As we continue to box up Ed's various collections of books and other material, I continue to marvel at all the organizations that he was involved in in his lifetime. Even back at the beginning of our marriage he was working with one of the people in the Library at the University as he passed interesting historical material that we acquired in our trips about the countryside collecting genealogical information on Edward's families. Then there was the Royal Astronomy Club in London, Ontario where we spent many hours at the telescope and with our own large telescope watched many celestial events. Never a dull moment for sure and getting up at 2:00 a.m. to watch the osculation of the Plaiedes over 50 years ago was one of the highlights of his life. It was a cold winter night and I can still remember it clearly as we watched on that crisp cold night with our new telescope. We were always busy.
He continued in that vein as long as I knew him. He had things he wanted to do; places to go and he fulfilled most of his desires in the way that he wanted. He was always out and about enjoying everything that his advanced education opened his eyes to and all the interesting things about our earth that he wanted to explore and know. Even in illness he wanted to go to the Galapagos just to be there. Once that initial hesitation about flying across oceans was gone; he was ready to go anywhere.
I know his spirit is with us always and when I feel like I can not manage to sort and manage all of his stuff I think he prods me on to do it and get it done.
Ed had given his fourty year collection of National Geographic Journals to one of the First Nation's Reserve Library about four or five years ago plus a lot of their publications. There were very few that Ed did not buy actually. There are still likely a number of boxes of National Geographic books that I have just learned can also go to the same place. I am really pleased about that as Ed wanted them all to go there if they wanted them.
Gradually we are boxing up all the books. We were in the process as Ed had wanted us to pull out all the Loyalist books to give to their library. Then we were to start to work on the Canadian and American genealogy books. He knew that I would not be using them and was quite content to have them go to the Ottawa Branch Library of the Ontario Genealogical Society. We did stop for a bit but in his memory it just seemed right to continue to do what he wanted. One huge bookcase is out of my workroom and the second will go soon as we are also boxing up all of my books for the move. Those huge bookcases quite dominated the space in the room and it seems more open now. The big challenge will be to get them down the stairs but I think I will hire a mover to do that. Then if the people next door decide not to take them all I can get them to take them to the Salvation Army.
Ed was downsizing because he wanted us to move to a Retirement Home but his medical condition had reached a point where he needed more care than is available in a Retirement Home although we were hopeful. That was the intent of the geriatric rehab to see if he could become more independent. But it was not to be after all.
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