Spring rains were abundant this year and the parched central Piedmont of North Carolina was officially removed from the state’s drought listing. Unfortunately rainfall is much more effective when it follows reasonable patterns rather than sporadic and localized downpours. We have been treated to one rather onerous deluge a few weeks ago that relieved the stress on water tables but otherwise was the source of flooding. Meanwhile the arid landscape has become a checkerboard of red clay baked by the unrelenting sun and absence of rain. Experience suggests that relief will come, we don’t know when, and, even then, it is only a matter of speculation.
As the specter of drought inches closer, it is difficult not to cast about and recognize similar periods of inactivity or diminished productivity in other areas. For nearly the last year I have been disengaged from genealogy research which I had pursued with such single-minded zeal that I became the bane of relatives who tired of my litany of questions and who cringed at the thought that my next breath was merely a brief interlude in preparation for another extended family anecdote. Although the intensity of my genealogical research had ebbed from its former state, I continued to follow the activity on the various forums I had joined and posted whenever I could contribute meaningfully in the on-going discussions.
One forum that I found quite enjoyable was associated with the genealogy software I purchased to maintain the data that I collected as a result of my research. In fact, I bought the software for a variety of reasons: quality, price, and, perhaps more importantly, the developer of the software was a man with a vision, had extensive experience in genealogy, displayed a passion for the subject of his software, and had the vitality to enter into a vigorous discussion with any and all of his clients.
Sadly, Keith Wilson died in November of 2008. The software that he created is a notable memorial to his talent and passion for genealogy; however, the vision that he embraced and expressed in the software he wrote is now languishing, inching nearer to a similar fate–nearly nine months have transpired since the most recent version was released. While the loss of any individual is an incomparable tragedy, watching the monument carved from Keith’s fertile imagination slowly deteriorate from inattention is still painful.
