Sunday, January 17, 2016

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Tonight's picture was taken on January 13, 2009. Several of Mattie's psychosocial team members at Georgetown Hospital knew we were going to NYC to start experimental treatment at Sloan Kettering. As a treat, they got us six orchestra section tickets in the Minskoff Theatre to see The Lion King. We brought my lifetime friend Karen with us as well as one of Mattie's babysitters, Emily and her fiance who were living in New York. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and after the performance we got to go on stage and meet Nala, the main female lead in the show. It was a night to remember. Of course Peter had to carry Mattie, because he couldn't physically walk anymore.


Quote of the day: Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place. ~ Sarah Dessen

We had our first snow fall for the winter. Of course it wasn't anything to write home about, since it was too warm outside for it to stick or even create a dusting in DC. Yet Peter and I joked about it because we know in DC panic sets in with even the threat of snow.

In our commons area we have a garden of trees. All the trees in this garden were planted by Peter and Mattie together. Which is why I now refer to this space as our memorial garden. When Peter and Mattie originally planted these trees, they were tiny! Now a few of them are 10-12 feet tall. 

In the garden we set up three bird feeders on garden hooks. I bought these hooks when my 86 year old friend Mary was dying. I wanted her to be able to see birds outside her window while she was confined to her bed. Unfortunately Mary died the same week I bought the hooks, and she only got to see the birds for a few days. Nonetheless, after she died, I brought her garden hooks home and placed them in Mattie's garden. 

Mattie and I started feeding the birds the year he was born. So literally we have been feeding the sparrow population of DC for nearly 14 years. I am quite certain that we have the same flocks come back winter to winter to visit us. We used to feed them on our deck, but after I brought Mary's hooks home, I decided to place them in the garden. At first I was afraid our sparrows wouldn't find the new feeding location, but within a few hours they quickly acclimated to their new space. In fact I think they like it better, since the feeders are near trees and bushes, which enables them to hide when necessary. It is necessary at times because we have hawks and falcons who stop by to pinch sparrows for a meal. This is one of the signs of winter I don't care to see. 

If you look at the photo I took today, you can see hundreds of sparrows surrounding the feeders. They are on the ground, in the bushes, and on the feeders. They have such a significant presence that we can hear them chirping from inside. When the feeders are empty, they let us know that too, since they fly into our deck space and flutter by my window where I work. They get their needs met and to me they are a wonderful distraction that breaks up the long winter months.