When I realized none of it was going to happen I was downhearted. Wasted a whole day feeling sorry for myself. Cried. But then morning came, and I got up, put on my big girl pants and acted like a grown up. Asked God's forgiveness for wasting a day, and for having a pity party, and got on with things.
Got up early, and dressed up, fixed my hair, put on some makeup, and went on down to the DMV to renew my license. I was feeling pretty good. Yesterday was behind me, and I decided I was going to embrace 50, rather than cry about feeling old. Having lost almost 35 pounds, I am feeling better about myself these days, most of the time, anyway.
So I came back home, took off the nice clothes and put on some comfortable clothes, and prepared to be a Grandma for the afternoon. I love taking care of that little one. Her little six toothed smile lights my world.
Ally came in after awhile and informed me that she would be interested in going somewhere to see the Supermoon this evening. Of course anytime Ally is interested in something I am interested, too. At nineteen, there isn't much that we are sharing these days, so I take it where I can get it. I told her we would drive across town, and observe it from the top of the big hill that crowns the park. She was agreeable with this. So she got her Iphone and I got my camera, and off we went, leaving the baby sleeping, with Grandpa in charge for awhile.
It was sooooo cold. The wind was blowing hard and we waited in the heated car (eating warm rolls from the Golden Chick and a candy bar that she surprised me with, for my birthday) until the moment the moon was supposed to arrive, and then we got out and climbed the hill. We almost missed it! We were looking off to the East, with our faces turned too far right, and it snuck up on us on our left! I looked over and there it was! She and I both commenced shooting, but she was having a hard time, because of power line interference in the picture. So we decided to drive home and walk east, to get a better picture. We got out of the car and walked down the street and found the perfect spot. No power lines, no houses, just the moon and the gorgeous pink sky, reflecting the setting sun. She was still having a tough time capturing the moon, and I think she was getting discouraged, so I asked if she would like to borrow my camera, with the 300 mm lens and she hesitantly said yes. I handed it too her, told her where to look, what button to push, and when she uttered the first oooh as she looked through the lens, I smiled. I knew she was hooked. She took a couple of more photos, with me instructing, and then we turned the other way, to the west, and saw the most amazing sunset. We both commenced shooting again. As we walked the block or so back to home, she said to me Mom, I want a real camera. Yes, I want a real camera. I am jumping for joy inside, because folks, I have been trying to interest her in photography for a long, long time, but she has seemed uninterested. It has been frustrating, because I know she has the "eye" for it. I know she would love it. I think she just didn't want to be taught by me, for some reason, at least that is my assumption. But there we were, in the waning twilight, in the closing hours of my fiftieth birthday, in total companionship, me instructing and she listening and following instructions, and finding enjoyment there.
Dinner was in full swing, as we came into the house. The Mr. was frying up some chicken tenders for hot wings, and the kids were on their way over to eat with us and play Family Fued. When they came in, they surprised me with a homemade chocolate cake! We all had a great time, a really great time. All the things that I wished we could do on my birthday, all the things I was feeling sorry about, faded away. This was way better than my puny plans. And it was to get even better. We went to bed kind of late, but woke up at 5 AM so that we could watch the Lunar Eclipse together.
Ally was reluctant, at first, to wake up. I didn't push her, but went downstairs and started working on the last night's dishes (Kitchen is right next to Matthew's room, and he had to be up at 430 AM, so I put off doing dishes til morning, so I wouldn't awaken him banging dishes around). The moon was still in the early stages of the eclipse, so I kept an eye on it while I washed. Soon, to my surprise, the Mr. joined me. Dishes done, we went outside and looked to the west. I grabbed some camp chairs and we sat out there for awhile, he in his robe, me in my PJ's. It was soooooooooooo cold. The wind was still blowing very hard. I took a couple of shots with my shaky cold hands.
I heard the door and looked around, and there, to my surprise, was Ally, in hat scarf and coat. The Mr. stayed a minute or two, and then he went back in. She and I sat for a bit in the morning silence, and then I asked her if she wanted some hot chocolate. Oh yes, so I went in and made us a couple of steaming mugs and grabbed myself a hat, scarf and gloves, and went back outside. Just like that late night long ago, the first time we watched a Lunar Eclipse together, (Lunar Hot Chocolate) it was a slow process. This time, however, due to the early morning timing, the moon was low in the sky, and much easier to see.
After a while, hot chocolate long gone, she became tired, and decided to go back to sleep. After she was gone, I stayed, watching the western sky, until the light began to dawn in the eastern sky, talking to God, all the time, thanking Him that His plans are better than mine.
The moon was almost fully eclipsed, and now beginning to set. It was so low in the sky I was unable to shoot without the interference of the trees and houses, so I decided to change locations. It occurred to me that because the sun was coming up, this might be a spectacular time to view the setting Lunar Eclipse. I ran back in the house, and threw on my jeans, grabbed my keys and drove around the block. I stopped in the school parking lot around the corner and got out. The sight took my breath away. I have never seen anything like it. It was stunning. A giant pink pearl in the sky, just above the horizon line. My only wish was that Ally had been there to see it. She would have loved it. She hates to miss the goings on in the sky. (Gemenid Meteor Shower) I knew now that I didn't have time to go get her, and in my rush, I had left my phone at home. So I watched alone, as the Lunar Eclipsed moon faded out in the western sky. It didn't go down, it just faded away until it couldn't be seen anymore, and it only took about five minutes from the time I got there until it was gone.
I turned toward home, and sleep. What a glorious, glorious day. Fifty is going to be fabulous, I have a feeling.
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