Letter from a Town of 50 ~ No.16

Deck the Halls

December 6, 2020

I know you have been waiting to hear (unless you are on the Town Crier List) who won the scarecrow contest. So here they are.

         

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Folks came into town on Saturday after Thanksgiving bearing boughs cut from their evergreen trees to deck the halls, or in this case porch railings. Yards of wide red ribbon were deftly used to weave them into garlands that graced the Blackfoot Store, the Museum and the Stray Bullet porches. 

Christmas lights were strung across the town that make us colorful at night. And now I need to solve a mystery that has no doubt plagued anyone who drives through town at night. What on earth do I have in my window? I realize that it is hard to make that out at a distance, but it is a Christmas elk with festooned horns. Seemed just right for the neighborhood and the local elk might enjoy it too. Here it is close up, so you know what you are seeing.

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​Missoula has an osprey nest webcam that I love to check in on periodically. There are some excellent photographers who follow these birds and others. I just saw two amazing photographs of a great horned owl and owlet. These photos were taken recently near Greenough Park by Louis Matteau.

​One day, to my porch feeder, came three lovely goldfinches in their winter garb. I keep hoping they will return but the house sparrows are much higher in the pecking order and in sheer numbers. Still, I was happy to see them, flickering through the snow. Perhaps they’ve left for Miami.

I hear the sounds of axe and saw and I know that many Ovando folks are at the unending task of getting in more wood for the cold cold nights. A warm fire is the antidote and consolation for our fierce winters. So here is a treat in honor of this season’s ritual work. Pete Seeger singing “Keep the Flame Alive” with Lorre Wyatt. 

I have been following Nora and Isaac, the young brother and sister who make music together with their father in Quimper, France. Around Thanksgiving, I found little Nora singing one of my favorite Spanish songs, Gracias a la Vida, Thankyou for Life, which was perfect for the season. The words were taught to me by my dear friend Virginia Igonda, while we were waiting in a long line to cross the border at Tijuana. I was able to sing it with her at the end of her life in Ecuador. It’s surprising to hear it with the tender young voice of a child. The song was made famous by Mercedes Sosa, who brought a very different, mature voice to it. 

First, here is Nora, singing beside her father in the first bloom of her life.

(English translation of first, second and last stanzas)

Thank you, life, for giving me so much.
You gave me two bright stars, that when opened,
Perfectly show me both black and white
And high in the sky, the starry background,
And within the crowd the man that I love.

Thank you, life, for giving me so much.
You gave me hearing that, in all its breadth
Records - night and day -crickets and canaries,
Hammers, turbines, bricks and showers,
And the tender voice of my beloved.
…
Thank you, life, for giving me so much.
You gave me laughter as well as tears.
That I might know happiness from pain -
The two ingredients of my song,
As well as your song, that is mine too,
And the song of all, that is my own singing.

​Now the song from two greats of North and South: Mercedes Sosa and Joan Baez. It’s an electric performance that really projects the spirit of the song. I offer this in memory of my Argentine friend, who taught me so much.

​​Speaking of best friends, here is a most unusual feline. Calling this “A Cat Plays Like Beethoven” is really a stretch, but you have to admire little Nora’s unique  enthusiasm for the instrument. 

Almost as unlikely as a cat playing Beethoven is a five-year-old playing Chopin. Jonah Ho certainly brings something entirely different to the instrument than Nora, which even by human standards is extraordinary. I’ve always thought of Fantasy Impromptu as a piece for virtuosos. My mistake.

But to be honest, the young musician who has most impressed me in recent months is Alexander Malofeev, playing one of my all-time favorite works with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic: Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto. It’s not just the virtuosity that is impressive. It is the maturity and depth of feeling with which he plays it. You wouldn’t expect this of a 15 year old.  I’ve watched this several times and I found myself taking in the special quality of the conductor, Kristjan Järvi, and the musicians. The conductor seems to communicate with each one in a special way, just as he does with the soloist. You can easily enjoy just the first movement, though you might be seduced into listening to the end as I was. I hope you have good speakers!

Now literally from the sublime to the ridiculous, I end this sequence with the piano on a crashing final note, with apologies to Steinway. Here are Harvey Corman and Tim Conway in Dueling Pianos. Pandemics occasionally require the ridiculous. So here it is.

An important event in the art world, during the advance of the pandemic and the closures of galleries, is a virtual exhibit from the National Gallery in London. The subject is a celebrated woman painter of the 17th century whose celebrity, like that of many women of those and other times, has not survived into the present. You will be amazed at the work of Artemisia Gentileschi. “In 17th-century Europe, at a time when women artists were not easily accepted, Artemisia was exceptional. She challenged conventions and defied expectations to become a successful artist and one of the greatest storytellers of her time.” On their website, you can see a brief sample of her work and a short trailer about the exhibit. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisia

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​If you are feeling a little flush, you might take a virtual tour of Artemisia’s exhibit. It will cost a little over $10 but is said by one art reviewer to be worth it! There is also a free series of videos that they produced on the restoration process for their most recent acquisition, a self-portrait. I imagine one of these 14 videos will do, unless you are planning to clean up some of your own.  https://youtu.be/zt7d5Nb5GdE


For those who miss visiting galleries and museums, there is another interesting online exhibit you can attend here at home for free at the Smithsonian Art Museum. "Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature and Culture."
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In the words of Alexandra the Scholarly Skater, “Its subject is Prussian naturalist and polymath Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), who is definitely the most important scientific figure most of us have never heard of. His extensive exploration, research, and published writing, combined with his then-groundbreaking ideas about the interconnectedness of nature, made him one of the most influential figures of his time.” 

If you are in the mood to digest a delicious website devoted to the arts and reviewing current exhibits, I highly recommend the Scholarly Skater site.
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In a time when galleries remain empty of visitors and musicians have no live audiences, French cellist Camille Thomas plays in locked down galleries, including the Louvre. Lovely. 
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​I thank Barbara Cross for sending this lovely photograph of three children from a South African tribe. The story goes that an anthropologist invited the children to play a game in which he placed a basket of fruit near a tree and announced that "The one of you who reaches the tree first will be rewarded with all of the sweet fruits." When he signaled to start the race, the children locked their hands tightly and ran together, and then they all sat together and enjoyed the delicious fruit. The astonished anthropologist asked the children why they all ran together, because each of them could enjoy the fruit for himself. To which the children replied: "Obonato." Is it possible for one to be happy if everyone else is sad? "Obonato" in their language means: "I exist because we exist."
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While we are mostly shut down by Covid in December, the sky overhead and the astronomers who watch it will be having a lively time.
 
The first event, which we won’t see (except for those in South America) is a total solar eclipse on Monday, Dec, 14—best in southern Chile and Argentina. But don’t worry. North America is having one come up in 2024. Be patient. You can watch this one on the internet. It can count as an astronomy lesson for home school students.

​On Dec. 16th, you will have a lovely view in the southwest after sunset. The crescent Moon sits just beneath Jupiter and Saturn, coming very close before their big event on the 21st.

On December 21st, Winter Solstice, comes the “great conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn. Not since 1623 has there been such a conjunction this close. But not since 1226 has it been this observable.  This conjunction was important in the ancient world as marking the beginning of a new era. Many today believe that the Star of Bethlehem was in fact Saturn and Jupiter shining brightly as one. While we will miss the festive annual Christmas gatherings, this sight on the winter solstice is something to celebrate.  But you have to look quickly to the southwest, immediately after sunset, because it will quickly disappear below the horizon.


Finally, there is something else that offers warmth and comfort in winter: imagination. This is another human gift that I like to celebrate and share for long nights or slippery days. I close with this quiet, short animation that will literally carry you off to far places. Soar.

Stay warm and be well,
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Sheri Ritchlin