A Tribute
to Lilly,
the
Cat Lady of Boulder Creek
Original art by Barbara Winner
If you lived
in Boulder Creek in the 60's and 70's, you'd see Lilly making
her rounds.
Every day,
rain or shine, she'd push an overloaded cart around her
prescribed route. Eight stations, never fail, to feed "her"
cats. She had her rest stops along the way, such as the
comfortable seat in the lobby of the then County Bank, where
she took a little catnap.
And the funny
thing is, though she fretted and worried about the felines,
she wasn't necessarily affectionate to them. I never saw her
cuddling with one, though she'd stroke a cat on occasion.
The cats weren't pets, but wild; strays who waited for her
on her daily rounds. In return, they kept the rodent
population in control.
In her cart,
she carried cans of cat food, oil to add to the mix and a
plastic water jug to refill the bowls. She was on the shy
side, so she didn't speak much, but she knew everything that
went on in town.
She was born
in the 1890's, in Grass Valley, CA. Her father, a gold
miner, and her mother already had six children when her
mother contracted malaria while pregnant. Lilly was born
with a deformed spine. The doctors thought she'd never walk,
and indeed, she spent her early childhood bed-ridden.
However, with
the construction of the Panama Canal, and the resulting need
to control malaria, Lilly received what she termed a
vaccination and improved enough to walk even though every
step was painful.
When asked
how she managed, Lilly replied, "I put one foot in front of
another."
Because of
her pain, she slept sitting up, yet maintained her routine for
25 years. And she kept a sweet, positive attitude.
I never knew
Lilly's whole name. She'd speak when spoken to, and she had
a great sense of humor. While some people took advantage of
her, there were enough women in town who cared for her to
make a difference.
One woman
made her a pot of soup every week. Another brought her a new
outfit from Goodwill, which she'd put on after the weekly
bath the visiting nurse gave her, then wear for a week. She
loved the color blue, and always managed to have something
blue about her.
Most of this
information comes from Barbara Winner who was a special
friend to Lilly. She painted Lilly in many poses, usually
with a cat, and Lilly confided in her. She had a habit of
saying "I'll be here," when Barbara would say, "Bye, Lilly.
I'll see you later."
In later
years, when she could no longer care for herself, she lived
in a nursing home in Santa Cruz. A great favorite with the
nursing staff, she used the same good-bye tag.
That is,
until the day a young nurse said, "Bye."
"I won't be
here," Lilly replied.
A half-hour
later, when the nurse checked on her, Lilly was dead of a
stroke.
If you have pictures of Lilly, or an anecdote to share,
please
email me. I'd love to remember Lilly as
she was to a lot of us.
More about Lilly
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Updated: March 1, 1999
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