Happy New Year to all on earth! I had the privilege to spend my new year's eve in Shanghai, China with my family. As a friend said to me "You went from oven to icebox"...haha...yes indeed, it was wonderful to freeze a little. Coming from hot and humid Malaysia, Christmas and New Year always seems better in the cold! Bet friends who are battling the snow and icy roads won't agree with me...hehe...
Pussy Willow...my furry buds...also known as "catkins"...was what caught my eye on the 1st day in Shanghai. I was walking around People's Square, after a visit to the Shanghai Museum, enjoying the cold and this huge tree caught my attention. Pussy willows are suppose to welcome the spring, I did not expect to see such healthy chubby buds at this point in time. Guess the buds were waiting for me to come say hi...
I love the name "Pussy Willow"...somehow it carries a little naughtiness and wildness...yet, a dreamy kind of feeling at the same time. Believe it or not, it symbolizes motherhood and everything that reflects femininity.
The origin of the Pussy Willow: There was once a farmer who had a cat. One spring, the cat gave birth to a litter of kittens. As there were too many kittens for the cat to nurse, the farmer threw the kittens into the river. The mother cat was devastated and went to the riverbank to rescue her kittens but she was not strong enough or able to rescue them all. She began wailing in grief, and her cries were carried by the wind throughout the river valley. The kittens also cried in their struggles. The willow trees along the bank heard the cries of mother and children. Each willow dropped its branches to the water. As the kittens washed through, the willows scooped them up into their saving branches. Today we see each spring the reminder of their saving ways. The image of the kittens nestles in the bows of the pussy willow.
Doesn't this picture resemble a picture of a Chinese brush? Amazing. I am sure many of you are familiar with Chinese brush painting that was started since 4000B.C. I studied this traditional kind of painting once and enjoyed it although it was hard work. Every stroke counts and every kind of brush makes a difference in the painting. It's one kind of painting I pray that will last through many generations to come.
"The Willow Cats" by Margaret Widdemer They called them pussy willows but there is no cat to see
Except the little furry toes that stick out on the tree.
I think that very long ago when I was just born new
There must have been whole pussycats where just the toes stick through.
Those willow cats that ran away and left their toes behind!
Memories...My first love-hate relationship...was with my husband's cat! Her Royal Highness Simba...ahhh...just look at her. How could one not love this obese-looking babyface pussycat? I first met Simba when she was already 2 years of age. Snobbish. Yet, I loved her the minute I laid eyes on her and had visions of her laying on my lap while I watched tv in the evenings...did not happen! I would have loved to cuddle her in bed...didn't get the chance to :(
She had her own life. She stucked to her ways and hated me.
OK fine...since I couldn't have MY ways with her, I decided to give her a hard time! Whenever she decides to take a nap on her favourite spot (on top of the refrigerator), I would be right at her face with my camera, irritating her to bits!!! I never gave her a moment of peace when she is inside the house...sweet revenge.
She is not with us now :(
We had to move to another city to live and bringing her along was out of the question. So we trusted her to a close friend. Knowing Simba, she must have hated that friend too and decided to go solo...in the forest. Sadness filled our hearts when the phone call came, informing us that Simba had gone missing. Gone forever...but never from my heart and mind...
