Tuesday, March 19, 2024
black catscatsdaily photoMariposa

Daily Photo: Waiting for Me to Go Away

tabby and white cat
Mariposa wishes I’d just go away now.

While she’s typically a real “ham” for the camera, and a whirlwind of activity, Mariposa is clearly done with me and my camera and just humoring me with a pose, hoping I’ll just go away. I will little girl, as soon as you stop being cute.

Here was the full scene. Pretty, no? Irresistible is more like it.

tabby and white cat
The full scene. What else can I do but take 52 photos?

 

From Instagram

We do not like vegetables.

Bella looking at bowl of vegetable trimmings while Basil turns his back.

Did you hear us?
We do not like vegetables.

Bella, Sunshine, Hamlet and Basil do not like vegetables.

Remove this pollution from my sight.
I do not like vegetables.

Bella does not like vegetables a all,

A friend came to pick up an order today and brought a care package including #papertowels, #toiletpaper, #bleachwipes, a couple bars of #handsoap, #catlitter and a #bottleofwine. I’m seriously touched. We live in interesting times. (You know who you are–thank you!)

A care package.

The forsythia cares not for your worries.

First iteration:

Life seems unraveling
But forsythia still blooms.

This is all very confusing and distressing, but the forsythia’s plans are not changed.

So glad some things are happening as they should.

Forsythia cares not.

 

 

Photos from around this date in previous years

Sunny Studio Window, 2019

Sunny Studio Window
Sunny Studio Window

Lately Bella has been spending time in my studio, and actually sleeping on my lap. I have a heating pad over the back of my chair to warm my back which helps my hip, and then when I get up the chair is oh-so-cozy, which is probably Bella’s attraction to start with. But she’s never spent too much time on my lap, so I am honored.

Then after a while she gets up and stretches around on my drafting table, then settles on the windowsill for some birdwatching and a bath. She gets her fun, then I get mine, since my camera is always right at hand.

From Facebook and Instagram, over the weekend.

Saturday

Zahava wanted to know how long it took to get the Four all together for all those photos she sees, and there they were. Not long!

We had a number of creative visitors here to pick up wood from the maple trees and see the housepanthers too. I’m excited at all the carved goldfish, turned bowls and tables that will be made from my trees.

Zahava here to meet the kitties and pick up wood.
Zahava here to meet the kitties and pick up wood.

Mimi likes making cool shadows on the deck in the morning sun, it’s the only reason I can guess why she wanders around in this little spot. After all these years she’s a true purrfessional.

Sunday

Mimi waiting for me in my studio window one night recently.

Mimi waiting in the studio window.
Mimi waiting in the studio window.

Monday

Tiny little moth
Flyin around your kitchen,
Who ya gonna call?
MOTHBUSTERS!
Hamlet and Mariposa make a great team. So far no broken dishes or jars of beans.

Mothbusters Mariposa and Hamlet.
Mothbusters Mariposa and Hamlet.

Tuesday

Mimi and I are looking for more signs of spring. Even the daffodils don’t trust it.

Looking for spring.

We had a visit from Dr. Michelle to see Mimi. Michelle is a veterinary acupuncturist and works with other holistic modalities, which Mimi does not enjoy but decidedly benefits from.

Dr. Michelle handling Mimi.
Dr. Michelle handling Mimi.

Photos from years past.

.

One More Bed to Fill, 2018

One more bed to fill.
One more bed to fill.

Today was apparently a great day for naps. Sunshine is in the flat basket, Jelly Bean in the yellow basket, and Hamlet in the natural basket, but no one moved in to fill the box, but this was only the morning nap session downstairs. Later everyone was upstairs because the sun came in the windows, and several were on the bed including Sienna, who seems to like the bed very much.

~~~

Meanwhile, outside…

Mimi and me out on the patio.
Mimi and me out on the patio.

Mimi and I thought the weather was pretty nice, and we hope it stays that way.

Warm concrete is hard to resist. (The red you see around her is just older layers of paint. I was a little freaked at first because it looked like blood.)

Mimi has a good roll on the porch and on my feet.
Mimi has a good roll on the porch and on my feet.

~~~

Flounder and Puma, 2017

Flounder and Puma
Flounder and Puma

Flounder and Puma are two of the five indoor cats living at Birgitta’s farm where the six feral cats now live.

Puma is the oldest cat in the house at 17. He was adopted with his sister for Birgitta’s mother years ago. His sister had a major personality change and decided to take off for the barn down the street when they were about 12 years old but Puma stays where he is happy. Puma was napping with Flounder on the sink in the mudroom when we woke them up, and was concerned about his grooming, but took a moment to greet me with the dignity of an elder.

The other cat is Flounder who invited himself into Birgitta’s house a few years ago, hopping right into the basement door one day—hopping because his legs were stuck together with burrs tangled in his somewhat feathery longish fur. He was very friendly and completely socialized, and likely either escaped and was lost or was tossed outside by someone who didn’t know what they were missing. Such a friendly, affectionate cat, when Birgitta rested her hand on the edge of the sink he did all the work of rubbing his face all over her hand. His round eyes and fluffy fur reminded me of Basil.

You can read more about Birgitta’s animals and the reason I visited to deliver the feral cats.

. . . . . . .

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

Mewsette and Jelly Bean exchange to strong language.
Mewsette and Jelly Bean exchange to strong language.

No, things aren’t always rosy and full of love among the family here. Sometimes Jelly Bean likes to poke Mewsette when all she wants to do is quietly curl up and meditate. But that wasn’t what happened this time—Mewsette just decided she didn’t want to look at his ugly fact and told him to get lost! Bean was up to the challenge and some pretty strong language was exchanged, which Smokie had apparently never heard before as he headed for cover in the basket. Bella focused on birdwatching, but kept turning around to see that they weren’t heading her way. It all came to nothing, at least it looked that way to me.

And it seemed to be a day for expressing strong feelings. In the kitchen I saw several of my cats looking out the window and door in a way that meant there was a cat out there. I looked in the direction they were and say my neighbors’ cats at their window, which was open with the screen. I guessed there was some sort of discord happening there too. No paws were waved but some intense looks were exchanged.

My neighbor cats in their window.
My neighbor cats in their window.

. . . . . . .

Desk Accessories, 2012
Kelly is a necessary part of the function of my desk.
Kelly is a necessary part of the function of my desk.

Every desk needs a tortoiseshell cat!

Pens, calculator, calendar, notepads, glasses, Kelly, all part of what makes my desk work. I love how cats cuddle up to something that’s not really comfortable to cuddle up to, like two pairs of glasses in my hard-sided glasses case, but they’ll make do if nothing else is available.

Just a month after we’d lost Cookie, I was thrilled Kelly was comfortable on my desk without her there, even if it meant I couldn’t use my reading glasses.

. . . . . . .

What Does the Cherry Paint Taste Like? 2012
Hmmm, what does this color taste like?
Hmmm, what does this color taste like?

Mr. Sunshine grew bored with supervising me and decided to get a little more involved with what I was doing. Not to help me work, mind you, he is a supervisor. He decided to taste one of the puddles of watercolor I’d mixed and watered down to use for what I was doing—one good reason to make sure all your creative materials are non-toxic!

I was really bored, she was doing the same thing over and over, just painting one one print after another, then hanging it up and going on to the next one. And I was just replacing Mewsette who usually supervises in this position but had to take a litterbox break. She told me this was fun! She really enjoys this!

But all I wanted to do was see what that stuff was she was waving her brush in—and mind you I didn’t eventhink of biting her brush like I really wanted to do! But she’d dip that brush into that little puddle and squiggle it around and I watched, then she’d move it around on the paper, then she’d put it in the water jar. Then she’d start on the next puddle. I was mesmerized, and as soon as she lifted her brush out of the first puddle I just put my nose in there and took a few licks.

Oh, the noises she made! And the waving of hands! Okay, okay! I got my nose out of there! It didn’t taste as good as it looked, anyway.

But then I really was thirsty so I thought I’d drink some of the water out of the jar. After all, it’s just water right?

Then I'll taste this one.
Then I’ll taste this one.

More noises and waving of hands! What is her problem? It’s just water!

A cat can't do anything around here, can he?
A cat can’t do anything around here, can he?

I look for the “AP Non-toxic” label on all the things I’ll be bringing into the house and using around my cats. Those standards test for exposure for children, and while our pets are generally smaller it’s a pretty safe standard of safety to use for them. Where pigments are concerned, most products no longer use the original natural pigments, many of which were toxic even to adults, but it’s still good to know what’s in the products you use for yourself and all living things in your environment. Read “Art Cats” in my Living Green With Pets series, where you can also read about the standards and labeling at ACMI, and how paints are made at Handprint.

. . . . . . .

Supervisor in Waiting, 2013
black cat on work table
“The sooner you get to work, the sooner I get a nap.”

“If you’re going to work today, could you get to it? I’d like to have a nap, but I’m scheduled to supervise today and I can’t nap until you’re done.”

Sorry, Mr. Sunshine, it doesn’t always work that way, especially when you’re in the middle of my work table. But at least I was in the same room for most of the day, and I won’t tell anyone you had a nap even while I was working.

Mr. Sunshine is always very aware of his tail, unlike a few other boys we know who leave it out where it can be stepped on or it’s…in my plate. Not Mr. S., his tail is always properly laid across his hind leg in a graceful curve.


Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals

AfterDinnerNap-Etsy

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Sienna watches me in her own special way.
Sienna watches me in her own special way.

Office cat says I need to sit down and get to work. And that work is providing a lap for her. My that Sienna is getting bold, and what a talented model too, providing us all with this unique photo! 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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