Saturday, October 27, 2012Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2007. We took Mattie to a Fall Festival, and this wooden pumpkin person caught Mattie's attention. It is interesting to me how Mattie gravitated to bright colors like orange and red. Colors which naturally were selected to symbolize his Foundation.
Quote of the day: I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance. ~ Pablo Casals
Peter has been struggling with a sinus infection all week, and today, I feel like I am losing the battle. So we are both wiped out, with congested heads, and with not a lot of energy to do much. In fact, I woke up this morning, made breakfast, and then went right back into bed. However, by lunch time, thanks to Sudafed, I was able to get up and out. To somewhat function. We decided to take a walk on Roosevelt Island, since we are bracing for a ton of rain and wind for the next couple of days.
When we got to Roosevelt Island we were greeted by a park ranger who informed us that today was Roosevelt's birthday. Therefore the Island was decorated and celebrating the occasion. As you can see flags lined the bridge onto the Island. The flags were wonderful, we got to see the US Flag with 33 stars on it and one with 25 stars on it, obviously before our flag reflected all of our 50 states. There were also military flags, a commander and chief flag, and a US parks flag. Roosevelt was a renowned
ornithologist, an expert on and hunter of big-game animals, but also
a pioneering American conservationist. He was a country squire, horseman,
socialite and patron of the arts. His love of birds and nature are beautifully captured on this little piece of city paradise. A piece of paradise Mattie always loved visiting!
This is a piece of the Island we do not always photograph and post on the blog. However, there is a wonderful statue of Teddy, along with some of his powerful quotes on this portion of the Island. As you can see in the picture, there were tents set up. Many of the tents featured hands on experiences for the young and old alike. Animals of all kinds were featured and we could pet and even hold them. There was also a birthday cake offered to visitors! Teddy Roosevelt was our 26th President and was 42 years old when sworn in as President of the United States in 1901, making him the youngest president ever. Roosevelt was a sickly child who suffered from asthma and stayed at home studying natural history. This fact is crucial to understand about Roosevelt, because being sickly enabled him to spend a great deal of time developing his passion and love for nature and animals. Which is why the number one way to celebrate Roosevelt's birthday is to pass along his love for animals and nature to his visitors. The next two pictures capture the festivities and educational hands on activities occurring by the tents. 
Under one of the tents we were introduced to this creature, called a Sugar Glider. A first for me! The sugar glider is a small, omnivorous, arboreal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. Sugar gliders are named for their preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. Sugar gliders can be found throughout the northern and eastern parts of mainland Australia, and in Tasmania, Papua New Guinea and several associated isles, and certain isles of Indonesia.
The next tent featured a ferret. I entitle this picture.... Peter's new buddy! Patches would be SO jealous if she saw this! The ferret is a domesticated mammal. Ferrets are predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur. They have an average length of 20 inches including a 5 inch tail, weigh about 1.5–4 pounds, and have a natural lifespan of 7 to 10 years. Ferrets are crepuscular, which means they spend 14–18 hours a day asleep and are most active around the hours of dawn and dusk. Unlike their polecat ancestors, which are solitary animals, most ferrets will live happily in social groups. Like many other carnivores, ferrets have scent glands, the secretions from which are used in scent marking. As with skunks, ferrets can release their secretions when startled or scared, but the smell is much less potent and dissipates rapidly. The fellow Peter was holding had his scent glands removed!
There was also a bunny, mice, and other furry creatures for kids and adults to hold and learn about. After the festivities, we walked around the Island. I snapped this picture on the boardwalk. The trees have definitely changed and have lost most of their leaves. 
The beauty of Roosevelt Island during the Fall!
Peter heard this bird, before I spotted him on a tree. To me Cardinals symbolize the winter season approaching, which of course isn't true. They are around all year long, but perhaps I can see them better on the trees during the winter season, which is why I associate them with winter. To me they are a bright spot to see during the cold and bleak months ahead. 
I entitle this picture.... "Who's watching who?!" Peter made a noise to capture the Cardinal's attention, and as you can see, this bird was staring at us, as we were staring at him. 
Toward the end of our walk, we always pass this huge tree. Peter has a favorite pine he loves on the Island and he typically photographs this tree's changes with the seasons. For some reason this tree always captures my attention. Maybe because near it we spotted wild turkeys with Mattie, or near it we saw woodpeckers, or perhaps this tree's size and shape just commands my attention.
After our Roosevelt Island excursion, we went out to lunch together. The goal of lunch was to brainstorm the content for an hour long palliative care presentation we are giving at an upcoming conference on November 16, at the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Peter and I have typically served on palliative care panels, but for this particular conference we have been selected to be the only parent speakers. Peter did not know what hit him today at lunch, mainly because ideas and stories about Mattie and our experiences were flowing right out of my mouth. Mattie and the Foundation are my job, and just like anyone who works full time, one's job tasks and responsibilities become second nature to them. Citing examples about Mattie's health care, lessons to be learned, and advocating for the treatment of both the psychological and physical concerns of a pediatric patient are all topics fresh in my head, and very real in my heart and mind. As I was recalling some of our stories and experiences with Peter, he landed up crying. Which I totally understand, because reliving our story and our experiences are painful. It takes courage, strength, and love to get up on a stage and do this. Because at the end of the conference people go home and on their merry way, whereas for us, we have opened up old wounds and are left to contend with the consequences. It is of course our hope that in sharing our story and insights that this effects how health care providers interact and treat future patients. This is our number one motivator, along with keeping Mattie's memory alive. Something must be learned from Mattie's battle and death, so we push ourselves to do what I would deem emotionally challenging.
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