Mimi and Mewsette Monday: Forsythia Time on the Logs, 2022

March 17, 2026 Bernadette

black cats with forsythia — Ready to start the day.

From 2022: Mimi and Mewsette are ready to get down to the business of enjoying the morning after surveying the yard from the height of the logs. The forsythia is background to everything these days.

In 2026: I shared the above photo and some of the others below on April 4, 2022. This year, on Sunday, March 15, I ran the mower over the yard to pick up as many of last year’s leaves as I could to let the grass grow and turn the mulched leaves into my garden beds. I noticed a little bit of forsythia was blooming in the grass, the first forsythia to bloom. How sweet, I thought, still marking that spot, and it reminded me of these photos in the original post. More of them below, but first the story of the logs and Mimi, especially.

Above, you can see small forsythia branches growing up around the left side of the logs because it will sprout wherever the tip of a branch touches the soil. That’s where the logs were for several years, and in 2022 they were still in good shape. But you can maybe see through the leaf litter below that there are just pieces of the three logs in that stack now. I took the photos on Sunday then again on Monday because the rain added a little more contrast and the forsythia stands out more.

From Sunday, but it's hard to tell when everything blends together. — From Sunday, but it’s hard to tell when everything blends together.

From Monday when the rain darkened the log and the leaves.

That’s all that’s left of the three logs but the forsythia persists. It’s another one of those attachments, something I left until it was time to change it, and I know this year it is. I plan to chip up what’s left of the logs and use it as mulch around my little kitty remembrance area, which also needs to be cleaned up this year, and plant the forsythia in some significant place, and there are plenty in this back yard for that! I cut around the logs and forsythia on Sunday and I’ll wait until I have enough of the yard prepared to move them to their new places.

The logs came from a neighbor’s tree that fell in a storm, into my back yard, all the way back in 2013.

fallen tree — The stump and trunk of the tree that fell taken from the empty lot.

black cat in fallen tree — Mimi wants to know just exactly what this tree is doing in her yard.

The neighbor who owned the tree that fell was kind enough to have the parts that fell in my and another neighbor’s yards cut up. I talked to the guys who cut it up in my yard and asked them, if they had they chance, if they could cut a few slices of the trunk for my cats to use as scratching posts. One of the guys was so excited to find its branches were hollow that he came knocking on the door with the idea that my cats could go climbing right through there! I didn’t tell him it was a little small for them but I thanked him and knew I could do something with them!

For a while those were standing upright on my deck to dry out along with the trunk slices.

black cat on logs — Mimi inspects the logs.

black cat with tree logs — Mimi inspects the logs on the deck.

Mimi inspected them and scratched on them every day from 2013 to about 2015 or 2016 when I decided I didn’t have the space for the idea I had and maybe I’d use them in the garden—cut them lengthwise in half, cap the ends and fill them with soil for flowers or something. I put them next to the foot of the deck steps and Mimi continued her daily scratching on the logs. I can’t find any photos of that but I know I took a few.

Then when I cleared out that bed next to the steps for herbs in 2021 I moved the logs out into the yard “for now” until I figured what to do with them. Mimi followed them, still scratching them every day, followed by Mewsette, even in their last days. Here is a gallery of photos through the years when the logs were out in the yard.

Thirteen years, a lot of memories, and I’m happy to treat what’s left with kindness for the joy it is connected to.

And…here’s what it looked like this morning—yesterday I began in my garden, yoga barefoot in a t-shirt and a little work between the rains. Then I ran to the grocery store as it was raining, on my way back it was a little sleety, a little graupel and just after I came inside, snow! We had a surprise 4″ of snow overnight, snowing harder from yesterday afternoon and overnight than I’ve seen it snow in a while, not even the 12″ snow we had last month.

Mimi would be big mad! And Mewsette would be confused. I did what I would have done in either time, got cold and wet getting photos, thinking of them, probably up on the deck and pouting at me. There’s a photo below of the two of them from 2021, unhappy on the deck on a rainy morning, that’s one of my favorites of the two of them in that situation.

So back to 2021 and the rest of the photos from that day, and that post.

From 2021: Up on her logs, Mimi starts with a good scratch and then looks this way and that.

Mimi looking this way…

…and that.

I spent a bit of time working around the yard on a sunny Saturday when I was otherwise working in my basement studio to catch up with products and orders. I spied Mimi through the forsythia and was happy to get some of the photos I’ve been visualizing.

Mimi in the garden.

Mimi through forsythia.

Kitten season begins!

Two low-level trapping situations went into high-gear in the past few days. I’ll write about these tomorrow. In the meantime, what do you think this kitty is saying to me?

dilute tortoiseshell cat — One of the cats in question.

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From Instagram

Maybe tomorrow!

From the garden and beyond

Visit Today to see what’s happening out there until I can catch up.

From around this date in past years

Rain, 2021

black cat watching the rain — The girls consider their options

Rain, you can’t live with it and you can’t live without it.

Like last week’s daffodils, I had another crazy idea for a photo I wanted. These were photos I envisioned standing in the kitchen that morning watching the rain, just a loose composition of Mimi from behind and maybe Mewsette, the dim and misty back yard blurred out in front of them. I decided someday I’d try to get it. Then I decided I’d do it later that day. Then when the girls wanted to go outside right after breakfast I grabbed my camera and went out despite my nightgown, sat down at their level, and did my best to indicate where they should pose. And they did.

Mewsette heads for the door to go back in, but Mimi holds out hope for the morning.

Then even she gives up, considering a nice cuddly bed inside with a few of her kids.

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An Update

So the car search is pretty much at an end, and hopefully I’ll be back to normal daily activities this week. I managed to gather all the information about paycheck protection loans for sole proprietors, and all the documents needed except one, only obtained from the state of Pennsylvania regarding my business. Since it had been filed pre-digital era in 1993, it was on microfiche and had to be researched manually. This took days to ascertain but no one is in the offices to do the research on a regular basis, so the bank confirmed my business filings another way and approved my application, sent it over to the SBA who approved it the following day. It’s a small amount and was in my bank account on Friday, and along with what I’d been able to save over the past year it enabled me to purchase a newer used car with lower mileage and in better condition than without the loan, which is forgivable for the entire amount as long as I use it for business and daily expenses.

I had started looking for this vehicle weeks ago, and contacted the small dealer with the car I wanted and we made arrangements to meet today. It looked good to me, we took it to my mechanic who found very little to object to, so I will pick it up on Wednesday with new tires and bring it home. Finally, this saga is over, and I was able to purchase a car that is newer and in better shape, and at least for a while will not cost me in repairs to keep running each year. It’s something I’ve needed to ensure my income since the Escape started to need a pile of work each year. I hope this new larger and more reliable vehicle will make a change in ability for me, and I’ll be able to operate my business, attend events and earn my living without the worry of whether or not I’ll have a car to drive. And I’ll be able to get back to TNR with enough space for all I need.

While I worked out the car and the loan, I stopped making new items so I could focus on the loan and car, and hold onto money I might need. Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled production of experiments and creativity. I’m so glad for that! This week I am also feeding Denise’s colony twice daily while she and her husband are away. Her neighbor had always taken a shift so I only had to feed once, but since he died I have both shifts and that will take a little extra time from this week. I have rescheduled my open house for the last week of this month, and you’ll be able to take advantage of the sales and new items even though you may live nowhere near me. And I’m looking forward to posting regularly again. I have so many articles planned and drafted and just need to finish them off.

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A Belated Happy Easter!

One of our visitors, hiding eggs maybe? “Backyard Bunny”, soft pastels on pastello paper, 11″ x 8″, 2014

pastel sketch of rabbit in yard. — “Backyard Bunny”, soft pastels on pastello paper, 11″ x 8″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

From Instagram

Sunday: Swingin with my girl. The day was so beautiful we didn’t want to go in, but I wanted to work on a painting. Compromise—I paint outside on the swing, we both enjoy the sun for a little longer.

I decided to spend a good bit of time over the weekend catching up on paintings I’d intended to work on during March. Soon you’ll be seeing new work!

I have always admired and studied Laurel Burch’s artwork. I buy very few designer items, but My Three Cats & Co. has long carried Laurel Burch merchandise and had these on sale at the end of the season earlier this spring. I love the kitty design and the blue trim so I had to get them, for “good.” I finally picked them up from Carolyn when we met last week. I thought I’d be keeping them as a nice surprise for the first cold days next fall, but no, two days last week they surely came in “hand”-y! And they match both Mimi and the spring squills. I think Mimi approves! This style is sold out—I got the last pair—but there are other styles and many other items. Shop small!

From around this date in past years

Nice and Warm, 2020

Mimi says she’s patrolling under the bird feeder, but she can barely keep her eyes open with nice warm sun on her back and she’s ignoring all the bird obscenities being squawked her way. This was from last Thursday, which was a totally awesome day after some early rain cleared. Mimi and I started on some work in the yard, and we’re looking forward to more this weekend. Below are two other views of Mimi pretty much in the same place, but you know I can never take only one photo of her! These three photos were on Instagram first, as are the ones below from the past week, catching up again!
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Mimi in the greens looking left.

Mimi in the greens looking right.

From Instagram

Mimi loves a good scratch on her river birches even in a drizzle

black cat scratching on trees — Mimi loves her scratcher!

Hope you’re having a peaceful Sunday. Mr. Sunshine is working on stealing Sienna’s favorite napping spot, inch by inch, but sometimes it’s nice to share.

Basil is working out some social distancing strategies this morning. He really likes the tops of doors. Kind of nice because his long tresses do the dusting for me.

Yesterday… We had the doors and windows open the sun was shining. (From Monday)

Just the right amount of sunshine.

In the morning, after the rain.

I ran out of photos from March in previous years!

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black cat in Mimi walks through the buttercups and forget-me-nots. — Mimi walks through the buttercups and forget-me-nots.

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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.