Remembering The Pussy Willows

    



     One of the early signs of spring that I enjoyed watching come into bloom is the pussy willows.  As a young child I remember a huge pussy willow bush on the left side of the enterance of my grandparent's (that would be my mother's parents) apartment.  I would get excited walking up the long sidewalk to the main door and looking over and seeing the pussy willows start to bud.  Soon, I knew the fuzzy plant would emerge out into the sun.  On another visit I would run over and take a look and see the blooming buds showing off their fuzziness.  When we were done visiting it seemed to take forever for my mother and Nonnie (that is what we called our grandmother) to say goodbye.  I would stand there outside picking off the buds just to feel the soft velvety texture between my fingers.  Sometimes I would take my fingernail and pry apart the bud to see what was inside of it.  We never had a plant like that anywhere around our home and it was so unique.  At times Nonnie would see me pulling off the pussy willow's soft bulb ends and quickly tell me to quit it.  She didn't want me pulling off all the ends.  The bush was huge and I couldn't possibly see how I could pull them all off but I tried to obey her.  But it was hard to resist. 

     My grandparents died in the late 1980's.  We didn't have a reason to come to the apartment complex anymore and we stopped seeing the pussy willows.  I didn't think much about it at the time.  I was growing up and getting older.  New things preoccupied my thoughts and time.  It wasn't until a few years ago that at a local store they were selling clippings of pussy willow's.  I had to have them.  Cheerful memories flooded back into my mind as I held this twigs showing the pussy willow parts.  I slowly twisted one of the fuzzy bulbs off with with fingers and rolled it back and forth reliving a part of my childhood in my thoughts.  Unfortunally, God did not grace me with a green thumb and the plants died. 

     In a way I am glad they didn't survive.  I don't want to get used to them around the house where I don't think much of them.  Now when I do see them it is so rare that I have to stop and look at it.  I don't pass by it like how we pass by McDonald's because we see it everywhere.  I am able to take a moment and thank God for the wonderful creations He has given to us to enjoy the different seasons He created for us.