Cats in the garden
April 26, 2013
A short, very short story.
Two cats in a garden close to my home, so close they often pay me a visit. One jump over the fence and here they are :
Renia, the white Somali, sweet looking but fierce when it comes to defend its preys.
and Solero, the brown Bengali who reigns over our area and whose descendants are numerous and beautiful.
The garden they live in is just beginning to bloom and it is a real pleasure to look at it. What a gift to stroll through its alleys after the long Winter ! Its gardener, my friend Germaine, so loved by both cats, spends hours tending to it.
This is how Germaine’s garden looks through the eye of my needle.
A round ochre terrace surrounded by colourful bush, neat narrow alleys and a kitchen garden where flowers have nested too. In a secluded corner lies a small pond amongst pink flowers, home to golden fish and frogs.
An air of Japan, stones, big flower pots, small plants and cactus.
Flowerbeds glimpsed at through Germaine’s kitchen window. Nature and beauty are all around.
Lovely and peaceful, yes, but on the other side of the fence is someone who is not in good terms with the feline crew. Worried and annoyed by the boldness of Renia and Solero, Ninio-the-Beagle shouts it loud and clear in the neighbourhood. Oh ! Happy Sunday mornings when our pets greet one another…
Wonderful handiwork to honor the pets and your friend. Lovely pictures. I enjoyed this post very much.
Thanks a lot, Yvonne. I am happy to see you back online. I thought of you a lot when this terrible accident happened in Waco recently.
Thanks Isa. I did not hear the explosion but some people in my city said it was heard 20-25 miles to the south and that the chemicals could be smelled.
Gorgeous cats. Lovely quilt.
Thanks Sybil, always nice to read you.
Oh my goodness! How beautiful! J’aime cette quilt!
Je suis ravie des commentaires élogieux d’une autre quilter. Merci.
Beautiful quilt!
I always appreciate your comments, montucky, thank you.
It is always good and interesting to have pets around. Love the quilt… It is beautiful.
Many thanks iniyaal. It is good indeed to have pets around, we learn so much from one another, don’t we ? I loved quilting this “garden” for my friend’s special birthday.
Oh Isa.. I made me miss my hometown. The pets around, we have lots of stories with the cats and dogs and their chase. How nice..here in this city we hardly see any pets. I so love the quilts. I am jealous of your creativity sometimes. 😉
Hello dear Sonali, I am truly happy this post reminded you of your hometown. You miss it, I understand, but those pictures brought back happy memories, right ? 😉 Thank you for the visit and thoughts. Hope you have a lovely Sunday.
The kitties are so beautiful, but I notice the word “fish” also appears here. Maybe trouble, or maybe the cats aren’t such good cat-chers of fish, or perhaps they’re just busy annoying Ninio!
The quilt is beautiful and the cats on it bring so many memories. Those “stick figure” cats are almost identical to the line drawings used by hobos and tramps who traveled the railroads and roads during the Great Depression. If you saw such a cat on a telephone pole in front of a house, or perhaps on an out building, you were in luck. It meant, “A kind woman lives here”. I once saw such a symbol painted on a cistern behind the shed behind my grandparents’ house.
Even in a day without internet and cell phones, people had their ways to communicate – just as your quilt communicates kindness and love. Thank you for showing it and evoking good memories for me.
Two kind messages from Texas today : you and a dear friend fishing with his family at a lake in South Texas. Very nice. Thank you.
it is so interesting to read about those stick figure cats drawn by hobos and tramps near a house where they would be welcomed. I had never heard of it. Obviously your grand-parents belonged to these kind people.
Quilts (with particular patterns, I think) hanged on fences were also a sign that meant people on their escape road (during slavery time) were welcomed to stay for a stop-over. People always found ways to communicate, you are quite right.
Have a pleasant Sunday, dear Linda and thank you for your words.
So very sweet to see the cats and dogs and homemade quilt and the loveliness of your words, Isa!
Thank you Kathy, nice to see you back too !
Isa, if you have any time, I would love for you to read the blog I wrote today. It’s about my trip to your beautiful country in 1975.
The cats look so at home among the Spring flowers. You have captured the spirit of your neighbor’s work in your quilt. Nice to throw over the lap on a cool Spring evening.
Thank you Scott. Solero and Renia are so photogenic, it is a pleasure to watch them, take pictures now and then. As for my friend’s garden… my quilt is an humble reflection of her own work with nature.
Isa, your quilts – they amazing – such beautiful artwork you and your needle can create 🙂
Thank you Truels, yes my needle and I are quite good friends 🙂 Just wish Time would be more “élastique”, you know ? Never enough of it to do all that inspires me. Oh well, one thing at a time, right ?
What an absolutely delightful story Isa! Of course, I adore your kitty-cat neighbours and Beagles are one of my favourite breeds of dogs too, but oh my goodness, the detail of the quilt you have made, it’s exquisite! Did you make it all by hand? When I sew large items, such as quilts, I use my sewing machine and can imagine the hours of work you must have put into your work. It is a labour of love. Have you shown your quilt to Renia and Solero’s family? I can imagine they would be thrilled to see their garden in your stitches. 🙂
Oh thank you Joanne for such warm comments ! The quilt was a gift for my friend and neighbour, Germaine. She loves her cats as well as her garden. I imagined she would enjoy receiving a quilt reminding her of both. And she did enjoy it 🙂
I usually sew the various fabrics with the machine but then I quilt by hand. I find it relaxing. I did not know you were a quilter. Have you posted some of your works ? I would love to see them. There is an Australian quilter artist from Tasmania who creates the most interesting art pieces.
Here is her blog in case you feel like visiting her :
http://gonerustic.com/category/quilts/
Wishing you a lovely Sunday.
No Isa, I haven’t written any posts about the quilts I have made, but I’m about to start making one and have been collecting fabric for it. My main problem is that I have so many projects on the go at one time, there isn’t enough hours in the day for everything I want to do! I will let you know when I do begin to add news to my blog of my latest project though.
I’m sure Germaine will treasure her beautiful hand made gift from you. 🙂
I love the flowers through the window and the way you have honored your friend. This is just magical.
Thank you Tammy, I am happy you enjoyed Germaine’s garden and her cats.
Bonjour Isa.
J’aime beaucoup tes courtpointes car elles sont toujours très jolies. Sais-tu que Tu as manqué mon post:
Courtpoint Finnoise 2012 (3).
J’en suis sûr que ça te plaise aussi.
Belle journée.
Merci de me signaler ce post, Matti. Mon PC a de gros problèmes de vieillesse… je suis moins souvent sur Internet. Mais j’ai réussi à voir ces courtepointes finlandaises, magnifiques comme toujours. Beaucoup d’inspiration. Bon weekend à toi.
Isabelle, your quilt’s color palette and textures are gorgeous.
You have also captured the feline visitors beautifully in your photo portraits.
Many neighborhood cats visit my yard. Since I don’t think they’re stopping by to smell the flowers, I try to shoo them away before they have a chance to stalk the small wildlife, but am not always successful.