At 4:50AM yesterday I stood outside my front door, hoping the dog wouldn’t bark and wake up the rest of the neighborhood. Peace and solitude fell on the early morning hours as the heavenly bodies precisely aligned to create the eclipse.  I absorbed the moment, but then snapped out of it. Ok, so I didn’t wake up this early just to see the celestial spheres line up.  I was awake, because my son was to pick me up an hour later.  We had to be first in line to rent a truck from Home Depot.  There was a lot to do, and we needed to get started early.  In case you are wondering, there are reasons why I am not hot on the trail of the moving truck carrying my stuff to Seattle.  I gotta get my house ready to sell!

When my husband passed away seven months ago, I lost my handyman.  Otherwise, I would be helping him get the place ready to put on the market.  Now I have to muster the troops to help me instead.  It is pretty amazing what a person can accomplish with two sons, one daughter-in-law and a couple of professional dry wall guys.  By early afternoon we had emptied the garage and distributed a couple truckloads of unwanted items to family members and the local charity.  We purchased and installed a new dishwasher, painted and re-hung closet doors in one of the bedrooms, repaired and painted a wall and a ceiling and the patio.  My main assignment was to make runs for parts, donuts and carne asada burritos!    Somehow watching the early morning “moony” made me a bit “loony” and I struggled to fulfill my small part of the responsibilities, but we got the job done.

When evening rolled around, I was tuckered out, but I went to dinner with a teacher friend of mine.  We had to reschedule a few times to make this happen, but saying goodbye to certain individuals is part of the moving process.  Sometimes you must see someone in person and touch base with them before you exit the scene.  We had a great time at Red Robin and chatted about a multitude of topics, but “somehow” we got on the topic of family history!  I know what you are thinking, and you are probably correct!  I can’t even wander into a shop or doctor’s office without striking up a family history conversation, so it is par for the course.  I am on a personal mission to engage the entire world in family history research, so what more can I say?

Actually, I distanced myself from family history when my husband died.  There is something eerie and uncomfortable about typing a death date for your husband on your personal pedigree chart.  I avoided it.  I attempted to pursue my usual research, but even that was painful since my father died the day after my husband!   So, I stayed away from all of it, until I had a recent renaissance of sorts. I look forward to getting back in the saddle and uncovering new information about my heritage.  When I get to where I’m going, my first project will be to organize photos and stories about my life together with my husband. I was 19 when we married, and people tried to convince us that we were too young, it wouldn’t last, and that we were crazy.   If the moon wasn’t making us insane, perhaps it was young love.  After nearly 37 successful years together, it was a wonderful choice to be lunatics despite popular opinion… and the moon.

© 2015 to Present Patricia J. Angus