On her father’s side, Susan is a Penfield. On her mother’s side, she is a McCormick. It’s like that for most of us – we are a bit from one family line, and a bit from another. This is, most often, a good thing. The Penfields in Susan’s line include Wilder Penfield, a famous neurosurgeon and neuroanatomist, as well as Edward Penfield – a storied artist and illustrator.
When we got together, Susan and I brought into our common household the bits of detritus that we had each gathered in the preceding 30 years of living. Some of our lives’ detritus was treasure, but most of it was not. It’s like that for most young couples, I think.
Among the things that Susan brought into our union was a framed poster of the cover of Harper’s magazine from May 1896. It is an illustration of a young woman holding two cats – one cat is a “tortie and white,” and the other a black and white tabby.
This evening, after supper, Kedi and Maia settled in Susan’s lap while we were watching some a guilty Netflix pleasure. At one point, I thought of Edward Penfield’s cover for Harper’s May, and I took these photos.
Great photos.
My little kitties love to sit on my lap, the yellow Tabby loves to “kiss” my nose.
Cats are great.
I love these photos of Susan! Yes; her love of kitties is abundant. And she has nurtured many in your years together. She has also nurtured many people of all ages. She is definitely a nurturer.
My paternal grandfather was a florist. He nurtured plants and grew a fantastic garden every year as well as flowers and plants that he sold in the family business. I need to ask my Sister if he learned his craft from his father before him. His brother also worked in the family business and his brother in Wisconsin was a family farmer. My maternal grandfather was a laborer of various pursuits. His last job before retirement was as a custodian at a local high school. He then came to live with us for many years after my Grandmother died. I recall most his love of baseball (he was a Cubs fan), his stories of family from Germany and his love of animals. He had a little dog named Mickey who was a terrier mix.
One of my goals for 2022 is to gather up the many family photos I have and scan them to share them. I want to share them with my grandchildren so they may see from whom they came!
During my childhood, we had dogs, cats, birds, pet geese and ducks. I don’t ever remember a time when we did not have a pet. In my lifetime, I have had dogs, cats, birds, fish, a pet pidgeon, and a rat. The rat was a gift from a beau who was a premed student and rescued the rat from the lab. I loved any and all animals and nurtured them as well. Currently we nurture three cats.