Spectrummy Mummy

A perigee moon.  Bigger, brighter, more special than usual, we only get to see the moon like this once every 18 years or so.  I became fascinated.  Where would we be the next time we saw it?  Who would we be?  I was determined we would capture the magic.  Everything aligned: it was going to be a cloudless evening.  The best time to see the moon was just after sunset.  I googled and found that sunset would be at 7.18 pm here.

No moon here.

Okay, that was a slight thorn in my side.  We put the kids to bed at 7 pm every night.  The kids are very early risers, and need all the sleep they can get.  Just as importantly, we need the evenings to ourselves, especially on Saturday night at-home date night.  But, I reasoned, we could just pop out quickly, look at the moon, and have them back in bed by 7.30.

We bathed them and dressed them in their pyjamas and told them we were going to look at the moon.  Fellow spectrum parents might expect meltdown at the abrupt change in routine, but my kids were excited.  We were out by 7.15.  The sky was not quite dark, and there was no moon in sight.

"I see the moon." He lied.

While we waited for the moon, the kids played.  They were so excited to be out of bed, they ran and jumped around.  They tried to evade capture, we chased after them.  And we all looked for the moon, but we couldn’t see it.  A couple of times Cubby told us he found it, but he lied.

Pudding began her soliloquy, which lasted the rest of the evening: Where is the moon?  The moon is gone!

7.43 We decided we needed a better vantage point, and made our way to the entrance of our housing development.  We were on top of a hill there, so we’d be able to see that moon as soon as she showed her face.  Here was a more dangerous territory, with a very busy highway.  The kids could no longer run free, and Daddy put Cubby on his shoulders while I held on to Pudding’s hand.  And still no moon.  The kids could only take so much waiting around.

8.17 We got in the car.  I noted the time, and Spectrummy Daddy asked if I was keeping a Captain’s Log.  Why yes dear, this is my journey to the moon!

We drove around for a while, but to no avail, and we decided to return home, disappointed.  Actually, I was the only one who was disappointed. The kids were just tired, and Spectrummy Daddy bemused that I was so moonstruck.  I couldn’t explain it.  It was special, and I had to see it.

We were almost home when we finally saw it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

She was large, and orange-tinted, beautiful and mesmerizing.  The kids couldn’t care less.  I wanted to stay there and gaze.

I went to capture her image, and the results were unbearably disappointing.  They were blurry, the moon was small….and ordinary.  I captured none of her magic.  Then my battery ran out.  We put the kids to bed, and I vowed to return.  The moon would be higher, but I could still get her.  I was wildly possessed; I just couldn’t believe that there were other people around just ignoring such a sight.  They just didn’t get it.

8.47 I put Pudding to bed and went back out on my mission.  This was the best I got. I tried.  I stood in her thrall, and did my best to show her wonder, but I failed miserably.  I needed a tripod, and a paparazzi lens.  Perhaps I should have made a wish upon the moon for them.  The photo scoffs at her enchanting brilliance.  It looks so….ordinary, but I saw and felt how special it was.  I was mesmerized.

9.03 I returned home.  My photos disappointing, but my lunatic need sated.

There was a price to pay though, for chasing the moon.

It was too late for our Saturday night at-home date night.  We postponed until Sunday, but he woke up with Cubby’s illness.  We’ll do it soon though, we needn’t wait for the next perigee moon.