This post marks the passing of our dear kitty Lily. We called her "Lady Lily of Hawthorne" because of her regal personality and haughty glances. She was royalty... she thought. We found Lily as a kitten on a remote section of a bike trail in 2010. I told her story in this post back when we didn't know if her name was Lily or Libby yet. She was a sweet girl.
I brought her ashes home from the animal clinic and they remembered her with this nice card about The Rainbow Bridge.
We have a beautiful grove of trees next to one of our horse paddocks, and it's become the resting place for the pets who are no longer with us. This crumbling tree in the grove kept catching my eye and I decided it would make a perfect grotto for a St. Francis statue since he is the patron saint of animals. He can watch over the grove and all the critters. Our dog Abby plays in the grove every day. She runs out with her toy and digs and plays and enjoys herself. So it is definitely a place for animals.
St. Francis has a shelf in the tree hollow decorated with a few vintage quilt blocks that were already in tatters. I walk the two dogs by it each day and enjoy seeing it there and thinking about the animals. My whole family has a heart for animals and can't imagine life without them.
One reason I love to visit a local farm market is because they have a yard full of wonderful creatures. One of my favorites is this handsome turkey. Good news- he is considered an ornamental bird, not bred for meat. He is a Royal Palm turkey and he presides over the farmyard in a grand manner.
This bold fellow showed up when we were eating lunch at a local state park. I'm sure people must feed him because he was pretty fearless. An entertainer for sure.
Another beloved "animal ambassador" was the famous Quarter Horse stallion Rugged Lark. He lived to the age of 23 and delighted many with his personality and accomplishments. This bronze statue was installed in his memory at the World Equestrian Complex in Ocala. We had the opportunity to meet Rugged Lark and tour the farm where he lived near us. We got a photo of him bowing down to greet us. An amazing animal. Don't we just love our critters, and don't they provide such companionship and joy?
5 comments:
sorry to hear of Lily's passing. i remember your post of finding her out in the woods and bringing her to her to her forever home. last night i dreamt that my former cat Little Annie IVY was having kittens and i remarked in the dream "but we had her fixed." sweet kitties over the rainbow bridge, all.
Oh gosh Nancy. What a heart-warming blog post. I'm so very sorry your beloved cat died. That rainbow bridge poem gets me every time. We had to put away our gifted, framed copy of it because every time I read it, I cried. I empathize with your pain, and admire your idea of setting up St. Francis as a lovely reminder of all your pets. So glad you have Abby to keep you company. Interesting about that horse, Rugged Lark. Not being a horse person, I haven't heard of him, nor about the memorial statue. But it's a beautiful tribute. I hope you're enjoying getting out (as it seems you are) and appreciating life in general.
I am so sorry about your sweet Lily. If I was sitting across from you and tried to tell you about my first loss, I'd be crying. Yes, even after 41 years. Our precious babies with four legs are so much more than animals. Lily was one lucky little girl.
So sorry about Lilly!! It is so hard to have our animals leave us...but you gave her such a wonderful life and she, in turn, gave you all the memories for you to remember.
Speaking of remembering! I remember Rugged Lark!!!! He was a great quarter horse! That horse was like Secretariat! They could win a halter class and then come in 1st place in any other event!
I’m so sorry for your loss……its’ the very worst thing about having pets….so hard to say goodbye. Your post was very touching…..love her resting place!
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