From the Archives: Lucy’s Christmas Cactus Bed, December 20, 2006
Once upon a time, a friend gave me a piece of her Christmas cactus which grew into a large and lush plant in the window at the top of the stairs, blooming unfailingly every December. Lucy adopted my collection of houseplants atop the wardrobe by the upstairs window as her purrsonal garden. Here she is napping in an empty pot that had held a petunia that didn’t survive the trip indoors, though the cactus is blooming. Though the petunia pot was empty, the 8″ clay pot was the purrfect size for five-pound Lucy, the soil a soft bed, so I left it at the sunny edge.
You may remember Lucy as the kitten I lost to FIP in 2007, who was also another of Mimi’s daughters from a prior litter and half-sibling to the family of four here now, and the reason why Mimi and those kittens came here. Lucy was always accompanied by rainbows in one way or another, and you can see this in another photo I took that same morning.
Neither she nor any other cats in that mixed cat family ever chewed on my plants, and these houseplants were tough characters, not upset by a small kitty napping on them. It wasn’t until her half-siblings moved in that my houseplants were mercilessly chewed to pieces. But I always imagined Lucy sitting among the plants on the wardrobe, or on any other windowsill or hanging in front of a window, and imagined herself a sleek panther in the woods or jungle, completely camouflaged within her surroundings.
Also see Lucy’s Garden.
Read more about Lucy and her family in Rescue Story: July 10, 2007, A Memory
And below you can see a photo from a couple weeks prior, same Christmas cactus, same window, featuring Lucy’s best friend, Namir.
From Previous Years
Namir’s December Sunbath, 2006
Namir isn’t really posing with the Christmas cactus flower, but then he had a way of showing up in the right spot for a great photo, and this was no exception. He is enjoying a quiet nap on the sunny windowsill at the top of the stairs. When the sun hits this window in the morning the little alcove made by the windowsill fills with sun-warmth and who could help but fall asleep? Namir always had an expressive tail, and he has it curled like a vine around the winder for the casement window then turned upward, meaning he was very happy at that moment. I can just see him there, happy and purring, even right now.
If you look closely you’ll see there’s a square of shaved fur on his neck, meaning he had recently been in the emergency clinic for his congestive heart failure and had blood taken. Another reason to treasure the moment and take this photo, and several others.
I like this blurry one for its abstract contemplative qualities. And Namir too.
And this one for the clear closeup of his face with his whiskers alight.
It looks as if there had been some tussle in the household where Namir had gotten some snicks in his nose. Namir liked to play pranks on self-important kitties like Cookie, like smacking her butt as she walked by, and often this was the result.
Photos From the Archives and Vintage Photos
Photos pulled “From the Archives” were taken by one or another digital camera of mine between 2002 and, well, yesterday, but usually they are older than that, and I had never had the chance to feature them. Vintage Photos are from my film archives back to 1983 when I purchased my Pentax K-1000 camera. They’re a fun way to “introduce” other members of my feline family who came and went before I began blogging, and to illustrate my feline family in general from days gone by.
Art and Gifts featuring cats you know! Visit Portraits of Animals
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Keepsake Boxes from Portraits of Animals
Someday I’ll get that illustrated book done, but I still love to share the artwork in various ways. You can find this little keepsake on Portraits of Animals. Click here to read more.
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.
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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!
