Saturday, April 19, 2014

Saturday, April 19, 2014


Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2006. I took Mattie to the Reston Petting Zoo that day. This was the perfect environment for Mattie. It was a small and intimate space, in which he could run around, explore, pet and ride the animals. Mattie always loved going to that zoo and there were many firsts for Mattie there such as feeding a goat or holding an ostrich egg! On our way into the zoo that day, I snapped a photo of Mattie by this inflatable bunny. It seemed like a cute photo opportunity as we were approaching Easter. It never dawned on me that I wouldn't have many more Easters to photograph with Mattie.


Quote of the day: Do not judge the bereaved mother. She comes in many forms. She is breathing, but she is dying. She may look young, but inside she has become ancient. She smiles, but her heart sobs. She walks, she talks, she cooks, she cleans, she works, she IS, but she IS NOT, all at once. She is here, but part of her is elsewhere for eternity. ~ Unknown

Peter and I spent the day outside on our deck. Our deck has been decimated by the Winter. I have never seen it look so awful. The paint has peeled off of it and the deck also had about a four inch layer of bird seed everywhere on it from my months of feeding the DC bird population throughout the winter. It took the word 'mess' to a whole new level. So much so that I think Peter has now convinced me that I can't feed the birds any longer on the deck. We worked too hard over the part two weeks to scrape seed and other bird material off the deck. But as you can see the deck desperately needs paint. Of course our 2000 pound candy drive did not help our deck either. Mainly because large carts brought the candy in and out of home and this was extra wear and tear on the wood. So basically our space now needs tender loving care. I went upstairs to Mattie's bedroom today and snapped a before photo. It will take us weeks, not days like previous years, to transform our outdoor space into something peaceful again.

Along the perimeter of our walls is our perennial garden. However, all these flower pots needed to be cleaned up and dead leaves needed to be removed so that the green leaves had a fighting chance. In addition, I added a couple of butterfly friendly perennials to our garden this year. In hopes of attracting our winged friends. 

Progress is slow. But it is wonderful not to see anymore bird seed or bird remnants. In addition, the two fountains that Mattie made for me, as a birthday gift in 2008, have been cleaned out, and once the deck is painted will be turned back on for the spring and summer seasons. This is a lasting gift that Mattie has given me and something that I look forward to listening to in the warmer months. Peter and I are going back out again tomorrow to buy more plants. Because of the cold weather we have had in our area, the plant sales and supplies here are just not stellar. This is a first for us, because usually by this time of year in our area, the stores are filled to capacity with every plant possible. Needless to say, tonight Peter and I are absolutely exhausted physically from cleaning, carrying, digging, and planting.