The Good Cat Jupie and His Friend Squirrel

 I was a Depression Baby. Guess that tells you how old I am! But, my Daddy had died and Mama had it rough. The first job she had after Daddy was gone paid her $2 a week. 

When Roosevelt took office he promised to help all those struggling people so he started the New Deal. With it came the WPA and the CCC.

The WPA (Works Progress Administration) put nearly 8.5 million men and women to work and my Mama was one of them. She cleaned up books for the county library that were showing wear and tear. If it couldn't be fixed they were discarded. Mama brought several of the discards home to me. One was "The Tale of the Good Cat Jupie" 

I love that book. The main character was Jupie who lived in a little house by the side of the road. One day a sad little girl came by and she had no one so Jupie invited her to live with him. Their best friend was Squirrel who lived in a tree in the nearby woods.

The reason I am telling you all this is....

I walked out on my balcony a couple days ago and saw something on a thin tree branch across the driveway. I couldn't tell what it was... maybe a plastic grocery bag that had blown up there.

I use the zoom on my camera for binoculars and so I took a closer look.

It was Squirrel.

Not Jupie's squirrel but some other squirrel.

I immediately thought of how many times I have read that little book that Mama brought home for me. Over the years I have read it to my children, grandchildren and my great-grands. 

Those three delightful characters have provided me and others with so much enjoyment for over 80 years. It is proudly displayed on a book shelf in my  apartment. 

Sometimes the least little things will trigger precious memories from long, long ago.