Early sunshine is so bright I need to keep the blind drawn over the window. Can you believe it; steam is rising from wooden fences in the garden? The sun's heat must be fierce compared to the brittle cold of the autumn morning. Although some people live in the fantasy world of computer games and technology, nature plays a part in everything we do. Sometimes, mankind needs a nudge.
I concentrate on the news again. They've discovered part of a big cat's skeleton somewhere else in the world. The oldest big cat fossils ever found, from a previously unknown species which is similar to a snow leopard, have been unearthed in the Himalayas. Skull fragments of the newly-named Panthera blytheae, found amongst those of expected animals in the region, have been dated between 4.1 and 5.95 million years old. The Tibetan discovery supports the theory that big cats evolved in central Asia - not Africa and spread outward.
Of all the cats I've known and loved, Simba is the one who holds the most affection. I lived in South Australia back then. We bought our Siamese kitten from a breeder and he grew to be strong, proud and loving. He moved with us to the country after my first husband's nervous breakdown and he adapted well. My last memory of him lingers. He stood on my foot in his usual expression of love and, while I reached down from my sitting position, he gripped my wrist in his teeth in a gentle hold. Treated me like a cat, I guess.
Of all the cats I've known and loved, Simba is the one who holds the most affection. I lived in South Australia back then. We bought our Siamese kitten from a breeder and he grew to be strong, proud and loving. He moved with us to the country after my first husband's nervous breakdown and he adapted well. My last memory of him lingers. He stood on my foot in his usual expression of love and, while I reached down from my sitting position, he gripped my wrist in his teeth in a gentle hold. Treated me like a cat, I guess.
Shortly after that, Simba went missing. Three children, my husband, and I searched for days, broken-hearted. On the third day, we found him in long grass under a tree, emaciated and unable to move. The vet confirmed he'd been bitten by a grass snake. He didn't recover.
The memory lingers after 40 years. If love never dies, where is Simba now? I like to think he's waiting in heaven to greet me along with all the other animals I've loved.
We know so little about what happens to the spirit after our body withers. Faith holds some of us in a strong grip. Beliefs have changed over millennia. The ancients worshiped their ancestors. Today, we toss the elderly aside as having little value. Science questions everything and doubts those ideas which cannot be proved.
The memory lingers after 40 years. If love never dies, where is Simba now? I like to think he's waiting in heaven to greet me along with all the other animals I've loved.
We know so little about what happens to the spirit after our body withers. Faith holds some of us in a strong grip. Beliefs have changed over millennia. The ancients worshiped their ancestors. Today, we toss the elderly aside as having little value. Science questions everything and doubts those ideas which cannot be proved.
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