A Tribute For Lily
My heart is aching right now as I share the sad news with all of our friends that today Lily was tragically killed. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my fondest "Lily moments" and pay tribute to such a sweet and loving cat who brought joy to our family and to so many of our guests!
Lily "adopted us" two years ago when I heard a horrible ruckus coming from our neighbors next door at about 4am. She was a tiny kitten, puffed up and back arched, taking on the neighbors large dogs. I brought her over to our porch and fed her and loved her from that moment on.
Her favorite perching spot was on the top of "Lady Bug," my red VW convertible with a black rag top. She loved the vantage point from this high spot. If she wasn't there, she could be found sleeping the day away on our tea room porch, occasionally putting on a show for our guests by stretching, posing, and showing off her beautiful caramel, gray, and gold stripped body highlighted with white. She was a beautiful girl!
One of my favorite moments was a snow flurry during one of our afternoon tea services. I heard some of the guests laughing and looked out the window to see Lily chasing snowflakes from one end of the porch to the other, jumping up and trying to catch them with her paws. She patiently allowed the children in our cooking classes to pet her and sometimes pull her tail without so much as an objection- she would just look at me as if I owed her one!
Anytime I baked chicken breasts for our chicken salad, Lily would be meowing at the porch door. It was her favorite treat and one she would roll on her back and pose for on a regular basis. No matter what she was doing, if she heard the blades of my food processor turn on, she would gallop like a "thundering herd" to the back door in hopes of chicken!
Some cats bond with just one person- Lily loved all of us. She had a special bond with my son, Charlie and was a constant friend to my daughter, Olivia. We just couldn't walk in the house without stopping to greet and pet her.
Lily would greet Keith every evening when he came in from work and every morning when he would come downstairs for coffee. They had a special ritual of petting and lap time out on the porch. They say having a cat for a pet can help lower your blood pressure, and she was like a tonic for him. They truly loved each other. She was his "pretty girl."
I loved the way she followed me around the yard whenever I attempted to garden. She had to lay close by and watch everything I did or sit in the rocking chair on the front porch to survey the yard work. Many afternoons I spent with her while I worked on my writing. She would be right next to me chasing the cursor on the computer screen or curled up on my lap.
We couldn't bring her in the house because of the health codes for our restaurant, so she stayed out on our porch. When she first came to us, I used to worry every time I left to go to the grocery store that she wouldn't be there when I got back home. But then, I would pull in the driveway and see her beautiful amber eyes peeking at me over the fence. Her favorite activities were keeping the birds from eating the bread crusts by laying on top of them or running up and down our curly willow tree when the air had a cool hint to it and made her frisky!
I feel as though I have lost my faithful companion and my feline voice who told so many happy tales of life from the porch of our tea room. I will miss her each and every day for the simple joy she brought to me and my family and to many of you!
Good bye, Lily!
Lily "adopted us" two years ago when I heard a horrible ruckus coming from our neighbors next door at about 4am. She was a tiny kitten, puffed up and back arched, taking on the neighbors large dogs. I brought her over to our porch and fed her and loved her from that moment on.
Her favorite perching spot was on the top of "Lady Bug," my red VW convertible with a black rag top. She loved the vantage point from this high spot. If she wasn't there, she could be found sleeping the day away on our tea room porch, occasionally putting on a show for our guests by stretching, posing, and showing off her beautiful caramel, gray, and gold stripped body highlighted with white. She was a beautiful girl!
One of my favorite moments was a snow flurry during one of our afternoon tea services. I heard some of the guests laughing and looked out the window to see Lily chasing snowflakes from one end of the porch to the other, jumping up and trying to catch them with her paws. She patiently allowed the children in our cooking classes to pet her and sometimes pull her tail without so much as an objection- she would just look at me as if I owed her one!
Anytime I baked chicken breasts for our chicken salad, Lily would be meowing at the porch door. It was her favorite treat and one she would roll on her back and pose for on a regular basis. No matter what she was doing, if she heard the blades of my food processor turn on, she would gallop like a "thundering herd" to the back door in hopes of chicken!
Some cats bond with just one person- Lily loved all of us. She had a special bond with my son, Charlie and was a constant friend to my daughter, Olivia. We just couldn't walk in the house without stopping to greet and pet her.
Lily would greet Keith every evening when he came in from work and every morning when he would come downstairs for coffee. They had a special ritual of petting and lap time out on the porch. They say having a cat for a pet can help lower your blood pressure, and she was like a tonic for him. They truly loved each other. She was his "pretty girl."
I loved the way she followed me around the yard whenever I attempted to garden. She had to lay close by and watch everything I did or sit in the rocking chair on the front porch to survey the yard work. Many afternoons I spent with her while I worked on my writing. She would be right next to me chasing the cursor on the computer screen or curled up on my lap.
We couldn't bring her in the house because of the health codes for our restaurant, so she stayed out on our porch. When she first came to us, I used to worry every time I left to go to the grocery store that she wouldn't be there when I got back home. But then, I would pull in the driveway and see her beautiful amber eyes peeking at me over the fence. Her favorite activities were keeping the birds from eating the bread crusts by laying on top of them or running up and down our curly willow tree when the air had a cool hint to it and made her frisky!
I feel as though I have lost my faithful companion and my feline voice who told so many happy tales of life from the porch of our tea room. I will miss her each and every day for the simple joy she brought to me and my family and to many of you!
Good bye, Lily!
Comments