Saturday, October 30, 2021

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Tonight's picture was taken on Halloween of 2006. Mattie was four years old and that year he got to actually wear his calico cat costume that we made together. Though we made the costume together the previous year, Mattie never got to wear it because he was hospitalized over Halloween of 2005 with sepsis. I will never forget that moment in time, as I insisted to Mattie's pediatrician that he had an ear infection. She dismissed me, and thought I was a hypochondriac. Sure enough within days of taking Mattie in to see her, we had to rush him to the emergency room as he was constantly vomiting, dehydrated, had a fever, and by that point his ear infection went throughout his body causing sepsis. Needless to say when she visited us in the hospital, she apologized! 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 45,949,571
• Number of people who died from the virus: 745,674

It's that time of year when our potted plants have to be taken in from outside, in order to make it through the winter. This was what our townhouse in DC used to look like. I always called our living room, the room with a view. Our plants absolutely LOVED this space and I am a big fan of windows. 

I would say that Peter and I were at it for hours today. Half the problem is we had to figure out where to place all of our plants. As some of these plants need direct sunlight. So instead of placing them altogether, like in the townhouse, we dispersed them around the house. All I know is seeing greenery during the winter months is therapeutic for us. 

Literally there are plants everywhere. This big rubber tree plant is nicknamed, Jack. For 'Jack in the Beanstalk.' He grows incredibly and we keep cutting him back. 

The Christmas cactus made it to the dining room. We shall see how she likes it there. 

I am a big fan on canna lilies. This is one of our smaller ones by the front door. 

Our Meyer's lemon tree got the living room window. Indie did not know what to make out of all of this today, but as you can see she has claimed the living room chairs. 

These are my big canna lilies. In theory they come from bulbs, so we probably could plant them in the ground. But we have been city dwellers for so long, and some of our potted plants are special to us. Therefore for now, they remain in pots. 

Peter brought many abandoned plants home from his office in Arlington, VA. When this dracaena came home, he was tiny. Maybe up to my knees. Look at him now! 

Last but not least is Butterfly Ginger Lily. She is now in my office. We bought her years ago in North Carolina, at the Elizabethan Gardens. She produces incredible flowers in August. They are the shape of a butterfly and smell a bit like jasmine and gardenias.