francene--blog. Year 2013
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Nov 13th

11/13/2013

 
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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.


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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.


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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.


Sophie Bowns link
11/12/2013 07:33:20 pm

I'm really sorry to hear about Simba your cat. It is so hard losing a much loved pet!

Francene Stanley link
11/12/2013 07:58:45 pm

Time has dulled the sorrow. Unavoidable as animals don't live as long as people.

Marika link
11/12/2013 08:40:17 pm

I know exactly how you feel about your cat. My parents lost one just last year when a neighbor poisoned it. They were crushed, and so was I. So sad. At least in your case it was a force of nature - in my case it was simply bad people :(

Francene Stanley link
11/12/2013 10:42:44 pm

I can never understand how people can be so cruel as to poison a pet.

Alana link
11/13/2013 06:20:54 am

When I lived in rural Arkansas, city people would dump their pets in the countryside, assuming, I guess, that one of us country people would adopt their pets. Out of sight, out of mind. One of my neighbors tried so hard to rescue these animals, and, of course, it was an impossible task. I am constantly amazed and saddened at how families can just dump a pet when it becomes too large, too inconvenient or, otherwise "not suitable". Incidentally, in my college studies of cultural anthropology, I found out a lot about how various societies would dump their old ones in time of famine or war, or if the elders had no male relative to care for them. Sadly, it isn't just our culture who dishonors the elders.

Francene Stanley link
11/13/2013 06:00:19 pm

The disabled walked the tightrope too in olden times. If they had nobody to care for them, they attached themselves to an army to carry out menial tasks. We're so lucky to live in these times.

Terri Grothe link
11/13/2013 11:01:49 am

sweet name, I love it


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    Author

    Francene Stanley, author of many published novels. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books? You'll see them on the sidebar below.
    Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life.

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