Monday, March 25, 2013

Monday, March 25, 2013

Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2005. Mattie was almost three years old. Peter and I took Mattie to Butler's Orchard in Maryland every fall and spring. In the Spring, the farm put together a "Bunnyville" event that was absolutely adorable. Mattie loved riding on the tractors and he especially appreciated how all the activities were done in big and wide open spaces! As you can see, Mattie and I posed in front of this wonderful bunny haystack!







Quote of the day: Perhaps it is because cats do not live by human patterns, do not fit themselves into prescribed behavior, that they are so united to creative people. ~ Andre Norton

It is almost the end of March and it is still cold, damp, and YES we even have snow. I went to Georgetown Hospital today to meet with one of our nursing friends and as I parked the car, I felt that this sight was worth a picture. I think it captures the greyness of the day and the newly fallen snow! Winter just won't go away!


This evening Peter took me to Virginia Hospital Center for a neck and spine MRI. The tech asked me if I ever had an MRI before. I told him I had and therefore I guess he figured this was old hat for me. Unlike the techs at Georgetown, this tech did not give me breaks between images, nor did he tell me how much longer I was going to be in the scanner. That was very disorienting not knowing the timing and to hear constant banging for 40 minutes straight is challenging. None the less, I kept my eyes closed and just managed through it!

The highlight of the hospital trip greeted me, after the scan, in the MRI waiting area. When I headed out to Peter, I found Tim, our friend and administrator from Georgetown University Hospital sitting with Peter. Tim always surprises me at Georgetown and has sat with me in both the MRI waiting area and in the adult oncology clinic as I waited to see my doctor. However, I never suspected that Tim would keep up this touching tradition in another hospital. It was a very special gift to see a friend after the MRI, and it was so thoughtful to know that someone was thinking about Peter while he was sitting waiting for me. Sometimes the waiting is worse than the test itself. Tim understands this!

We waited together after my MRI was over, because I needed my images put on a disc. After about 15 minutes of waiting, the radiology assistant brought out my images on a disc for me. She had me sign a form and then said... "I'm sure you are very happy to get out of here now!" I told her the waiting wasn't that bad because I had a friend surprise me with a visit. She turned to look at Tim, and then she asked me, how ever did I find such a good friend?! In all reality it is a long story, which of course would involve Mattie, his cancer battle, and naturally the Foundation. We spared her the story, but Tim's visit reminds me once again how important human connections are and what a difference they make in my life.

If I were to title this picture, I would call it, "The Escape!" If Patches did not like the noise around her or if she deemed Mattie dangerous to her, she would literally jump onto our sideboard and then from there jump onto our staircase and escape upstairs. In the early years, we had a gate that prevented Mattie from climbing up the stairs. So Patches knew if she got to the staircase she was SAFE! Patches never scratched, pawed at, or hissed at Mattie. She just understood that this behavior wouldn't be tolerated. But it was deeper than that. Patches deemed herself as part of the family, and family members are not supposed to hurt one another. This was just instinct to her!