Friday Four and More: Eight is Enough! January 9, 2016
No, eight was not enough because there were even more cats in the house at the time. There really are eight cats, except Simon stood up and blocked his brother Theo (two fosters, more on them just below). Counterclockwise from the top left: Basil, Jelly Bean, Giuseppe, Mr. Sunshine, Mewsette, Simon, Mimi. Yes, all those cats could fit on top of that cabinet! And I still see space for a couple more. They weren’t all watching me wash dishes or something, a friend had visited and they all greeted her. She was petting them all so I asked her to step back so I could get a photo. So glad I did!
You can imagine the energy of them all right there. I think they knew their power!
Looking for the best Friday Four and More photos from early January in past years I found this and later realized that was a decade ago! I will never forget these gatherings, all of them looking at me, happy and affectionate.
This day was a busy day! Here’s what else was going on.
Upstairs, earlier in the day, Ophelia and Theo and Simon and Hamlet are helping me remove the grout around the bathtub.
Simon and Theo and sister Alvina were socialized by September so I’d taken Hamlet and his sister Ophelia to foster and hopefully socialize after other failed attempts, so I hoped for the best. They had been in the bathroom since September and were having their first occasional outings.
Theo, Simon and Alvina had been longhaired and gray-black-black, where Hamlet and Ophelia had also been longhaired and were black-gray. When they all finally met they all looked at each other, and looked so much alike. All the same age and very similar backgrounds, they were all friends immediately. Theo was glad to meet a cat who wasn’t black—he was the only non-black cat in the house until he saw Ophelia.
Simon and Theo’s sister Alvina had been adopted in October. My niece and children came to visit in September and within minutes of coming in the door my one grand-nephew was holding Theo and his brother was holding Simon. They and their mother, my niece, decided they would adopt them. They lived in Savannah and had flown up so couldn’t take them back, but in January I’d go down with the two. So I got to love on them and enjoy them for a few more months before they left. Simon and Theo were very special to me and I was soooo glad they’d be in the family. And they also helped Hamlet and Ophelia progress on socialization, especially Ophelia. Hamlet, as we know, took a little longer.
A crowd had gathered atop the wardrobe outside the bathroom to observe the kittens! above. Bella, Giuseppe and Jelly Bean knew exactly what the bathroom was for because they’d all started out in there as well.
And Mimi was settling down for a nap in my dresser drawer and she was NOT gong to be prevented from doing so.
Such sweet memories…
And now for today…
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From Instagram
Hamlet got a good nose full of 60° air this morning. So did I! We’ve had the basement door open all day. What a treat in January! Sunday snow will come and the temps will drop even lower than they have been before.
I miss the snow but I’m happy to have arugula in my salad again. Also, colors.
Color! Give me color! Making some new things and stocking up for future vendor events this year. I’ll share when ready.
From around this date in past years
Still Life With Cats and Fruits, 2023
You know, so these fine felines just kind of gather here and there and I can’t help myself, I just take pictures of them.
I’m sure they are aware of me and my camera and this peculiar sort of attention they get from me.
On this particular day last November (2022) they didn’t seem to have an agenda, and didn’t seem too concerned with me.
It was a beautiful and oddly warm November day with storms passing through, then bright sun, and the doors and windows were open.
I guess they were enjoying the moment just as much as I was. Such contrast and a blaze of colors, cats and fruits.
The four siblings can often be found just hanging out together more than once a day. They provide those creative sparks for me, and I’m grateful for that.
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From Instagram
Not today either!
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From the Garden and Beyond
Some days it feels like you’re holding up the sky.
From around this date in past years
Yum, Geranium Leaves, 2022
Bella “licks her chops” as she eyes the fresh and succulent geranium leaves warming in the sun. She’s feeling a little giddy in this sudden warm sunshine in one of her favorite spots. Well, geranium leaves aren’t really succulent, they’re kind of fuzzy and irritating, but they are all that’s available so Bella is going to make the best of it.
~~~
From Instagram
Not only do we have mice under the sink, but we have squirrels in the attic–and Basil is going to get them! In fact, he’s going to wait right there and maybe one will fall out of those old attic fan louvers!
Yes, we just heard the squirrel run across them, and Basil has it all planned out. Except that I locked those shut years ago when I couldn’t get the fan fixed.
I know everything wants to keep warm in this weather, but I have no idea how many animals are living under my roof right now. I’m feeling outnumbered, and I really can’t wait until I get my new roof. But for the meantime, it certainly keeps all the cats on their toes!
@felineshelves this is the shelf I mentioned. I installed it years ago to dry herbs in late summer because it’s hot and dry up there, and to put outdoor plants over the winter because the forced air heat doesn’t dry out the air up there. When I found Mewsette sleeping up there, next to a very large Swedish ivy dangling on the edge, I decided it was no longer appropriate for big plants, only for big cats.
PS: no luck on the mice or the squirrels yet, but everyone is aware and on alert.
~~~
Hamlet executes a purrfect Fibonacci sequence.
From the Garden and Beyond
Click the photo to read more.
What’s Inside
You never know what’s really inside until you look. The exterior may lead you to visualize something totally different, based on only the exterior.
From around this date in past years
Thinking About Fishes, 2020
Bella notices everything, so don’t think she doesn’t know there’s a Pisces medallion behind her ear. She’s aware of composition and hidden meanings, and I suspect she’s a Pisces like me, judging from her rescue timeline. But she was also a champ at the cat fishing game on my tablet, until I dunked it into the dishwater. Someday I’ll have to make that up to her, but in the meantime she is sending me a very clear and colorful message.
From Instagram
Morning watch.
. . . . . . .
Photos from around this date in previous years
Catching Some Sun, 2019
Basil was racing around the kitchen, excited because it was about to be breakfast, when he ran into a patch of sunlight and stopped. What is this stuff? It’s nice and warm! I think I’ll just stand here and cast an interesting shadow for a while…
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Photos from years past.
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How Formerly Feral Cats Enjoy Cold Weather, 2018
These three often get together to enjoy some CatTV. If they hadn’t been rescued, though, they wouldn’t be enjoying it through a window, they’d be out there. Not one of them has ever expressed an interest in getting the “real” experience. I enjoy watching them.
Before the tree fell down in 2016 it was in the background along with all its branches, and there was a lilac in front of the window that I let grow and kept trimmed so I could open the window, but it would still provide cover for the birds at this feeder. The birds avoided these feeders almost entirely for over a year, but finally they are showing up here again. Of course the bird populations on the feeder change every moment, and that’s part of the fun. Here is what they were watching.
From Facebook
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From previous years
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And Yet More Photos of Jack and Diane
At one point while they were doing their thing on the windowsill I just stood there and snapped figuring a few of the had to be good. Well more than a few of them were good, just because kittens are cute. They are at an angle that would make Jack appear larger, but really he’s growing so fast and is noticeably bigger than his sister. Their expressions and posture in the one above just make me smile! My caption was, “These two. Stick a fork in me, I’m done.”
After this the two of them settled themselves into the corner of the windowsill for some intensive birdwatching, but it’s clear Jack doesn’t take it quite as seriously as his sister.
Below, there is no better toy than a sibling’s tail. They were busy chasing each others’ tails on the windowsill. Jack told Diane, “You bite my tail, and I’m going to bite yours!”
Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
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When Jelly Bean decided to join the still life I was sketching, I decided to stop the other painting and sketch Bean. I was using oil pastels, so oil pastels it was. The paper was a little small for all the detail that’s in it, but that makes me keep it pretty simple, and all the tiny details I’d been visualizing just didn’t work. Too bad for me. Lots of color in an overcast winter day, and lots of color in a black cat, and that’s what counts. Read more and purchase.
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That is one amazing photo! I’m very glad you got this one, too.