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Ramblings from a Southern liberal, Boomer, single parent, grandmother, reunited birthmother, cancer survivor, pop-culture observer, retired teacher

Most dramatic lymphoma posts are from June 2002 - February 2003 archives.

Email Joy Durham at joydurham@comcast.net

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The Waking

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I cannot go.

We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.

Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.

Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.

This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.



--Theodore Roethke






Visitors:




Joy's Updates - Straight from the Horse's Mouth.
 
Sunday, October 17, 2004  
Prine Time

I went to Earl's Friday, and we went to Paducah to Four Rivers Center to see John Prine. Leon Redbone opened for him. Their new center is very pretty with warm colors and great acoustics. The crowd was pretty rowdy in part because the built-in bars at either end of the lobby stayed open throughout the performance. Therefore, audience members kept traipsing around. This young couple in front of us (him in a cap and her in a cowboy hat which they exchanged about half-way through the concert so who knew which hat was whose) kept making out as they navigated around their hats. Then they'd jump up and yell, whistle, and wave their arms.

Earl and I wondered if this is the trend of audiences now or if it was particular to Paducah. We've been to performances in Nashville where the Bluebird has strict rules about talking during performances. No one wants a dead audience when they are performing; however, shouting out the next words of the lyrics and requests for songs during significant pauses while singing and telling stories isn't cool. I'm sure Prine has experienced worse on stage and handled it mostly by ignoring all of it. Once when song titles were shouted out for requests, he said, "I know them all." I guess they don't realize how well-planned the concert is and didn't understand that the guy who kept taking and replacing Prine's guitars was tuning them for the next songs. Oh well. It is good that younger people are coming along who enjoy him and that he has an audience of all ages.

At TPAC the bars are open before and during intermission. When people have to leave during performances, they are discreet about it. They talked out loud and were distracting at this one. I told Earl I wish we could have gone to the Ryman in Nashville the next night to compare the audiences. If any of you attended, please let me know. Four Rivers seating capacity is around 1900, and it was almost full. The crowd of around 6,000 at the arena to see Michael Moore wasn't as disruptive and they were being stirred up.

The important thing was the concert. Leon Redbone was his usual sardonic self and wonderful to see and hear again. John Prine sang songs I've loved for decades. He's one of my favorite songwriters. He sang "Hello in There," "Angel from Montgomery," "Paradise," "Sam Stone," "Dear Abby," and many many others both old and new. He introduced "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore" by saying he'd retired that song, had it stuffed and put on the mantle but that the president requested it, so he brought it back out again. He said the president didn't exactly request it in so many words but that he sure was asking for it. The audience cheered, and many of us remembered when that song was about Vietnam.

Thank goodness he can still sing after surviving throat cancer. He had squamous cell carcinoma and went to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment. He has to drink water really often because of what radiation did to his salivary glands. He told the doctors to worry about curing the cancer, and he'd worry about his vocal cords and that if he could talk, he could sing. And sing he does!! It was great to see him and enjoy his music again. I have the DVD of him in NYC when Iris Dement joined him and love it.

Rest of Visit

My college roommate and her husband live in Paducah. She's a retired teacher and he is still an elementary school principal. I called Barb, and we met her for dinner. Johnny (John now but still Johnny to me) went to the concert, so we saw him there and briefly at the restaurant. It was so good to see them again. Barb and I meet and pick up where we left off, but I hadn't seen Johnny in about 25 years. Barb and I compare grandchildren stories now. I'm so glad that bond is still strong and value her in my life.

Earl and I stayed at his parents' house in Clinton. I had the whole upstairs which reminded me of my room when I was at home in Charlotte. His mother died a few years ago, and his father is in assisted living now. Earl and his daughters are sorting through things. I understand that and need to do my own and will help Mother with hers when I retire. We went to see his father, and the place is really nice. Earl is in touch with him and his daughters daily.

Before I left to come back, Earl gave me some tours of places that mean something to him. We had breakfast at the pool room and met his cousin Bobby there. Then we went to a park that overlooks the Mississippi River which has a good view of it. Missouri is across the river where barges are seen moving things along. We went to lunch in South Fulton where Earl usually goes, so I could take in all his regular haunts.

I had a really good time, the weather was beautiful, and it's a boost to get away now and then. Now school starts back tomorrow. (sigh) I like being off and am so ready to retire. I'm planning to at the end of this school year (June 2005) and am beginning the countdown! Can't wait!!

1:53:00 PM



 
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