"Take Love for Granted"

found this poem on facebook just now, and I want to show it to my readers:

Take Love for Granted
by Jack Ridl

Assume it's in the kitchen,
under the couch, high
in the pine tree out back,
behind the paint cans
in the garage. Don't try
proving your love
is bigger than the Grand
Canyon, the Milky Way,
the urban sprawl of L.A.
Take it for granted. Take it
out with the garbage. Bring
it in with the takeout. Take
it for a walk with the dog.
Wake it every day, say,
"Good morning." Then
make the coffee. Warm
the cups. Don't expect much
of the day. Be glad when
you make it back to bed.
Be glad he threw out that
box of old hats. Be glad
she leaves her shoes
in the hall. Snow will
come. Spring will show up.
Summer will be humid.
The leaves will fall
in the fall. That's more
than you need. We can
love anybody, even
everybody. But you
can love the silence,
sighing and saying to
yourself, "That' s her."
"That's him." Then to
each other, "I know!
Let's go out for breakfast!"

"Take Love for Granted" by Jack Ridl, from Practicing to walk Like a Heron. © Wayne State University Press, 2013. Reprinted with permission

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Lunes-y

It's Monday again.  Had fun yesterday.  My companion kindly bought me a taxi ride home from Capitol Hill, and the driver took a different route:  Capitol North to Blair, and Bob's your uncle!  Not a whole lot of traffic, as per the usual routes.  It was funny.  The driver, who spoke with a heavy accent and was quite solicitous, asked me, Do you know where you live?  I said, Well, I did this morning.  Not a problem.  I was fascinated by the alternative route.  The driver passed up many opportunities to turn onto streets I was familiar with and just kept on going.  Was home in no time.

So, another question I've posed myself this morning is why did the dinosaurs die?  and how?  It seems nobody really knows exactly how or why they died (best possible theory--some kind of climate change).  But it was not a total disaster, except for the pore dinosaurs.  we got birds out of the deal.  Much better exchange, IMHO, and would make a much better movie!!  Wouldn't it be lovely to
go to a movie these days and listen to previews with glorious bird song instead of dinosaurs roaring?

No gun shots or car crashes, either.  Ish.

Pals on the Sidewalks

Had a mild stumble today stepping over the bike racks by the Library, and a nice old guy caught me. "Are you OK?" he said?  "Remember me?  You talked to me two days ago.  How's it going?" It was kind of funny, actually.  The first time I passed him and his cup two days ago, I said, "All I have is 15 cents, sir...hang on."  I went into CVS and bought some nostrum, and my change was $1.01."  When I went back out, I told him "I got another penny!  It's 16 cents now." (I gave him the dollar, too.) And he smiled and laughed.  "Thank you, ma'am."

Fast Forward to Monday....

this apparently is my time to learn a thing or two about "giving" and "helping."

This afternoon I had to go to the DC office for Medicaid.  I needed help with the form, and it's so much easier to just go there and talk to them.  You sign in, get a number, and wait in line till they call it.

the woman in line ahead of me had three huge bags she was wrangling, one of which was right in my way.  So I moved it closer to her.

"You don't touch my bags!" she said.  "My mother raised me to be independent, and I am VERY independent!!  I went to COLLEGE and got a 4.0!!  I don't need any help from anyone!"  (So I'm thinking, but not saying, "well, why are you here at the DC office for HELP??")  I just smiled, held up my hands, and backed away. 

I, of course, was there because I truly needed HELP understanding DC's form, which they sent to me
in the mail.  And because I've done this before, I know that showing up and talking to them works better than trying to talk wiht them on the phone!  Not just because I'm deaf, but because if we can
resolve everything when i'm right there, all I'll have to do is drop the form in the box by the security officer, and bob's your uncle. 

That's what happened again, today.  Meanwhile, the independent woman was in the back of the room pointing to various folks in line--"It's no wonder they can't get a job, the way they look!"  she didn't notice that some of them were close to tears. 

I was very gratified when one of the DC employees in uniform, like a guard?....made her move her bags out of the way so others could approach the helping persons at the desk.

And so it goes.  I am totally grateful for all the help I get--from anyone, anywhere.  

Off Hiatus.....

I'm officially not on hiatus now with this blog.  Leave it to Lida to boost me back into the fray.  The weather has been spectacular here, and daughter Sally & crew stopped by for sandwiches yesterday on their way back from NC.  What a good idea....sandwiches!  no cooking!  almost no cleanup.  and
I discovered that Giant in SS has Portuguese rolls.  DC here is pretty much a sourdough-only town, but there are oases of Portuguese bread (soft, chewable).  Nice to find these rolls.  I think I'll keep a dozen in the freezer for future sandwich events.

Other bonus:  The NJ gang stayed with friends in NC who have their own farm, and they send some
fresh eggs and fabulous garlic back for me.  Many thanks!!!

The Silver Line is up and running now, and articles in the washpost are intriguing. Maybe I'll head out there to see if VA has anything as fabulous as cherry mustard, a new discovery from restaurant week here.

Damn!

I've been thinking today of all the things I didn't ask Lida while she was alive:  Who was the first president you voted for? Did you ever smoke?  Or chew gum?  I know she loved Grand Marnier--she brought me a bottle when I got out of the hospital from having my stents put in.  And I brought her one in turn when she recovered from her fall soon after.  But we didn't drink much.  Just "delicious" stuff like GM.

The Wayback Machine is complaining about all the gadgets and foofraw on my blog.  Guess I'll have to dump the crossword puzzle, etc., and simplify simplify simplify if I want to save my posts.  It'll be
worth it.  Here's another post with photos still intact--from May 2012:  a timely repost since it also mentions Lauren Bacall, who died shortly after Lida did this week.

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Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Old woman, old woman...

This morning I got the photo of Lauren Bacall in a forward that said (approximately) we should think twice now about the movie stars we thought were so beautiful when we and they were younger.  "Take a good look now," etc. 

I dunno, but two of the most beautiful women I know celebrated their 90th birthdays not long ago.  Lida is almost 91 now, and Gert, my sister-in-law, still plays golf!

There was a nasty crack about Ms. Bacall's appearance in the forward, too. It said all the meanness she has been known for shows in her face.  That comment was made by a show business person (male) who is said to know.  But Leslie Parsley is having none of it.  She said she's "always liked Bacall.  She is very very liberal."  Me, too, Leslie, and I think Bacall looks stunning.  LP also said that few women would be as brave as Bacall to have that kind of photo taken, too:  b&w and closeup??  Shudder!

Just for the hey of it (and anything to distract me from editing), I took an unsmiling closeup of myself here at my dining/working table this morning.  Bacall and the others combed their hair and did makeup.  I rarely comb my hair and NEVER wear makeup.  Just can't be arsed to do that.  But I maintain that old is not ugly.  It's just different and rich and wonderful.

Lida Moser, age 90!

Gertrude Elizabeth Mary Peters Dwyer, age 90!

Lauren Bacall (only 87)

 XtremeEnglish (only 75)

Posted by Xtreme English at 8:05 PM

Lida Moser, August 17, 1920 - August 11, 2014

 

Lida Moser died yesterday afternoon at the Hebrew Home in Washington, DC.  She was almost 94.  Of XE's posts on Lida, only "Darling Lida" still has her image.  If I can figure out how to resurrect the other photos, I'll repost those, too. 

 

Darling Lida

Lida Moser, who is 86 years old, entices me out to all sorts of arty events here. On this day, we are visiting the open house at the new Swedish Embassy on the Georgetown waterfront.



Lida is full of wonder at beauty wherever she sees it. "This is fabulous," she's saying in a room full of silver jewelry and utensils made by Swedish artisans. "This is simply marvelous."



She charms everyone she meets, especially other artists (here, with an architect at the Swedish Embassy), with her curiosity and interest in their life and work. She calls people "darling," and they eat it up. (I eat it up. Like Snoopy says, "Nobody calls me 'darling'.")

Lida spent most of her adult life as a photographer in New York City. She worked for Vogue, wrote a photography column for the New York Times, and early on worked as an assistant to Berenice Abbott. Lida is more famous elsewhere than she is here. The National Gallery of Scotland purchased all of her photos of Scottish writers and intellectuals. And the National Gallery of Quebec published her photographs of the province of Quebec. She took these in 1950 while on commission from Vogue to create an illustrated report of Canada from coast to coast.

She has great flair for dressing simply, in rich colors. She has retired from full-time photography, but she has taken up drawing. I met her at the Art Students League in New York City in 1997. She dropped in on a class in anatomical drawing one morning, and she gave me a beautiful smile when she sat down. After class, I stopped by her station to say hello. Her drawings blew me away. They are wild and wonderful. Best of all, she saves her sketches and uses them as stationery. Here is her New Year's greeting from 2005. It's written on a drawing of a dancer she did in October, 2003. I've edited out the part about her ill health then. She was very frail at the beginning of 2005 but has since bounced back.



For a great review of Lida's work by her friend and fellow artist Lenny Campello, check out BlogCritics Magazine.

6 comments:

1. 
   Anonymous11:42 AM

   I have always marvelled at Lida's work--from the very first time I entered your home. I think even she is astounded to see it framed, displayed, appreciated--and so GOOD.
   
   The photos are a part of the Lida that I don't see. When you are with her, the force of her personality subs for her physical presence and you think she is 19.
   
   Thank you for this...
   
   Katrina

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Xtreme English11:50 AM

   she is absolutely a treasure.

   ReplyDelete
3. 
   Anonymous4:07 PM

   Lida has art coming out of her pores....
   
   Laweez

   ReplyDelete
4. 
   naomi dagen bloom7:52 PM

   visiting your blog for first time this morning--link from TGB-- decided to return later. and i have had a wonderful journey...lida moser, lovely photos you took of her. sidetracked by alice neel--a painting of my first art history prof, familiar images i was glad to see again.
   
   went to paris with you; enjoyed the trip. have you seen postings by claude at blogging in paris?
   
   your reflections on aging moved and pleased me. thanks for it all. yours, naomi

   ReplyDelete
5. 
   Xtreme English10:25 PM

   Naomi Dagen Bloom:
   Thank you! And what a treat to discover your blog, which I'll read tomorrow when I'm not stuffed full of Christmas turkey. Did you get to see Alice Neel's painting of Lida in the Women's Museum in DC this past year?

   ReplyDelete
6. 
   Ronni Bennett10:50 AM

   What a lovely post - and a beautiful old woman.

   ReplyDelete

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