Life Keeps On Ticking

MY PHOTO IS A NICE I-PHONE SHOT of two intriguing subjects that both brought back significant memories in my life.

Neuman, the cat, is my friend Steve’s newest rescue, and the blooming forsythia branches I cut last week from my shrub at the side of my yard. The bright yellow flowers are spaced evenly along the branches and are certainly a sight to behold, especially after the long, snowy winter we experienced this year.

It brought back memories of my mother clipping branches from our dormant shrubs along our back lot line. She would walk around our melting skating rink in her old winter boots and snip branches from the cluster of bare forsythia shrubs. She would then arrange them in a vase filled with water and place them on her card table in the family room. In a week or so, hundreds of yellow flowers would appear, much to our family’s delight.

Neuman also brought back memories of the many felines I have had in my life. I enjoyed how stubborn most of them could be. Maybe "independent" is a better description, and certainly less anthropomorphic.

Our housecats had kittens quite regularly, and with each litter, a new color pattern would appear. Our neighborhood had lots of outdoor cats hanging out in our yard. Funny how that all works.

We used a large waxed cardboard egg carton to act as the birthing box. It seemed to arrive on the scene in perfect timing thanks to my mom.. We lined it with soft, old hand-me-down clothes to serve as a comfortable nest for the expectant family.

My siblings and I would divide our attention between observing the birthing process and watching television on the TV mounted high between the bookshelves. Both events were very interesting, to say the least.

Such happy memories this photo brought forth on this beautiful day in April.