Monday, March 3, 2014

Monday, March 3, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2006. Mattie was in preschool that year. Our dining room and living room floors were the hub for all creative projects. It wasn't unusual for me to push the furniture out of the way, cover the floor, and then Mattie and I would get paint, clay, sand, glue, and whatever else was needed for the project at hand. As you can see, Mattie was working hard in this photo to design Valentine's day cards for his classmates. Certainly I could have bought the cards, but I wanted Mattie to experience making them with his two hands. To me a hand made card says... I thought about you and you are my friend! Mattie loved these kind of projects and even though he was only 3 and half years old, he paid special attention to detail, color, and composition. 


Quote of the day: Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood. ~ Andy Goldsworthy


Washington, DC was at a stand still today. Basically everything stopped working and moving. The federal government closed last night in preparation for the snow storm. Once the federal government closes, everything follows suit. As I look at the window tonight, it appears that DC got about four inches of snow. I am sure some people were delighted to see the snow and to have the day off. I remember those days! However, I do not share in that excitement any more. To me snow is depressing, because as tonight's quote points out, snow seems to provoke thoughts of childhood. In my case, thoughts of Mattie. Mattie loved the snow, playing in it, building in it, and somehow the cold did not bother him. If he were with us today, we would have all been outside. But he isn't with us and therefore I did not venture out at all. 

For me it was business and work as usual. However, while working I had a day of bird entertainment. Our resident sparrows were all a flutter and starving. Right outside Mattie's window is this huge wall. This is how our sparrows line up for feeding. They watch us as we refill the bird feeders. We have two large feeders on our deck that must be filled daily! That is how hungry they are, and literally the kind of troop we feed!

Through Mattie's window, I can see all the trees he and Peter planted in our commons area. This ceder tree was a tiny thing at one time. However, over the years since they planted it, it has grown. Though it may have a Christmasy feeling to it today with the snow, the reason I snapped a photo of it is because it is dotted with sparrows. The sparrows are like live ornaments!

During the spring and summer months we grow tomatoes. However during the winter, we keep the tomato cages up for the birds to perch on. Clearly you get a feeling for all the birds we attract. They are on the walls, in the trees, and all over our deck. They are marvelous company, fun to listen to, and help pass the cold winter months. Today being no exception.