Welcome to my journals!
So good to see you here. I am “Most Beloved,” she who lives in the big house at Gardens at Effingham.
I write a great many of the stories here, recording my observations, snapping photos, and keeping a daily journal about the gardens.
My journals are my sketchbook where I keep detailed notes about the cats and the many activities and adventures in the gardens.

From the Journals of Most Beloved
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Gardens at Effingham: Where Cats Tell the Tales
Cat Journals
- From the Journals of Most BelovedWelcome to my journals! So good to see you here. I am “Most Beloved,” she who lives in the big house at Gardens at Effingham. I write a great many of the stories here, recording my observations, snapping photos, and keeping a daily journal about the gardens. My journals are my sketchbook where I keep […] August 6, 2022
- Ode to Joy of Being a CatFrom the Journals of Most Beloved: Ode to Joy of Being a Cat From the Journals of Most Beloved Ode to Joy of Being a Cat Scherzo. Forte. Crescendo without dénouement. Succession of notes, days metered in the click-click of 4/4, key of A (for August heat), unstable and trilling, repetition the same and in […] July 21, 2022
- The Cat Writes a Poem-A Cat Tale for SpringFrom the Journals of Most Beloved- Spring Journals A mid-spring’s day, a perfect day, a day neither hot nor cold; exactly as I like it Watching birds. Robin. 2 mourning doves. A small song sparrow. Courtship of the mourning doves. Choosing a nesting spot. The intentional delivery of a well-chosen site, one safe and out […] November 22, 2021
- A Mother’s Day to Remember-Cali Cat Has KittensMother’s Day Surprise A glorious May Mother’s Day, replete with brilliant blue skies and wisps of sun-drenched clouds, became gardens requiring enormous clean-up once the storm had passed. We had walked in the mid-afternoon, savoring the sun and remarking on the cerulean blue sky. But we had no longer returned home before the skies grew […] March 7, 2021
- From the Journals of Most Beloved-Dreaming of RosesSomewhere between here and there– Autumn in the Midwest November now-Late fall, crunchy leaves, shades of muted yellows and browns, trees standing stark against this November gray. In the midst of a dreary rain on a late fall afternoon, one must dream forward to an invincible spring, one where everywhere the gardens awaken. Only a […] January 19, 2021
- Three Ways To Know When Summer Ends and Fall Begins (According to the Cat)#1. The cat is subsumed by melancholy “Oh yet to relish, to sleep, to bathe in the heat of the midday sun–” –sighs the cat Oh yet to languish, to sip, to savor a cup of catmint tea–” –bemoans the cat Act 1, Scene 1: Bay Window in the Breakfast Room. Most Beloved upon seeing […] August 24, 2020
- Cat Naps and Winter Dreams: Is it Spring Yet?Winter Daydreams Eagerly await mail for seed and flower garden catalogs to arrive Bring in mail and start an ongoing (and ever-towering) stack of winter dreams Pile up all garden books, magazines, journals, and catalogs Gather a soft, snuggly blanket (preferably one that looks good against all my white fur) Get excited and open several […] January 5, 2020
- Welcome to Gardens at EffinghamA delightful, whimsical look at Midwest Gardening told through the stories, musings, and journals of the cats who live there. Meet “Most Beloved” What greater gift than the love of a cat. Charles Dickens March 8, 2021
- Happy Highlights: Newborn Kittens Video!Welcome to my journals! So good to see you here. I am “Most Beloved,” she who lives in the big house at Gardens at Effingham. I write a great many of the stories here, recording my observations, snapping photos, and keeping a daily journal about the gardens. My journals are my sketchbook where I keep […] April 5, 2022
- AboutAnd when time tells all, it shall be this: that I loved and was loved; that I gave and lost all; and that in being lost, found here the grace of peace in gardens far more beautiful than any heaven I could but imagine. Most Beloved, Gardens at Effingham Welcome to the gardens! Inspired by […] March 30, 2022


Fun to Read Posts
A Mother’s Day to Remember: Cali Cat Has Kittens
Cat Naps and Winter Dreams: Is it Spring Yet?
“Okay, Who Gave the Cat a Pen?”
When Peaches Meow: Musings from Most Beloved
Three Ways to Know When Summer Ends and Fall Begins (According to the Cat)
Hungry Hawks and Plump Kittens
Cali’s Newborn Kittens Video












What greater gift than the love of a cat.
Charles Dickens

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Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.
James Herriot
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