the owl and the pussy-cat . . .

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
     In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of

           money
     Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
     And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
     What a beautiful Pussy you are,
          You are,
          You are!
     What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl,
     How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have 

           tarried,
     But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
     To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
     With a ring at the end of his nose,
          His nose,
          His nose,
     With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one 

          shilling
     Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married 

          next day
     By the turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
     Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
     They danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
     They danced by the light of the moon.

Edward Lear

So there's the poem. It's a darling, nonsensical poem, full of fanciful imagery and humor!  

Or is it?  So here's the rest of the story . . .

My maiden name is Fowler.  Here is the family crest:

That is an owl at the top ... Sapiens Qui Vigilat:  He is wise who watches.

Subsequently, many of my dad's aunts/uncles (and consequently wives, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and so on ... you get the picture) collect owls.  

This collection belonged to my Great Uncle Bill Fowler.

My mom has a huge collection of beautiful owl pieces.  And I have a great affinity for them; they even regularly show up in my stitching.  

Everett's Owl Quilt; Joc picked the fabrics.

 

Jocelyn does too, and even Ellie, at eight, has a nice collection of them!

The thing is, my mom's mom was also a terrific historian and was very keen on her family's history.  She was a (Mac)Bean, and her family crest was thus . . . 

Yes, that's a cat--although I wouldn't [dare] call it a pussy-cat; at least not to its face!  (Don't touch this cat without a shield, is the translation of the motto!)  Mom has a cute collection of cats, too!

So, owl and pussy-cat, my dad and mom ... it could be the end of a cute correlation.  But wait, there's more!

In the story, the cat (girl) proposes to the owl (boy).  Well 1960 just happened to be a leap year (like this year is)! On February 29th, 1960, a day fondly known as Bachelor's Day, my mom proposed to my dad (as a joke).  She was a little shocked when he accepted! But they were married later that year! (My dad did buy a ring and make a proper proposal!)

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

     They danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
     They danced by the light of the moon.

So there's the story behind my love for owls and pussy-cats.  It all makes purrrrfect sense now, right?  And what a fun tale to be able to share with my children, grandchildren and so on!  (And it will one day earn it's rightful place as a quilt or stitchery of its own.)

Even Leia, wearing the owl hat, wants to be a part of the tail tale!

Thanks for indulging me in the telling.  Have a great weekend!

:)