Today is the last day of 2020. I have lost track of the times I have heard/read the phrase “a year like no other”, or something similar. It is a statement that frames our new reality. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the way we live world-wide. Actions we took for granted – going to the office, celebrating milestones (good and not-so-good ones), traveling together – all of them changed. We miss meeting friends and family face-to-face. And too many families have lost loved ones.
So far we’ve been lucky: all in my immediate and extended family are still alive. Plans changed, but we still live in our “bubbles”, and hope to gather again “soon”. Technology helps us stay in touch, and lets me work from home. We remember to count our blessings, and try to see the silver lining in our lives.
The year went by without the posts I had hoped to write. It seems fitting to show some of the frost flowers that I captured in December. After spending so much of the year indoors, I wondered if I would be able to find any. As temperatures dropped below freezing, I bundled up and headed out to try. I’m happy to report I did find some, and wanted to share the images with you. Thank you for visiting; stay safe!
Cooler weather in the southeastern United States can be a bit frustrating for outdoor photography activities. Snow events are rare, and we usually end up with rain, or sleet. But in late fall, and early winter, we can search, and hope to find frost flowers. We need air temperatures of 32°F or below, and vegetation that is still actively bringing water up from its roots system, and up its stem. As the water freezes, it expands and extrudes thru the stem. The ice ribbons that form in the process keep growing away from the stem. I’ve seen frost flowers form close to the ground, or higher up longer stems. They usually don’t last long past sunrise. But if they are located in shaded areas, and the temperature doesn’t rise above freezing, they can last for a couple of hours.
I saw my first frost flowers in November, 2018, and constantly search for them on my way to work when the conditions are right. If I’m lucky, I can spend ten to twenty minutes in the field, and photograph as many as I can. Here are some examples of my favorite captures. Make sure to search for them when you can!
We knew Patches’ time was running short. When he was diagnosed with a heart murmur in March 2016, we were told the mean life expectancy was between 2-5 years. His heart failure crisis in March of 2018 had shown us how quickly things could deteriorate. He managed to recover, and his quality of life was back to normal. We enjoyed a great year, but on March 22, 2019 he suddenly lost movement of his right hind leg. We rushed him to our vet, and we were told blood clots had developed, and that his condition would not improve. Letting him go peacefully was the hardest things we’ve done in a long time. Learning to move on was the next one.
We wondered how Socks would react to being a single cat. He had always been the independent one, but wondered if he would like being alone. Not only did he adapt, he never gave any signs of missing his brother. That angered me at times, because they had been together all of their lives. But he was happy, enjoying having a choice of laps at the end of the day, and we moved on… until a week ago. On December 22, nine months after losing Patches, Socks crossed the rainbow bridge. He had a good morning: breakfast was served on time, and he enjoyed a long brushing. Then, as we were getting ready for our breakfast, we hear a loud thump in the bathroom. Socks had collapsed, and did not respond to his name. We drove him to the emergency vet, and we were told that he was gone. He probably had a heart attack, or a blood clot, but we’ll never know.
We never have enough time with our loved ones, humans or otherwise. But while we always want “more time”, that is not up to us. The best we can do is not take our family for granted, pay attention to the moments we have together, and build memories for the time when we will not be together. I’ve been a pet photographer for years, and always advocate to take portraits on a regular basis. I am glad that I took candids of our everyday life, especially now when our routines are gone. But I still wish I had captured some of their quirks better. Patches was always ready for the camera, and I have more images of him than of his brother. Socks barely tolerated my attempts, so I tried to let him be, and did not “pester” him with the lens. I’m glad I did continue to photograph him despite his preferences, but I wish I had photographed him more.
Our condo is too quiet these days. The familiar meows or pounding runs upstairs are missed. Friends have asked us if we’ll get more cats soon. But while there are thousands of felines in need of good homes, we need time to grieve, and let our hearts heal. We miss our boys, and they cant’ be replaced. In time, I hope we’ll be ready to love again. We made a donation after Patches’ death to Friends of Rescue, so that a feline could be sponsored into their program. We intend to make a similar donation in Socks’ name after the holidays to a second homeless pet group.
This last image was taken on December 2017. I walked in the bedroom, and found them on J’s lap. Surprised not to have them rush out of bed for their evening treat, I took several candids with my iPhone. This was the best of the series. We’ll miss them forever, but are glad that they were a part of our lives.
Give your pets a hug while you can. I wish I could.
It’s been a long time between updates, but I have also reduced the number of sessions conducted with Friends of Rescue. I have missed working with feline fosters, and jumped right in when asked to photograph four kittens and two young mother cats.
I must admit that, as I drove to the foster home, I wondered if I would be able to capture their images, or if I would be so out of practice that it would not work. Thankfully, the session subjects were napping, and were also willing to indulge the “visitor with the black box”. We all had a good time… at least I hope they did. I certainly enjoyed it! Here are some of the images we made together.
Odell
Bayou
Mike
Louise
Badger
Anna
I want to make a point that should be obvious, but can easily be forgotten: foster families are amazing. They offer their homes, and dedicate time to give the animals a place to feel safe, learn to trust, recover from illness and, sometimes, neglect. Foster parents work hard to give their charges the chance to find homes and families of their own. It is always hard to let the fosters go when adoptions finally happen. Tears are shed as the new families drive away. It is not easy to go thru heartache on a regular basis, but a happy ending (adoption) opens space again for new fosters.
In the past three weeks I’ve been able to interact with a very cool cat. Friends of Rescue (FOR) volunteers call him “Mr. Dude”. He’s a very friendly cat, and is constantly searching for attention. In fact, he can be very difficult to photograph because he’s always trying to get really close!
Mr. Dude is a big kitty, so be ready to stay put for a while if he manages to get on your lap.
He rarely takes no for an answer, and will remind you he also needs time with you…
If you are looking for an affectionate kitty, and would like to meet Mr. Dude, please contact FOR at info@forrescue.net.
Cats are always curious, and it can be entertaining to see how they interact with their surroundings. There is a constant in their behavior that I keep seeing during photography sessions in FOR’s Oakwood Avenue office: they want to know what is going on in the other room, and find out who is out there… Big cats,
young/small cats,
slightly older cats,
just wait, and you’ll see them do this. You’d think they know the holidays are here, and that Santa might visit.
On the other hand, they might just be wondering if the voice they hear in the other room belongs to the person that will adopt them. If you are searching for a feline (or canine) companion, please consider FOR fosters. Their website has information on current fosters, and also on how to help them continue rescuing abandoned dogs and cats of all ages.
December, the last month of the year. 2018 is almost gone. It has been a busy year, but my blog was not updated. Here is a summary of what went on:
The time I dedicated to photographing fosters with FOR was reduced. But this non-profit continues to save lives, and makes a big difference for animals and humans alike. There are still too many dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens that need help. It is heartbreaking to know that so many are still euthanized, but every life saved deserves to be celebrated. FOR volunteers are amazing!
My husband and I teamed up with FOR to work with feral cats. As a result, three young feral sisters were spayed, and brought to their new home in January. They spent a month in a cage, being fed and taken care of by a single caretaker so they could get used to their new territory, and (hopefully) start trusting the human that took care of them. They were released in early February, and a small group of volunteers continues to take turns providing food, and water, and keeping watch for sightings of the newly released members of the community. These days we have daily interactions with two of the original three cats, and hope the third one is still in the area (just not willing to interact with us). A separate entry will chronicle the evolution of this part of our lives, and the ups and downs of this rewarding experience.
Patches, one of my two indoor cats, had a medical crisis. He was diagnosed with heart disease in 2016. In March he had severe complications that descended into “heart failure“. His lungs accumulated fluid, making it difficult to breathe. Our vet contacted a specialist in Nashville, TN, and after removing part of the fluid we drove north late in the afternoon. Patches spent 36 hours in an “oxygen tent”, and the vet clinic’s staff stabilized him and saved his life. Almost nine months later, he has a “new normal” life. Medications keep him going, and we drive him to Nashville every three months for evaluation.
It’s time to look back, be thankful for our experiences, mourn our losses, and look forward to the next year. I intend to write about this in the next three weeks. I hope you will find it useful!
2017 is long gone, and January 2018 is well on its way. It is always good to look back, evaluate what was accomplished, and decide what to do in the coming days. I was happy to see that I worked with many Friends of Rescue’s fosters and foster families. Of course, this is but a fraction of the 1,337 cats and dogs of all ages that they rescued last year, but every bit helps. You can follow their work through their FaceBook page or their web page. If you would like to join forces with this wonderful group, please reach out to them at info@forrescue.net.
Two weeks ago, a Friends of Rescue’s foster parent asked me to photograph one of her foster kitties. She was very shy, and kept moving from one hiding place to another. This behavior was making it very difficult to photograph her to show her to potential adopters. I told her we would do our best… because in these cases I deploy a secret weapon: my husband. J is very patient, and is definitely a cat person. And he would be able to pay attention to this cat while I photographed other fosters that would visit the FOR office for their imaging sessions.
Our shy cat’s name is Brea, and true to the previous description, she was hiding when we arrived. As we approached her hiding place, we saw a gray/white streak run away from the area. After following her to a second room, we had our first good look at her,just as she ran under a chair.
She was curious about us, but not used to dealing with strangers.
By then my scheduled foster arrived, and I had to leave the room. But every few minutes I would sneak back into the room where J and Brea were getting to know each other. It was fun to see the transformation: from tentative appreciation,
to enjoying the attention,
then leaning into J’s hand.
By the end of my other session, Brea was thoroughly enjoying her time with her new friend.
And I was finally able to capture a relaxed image that shows her pretty self.
Mission accomplished!
If you are interested in meeting Brea, or any of FOR’s fosters, please visit their website or email them at info@forrescue.net.
just as she ran under a chair.
She was curious about us, but not used to dealing with strangers.
By then my scheduled foster arrived, and I had to leave the room. But every few minutes I would sneak back into the room where J and Brea were getting to know each other. It was fun to see the transformation: from tentative appreciation,
to enjoying the attention,
By the end of my other session, Brea was thoroughly enjoying her time with her new friend.
And I was finally able to capture a relaxed image that shows her pretty self.
Mission accomplished!