Daily Photo: Patterns
Look at all the little light patterns that help to frame and add interest to this composition. I love the random objects in images like this, and how the feline becomes one with those things by choice, sitting still as a predator does when hunting. But in this case, the sun forcing itself through all the tiny dots and stripes of space add more interest, and all of it contrasting with the soft and softened shape of Hamlet in a quiet moment, in profile.
Hamlet is a great meowdel for these window silhouette photos. He tends to sit perfectly still and go into his own space, and seeks out spots that coincidentally happen to be good for photos to have his quiet moments. I try my best not to disturb him, but I don’t always see him when I first walk into a room, like my bedroom. He’s socialized and calmed enough that he doesn’t react to me—his reaction has always been one of alarm and self-protection, watching me, crouching, then running to a safe space. Finally, he’s realized I’m not a threat. On this day he turned and looked at me, turned and looked out the window, then went back to his contemplative pose as I went about my business of gathering laundry. After almost seven years, that’s progress. I’m glad he’s achieved it.
~~~
From Instagram and From the Back Yard and Beyond
I’m getting ahead of myself now. I’m sure I’ll be posting on IG today and over the weekend, but I have the time to post here now. I actually have a big backlog of both IG images and images to post to Today, and it may be a while before I get caught up with those. In the meantime, enjoy more photos of cats!
From around this date in past years
Happy Caturday! 2021
It’s a very sunny Caturday at the end of an unexpectedly disorganized week. I knew I’d be busy getting things together for the start of “show season”, with my first event, the Carnegie Farmer’s Market, on Sunday. I didn’t realize we’d have excessive heat, storms, power outages, more heavy rains, and several cats who needed to be trapped, but that’s kind of the average week around here anymore. The worst part of it was that Mimi didn’t get her all her planned outdoor time and it was all my fault. But the pleasant temperatures and happy sunshine that came after the storms kind of made up for it. And I finished another renovated section of my garden and seeds are sprouting, and two pregnant feral mom cats won’t have to raise yet another litter of kittens in an area where they regularly disappear.
It may seem antithetical that creative people observe something called a “schedule,” but I always have. Especially if you’re going to make a professional go of it, you need to plan ahead and have materials on hand, and space and accommodations for the project depending on the medium and what needs to be done. I have always had a schedule so that I have the time to spend that a project requires and I’m not rushed and disappointed with what I didn’t get finished because of a time crunch, or missing a deadline, even a self-imposed one. And years before I began working at home I understood my daily flow of energy, what times of day I was energetic, focused, contemplative, and planned my activities accordingly. But then there’s daily life and weather and circumstances. Usually I can manage to balance everything, but lately it’s been a challenge, in part because I’m starting up with new products, new work spaces and an entirely new display, at the same time that I need to make some serious repairs to my house that I need to earn the money for while I’m patching things as they come up. I didn’t get a chance to make most of the items I’d planned, but I have enough from prior years to start with. I’m finishing all the new garden flags today, then testing out my tent and packing up my car and planning all my new signage later on. I’ll share as much as I can as things go by. In addition to the smaller events I’m planning my open house for the last weekend of the month, and even if you can’t show up in person I’ll have deals you can take advantage of at a distance. I don’t know if I’ll earn enough to get a new roof in the next few months, but I’m going to give it my best effort!
And later this month we’ll be celebrating a bunch of exciting birthdays! I’ll have more information about that and the open house and new products in the coming week.
From around this date in past years
This Post Belongs to Mimi, 2021
Ah, the good old cheek pheromone trick. Mimi LOVES to rub her face on things, her cheeks, her chin, her nose, she gives things a thorough dose of her cheek pheromone so that all who come near know that Mimi owns this thing, be it the porch post or my car or the tree or the birdbath. And quite often, me.
~~~
My first vendor event in two years!
360 view of the Carnegie Farmers Market and my display. It was so busy, two hours in I could finally sit down for a few minutes. What a great event! Everyone was so happy! And no rain even though it was forecast for the whole day.
This is a smaller display including both feline, nature and wildlife gift items. I went heavy on the newer items so I garden flags and tote bags, but eventually I’ll fill out the keepsake boxes the votives the dish towels and other items too.
I’ll be there almost every Sunday through September, except when I have my open house and during Rock the Quarry. Of course, that means even less time to post, but I’ll hope to deal with it. Check Portraits of Animals to see my upcoming events.
From Instagram
A hummingbird moth visited my phlox today. I recorded the video at half speed, they move so quickly it’s impossible to see them clearly, but they’re so cool to watch darting around, the little proboscis tongue unrolling to poke into each flower, moving on to the next one.
…
Years ago I actually thought these were a variety of hummingbirds, then I finally found out what they were, really a moth but they love the same plants that hummingbirds do. I believe this is a clearwing variety, those are the ones I usually see here.
From around this date in past years
Mimi Read My Mind Again, and a Video, 2020
Mimi read my mind again.
Out in the back yard watching her enjoy the picnic bench I wondered how I could photograph her that would be different from the other eleventy-billion photos I already have of Mimi on the picnic bench, and had a fleeting thought of her interacting with the emerging Virginia creeper vines that twist around the table and bench. Within minutes Mimi provided a dozen possibilities for that idea, combining my joy and hers. And it’s also an example of just taking a lot of photos to see what you’ll end up with. I liked each photo I took as Mimi moved into position, or as I moved around her, then another pose came into view and I liked that one too. Again, a little overwhelming, but that’s why I decided to do a Monday Mimi in the Yard feature. These photos are from May 12, 2020, and the little vine is now a big vine,but we still do this today.
First, get a look at the view.
Sneeze!
Have a seat.
Then must have a little bath to settle into the whole process of owning the space.
Then the initial stretch out and rest.
Then she turned over and moved into exactly the place where I’d envisioned her, tucking herself up to and under the vine.
Mimi is completely amazing with her ability to anticipate what I’m visualizing.
~~~
And a Mimi Video
One lone catnip plant sprouted at the edge of the walk. Mimi is blissed. I took this video with my new phone. I apologize for the small size of the video—I can only upload up to 50MB to my site so I had to save this down to a smaller size so it came in under 50.
Making these little videos has been fun, and I already have another. Plan to see more!
~~~
Because we have so many photos of Mimi today, I will feature recent Instagram and nature & wildlife photos tomorrow, Tuesday. Four of my most favorite photos of Mimi outside are below in previous years, and there’s a little video of her playing with a cattrack toy years ago!
From around this date in past years
Window Hunting, 2019
Mariposa often naps at the open window behind my monitor when I’m in my office. There’s a purrfect view of lots of exciting wildlife just ready for window hunting! There’s the birdbath and the catbird who talks to her, they hummingbirds who visit the feeder on the edge of the porch, lots of little critters who race across the porch, and…a baby groundhog.
So Mariposa is reclining on the edge of my desk, the windowsill, and the track where the window slides. Then she stiffens, listening, and very…very…very slowly turns around, flattens her ears and looks over the edge of the window frame, then slowly rises up onto her front paws and watches, rapt at something moving in the ground cover just off the porch.
And then, the little critter has the courage, with such a brave and capable hunter having it pinned in here eyebeams, starts to walk across the porch…but then stops, apparently sensing those eyebeams. There was an extended standoff, and then the little one made a break for it.
Baby groundhogs are almost as cute as kittens. I just wish they wouldn’t eat all my gardens down to nothing, especially when I leave all the native plants I know they love to eat.
Photos shared in past years
The Huntress, 2016
On a quiet afternoon the garden was full of excitement.
For several years before moving in here Mimi hunted for food for her babies. Now that she’s a pampered princess she still likes to indulge now and then, just to keep in shape.
Nothing escapes her notice.
Capturing these photos between the blades of grass and sometimes confusing light and shadows and moving blades of grass was my own hunting expedition for the afternoon. See below if you’d like a print of one or more.
. . . . . . .
Just Playing
But she still has a great time with toys! Someone donated a few toys her cat didn’t like, and I moved most to the kitten room but all the house panthers were immediately absorbed by this cat track with a ball swirling around the bottom that makes bird chirps when you smack it, and one in the top that just goes around, and feathers out of the top, just for good measure. Mimi is feeling pretty darned well, and just because she does (and I still find it a miracle), and because she was once a primarily outdoor cat endlessly breeding but has fully embraced being a pampered and loved house panther I filmed her having a great time playing with the birdie track ball. Watch it below or on watch it on YouTube.
Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork
“Of the Rain and Giuseppe” is one of a series of photos I took of Giuseppe looking out the window at the rain and have always thought they’d be able to convey a variety of messages as photo cards, each of which can be found in my Feline Photo Greeting Cards gallery, and also attractive photo prints, which you can also find in my Cat Photos and Black and White galleries. Read more and purchase.
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.
Subscribe to my e-newsletter
Subscribe to The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter.
© 2022 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski
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!
PORTRAITS OF ANIMALS WEBSITE
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE| EMAIL | PATREON
I feel sorry for folks who aren’t owned by a black cat, because they don’t know that deliciousness of petting that sun-warmed fur!
Oh yeah, one of the greatest things on Earth.