A Bit of Good Cheer
July 5, 2012
Alice lit up when I told her KD Lang had recently moved to Portland. She clasped her hands together and asked if it was possible we might run into her.
KD Lang had been one of her favorite singers back in the days when Alice’s hearing was fully intact. (During this same time period, Paula Poundstone was her favorite comedienne until Ellen DeGeneres came along. Are you catching a drift here?)
She was only half joking about a chance encounter. After all, Portland is Wonderland to small-town Alice. Anything could happen in a city. Or almost anything.
At first I considered addressing her question rationally. The places Alice goes regularly outside of The Place: macular degeneration eye doctor, dentist, Goodwill, the Dollar Store. The places KD Lang goes regularly: Unknown, though probably not those places.
But Alice has had such a hard time lately with Celia missing from her life that I decided to leave the door open. Why not?
“Possibly,” I said, as I packed up the grocery bags and picked up my purse. Our visit was over. I’d saved the best for last, and now it was time to go.
“What will I say to her?”
She began to puzzle over a little speech for the possible meet-up. It seemed to make her so much happier just to think about such an encounter.
I kissed her cheek. “You’ll come up with something.”
Alice believes so fervently in whimsy that when I left her apartment I found myself preparing my own speech that I’d better have ready when I see KD Lang. All that came to mind was this: Thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you some more, you dazzler.
July 5, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Alice, you, & KD are all dazzlers in my book!
July 5, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Thank you, Kerry. That will carry me through a very busy day filled with things I don’t wanna do.
July 5, 2012 at 1:22 pm
laughing really hard now! I’m like what you are going to say–especially the “you dazzler” part. I’m a copycat. No bones about it.
July 5, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Maybe you could offer to do her chart? That would be a mutual bit of dazzling.
July 5, 2012 at 1:28 pm
Yeah, yeah! I’ve seen that video before, unbelievably powerful, I can only take so much of it at a time!
Forward it to KD?
July 5, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Sweet idea…forwarding to KD. If only.
I weep at that video, every time. Every single time.
July 5, 2012 at 2:13 pm
lovely knowing she is still in touch with the real world and talented people! love the blog and its gentle walk of life in old age.. good and clear and very interesting too!!
July 5, 2012 at 2:35 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Jeannine, and thank you for appreciating who Alice is.
July 5, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Well, as one of the fortunate who saw kd up close and personal at the Zoo Concert on Sunday I dare say if I can meet her so can Alice. I am sure Alice will have no problem hearing her when they meet, as you know Ms Lang is no shrinking violet. btw- my computer does not have the latest Adobe Flash Player- so evertime you imbed a video I get a message that I must upgrade to the latest flash player, leaving me with no idea what video you posted- in this case I can only guess– kd singing hallelujah or some other heart opening tune?
July 5, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Lucky duck.
Yes, the video is the Leonard Cohen song, Hallelujah. And I haven’t downloaded the latest Flash Player either. I just ignore the notices. Wanton disregard. I have no time for new versions of anything.
July 5, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Yes, kd lang is living in a condo in the Pearl. She claims to be excited to be able to walk and bike. However she is on tour till about mid-August. After that, she might be seen shopping at Whole Earth for gluten-free vegetarian food. Or eating anywhere in the Pearl. Maybe even riding her bike down on the Waterfront! There will surely be more women out walking in the Pearl now.
July 5, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Thanks, Sandra.
For those out of town, the Pearl is a district in downtown Portland, although it is not too far-fetched to think that KD Lang might actually live within a real pearl.
July 5, 2012 at 4:45 pm
That song is wonderful. Thanks for broadening my horizons.
(Hope all that you were not looking forward to doing is history)!
Carol
July 5, 2012 at 5:05 pm
You’re welcome, Carol.
There is more, so much more. And all I want to do is go out in my new (very old) boat.
July 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Luci Tapahonso has a wonderful poem “In Praise of Texas”–a state where you just MIGHT meet George Strait in the airport . . .
We got to hear KD Lang sing at Wildhorse near Pendleton, so I’m with Alice. Anything’s possible.
July 5, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Okay, so that’s two readers with much more close-up experience to KD Lang than either Alice or I have had (so far). I’ll pass this on to her.
And thank you for the poem. So funny. Here it is, for those of you who want to see it.
July 5, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Seconding Alice’s admiration for k.d. lang, and seconding Alan’s admiration for k.d. lang and the amazement of getting to see her in concert, and in a small enough venue (the Zoo Concert Series on Sunday nights) where you really could get up close and personal. She was so happy to be with us in her new home, and was completely generous with her self and her amazing voice and showmanship … the way you are with dear friends. She was alternately flirty (even naughty) and then spiritual and high, alternately clownish/fun and then coming from that great place of longing that only country music can do… I dare say everyone of us left even more in love with her than before (if that were possible) and clear she loved us too … and all of us grateful for that great gift of voice.
Anyhoo (does Alice say that?) Anyhooooooo, Alice has “interesting” taste for a housewife from Ames…. I hope she does get to meet k.d. sometime…
July 5, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Where am I when these concerts are happening? Thank you for this, Katharine. If Alice had been there, she could have passed a note up to her requesting a backstage visit. No, she’s much too shy. But I could have done it on her behalf.
Alice does not say Anyhoo or Anyhooooo. It is not the Iowa way, but as for interesting taste, yes. She certainly does. It’s almost as if she were sending subconscious signals to certain people in her family, dontcha think? (Dontcha is also disallowed in Iowa, by the way.)
July 5, 2012 at 8:59 pm
yeah…I wonder how come I didn’t know about the zoo concert! dontchaknow–gotta get with the program!
July 5, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Maybe because concerts just are not on our radar? If Meg had been here she would have known about it and we’d have gone to see KD.
July 5, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Yes, Yes, Yes I love that and love that Alice would love to meet her.
July 5, 2012 at 10:35 pm
Well okay then, little miracle worker, please aim some of your magical powers in this direction.
July 5, 2012 at 7:51 pm
LOVE this version of Hallelujah…She is so amazing….I want to run into her too…I would probably just gape at her and hopefully have enough courage to tell her how incredible I think she is and how much she has inspired me.
You and your stories and your mom inspire me too, by the way!
July 5, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Thank you, Diane. Alan (above) gave me a description of the concert and her sweetness and wit. Ah, we love her. Yes, we do.
July 5, 2012 at 8:14 pm
I’d bet that kd goes to the dentist… and, who knows, maybe she secretly frequents the dollar store. And, hey… Goodwill… it’s just trendy enough! Alice got those great little black shoes there, remember? And, they inspired a book of poetry. Maybe kd might need some Goodwill inspiration for a new song… you never know.
Glad you posted the video… I agree with Mr Cohen himself, that kd’s version is the definitive version of his song. It gives me chills, and makes my eyes misty every time I hear it!
July 5, 2012 at 10:27 pm
I didn’t know Leonard Cohen said that. Have you seen Antony (of the Johnsons) sing “If It Be Your Will?” I have a hunch you might like it, John.
Thanks for having faith in all the possible locations for Alice and KD Lang to meet up. We shall see…
July 5, 2012 at 10:29 pm
Woops, forgot the link to Antony.
July 6, 2012 at 2:09 am
Tell Alice that if she meets KD just to tell her that she could likely be her oldest fan. I have a feeling that KD would be honored to meet Alice. In case you want to contact her to set up a meeting : > ) here’s her website http://www.kdlang.com/contact or you could find her FaceBook page very easily.
July 6, 2012 at 7:48 am
Wow, this is wonderful news for us as well as Alice — kd is in the house! We’ve found one of the magical things about Portland is that it really does behave like a small town…so an accidental meet-and-greet surely could happen. We can hope!
July 6, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Andrea, besides the overall handclapping delightfulness of this little gem there are, for this reader, three extra special wonderful lines: …leaving the door open on something that seems completely outside the realm of reality, the idea of believing firmly in whimsy (that line is so good it has it’s own spot in the yin/yang lineup), and “you dazzler”. That one, I intend to borrow!
July 10, 2012 at 1:35 am
It is always more fun to anticipate and plan than to do in my book but do leave that door open because KD Lang might just find Alice via your blog and who knows, she may walk in