Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 -- Mattie died 332 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2004. Mattie was almost two years old in this photo. This was one of the first times Mattie saw snow and was able to understand what was going on. Literally we opened our front door and you can see Mattie's expression as he saw the snow. He was fascinated, intrigued, and puzzled all at the same time. However, once Mattie got introduced to snow, he loved it. He especially loved sledding which he did at his preschool and once when visiting Boston. 





Quote of the day: The whole world can become the enemy when you lose what you love. ~ Kristina McMorris



Since Friday when the blizzard began, Peter and I were transformed into two zany characters on Facebook. I named Peter the "Weather Geek," because of his fascination with the weather. He watches trends, understands how to read computer modeling, and literally becomes jazzy over significant weather events. While I on the other hand was named "Crazy Chick," because some people think it is "crazy" to use an umbrella in a blizzard. I of course think an umbrella works just fine! Several people wrote to me to thank me for creating these characters and posting updates on Facebook about our weather escapades. I am happy we were entertaining and it certainly got us out of our home and investigating the state of affairs around us. Peter went back to work today, so it was Crazy Chick going solo and it wasn't as much fun. 



During the blizzard I cooked a roasting chicken and saved the wishbone. I propped the wishbone up in the snow today next to my pansies. I thought it made a cute photo...... since my wish is for the snow to melt and for spring to come early. 

I took a walk today, which was easier said than done. I think walking was more treacherous than driving in DC. The sidewalks were either icy, slushy, or a combination. This is a view of the Potomac River covered in snow. In the background is Georgetown University. A sight we are very familiar with since Mattie was treated on that campus for 14 months. 

Now I think this photo speaks volumes. This man was jogging on Rock Creek
Parkway. I have no doubt he decided to do this since the roads are in better shape than the side walks! However, it is HIGHLY unusual to see Rock Creek without a car on it. 

This is a photo of our bird feeders, which sit in Mattie's remembrance garden. Since Mattie was a baby, we have fed the sparrow population in DC. I am quite certain some of these birds come back to visit us each year. They seem to know our patterns, where we store the food, and where the feeders will be hung. Over the course of the storm, these bird consumed close to 80 pounds of bird seed! We can't keep the three feeders full! They get demolished each day. 

I took this photo of an airplane on final approach to Reagan National Airport. Given that airports have been closed for days, this was a sign to me that things are slowly returning to normal.