Okay, that’s very dramatic, but so much has happened and is happening.
Last weekend, I got so busy that I did not have time or energy to put together a blog. I have several bits and pieces that I started, so I’ll be cobbling a mix of stuff to post. Apologies if it feels chaotic, but it is very representative of my life right now.
Mapuche DNA
I finally got around to sending in my 23 & Me spit, and I got the results last Saturday. So many interesting and cool things I learned about me and my ancestors…including a bit of a scandal. I will not share any of those details here, but send me a message if you want me to spill the tea.
What I will say is that most of my DNA is very boring. The half from my dad’s side is Northern European mutt, as suspected. On my mom’s side, half of me is Southern European–Spanish from my mom’s dad, if her info is correct. Which leaves all the very interesting bits coming from my grandmother, who was apparently from sailor stock. And it is quite the historical record.
They were able to trace my mitochondrial DNA back 150,000 years to what is now the Sudan. My clan began moving north, where we picked up North African Arabic, Ashkenazi Jewish, and some neanderthal DNA along the way until reaching South America, where, sometime in the very recent past, one of my ancestors was a Mapuche Indian.
I am 16% Mapuche, and that thrills me, though it would horrify some of my relatives.
For those who don’t know, the Mapuche are famous for their defiance against colonization. They were the only tribe to fight off both the Inca and the Spaniards and have managed to maintain their cultural heritage despite concerted efforts by the Chilean government.
End of a Chapter…
April is going to be a busy month. My birthday, our first wedding anniversary, my son is coming for a visit, we’ll start planting our garden, and my career as a civil servant will be over.
I know I’ve already announced that I’m retiring, but we were offered an incentive bonus to leave quickly, so I took it. My last day of work is this Friday, and my new retirement date is now the end of April.
I keep waiting for that feeling that I’ve made a mistake to come but so far it hasn’t. I think that’s mostly due to the fact that I have had plenty of time to process that this is happening, whether I want it to or not, and now I’m just ready to get on with it.
Spring is Here
The big trees are budding, the apple and cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and Tennessee has had to start up the John Deere twice already to mow our yard.
We’ve been watching an eagle family in California on YouTube. Two little eaglets are getting big really fast. There were three of them, but one didn’t make it through a really bad snowstorm. It’s fascinating to watch and way healthier for my psyche than some of the other stuff I’ve been watching.
I have also been watching one of The Great Courses on gardening. We ordered additional galvanized steel beds to go with the pair we already have, and I’ve been researching companion gardening to see what might best grow here together.
I also bought a few seed packets because I was going to try and grow some lettuce and beans. I’ve had great success with the microgreens, so I wanted to try this next. Sadly the seeds have not arrived, and now it’s too late to try and start anything from seed. They’ll keep until next year, assuming they ever arrive, so not a big deal.
I have no idea if I’ll be a successful gardener, but my mom has a very green thumb, so maybe there’s some of that in my genes I can tap into? Fortunately for me, Tennessee is also good with plants, so there is hope for a productive garden.
I’m looking forward to having lots of time to try being a gardener, assuming we can afford to live with me fully retired. I am hopeful we’ll be able to pull it off.
…Start of the Next
I am also looking forward to being full-throated in my condemnation about what’s happening to our country. I was so scared about losing my job at first that I pulled all the way back, but it didn’t last long, as I just couldn’t not speak up. I was still somewhat circumspect for a while in my protestations, but now that I’m only a month away, the gloves are coming off.
As a civil servant, I was very limited in how politically active I could be. Now I will fight where and when I can, fundraise, campaign, and even protest if I can get healthy enough to be out there. I’m fairly certain this will cause Tennessee some angst, but I cannot be silent anymore. I hope she’ll forgive me.
My biggest bucket list item is to get a book published and this will be my penultimate act of defiance…a book with queer characters that ‘they’ would want banned. I will finally have time to finish it and get it out there. Wish me luck.
Take care of yourselves my friends.
Baby Gay When You're Fat and Gray - All Grown Up 