Saturday, October 22, 2022

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. Mattie was four years old and like so many fall weekends, we took Mattie to an outdoor festival. By this point, Mattie loved moon bounces, but it wasn't always that way. Over time, once Mattie got used to seeing these big bounce houses and understanding what would happen inside, he decided to try it! 

Quote of the day: The world was selfish, unjust. How could so many undeserving people be given the opportunity to raise children they didn’t even want while so many worthy individuals didn’t get the chance? ~ Brittainy C. Cherry

Today is day two of my dad taking Ritalin. I am already seeing a difference. So much so, that after breakfast, brain exercises, and walking 15 minutes around the house, my dad requested to come with us to the farmer's market. This is an earth shattering difference, because typically he has no energy and will instead demand to go to his recliner and then sleep for five hours straight. 

My dad instead went to the farmer's market and met this artist named Stephen. I happen to love his music, because he sounds just like James Taylor. We took my dad's rollator and after he walked around, we parked him right in front of Stephen's area with Peter. They had a good time listening to music and chatting with Stephen. Stephen shared his website with us today: http://www.stephenspano.info/. I can assure you caregiving is hard on a good day, but it is very difficult when providing care to someone who is apathetic. This is why I was eager to try Ritalin in hopes that it would give my dad some sort of quality of life. 

My dad's movement did not end with the farmer's market! Instead, my dad wanted to do more walking. So we walked up and down our street with him. In total, he has walked close to 4,000 steps today. This is a monumental change from his usual apathetic state! 

Years ago Peter's dad gave me this big mantle clock. Our townhouse did not have a fireplace and mantle, so instead, I placed this clock inside Mattie's walk-in closet and left it there for decades. I am very glad I did not donate it back then. It turns out this clock dates back to the 1840s. We know this because it needed to be repaired and sat in a clock shop for a year. We just got it back today and it fits our mantle, as if it was designed for the long space. Also on the mantle you can see two sets of dog figurines. They are known as wally dogs and they belonged to Peter's grandmother. Staffordshire dog figurines are matching pairs of pottery spaniel dogs, standing guard, which were habitually placed on mantelpieces in 19th-century homes. The Staffordshire spaniel was the quintessential Victorian bourgeois status-symbol ornament: no mantelpiece was complete without a pair of spaniels standing guard. Staffordshire dogs were also placed on the window sill. Staffordshire dogs are nowadays collectors’ items

As Peter has decorated outside for Fall, I have tried to highlight the season's colors all around the inside. Of course Mattie's, Mr. Sun, is the quintessential autumn piece. 

We have a nook/niche in our kitchen, and I like to decorate this area for the season. Of course this big ceramic moon stands guard of this area throughout the year. It is my Mattie Moon!

We have lived in this house for a year now, and I still can't figure out what to hang on the walls of our family room. I will figure it out in time. I first thought of a series of paintings that go together to now photos on canvas that highlight Mattie Miracle. 

I love this little ledge above the front door. I try to decorate it to match the season! Given that it is getting colder out, our special plants have come in for the approaching winter season. This big plant you see next to the front door, is Miss M. In other words a Meyer's Lemon tree. She is blooming lemon blossoms now and the whole house smells divine.