Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 -- Mattie died 816 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2008. Mattie was home between hospital visits and that day his cousins were visiting. We took a walk around Foggy Bottom, our neighborhood in Washington, DC. The other kids were running around the flag poles, so Mattie wanted to follow along.... but instead he walked! Mattie walked because he felt differently! He knew he had a broviac catheter hanging from his chest and that he had to be more careful than a healthy child. Nonetheless, look at his face.... Mattie was smiling! Truly an incredible fellow, who also never went anywhere without a toy car in his hands (as you can see here!!!). Now when I see this photo, I look at it, and it was like my life in the city happened to a completely different person! Given all that has happened to me, I am NO longer the same person. 

Quote of the day: Sitting on the floor, I'd replay the past in my head. Funny, that's all I did, day after day after day for half a year, and I never tired of it. What I'd been through seemed so vast, with so many facets. Vast, but real, very real, which was why the experience persisted in towering before me, like a monument lit up at night. And the thing was, it was a monument to me. ~ Haruki Murakami

This morning I woke up earlier than usual because the home repair team from my HVAC company was coming to fix my drop down attic door. I booked an appointment at 8am. Since I need to balance meals and getting my parents out of the house each day, I schedule home improvement appointments early. Otherwise, we are trapped at home all day. Which I could handle, but my mother wouldn't be happy. 

Given that the furnace was installed in the attic, I can't tell you what my drop down door looked like, it was totally abused! It had dings on it, scratches, exposed nails, and dents. It was actually an eye sore! I tried cleaning the door myself, but there was no way to manage the extensive damage myself. So I complained to the HVAC install company and they arranged for their team to patch and repaint this door free of charge. In addition there is a liner that zips closed underneath the door. It helps to trap outside air and other attic debris from coming into the house. Well this liner had ripped and also detached from the attic floor. Thankfully Lee, who came today, was able to repair this liner, as he needed a special silver tape and staple gun. 

When Lee saw the attic door today, with its dents, scratches, and marks, he just shook his head! This is NOT a new occurrence for him. But unfortunately Lee did not show up at my door until noon! I can't tell you the numerous phone calls I made today to the company to complain. If you tell me an appointment time, I expect you to honor it or at the very least keep me posted. This HVAC company now sometimes uses artificial intelligence to answer the phones. AI is supposed to help and streamline the service, but in my opinion, it only makes matters worse. It screws up appointments, it reassigns the techs I request to somewhere else, and the list goes on! Now I refuse to talk to AI period. If I don't get a real person, I hang up or find a way through the system because I will not have a dialogue with a computer. 

This is the final product! Lee did a great job. The attic door looks beautiful, no dents, no dings, no scratches and it is all one color now (thankfully I had a can of the correct color paint for Lee to use in the basement). It was worth his visit!

While Lee was here, he said to me.... do you have a dog? I told him I used to and then I asked why?! He said..... there is a dog at your front door looking to come in!

I knew exactly who this was.... Sophie, who belongs to my neighbor! Sophie and Sunny used to be buddies. She is a Labrador and an absolute love! If she gets out from the backyard, it is not unusual for her to visit me. But her owners weren't home and the landscaper was beside himself! He couldn't get Sophie back behind the fence. NO PROBLEM! I took that on... why? Because I learned all the best of tricks from my best buddy, SUNNY! Sophie and I had a lovely time together and she was super easy and compliant to get back home. But I do believe dogs can read people! They know who to trust and follow! They are so smart!

This afternoon, I took my parents out to a restaurant that is near us, but that they never tried before. That could be a hit or miss, but since this restaurant is a chain that started in Boston, and I have been to one of its other locations, so I knew it was worth trying. Any case, my dad ate up a storm and my mom was happy! So whenever I can introduce them to something beyond their comfort zone, it is a success!