Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old and a total live wire. I knew there would be NO way we could get him to stop moving long enough to take a Christmas photo for the front of our cards. So that day, I dressed Mattie up in a sweater and we took him to Target, Home Depot and Lowe's. We wanted to find a festive backdrop to snap a photo and I knew Mattie would sit still while in the shopping cart. Mattie loved those three stores, most likely because there was always something to look at that captured his attention. This was the photo we used in 2003 for the front of our holiday card. 

Quote of the day: You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass. ~ Timber Hawkeye

It was another busy day. My dad went to the memory care center, and after I walked with Peter and Sunny, I took my mom out to lunch and to shop at the mall. The mall was a zoo, but manageable. The café at the store was super busy, but I found a lovely person who served us and did me a favor, so I did not have to stand on a long line to order food. All I can say is when I meet a person who does an act of kindness, it lightens my mood. It restores my feelings about life and humanity. 

Once I got home with my mom, a stack of mail was awaiting her. I have learned to drop everything and help her process her mail. I used to get very upset with her because she can be demanding when she has bills to pay or other correspondence. But like tonight's quote mentioned, I remain calm and as a result it prevents a storm of emotion and anger. Nonetheless, I was at it for 90 minutes helping her. 

While I was driving my mom to the mall today, she started on me about wanting to drive. I outright said, NO! There are some things that I am adamant about, first and foremost it is her safety and that of others. When she mentioned that she was capable of driving, and then provided her with a long list of cognitive issues that I have observed which would make her an unsafe driver. She heard me. I acknowledged her frustration, but on the other hand, I have altered my life so that she has the freedom to go out daily. 

Meanwhile back at our house, there was a beautiful pileated woodpecker hanging out in our backyard. I am quite certain the woody woodpecker cartoon was based on this cutie. 

The moon and a plane flying through our backyard!

Look at these two! We have taken Sunny on a daily walk for several days now. I know he loves this outdoor time with us, however, today, he wasn't himself. This new chemo seems to be doing a number on him intestinally and energy wise. 

Miss Indie on the other hand demands outdoor time. Given that we have fox and other threats to her safety, she is only allowed outside under supervision. She isn't happy about this and can get quite vocal about her disgust with us. 

Sun setting in our backyard!