Daily Photo: Napping Options

May 13, 2026 Bernadette

Napping options include two baskets and a windowsill.

The girls pair off for the morning with their options for napping at this window. These include two baskets, one with a thick fluffy pillow and one with a folded crocheted blanket that really holds the warmth, and a cooler windowsill.

Mariposa is looking beautiful and considering a nap on the windowsill on this warm morning so that she can stretch out and the air can ruffle her fur. Sienna is just about to fall asleep. The human is inside only momentarily to check something on her computer before she gets back out into the garden but can’t resist a lovely photo of these two friends who are the same age but from very different backgrounds living outdoors.

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A quick note on me! About my erratic posts and not responding to your comments…

I’ve been noticing I’ve been moving a little slower than usual but still moving lots of soil and wood and bricks in my garden and organizing things around the house. But it takes me so long to get something done! And then it’s the end of the day and I sit down to post and fall asleep in my chair instead, especially if there’s a purring kitty in my lap. Or everything else I’m doing takes all day and I never get to my computer. I’m thinking oh, well, I am 65 years old and maybe I’m taking more time to think so things take me longer. I mentioned this to my doctor along with a question about my mild emphysema diagnosed in 2019 and a little extra shortness of breath. I was a smoker for 25 years, my parents each longer than that and each was diagnosed with lung cancer, so I get a chest xray annually.

That was clear so she ordered a CT scan which showed my lungs have changed very little but my thyroid is enlarged in a way that indicates another round of hypothyroid disease, which first showed up for me in 2001, the year after I started working at home, my brother’s brain injury and my mother’s lung cancer—my thyroid is apparently stress-sensitive and this is the result. Yeah, it’s been a little stressful around here the past few years. I still need to get an ultrasound of my thyroid in two weeks for a closer look. I’m actually glad to know this! I was thinking this felt a lot like those days when I wasn’t zipping around from this to that and a little tired all the time. Hypothyroid disease is something I am familiar with and it responds to medication and supplements.

Plus I’ve been pretty physical around here the past few months, going through each room to sort, organize and purge contents from decades of business paperwork to clothing to kitchen items and more as well as building my garden, and this week I’m getting ready for my first vendor event this year and all the rest to follow. Plus Medicare and change of bank with new accounts and credit card acceptance and a change in sales tax procedures…notice I never said I “retired.” But I’m looking forward to getting my old energy back so I can keep up with myself.

Thanks for sticking with me! As I’m sewing a lot of eyes on dishtowels and tote bags…

The full selection of new totes and messenger bags.

All the new colors and patterns I used with the new larger Bella! design.

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From the Back Yard and Beyond

Burgundy Brilliance

From around this date in past years

Wondering About That Kitty, 2024

tabby and white cat — Mariposa is wondering about the ginger kitty.

Mariposa must have just noticed the kitty on the accessory bag, and she’s studying him. Who is that kitty? And why does he look so weird? She’s seen my artwork before, I use this ginger kitty art on nearly every one of my handmade products. But right now, settled on the table while I’m working on something, she’s watching me, and she’s watching this kitty.

From around this date in past years

Mr. Sunshine is Feeling Good!, 2022

black cat at window — Mr. Sunshine at the window.

Last Thursday: This is the first time in about two weeks I’ve seen Mr. Sunshine sitting at his post at the front window. He is looking good, and he knows it. Something is finally taking effect, probably the antibiotic, but he is all over the place, upstairs, downstairs, up on things, it’s so good to see.

Since then he’s up on the cabinet in the kitchen, which takes a few steps to get to with the tins I have set up as steps onto the chair. But also last Thursday, working in the kitchen, I turned to see him lined up with Giuseppe and Jelly Bean and Basil.

Last Wednesday I’d taken him for his follow-up at PetWellClinic. His blood pressure was still a little high, 175-178, so Dr. Aldinger increased his dose of medication. But I can see even that small reduction in his eyes as his pupils are coming back down to a normal size.

His temperature was down closer to normal, though. It was stubbornly 103.5 last weekend and the week before. I even bought a new thermometer just to be sure it was accurate. I took his temperature again when Dr. Michelle was here on Monday and it was 101.5. I think we’ve finally kicked the infection to a certain extent and that’s what’s helping him feel better.On Wednesday Dr. Aldinger gave us another week of doxycycline to see if it continues to work.

The masses on his abdomen are still abnormally large and he’s still taking steps a little slowly, possibly because they interfere with his hind legs. But though he doesn’t trot up the steps as he did until recently, he still makes it up quickly enough to surprise me.

Going to the veterinarian for imaging Monday

Tomorrow we go to Companions First for imaging and another exam. That is the veterinarian who took care of Mimi in 2020, diagnosing all her conditions and prescribing the long-term antibiotics that finally cleared up what’s been a long-term kidney infection, and ear drops that cleared up the yeast infection from a food sensitivity. Incidentally, that also cleared up the cyst on the side of her face that used to seep and drain regularly. I’m so glad to have my Mimi back, I’d been planning to send the veterinarian a thank you card for the anniversary of Mimi’s appointment, coming up next week. I guess I’ll thank her in person!

I wanted to post a quick update before the weeks starts, but it looks like I’ll be able to start posting again without any trouble here. I still have to do my desktop calendar, and for that I’m featuring Mr. Sunshine!

I also pulled together a gallery of Mr. Sunshine artwork from my daily sketches and I’d planned to create small things you could purchase to help support the costs of his care, like sets of note cards or small prints, though I don’t have most of them listed on my website. The time it would take to list each piece of artwork is a little daunting, but I may set up a gallery with a drop-down list to choose from. I’ll share that when I post the desktop calendar. And there are always the dishtowels! Scroll down for that.

Again, if you’d like to help me with Mr. Sunshine’s care…

…and with the senior panels for the others as well as a follow-up for Mimi, selling my merchandise is how I pay for that. Visit my website, www.PortraitsOfAnimals.net, and do some shopping! I have been making handmade gift items like crazy between everything else, plus artwork and photography for yourself or for gifts. Also consider a portrait, or a portrait certificate. It would make me very happy to pack and ship things to you in return for money.

The antibiotic that cleared up Mimi’s kidney infection last year was $200 for six weeks, and I haven’t seen her look this good for about five years. I might even say it saved her life because that deep infection that no one else had diagnosed was wearing her down and had effects on her digestion and mobility. A long-term advanced antibiotic is the standard treatment for a deep infection, though, and while that’s less expensive than even simple cancer treatments, it’s still an expense and I want to be ready. I’m also seeing symptoms in Mewsette and Giuseppe that I’ve wanted to have examined too, and if there is a connection with toxoplasmosis and some of these symptoms, a toxoplasmosis test for one cat is $140. Vendor show season starts in earnest in July, though I have events in June set up, as well as a fairly big event in a few weeks, but that income is in the future and upredictable.

As always, thanks for following us, and thanks for caring! I always appreciate hearing from you, no matter how that happens.

And if you did want to donate, my Paypal address is bernadette @ bernadette-k . com and my Venmo is @Bernadette-Kazmarski. And thank you for caring, whether you buy something or donate or not.

From around this date in past years

No, We’re Not Moving, 2020

three cats on bed — Mariposa and Sienna confer while Hamlet naps.

I found Hamlet, Sienna and Mariposa blissfully lounging on my bed when I went upstairs to make it up. I don’t like to disturb any kitty’s nap, but especially not the less socialized kitties because this is one time when they are so happy you’d never know they were once feral kitties, or in Sienna’s case a frightened kitty living outdoors. And they are such a nice sampling of kitty colors and patterns on the quilt.

So I asked them if I could make the bed. Hamlet had no response at all, just stayed there in his unidentifiable heap of fur. Sienna and Mariposa conferred briefly. Then Sienna turned to me and said, “No.”

Should have gotten there sooner.

From Instagram

Mouse! There it goes! Can we have another to watch? Bird! OMG! A bunny!Three #formerlyferal kitties getting their #catenrichment #watchingwildlife at the basement door. An oddly warm morning after a very cold night, ice in the birdbaths and frost. We’ll take it while we can get it.

Mouse!

Bird!

A bunny!

Such a lil dreamer.

tabby and white cat on bed — Lil dreamer

Mimi and I took advantage of a sunny day sandwiched between two cold rainy ones.

Mimi coming in.

Mimi saying hello.

Mimi leaving

A new member of the feeder club–a white-crowned sparrow. Those white stripes really stood out in yesterday’s dark weather, and the coolest thing is how they come together on the back of its head, like a bike helmet! Avid #birdwatcher #tortiecat Sienna was the first to see and alert me.

“Will you put some seed in the feeder for me?” It’s right at nose height, her favorite treat. Scroll through to see a closeup and then a final adorable parting glance.

From around this date in past years

Hamlet Sunning, 2019

The view used to be very different from this window, with another tree to the right with lots of birds and squirrels. But now we have more light and we can see the swallows wheeling in the sky, and daredevil blue jays fly toward the window and at the last moment swing up onto the gutter just inches above the window.

From Facebook and Instagram

Was headed out to an event, discovered I had a very flat tire. I’ll miss the income especially with a tire repair, but the kids are happy I stayed home and are a great help at setting up my display here again. See how many cats you can find! They were all in the room, not all are visible. Mariposa is looking at herself in the mirror, Basil is peeking over the prints in the rack, some of the dark areas on the floor are actually cats!

Major power nap after breakfast this morning, six black cats involved, I think the concentration was actually pulling the sun right in the window as they recharged.

We’re being as cute as we possibly can!

Photos from previous years.

Y-a-a-a-a-w-w-w-n-n, 2018

Ahhhh, that’s a delicious yawn. Mr. Sunshine had been napping in the sun and just couldn’t stop yawning.

From Facebook and Instagram…

Oh, my, these go all the way back to Monday. I got on a roll on Instagram with all the sun and beautiful weather.

This morning’s customer was duly impressed by their greeting committee who met them at the door, not just the siblings but also Mimi and Basil were all together here for a bit, and Hamlet was ready for pets too, then they kept our guests company. Bella stayed in the kitchen, and Sienna stayed upstairs, that’s Bella’s habit, and we’ll see if Sienna eases into her greetings. It’s part of socialization for all my fosters, to whatever extent they can. They have the best teachers, and that is not me but this incredible family of housepanthers, and the feline family before them and even farther back who started the tradition.

This will do.

Basil and Mewsette enjoying a sunbath on my drafting table.

Just a beautiful afternoon.

Well, my keyboard ended up on the floor, but these two are happy. Giuseppe was there, Sienna came along and flopped her little self down between him and my keyboard and the grooming began.

Bella is freshening up after a long day of play. “Those little mousie toys in the basement were like REAL.” They were. Thanks, nature, for the free environmental enrichment.

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Photos shared on or about this day

A Sweet Cuddle in the Basket, 2017

Giuseppe and Bean in a brotherly embrace. I am helpless at their sweetness.

I have no idea how many photos of cats in the yellow basket I have actually taken. Some days I take two dozen and nothing else, and don’t have the time to post them. But trust me, it’s non-stop. I never cease for smiles and inspiration.

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Photos shared on or about this day

From the Archives: April 23, 2007, Cookie, Kelly and Lucy

You may recognize the photo above from my Animal Sympathy Cards—it’s Cookie giving me a very serious look. It’s funny that all this time I’d thought, especially knowing the rest of this series of photos (there is always a series of photos) that I’d taken this photo out in the back yard, specifically with Cookie on the deck and me in my garden below, but that’s not so—she was right here on the shelf on my desk with the red brick porch pillar behind her and the morning sun on her face. Probably her expression is telling me that I am intolerably dull and we really need to go out into the yard. Sometimes Cookie thought she ran the show.

As I gather all my years of digital photos into one place I’ve been spending probably too much time looking through them, but I’ve been enjoying what I’ve found. I am surprised there are days when I have no photos of cats, and days back in this era when I have no photos at all. Then there are days like this where I have several series of photos of different cats at different times of the day. At this point in 2007, I hated this camera, and I don’t use “hate” loosely—it took way too long to focus to photograph cats well, all the photos were a little too red no matter how I adjusted it, I couldn’t control the contrast and lots of little details in each photo that I won’t go into; I can even look at a few and distinctly remember moments of frustration. Still, I took plenty of photos, and I’m glad I have them.

Below, Kelly enjoys a morning roll on the bed. This was always her habit after breakfast, to sit in the sun at the top of the stairs (there’s one of her there, but it’s badly exposed, darn), then hop over into my bedroom roll around on the bed while talking and bathing herself. I tried to catch her in mid-roll, but here I managed to catch and hold her attention for just a moment so I could see those big green eyes. When Kelly was happy, I was happy, but I know she can’t figure out what I’m laughing at.

And then later in the day, Lucy settled on the bed. This is my favorite photo of the series, just Lucy perfectly curled in all that white on the bed. I remember thinking, though, that even though she was cute, something was wrong. Lucy followed me all over, and when she wasn’t with me she was with one of the other cats, especially Namir, who she adored, but she was never alone. Here she was alone on the bed, and not as responsive to her pets and compliments or invitations to play as usual. I’d talked to my veterinarian a few times about vague symptoms I’d noticed since her spay, and on April 25 she was diagnosed with FIP. But she was still my kitten, and I love to see photos of her.

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painting of cat behind flowers — The Purrfect Camouflage, 11 x 16, pastel © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

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Copyright

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.