she’s fine and begins purring, and relaxes when I pick her up.

No wonder I don't come out when you call me!
No wonder I don’t come out when you call me!

Oddly enough, she loves belly rubs! Today as I was picking up in their room and she was already warmed up to me I reached to pet her and she wiggled over onto her back. I rubbed up and down her belly and felt a small lump at the bottom, about where her spay scar would be. I tried to look while she was on the floor by rubbing her belly a little more, but ended up picking her up and looking closer. Indeed, it looked like a little spay scar that might have had a little twist in the stitches.

Then I turned her over and lifted her up her tail—the first time it hasn’t been tightly tucked against her bottom, and, without giving you an anatomy lesson it was clear that she was a girl. I felt around a bit too and, yep, no remnants of boy parts, and checked her brothers too. Indeed, she is a girl. So she is Alvina!

Don’t forget, she is up for adoption along with her brothers Simon and Theodore. If you are interested, comment below or send me a message!

. . . . . . .

Posted on Facebook and Instagram

The sun won’t last, so we enjoy it while we can. Mimi naps on my outdoor desk until it’s time for me to get to work there.

What a beautiful morning.
What a beautiful morning.
And a visit from a former foster!

“Cutest photobomber ever!” Another of my former fosters checks in via his mom–no, not Piper, the house panther in front, but Simon, formerly Bert, the handsome ginger cat with deep ginger eyes in the background! So good to see!

Photobombing Bert's housemate Piper.
Photobombing Bert’s housemate Piper.

. . . . . . .

What other photos have I posted on or around this date?

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A Rainy Morning, and…a Video, 2012

Kind of fitting for all the rain we’re having lately!

three cats cuddling by window
On a Rainy Morning.

They were so darned sweet this morning when the rain was gently falling on all the leaves and the bird were tweeting their little hearts out. Mr. Sunshine and Mewsette were bathing themselves, each other and Giuseppe, who is that lazy lump between them, before settling down for a serious nap. I had originally planned to make a slideshow of the process, but decided to try out the video setting on my little camera.

It’s a little dark but you can reference the photo above to figure out who is bathing whom—apparently the settings I use for photographs don’t transfer to the video—and you can clearly hear the hiss of the rain and the tweeting birds. It was a very nice morning.

Okay, let’s see how this works…

 

If it doesn’t play above, here’s the link to it on my YouTube Channel (good heavens, I have a YouTube channel): http://youtu.be/vQ_FgFzm_78


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~~~

Feline Images from Portraits of Animals!

 

pastel sketch of three cats in silhouette
“Mewsette’s Tail”, pastel on white multi-media paper, 6.5″ x 9.5″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Mewsette slaps her tail back and forth so enticingly, Bean simply cannot resist. Read more and purchase.



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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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