A little over a year ago, our kitten Lily died.I still refer to her as a kitten because she never grew up- in body or in spirit.  My mother-in-law found her on her back doorstep almost five years ago with a mangled tail- she was probably less than a month old.  Pa and I brought her to our home and she quickly became a part of the family- she was so mischievous!

still don't know how she got up there

My sister-in-law labeled her a sprite which was an apt description.Two years ago, Pa noticed that he was cleaning out the litter box all the time and Lily was having accidents left and right.  After a visit to the vet, Lily was diagnosed with kidney failure.  Pa and I took it pretty hard but wanted to do the best we could for her- this included special food, medication twice daily, and lots of TLC.

She lived almost a year and a half after the initial diagnosis and our time with her was very special.  Once she stopped eating and drinking and was too weak to even wash herself, we knew we weren’t doing her any favors by keeping her around- it was hard to accept but we had to do what was best for her, not us.

The vet came to our house and she was buried at the foot of our deck by our bittersweet plant with her little buddy “Buttweed”.

We had planted wildflowers in this spot before,

2008

but last year, it was even more special, knowing that we were doing it in her memory.

perfection

This year the tradition continues.  We spent some time planting the wildflower patch Easter weekend and reminiscing about Lily.

It’s an easy enough project: purchase the wildflower seed mix of your choice, rake up about an inch or two of soil, sprinkle the seeds

and cover the seeds with the soil you just raked up.  We also cover our wildflower plot with grass clippings- this seems to help keep some weeds at bay and also helps keep moisture in the soil. The most crucial part is ensuring that you water the patch in the first few weeks.

I love what this does to the yard as Pa and I prefer a “wild” look to a manicured one.

And when the flowers begin to bloom, from time to time, we’ll think of our little buddy Lily and the joy she brought to our lives.