Friday, March 29, 2024
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Daily Photo: Squirrel Uses Mimi’s Tree!

squirrel on tree
Squirrel is using Mimi’s tree!

Mimi and I went out onto the front porch to enjoy the sunshine. But any hope of joy was lost when Mimi discovered the squirrel was using her tree! There he was just clawing and climbing all over it as if he owned it!

Rather than running over to challenge the squirrel, Mimi too another angle and crept through the ground cover…

black cat in garden
Mimi creeps through the groundcover.

To squirrel’s great surprise! He thought he had all day to play! He could clearly see that Mimi was serious and this was not fun and games.

squirrel
Squirrel is shocked!

The squirrel literally turned tail and ran for the spruce. I couldn’t fit them both into the frame but you can see Mimi’s ears at the bottom of this photo, and in the upper left you can see a little scrap of rusty squirrel tail fur—that’s how close Mimi came! Squirrel is lucky she just wanted to run him off. She’s a skilled hunter and does not miss her mark.

black cat in garden
This is how close Mimi got.

She sat under the tree for as long as she could while the squirrel scolded both of us.

~~~

From Instagram

“Oh, please, spare us the drama of your scurrying around the house and ‘getting ready.’ We just know dinner will be late, again.”

Getting ready for tomorrow’s Market in a sunny…30°. They really did get tired of me and moved themselves to my basement studio. They’ll be happy tomorrow when I give them their special postmarket dinner, whatever that turns out to be. They’ll be happy to know this will be the last time I do this this year. Unless an offer too good to turn down comes up.

Monday Monday, such potential. It’s sunny and it’s warmer!

The wicker chair was calling. After three days pretty much stuck indoors cold was not a concern on a sunny morning.

 

From the back yard and beyond

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

From around this date in past years

Brothers Nose to Nose, 2021

two black cats nose to nose
Brothers nose to nose.

Ya know…they do this, all on their own, and it’s totally sweet. Mr. Sunshine and Giuseppe simply fell asleep side by side, noses touching, after bathing each other. And wrestling a little bit, semi-seriously, because they are equals in the household. I could just look at them like that all afternoon. And then do it again tomorrow. Sometimes I do.

~~~

From Instagram

Headed off to the North Hills Art Center to submit my artwork for the 2021 Members’ Show. It’s a pretty fair sample of things I like to paint, Little Mimi Cat, local landscapes, and local neighborhoods. Mimi will be staying home. I have too many other places to stop that I can’t bring her into. But she can rest up at home after supurrvising the framing, and the photography.

black cat with artwork
Mimi with artwork

 

From the back yard and beyond

Check my daily photo blog Today for any photos I may have missed posting here.

I’m a little behind!

 

From around this date in past years

Bella Is Being Watched…By Herself, 2018

It all started…

Bella was enjoying a nice nap in the kitchen when suddenly she realized she wasn’t alone in this comfy spot.

Who is that? She looks familiar, but she doesn’t smell like anything.

Who is that cat? She doesn’t smell like anything.

Hey, all that stuff in there looks familiar.

Is that me?

And who is that lady holding a dog up there?

She looks at the magnet above her.

And who is that over there? Where am I ?

She looks at the other magnet.
She looks at the other magnet.

I’m just going to get back to my nap. Maybe it will all go away by the time I wake up.

She finally just settles for a nap.
She finally just settles for a nap.

Don’t mind my bread crumbs. Bella is napping next to the chrome-finish mid-century bread box. I have refrigerator magnet reproductions of famous portraits and landscapes from the Impressionists and other eras in fine art. Bella really was quite alone until the sun came around and shone right on her, causing all sorts of reflections and reflected light. What’s a poor sleepy kitty to do?

Other daily photos shared on this date

. . . . . . .
Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery, 2017

Hamlet is clearly imitating Basil.
Hamlet is clearly imitating Basil.

Hamlet is imitating Basil. This is not to make fun of Basil in any way. Hamlet reveres his fur elders. He will put up with any treatment from them just to be noticed. He even asks for it. And he imitates them on occasion. I guess that’s how you learn to be a socialized cat when you didn’t grow up that way.

So we’ll take a little break.

Maybe.
Maybe.

Basil might be a little weirded out by it.

Still imitating.
Still imitating.

Maybe not.

He's still back there.
He’s still back there.

~~~

From Instagram

Saturday, organizing the kitchen.

The boys help me with a little rearranging in the kitchen. Whenever I move something they need to try out the new empty space.

Boys help organize the kitchen.
Boys help organize the kitchen.

Jelly Bean and Mr. Sunshine model the new “bean counter”. Mr. Sunshine wants to know why we’re counting beans instead of sunshines. I managed to work around them to organize my jars of beans, but of course it’s not complete without the feline models.

Jelly Bean and Mr. Sunshine on the new bean counter.
Jelly Bean and Mr. Sunshine on the new bean counter.

~~~

My explorers are ready for adventure.

My adventure girls ready to explore.
My adventure girls ready to explore.

~~~

This morning.

Mr. Sunshine is #supurrvising the gas company man who is replacing our meter this morning. I said I’d leave them to it and he petted Mr. Sunshine and said, “We’ve got things to do.” His family adopted two cats and another who chose them.

Mr. Sunshine helps the gas man install a new meter.
Mr. Sunshine helps the gas man install a new meter.

Other daily photos shared on this date

. . . . . . .

You Haven’t Forgotten, Have You? 2016
Excuse me, you haven't forgotten about this, have you?
Excuse me, you haven’t forgotten about this, have you?

“Excuse me.”

“Just because we don’t do this every day anymore doesn’t mean we don’t still like a nice drink at the bathroom sink anymore.”

Giuseppe decides he’s just going to sit in the sink and wait to see if I “get it”. But he’s got his ears pointed in my direction to keep track of me.

I did.

Other daily photos shared on this date

. . . . . . .

Daily Photo: Mewsette Gets the Message, 2013
"I don't believe it!"
“I don’t believe it!”
Mewsette is shocked, shocked I tell you!
Every once in a while Mewsette comes out onto the patio by the basement door with Mimi and me, especially when I’m hanging laundry. Mimi shows her around, and gave her a lesson about pee-mail.
“You see, just get your nose close to it, and inhale.”
 Mimi demonstrates how to download your pee-mail.
Mimi demonstrates how to download your pee-mail.
Mewsette stepped over and took a whiff; you can see how much taller she is than Mimi just by where her nose can reach.
 Mewsette gives a good sniff.
Mewsette gives a good sniff.
“Mama Mimi, what does this mean?!”
“Just take another smell, my daughter, the truth will come to you.”
Mewsette takes another sniff.
Mewsette takes another sniff.
“Is this what boys are like?”
 "What did he say?!"
“What did he say?!”
“Only some boys, my pretty Mewsette.”
Then she sniffs again.
Then she sniffs again.
“My brothers aren’t like this!”
"I don't believe it!"
“I don’t believe it!”
“We fixed that, my dear.”

. . . . . . .

2011: Out in the Backyard
Namir is perfectly camouflaged, of course; most of these leaves are Virginia creeper, but can you see the poison ivy?
Namir is perfectly camouflaged, of course; most of these leaves are Virginia creeper, but can you see the poison ivy?

Namir is stalking through the wild areas in our backyard, looking for some little mammal to kill.

Cookie and I have been out in the yard every morning and sometimes again during the day. Cookie got herself up on the picnic table yesterday while I hung up the laundry, and she sat and quietly looked into this area for quite some time. There are times she does this and I know she’s deep in her tortie cat thoughts, and times when I know she’s remembering our buddy, that gray and white pest and mole killer, Namir. In these moments she may even forgive him for pulling her tail and poking her in the butt, then trotting away, giggling.

I was thinking about him too and how the three of us went outside every morning, so both of us must have sensed him out there. I remembered this photo and thought I’d share it, from me and Cookie.

It also shows we haven’t always been a two-tortie-and-five-black-cat-house!

This is a memory in a memory in a memory. This morning, hanging laundry and photographing and picking tomatoes I remembered my garden cats through the years, and Cookie last year. When I looked to see what photo I’d posted on this day last year, this was the one, while I hung laundry and photographed a few things and picked a few tomatoes Cookie managed to get on the picnic table to contemplate, while we both remembered Namir from three years before. I guess it was a morning filled with memories of mid-September as I also remembered Moses and a certain tribe of kittens who were just about six weeks old. This colors today’s photos, with love.


Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy

Fine Art • Photography • Gifts • Greeting Cards • Books • Commissioned Portraits & Artwork

"Mimi in the Formal Garden", pastel, 8 x 10 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski
“Mimi in the Formal Garden”, pastel, 8 x 10 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I was very honored and excited when Deb Barnes, president of the Cat Writers Association, contacted me at the end of March with a very special commission. She wanted to know if I could create the artwork for the thank you note that would be given by the organization to the many sponsors, donors and others who helped the conference be a success. Read more and purchase.



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2 thoughts on “Daily Photo: Squirrel Uses Mimi’s Tree!

  • Such a pawsome collection of pictures!!!
    The cats really have a good life with you 🙂
    Looks like Mimi made that squirrel sit up and take notice! MOL!!
    Purrs, Julie

    Reply
    • I had no idea your comment was hiding here! Glad I found you. Yes, I think the squirrel may have felt a millisecond of fear, but it’s a good thing for him that Mimi didn’t climb the tree!

      Reply

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