Daily Photo: Mariposa is Seriously Not Moving
Nope, she’s staying on that chairback until the sun is all gone. All gone, do you hear? And she’s anchored there with her Big White Mittens so there’s no discussion about this either. She is seriously not moving.
I guess I’ll just go along with that. I don’t see that there’s much choice in the matter.
Don’t let her know but that was exactly what I wanted her to do. I really wanted her to stay right there, just like that, don’t move a hair, so I could get a good clear photo of her. She’s famous for turning her head or getting up and leaving just before I click the shutter. She’s got it purrfectly timed. But this time she must have been pretty well settled in that sun from the window. That’s probably why you see more photos of her in the sun than anything else.
And now that I can slow down on developing the garden I can get back to posting on other sites and probably social media too! And on Sunday I actually went to an oil painting class. I haven’t been in an art instruction class for decades but this class was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. See it all below!
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From the Back Yard and Beyond
This photo was particularly meaningful in May 2024.
Spring 2024 with Mimi
In April 2024 Mimi was recovering from losing Mr. Sunshine, and all the others, and was just getting back on her paws. I knew I could lose her, and if I didn’t that she was in her last months. I focused on her, and taking the most beautiful photos of her and everything growing and blooming was a balm to my soul in those months. But I used few of them. So I will be sharing photos of what was blooming in my yard then, same as now, and I’ll be sharing some photos of just Mimi as I remember her, that year and remembering all the other springs we spent out there.
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From Portraits of Animals
An Oil Painting Class Still Life
From around this date in past years
Mariposa’s Exciting Bathtime Adventures, 2024
Are you ready for 4:33 of exciting cuteness from Mariposa and her Big White Mittens? She was giving herself and all her long fur a great bath in the sun just inside the basement door but there was so much excitement she really couldn’t stay with bathtime—
a bug!
a thing under the door!
she almost caught the thing!
the thing got away!
a bird!
Hamlet wouldn’t help her!
she almost got the thing again!
I recorded a narration of what might be her thoughts as she’s playing out her adventures. I whispered it so you may need to turn up the volume so you can hear the narration.
Mariposa is about the cutest thing with fur, and I’ve lived with a lot of cute things with fur most of my life, so be prepared. And if there was ever any doubt that an open door with a screen (reinforced pet-safe screen) at ground level was a purrfect source of enrichment for a cat, Mariposa will demonstrate otherwise!
Lots of sweet everyday memories and some sweet memories below!
From around this date in past years
Photo Roundup, 2020
“My sister!” Mariposa exclaimed.
Mariposa being adorable last week, on April 28. You know I’m busy when I don’t share one as sweet as that! I haven’t been posting to focus on my Virtual Open House, and then I had issues on three websites that my Isp couldn’t resolve, but I think we finally did. Everything has kind of suffered in that time, my blogs and my open house, and some free time to be outside and so on. I totally miss posting, so I’m back with it. My Virtual Open House will go on this week with what I have up and some new items I’ll be able to post, and then I’ll continue posting new things.
Most exciting, I’ve been enjoying a clean and fresh camera! This will be the last post of all photos from my cell phone, and likely you won’t see too many after this. I missed my camera, and we’ve been getting reacquainted, meaning I’ve been taking gigabytes of photos. But you’ll enjoy them.
I’ll start here with April 26 and work my way through the end of the month.
“Yay! Catnip muffins!”
Da boys and Bella are ready.
Rolling on warm concrete Mimi gets herself into some interesting positions! April 27
Rolling on warm concrete Mimi gets herself into some interesting positions! April 26
My dogwood is blooming in the rain. April 26
Mimi poses with the forget-me-nots while supurrvising a full day of yard work yesterday. So nice to be outdoors in the sun and fresh air while working hard cleaning up–in some cases things that have waited several years–and getting the garden ready, and totally appreciating my new bionic hip. Today it’s raining, settling in the seeds and transplants. April 26
Mewsette will have a healthy snack now.
She just took that wild piece of lettuce and shook it until it stopped struggling. Such a fierce hunter. April 27
Mr. Sunshine wants to know just exactly who the black cat in the picture is. An important predecessor, Mr. Sunshine. April 27
This delicate feather balanced all winter on a round of honeysuckle vine on my deck rail, fluttering in cold wind and soaking up the morning sun. It reminds me of a lot of bleak winter mornings when I wasn’t sure what would happen next and looked out the door for guidance, and saw the little feather, reliably waving on the honeysuckle vine. I set it free when I removed the honeysuckle and planted herbs in the pots, but I miss checking in with it. April 27
After I featured Jelly Bean last #whiskerwednesday Mariposa very carefully arranged her pose to show off her whiskers and absolute cuteness. Really, how did she learn to pose like this growing up as a feral cat? Guess she’s a natural! April 27
>Just a little more of Mariposa’s absolute cuteness, rolling around and playing with her “sister” in the mirror.April 27
Sienna wants to know why I’m not inside petting her on tortie thursday . I’m trying to, sweetie, there’s a window in the way! April 28
Cuddling on a rainy afternoon with your big soft fur sister. Hamlet is pretty pleased. April 29
Mimi surveys her domain and finds it boring. But she is the purrfect silhouette. April 30
From around this date in past years
Pretty Studio Kitty, 2019
Such a pretty studio kitty. Mariposa is non-stop cute and sweet and pretty.
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Photos from previous years.
Mewsette, 2018
Big fluffy Mewsette enjoys a sunbath on the table. I didn’t know whether to pet her plushy fur or stand back and photograph her, so I did both. She looks a little annoyed because I’d stopped petting her to take another photo. So I went back to pet her some more.
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What other photos have I shared on this date?
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We Are Not Amused, 2017
Mimi has found the old park bench to be an appropriate place from which to view her domain. I think she felt Mewsette was just a little too silly with her antics in the back yard when she joined us again, below. Isn’t she beautiful?
But she started out making funny faces while downloading her pee mail.
And then, most horrifying of all, she engaged in her pole dance routine. Somehow she always manages to find her way to the clothes pole in the patio by the basement door.
In the meantime, Mimi found another use for her bench. What a great scratcher!
And I had posted these photos on Instagram first because the server at my internet host has been having issues for the past few weeks and is being replaced, so sometimes when I have the time to post the server is interminably slow and I just have to give up. But I visualize some of the photos I’ve taken even with my DSLR with Instagram filters. I liked the one of Mimi on the bench filtered but often Instagram reduces the resolution so I worked out how to achieve the same effect in Photoshop. That’s the photo at the top, below is the original photo where I think she stand out more. I like them both! Maybe it’s just because I like Mimi.
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What other photos have I shared on this date?
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Pewter Kitty, 2016
This photo of Ophelia just happened to work out cropped this way. She looks almost abstract, so I removed the color from all but her amber eye.I see some designs coming from this.
What other photos have I shared on this date?
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Good Morning! 2015
The light is great on these early spring mornings before the sun angles upward and the trees sprout their leaves. Poor felines have to wait for their breakfast until I’m done taking pictures! Well, thy just have to work for their food. I know that goes against all felines stand for, but I really think they enjoy the attention they get from it!
From the left, Mr. Sunshine is turned around and bathing himself behind Giuseppe, then Mimi and Bean are in some sort of a little conversation, Bella is next to Bean and Mewsette is washing the top of her head. Bella and Mewsette have been spending some girl time together with little naps and grooming and also wrestling and wild chases around the house.
The fun part for me at mealtime, though, is trying to get a photo with all seven, which is usually not possible because not only is the cabinet a little too small, but they are very busy while they wait—the conditions outside the doors and windows must be monitored and all corners, nooks and crannies of the kitchen must be inspected, so there’s a lot of coming and going and jumping up and down. One of these days I’ll get a video, but having only two hands it’s difficult. They watch me from the cabinet because I am rinsing their dishes in hot water to warm them. Their food comes from the refrigerator and the warm dish helps to bring it to room temperature more quickly, helps the scent of it rise up to their noses, and just makes the meal more enjoyable for them. Then, most exciting, I am putting their food in the bowls and adding things like a probiotic or a supplement depending on the food, and always a little extra warm water, and it smells really good. It takes all their good manners to keep from jumping into the sink and onto the counter and onto me, but they are very, very good kitties.
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Mariposa is like so many animals, they move at just the perfect moment to ruin a shot. I’ve noticed with mine it’s because as soon as I cover my face with a camera or phone, they figure I’m not looking at them any longer and look away. If I keep it further out where I can still be looking at them, and glancing at the camera/phone a few inches to the side, they don’t move as often.
That’s a clever discovery with your camera. Keeps them looking at you!
Mariposa is gorgegous ~ awesome photo on the back of the chair ~ other photos are great also ~ Veery creative ~ Hugs ^_^
an artist reflects ~ Carol McK
Thank you so much! I’m surrounded by creative cats.