Saturday, July 2, 2022

Saturday, July 2, 2022

Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2006. That weekend Peter went with Mattie, his best friend, Zachary and Zachary's dad to a Day Out with Thomas. I did not go on this adventure, but I absolutely love this photo! Peter captured the moment of two friends walking together and sharing in this special trip. Both Mattie and Zachary LOVED Thomas the Tank engine, so I can only imagine how animated they were to see a real life train with Thomas' face on the front. 

Quote of the day: I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. ~ Gilda Radner

I had a hard time getting up this morning. So I stayed in bed until 7:30am. I need more mornings like this. I did not wake my dad up until 9:45am. However, no matter how much sleep he gets, he still can sleep the entire day away. 

After breakfast, when we usually do brain games and physical therapy exercises, my dad retired to his recliner. He spent the majority of the day like this. 

Which is why taking him out of eat is necessary. It gets him to move physically and it gives him structure as well as the opportunity to interact with the world. The only one activity my dad still loves to do is EAT. 

We went to Rockville and had dinner with one of our favorite servers, Dawn. Dawn and Cheryl have practically become part of our family. These women are great with my dad. The management at this Rockville restaurant knows us well and with each bill, if you complete a survey, you get $10 off your next meal. So religiously I complete the on-line survey. Apparently this is the joke with management, because when I complete the survey I always give feedback about Dawn. One manager said, I should fill out  the survey using a different name so it would look like Dawn is getting feedback from someone other than me (which tells me most customers do NOT complete the survey). I think the manager was joking, but the next time I complete the survey, my name will be Marilyn Monroe. We will see how that goes over. 

We took Sunny out front this evening and look who we almost stepped on! This beautiful box turtle. 

Two interesting facts:

1. Most Eastern box turtles have permanent home ranges. If relocated, a box turtle will often attempt to return to its home area.
2. Female box turtles seek out sunny areas where they lay their eggs in the warm soil by excavating a cavity with their hind feet. Although box turtles are active during daylight hours, the females often use the protective cover of darkness to lay their eggs. After laying from 3 to 6 eggs, the nest is covered with soil and the eggs left to hatch on their own. Box turtles usually lay their eggs during June and July. Hatching takes between 2 and 3 months.

We have tried to relocate this turtle to the backyard, for her safety, but despite our best efforts, she keeps returning to the front yard. Always to the same place. We are also seeing dirt holes in our flower beds and I now get it, it is the turtle trying to create a nest, as it is now egg laying season. Big difference from living in the city!

In the early spring, Peter planted canna lily bulbs. I am a big canna lily fan! The lilies are popping up in the front yard and a couple of them are over Peter's head! My first experience with seeing a canna lily was in Washington, DC. They are all over the city and to me they remind me of my former life.