Boy, did I make a mistake!

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

My husband is a scientist and one of his interests is cosmology (the study of the universe in general). A few years ago I gave him a good and expensive telescope (not a little toy but a big working unit) for Christmas.

Was that ever a mistake!

What I failed to consider is that we live in the PNW and we almost NEVER get clear nights, between the weather and the city lights of Seattle and the 'burbs. To get a good look at the sky and what it holds, we'd have to haul that thing out to the forests or somewhere in the desert.

I'm hoping we can get a chance to do that this year if the darn thing is still working. Boy am I dumb sometimes!

Peaches McPhee · ‎04-19-2010

You are being too hard on yourself!

-- pro-aging --

Rochester, New York

Mistic · ‎12-08-2010

Hey Now ~ Your heart was in the right place when you got DH the Gift.

Hoping you will be able to take some weekend getaways once in awhile, and be able to use it. Do you like camping? It's quite dark out there in the middle of nowhere.

Chin Up

If you want to change the tenor of your interactions, you must become aware of the impact of your words...Karen Casey

IMW · ‎06-15-2014

You were loving. Everyone makes mistakes. Who knows maybe the two of you will have some romantic adventures out in the dark forest?

Stop being so hard on yourself, your dh is lucky to have such a caring wife.

Drythe · ‎07-09-2011

@FuzzyFace

Sounds like a thoughtful, generous gift. You are not responsible for the weather!

Hope you get to enjoy it soon.

"Animals are not my whole world, but they have made my world whole" ~ Roger Caras

tl98466 · ‎11-07-2010

Agree with the other posts - too hard on yourself! As a science teacher here in TAcoma, WA, I recently participated in a workshop about utilizing telescopes in the classroom - as a result I ended up with a class set of telescopes and even here in the big city, all of my kids were thoroughly engrossed at looking upward into the sky - just keep looking - especially with our clear nights of late!

BirkiLady · ‎02-22-2015

What a lovely gesture! Sounds like you will become nocturnal and will enjoy many moonlit nights away from the city lights. Enjoy your husband's interest and you'll find an amazing new world opening up! Most of us would love to have such an opportunity without having to go to a public viewing place. He sounds like a fascinating man.

Money screams; wealth whispers.

Puppy Lips · ‎05-09-2010

Well I have a telescope story for you too. My son is going to college, studying Astro Physics. His girlfrient bought him a rather expensive telescope for his birthday after they had been dating for only 4 months. My son was impressed and somewhat excited. It took awhile to put together and he used it several times. This thing takes up a lot of room on it's tripod, so when he was away at school it was in my dining room, which I was not too happy about. I finally moved it to his bedroom.

Anyway, last Christmas break I think it was, he and his girlfriend were outside using it. Shortly after they brought it back inside, they heard a crash when they were in the other room. One of the legs on the tripod broke and the whole thing fell over, breaking some mirrors or something inside. It was useless. Fortunately, it had a one year warranty. So we got a brand new one sent to us.

We have had it for months, all summer with him being home and it is still in the box and my son has had no interest in putting it together. If I were his girlfriend, I would be a bit hurt by that.

Frankly, once you find and see what you want to see, do you really need to do it over and over? So now I have this huge box on my dining room floor. Frankly, I wish she had never bought it for him.

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Margaret Mead

GingerPeach · ‎03-12-2010

That is hardly dumb, @FuzzyFace

Many avid cosmologists or other skywatchers have to go to open areas to view the skies just because so many live in light-polluted cities.

Your comment reminded me of the time my mother fell over the open door of the dishwasher and she kept saying she was "dumb" to have done so.

Neither your loving gift nor her accident are dumb in any way, shape, or form.

And you'll go on many outings, since the heavens are constantly changing.

[was Homegirl] Love to be home . . . thus the screen name. Joined 2003.

FuzzyFace · ‎03-15-2010

@BirkiLady wrote:
What a lovely gesture! Sounds like you will become nocturnal and will enjoy many moonlit nights away from the city lights. Enjoy your husband's interest and you'll find an amazing new world opening up! Most of us would love to have such an opportunity without having to go to a public viewing place. He sounds like a fascinating man.

BirkiLady, you are so right; my dh is almost a renisancce man (I know I spelled that wrong but you know what I mean). I was talking to him about this today and we agreed (that is, I told him to do it ;-) ) he should check the 'scope this week and get it in working order, and then do some star gazing. Out in the desert, near Goldendale, is a huge area of desert that's just right to use the telescope in.