To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
Brighten every day of the year with our “Cats of Old Mission Peninsula 2018 Calendar”! All photos were taken by me, your humble Gazette editor and OMPstore.com proprietress. You can click through to the store and buy this calendar right here.
This wall calendar is made with sturdy white, eggshell-finished 120 lb. paper that you can wipe clean with a damp cloth. The size is 9.5″ wide x17.25″ tall (so it’s about twice as tall as it is wide), and available for $24 plus shipping and sales tax.
Old Mission Gazette is Reader Supported.
Click Here to Keep the Gazette Going.
Here’s the backstory on these amazing Calendar Cats.
January: This is Marco, whose human, Sally Van Vleck, is my longtime yoga teacher over at Neahtawanta Inn. Marco is friendly, purrs all the time, and enjoys doing yoga poses – except for the downward dog.
February: This is Crystal, who lives with my brother Ward Johnson and his family. Crystal is a little shy, but agreed to let me take her photo as long as she was snuggled in my nephew Ryan’s arms.
March: While not technically an Old Mission Peninsula resident, this cat is an honorary “OMP Calendar Cat” because she lives at Square Deal Country Store on Woodmere Avenue in Traverse City, where I buy all my bird seed. Goldie (see Christine’s note in the comments below) loves greeting customers and hanging out with Mystique, the colorful parrot.
April: This is my mom Mary Johnson’s cat Todd, who has since passed on from her feline home on this planet. Todd, who we discovered was a girl after we named her, enjoyed sitting near my mom’s head on the back of her chair, sprawling in the flower garden, and freaking us out by disappearing for months at a time, only to return home unscathed.
May: Mama is a lovely calico cat who lives with my brother Dean Johnson and his wife Laura. Mama enjoys relaxing under the wisteria, looking pretty, and being a farm cat.
June: Known as “Devil’s Dive Cat,” this handsome black kitty loves hanging out on Devil’s Dive Road, stalking unsuspecting prey, and pretending to be invisible. (If this is your cat, tell us his or her name in the comments section below!)
July: This is Lilly, who lives with Morgan Leigh Kelsey and her family in the heart of Old Mission. Lilly enjoys the quiet life of an Old Mission cat, but sometimes reveals her inner red-carpet kitty when she strikes an over-the-shoulder camera-ready pose. (Check out her mom’s new boutique “Invoke,” specializing in natural skincare and other soulful offerings, right here.)
August: This is Baby, who sometimes goes by the name Gato Grease, which is “gray cat” in Spanish. Baby, whose humans are my brother Dean Johnson and his wife Laura, enjoys purring loudly and staying clean.
September: This handsome black and white kitty is spotted regularly around the Ted Ayers barn on the corner of Center Road and Swaney Road. While quite stylish and appearing to be clad in a tuxedo, this cat will disappear swiftly at any sign of commotion or extended camera-pointing.
October: This is Zoey, who lives with my dear friends Dave and Deb Ott. Zoey loves wandering around the Otts’ lovely yard and pretending to be a lioness in the wilds of Africa.
November: Have you heard that East Lansing is sometimes referred to as “Traverse City South” because of all the T.C. kids who study at MSU? This is Otis, an honorary OMP cat who lives with my daughter Marissa and her roommates in East Lansing. Otis enjoys being possessed by a demon and terrorizing anyone who enters the apartment.
December: This is Nicky, a handsome cat who lives with his human Janis Haine in her lovely home on the shores of East Bay. While Nicky loves to play with all kinds of cat toys, he’s especially partial to wine corks from Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery on Blue Water Road.
Love the Cats of Old Mission Peninsula? Get the 2018 Calendar right here.
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
To keep the Gazette going, click here to make a donation.
To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
Of course, I’m partial to June kitty who resides on Devil’s Dive Rd and is always more than welcome to do some mousing for me at Devil’s Dive Vineyard. Let me know if you learn of his/her name…
We often buy bird seed at Square Deal and have been told the March cat’s name is “Goldie.” I believe Goldie is a girl.
Thank you! Will add to her bio. 🙂
I don’t own a cat but loved the photos and back stories!!
Tuxedo cat and Devil’s Dive Cat are my favorites!
This is a fantastic idea!!!! Just love it!!
And Lilly makes a great July Calendar Cat!
Awesome!!! 🙂
JANIE I’M PRETTY SURE YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO LEAVE OUT MY BEAUTIFUL DELILA KITTY SHE’S 14 YEARS OLD AND STILL VERY BEAUTIFUL:) I LOVE YOUR CALENDAR AND WILL BE ORDERING ONE!!
LOVE YA SISTER AND MY TIMMY TOO.
I will be starting the 2019 calendars in JANUARY (yes, next month, god help me), so will shoot you a note to stop by and get a pic of Delila for next year’s calendar! Thank you, Shirley!
I love all the cat photos!! My dream is to open up a Cat Cafe!
Hi Jane…tried to complete order for this, but my Discover card wouldn’t work. Can you bill me?
Please advise how to order cat calendar and be billed since my Discover card was not accepted…thanks!