Every time I get on the highway near my house, I am reminded of my childhood. For some reason this year, cattails are growing next to the on-ramp.

As a kid, I always saw cattails around one of the ponds on the golf course. I don’t know why I always liked them. They do look a little like a cat’s tail. My mother dried them and preserved them, so there were some cattails in the house in floor vase. I liked the way they felt–all velvety. I always felt sad when they fluffed out and the wind carried the fluffy seeds away. I think they look best when they are brown.