Thursday, March 28, 2024
black catscatsdaily photogiuseppemlle daisy marguerite

Mlle. bids Bonne Fête Nationale, and Chat Noir Love

collage of two black cats in period dress
The bonneted Mlle. Daisy Emerald and the beplumed Giusepper Verdi in their Revolutionary roles.
ghosted letter on parchment
Mlle. Daisy's letter...

Giuseppe, my handsome American opera star, it is me, Mlle. Daisy Emerald, writing to you from the big old limestone house in Kingston.

(Kingston was once Fort Frontenac, a French fort on the river.  Mama and I like that and sometimes imagine how life would have been so many years ago in the little French encapment where the grand city of Kingston now stands. I picture you Giuseppe, on the stones of Fort Frontenac, wearing a jaunty black beret or purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhaps a fine French frockcoat. Oh Giuseppe, what a fine Chat Noir you would have been in the days of Fort Frontenac!)

I am writing tonight to remind you of your Mlle. who lives on the edge of the great St. Lawrence River, just a boatride away from the shores of your American land. Though I have never been to America, or even taken a boat ride, my Mama tells me of the pretty little town called Cape Vincent just across the lake from Kingston. I send my love to you and your family (both your Mamas, of course — Mimi and Mama Bernadette) and wishes for a fine celebration of your Fete Nationale today, July 4th.

Will you and your brothers and sister have a picnic purrrrrrhaps, with lots of tender fresh catnip?

Or will you sit in the window and watch the fireworks tonight? My Mama and Daniel and I watched our fireworks over the river to the east of my window on my Fete Nationale on Sunday night. It was exciting, but I quite enjoy such things.  I am not afraid of fireworks. Nor am I frightened by thunder and lightning and summer storms.  I have been by the open window tonight, watching and smelling the rain and listening to the thunder “boomers” and the marvellous lightshow in the sky.

But I have been watching it all wishing that my love Giuseppe was in the red brocade bed beside me on the windowseat.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhaps one day, my love.  But for now, we are together only as Chat Noir Lovers can be….. though many miles separate us, our Chat Noir Magic holds our spirits and souls in a fine feline embrace.

So, Bonne Fete Nationale, my American love.

I shall go back to dreaming of you in the town of Carnegie now that I have sent this message and the hour is late.

Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrs & nuzzles and love from your Mlle. beside the great river so many miles away.

Forever yours,

Daisy, xo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **SIGH**

Mlle. Daisy’s mama and I imagine them as two lovers living far apart, divided by a country’s border, a revolution, and the fact that neither of them has a passport.

She also tells us Mlle. looks much like Mewsette, so Mewsette was a stand-in model for my digital illustration of the two of them, above, in period clothing, the bonneted, beautiful and brave Mlle. and the dashing, daring Giuseppe in a beret with white plume (though I dare say Mlle. would be the braver in battle, since G. disappears when a loud vehicle goes down the street). I pulled the fireworks from my photos of our local events, and the chapeaux from my photos of various reenactors, and layered and blended and applied a painterly and a canvas texture filter in Photoshop.

Read Giuseppe’s greeting on the Canadian Fete Nationale.

Click here for the full list of stories and correspondence of the past year’s affaire between the two feline lovers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 


All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.


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.

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this:
Verified by ExactMetrics