I have been delinquent in writing this Blog and confess to taking a long break. Partly my reason for this was the conviction no one was reading my words, and so it seemed there are other ways to keep a Diary. But I am coming back for a reason, and that is, following the dictates of my heart.
Here is a story. Take it for what it is, because I do not invent my life.
This summer my husband was excited to learn about a camp in the Laurentians that was hosting Yiddish music, lectures, dance. The camp was called KLEZKanada, and I think this happens on a regular basis, involving as it does, great names in Yiddish music and theater, such as Theodor Bikel, and rising young talents. So we went and had a wonderful time, and we felt particularly that we were accessing a collective past that did bring us to tears, in listening to these marvelous performers. I had never experienced the music of Daniel Kahn and totally loved him. We both did!
When we returned home I happened to be teaching a class in the LLARC program, learning in retirement, at Regis College. We were “doing” the children’s classic, The Secret Garden, so I got the idea to talk about gardens and their significance throughout history. The movie that came to mind for me, was Being There, the story that made the gardener, a hero, because his wisdom, the wisdom gleaned from the garden, suddenly got people in politics interested in his very “sage” advice. Of course, Chauncy Gardner, played by Peter Sellars, was retarded.
I walked into the book, Being There, by Jerzy Kosinski, in my house, and honestly did not remember how it got there, and know I had never read this, but brought it to class. I did know he had written The Painted Bird, and that this story, which is about The Holocaust, was too painful for me and so I never read this after a few pages. I mentioned this to my class.
That evening I had the urge to hear the CD we had purchased at KlezKanada, the Daniel Kahn CD. So I went looking and found it, still wrapped, and read that his group is named, The Painted Bird. So I did a double take! But surely anyone can call their group Painted Bird, without reference to Kosinski. I went on line to discover that this name is taken from Jerzy Kosinski’s title.
Now these things, following as they do, my life, and massively, do tell me I am, like a reporter, putting down a story, that cannot be random.
What will we do? Well we think of Daniel as a real musical genius and love his music. My husband discovered he’s playing in Paris and Marseilles, so we’re going to hear him, leaving November 15! Yes, life can be an adventure. We’re going with a good friend, Barry P. who. around the same time, discovered Daniel Kahn himself, and that’s HIS story.
Cheers, Ruth