The Daffodils’ Greeting

Five daffodils are blooming together in the back yard, the first ones to bloom this year. Two years ago in March, after we’d lost Mr. Sunshine but Mimi was still here to visit the back yard, four daffodils bloomed together in this one particular clump (shared below in this post,) the center one of five that I planted decades ago.  Then, the daffodils were so bright and cheerful, and so close together, I felt this was a sign that Mr. Sunshine had joined with them and all four were together again, and happy. This year, I guess Mimi has joined them.

Here they were this morning, lined up to bloom, with the center clump first. Each of the other clumps are covered with buds, but this clump, only these five flowers, have bloomed, rising out of the debris of the past.

They made their message loud and clear. I can see them from the kitchen, and I can see them from the basement, the garden, front yard, front street. The only thing blooming out there, they stand out like stars in the night sky.

I planted the daffodil bulbs in late September 1996. I had just lost Kublai September 19, 1996, and Allegro had been diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. I had taken my cats out to the back yard on leashes now and then, and I knew Allegro enjoyed it. I had also seen a trip to the back yard totally change Kublai’s day, giving him more energy, enhancing his appetite, so I took Allegro out with me that autumn to plant the bulbs I’d bought. I lost Allegro two weeks to the day after I lost Kublai, but the flowers I planted when he was with me for that brief time always make me think of him.

In past years all five clumps began blooming at the same time. I didn’t notice until 2024 that this clump was blooming before the rest, but I wasn’t looking. But possibly I am hearing from generations of felines who shared our lives here all at the same time, those five speaking through Allegro’s daffodils. I’ve no doubt it can work that way.

These Four Daffodils, March 2024

These four…
these four daffodils…
blooming together…
out at the end of the back yard…

These are pretty much where Mr. Sunshine was facing each time he kept those brief vigils from the deck.

It’s daffodil time out in my back yard and I’d been watching the buds form then the stems grow tall, buds angling over and beginning to open. The weather turned warm and sunny, especially for March, and Mimi and I checked things each morning. When I discovered the four daffodils blooming on one clump in four of the same daffs that always bloom at the same time, I knew. The morning they were fully open two had been weighed down and one off to the side with some rain overnight but I coaxed them back up to their positions from the day before and snapped way more photos than I knew. But what better celebration of remembrance than bright flowers that always look as if they’re celebrating, symbols of the return of life in spring.

And Mimi on that day in 2024…

Nice…purrrr…….

Mimi’s new favorite place in the backyard. It’s very sunny and warm today, very nice.

Also, Mimi’s urinary tract infection is proving difficult to dispel and I’ve been spending some extra time giving her medications and alternative treatments to make sure she eats enough, she’s hydrated, she’s comfortable, and reporting to our veterinarian. And a lot of sitting at my desk where she can relax on my nice warm lap so I am reluctant to move from my desk. I finally got a urine specimen today—yay!—so I hope we can find out more about what’s happening for her.

Little visits

You never know where the messages will come from or how the visitor will appear to you. But they will. They love and care about you as they did in life and still want to be near you.

 

Thank you for following our grief journey after losing seven members of our feline family.

I hope sharing our experiences have helped you in some way, as sharing my experiences with you helps me.

Read more articles about Attachments related to the loss of a beloved animal companion.

Also read articles about Pet Loss and Pet Loss in the First Person, where I share my own experiences.

You can read all the articles related to their loss by tapping the images in the side bar and in articles.

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