tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post794747440502288852..comments2023-12-27T22:26:20.552-05:00Comments on synch-ro-ni-zing: Hejira SpringRuthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-52802909160492346072011-05-17T22:02:05.933-04:002011-05-17T22:02:05.933-04:00My favorite Joni period was the Summer Lawns/Hejir...My favorite Joni period was the Summer Lawns/Hejira period, much more than Blue/LotC/etc., which puts me in a distinct minority, I think. So you can't believe how glad I was that you chose to spotlight Hejira.Loringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152854531924149336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-86972775614638198052011-05-14T18:54:18.126-04:002011-05-14T18:54:18.126-04:00you edify , always .you edify , always .Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15924061349390319473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-76360428864478978522011-05-14T12:14:52.835-04:002011-05-14T12:14:52.835-04:00Haunting and deeply meaningful, Ruth — the inescap...Haunting and deeply meaningful, Ruth — the inescapable wisdom of Camus, the raw honesty of Joni Mitchell's song, and your own heart-stirring words. My eyes froze in recognition when reading Joni's words: "I know no one's going to show me everything, we all come and go unknown, each so deep and superficial, between the forceps and the stone." They froze once again when I read your words about weeping in our human weakness, unable to look upon the light, blinking, trying to wipe our eyes clean, finding it necessary to filter the radiance from what is arguably too much visibility. I sometimes think we see the world through common eyes, my friend.Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03959953035812596907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-27371799518536552722011-05-14T10:31:00.160-04:002011-05-14T10:31:00.160-04:00I like to travel because it makes me miss my own l...I like to travel because it makes me miss my own life, my own life that I'm so desperate to escape at times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-37396525347703863982011-05-13T16:25:33.066-04:002011-05-13T16:25:33.066-04:00I hate that Blogger ate all my comments from yeste...I hate that Blogger ate all my comments from yesterday, Ruth. UGH. What a mess. <br /><br />You know me, a lover of travel, maybe even more than most. But even I have that longing to go back home after time away. I have often said that the instinct we all have to go back home after a vacation is probably what 'saves' community. Can you imagine what life would be like if we didn't have it?Ginnie Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014434422568561157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-10942756223318978882011-05-12T15:14:55.926-04:002011-05-12T15:14:55.926-04:00You know I'm a traveller, Ruth...lots of wande...You know I'm a traveller, Ruth...lots of wanderlust in me. But I often ponder that even I always need and want to go back home. Some can take it longer than others but it always seem to be there...to go home. If we didn't have this instinct, we might not have homes the way we picture them now? <br /><br />There's comfort in melancholy. I like this. :)Ginnie Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014434422568561157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-23686494580172612052011-05-11T08:42:20.215-04:002011-05-11T08:42:20.215-04:00I have conflicted emotions regarding travel. I lov...I have conflicted emotions regarding travel. I love the discovery, and at the same time I feel anxious being away from my home. I always get some sense of impending doom...the control freak in me I suppose. Mama hen wanting to be nearby to spread her protective wings and keep those chicks safe and warm. I hope I don't become agoraphobic in the future. <br /><br />Joni's music always makes one think.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201860227400017841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-16578623425287332042011-05-11T06:56:02.082-04:002011-05-11T06:56:02.082-04:00greeting a new day with Joni. Thanks for the gift...greeting a new day with Joni. Thanks for the gift.Stratozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10148600260976577216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-60718816023594050042011-05-11T06:12:33.296-04:002011-05-11T06:12:33.296-04:00stunning blog.
Glad to discover your poetry talen...stunning blog.<br /><br />Glad to discover your poetry talent,<br />Impressed,<br />Share a free verse with us today, bless you.<br />Keep up the excellence.<br />xxxHyde Park Poetry Palacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04817313233737719262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-20295729886614263112011-05-11T05:06:48.657-04:002011-05-11T05:06:48.657-04:00Arti, I really love her story, and your personal c...<b>Arti</b>, I really love her story, and your personal connection with it. I was fascinated a few years ago when she reconnected with her biological daughter, Kilauren Gibb, whom she had adopted out. Joni's song "Little Green" is about her.<br /><br />Yes, we watched the HBO movie Temple Grandin. I didn't know there was an older one. Claire Danes and Julia Ormond were tremendous, and I love David Strahairn in it too. It is so inspiring, and your kind of story, I think.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-83717979368085501342011-05-11T04:59:48.996-04:002011-05-11T04:59:48.996-04:00Terresa, thank you. Well I hope you can satisfy yo...<b>Terresa</b>, thank you. Well I hope you can satisfy your need for travel soon. Me, I think I'll be going a bit too much in the coming days ... But Paris, I need a trip there.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-72850173767775093222011-05-11T04:57:19.359-04:002011-05-11T04:57:19.359-04:00Lorenzo, I wish I could say I discovered the Camus...<b>Lorenzo</b>, I wish I could say I discovered the Camus quote by reading and knowing Camus and making the connection with Joni's song. I found it quoted on her web site for this song. She does a fair amount of this kind of allusion, I've always told myself I would investigate certain lines that sound familiar.<br /><br />As you will be traveling very soon, I imagine that these traveling words might come to mind, from Camus and from Joni. I hope for you, though, that there will be many pleasures on your trip, and no allergic eyes from blossoming trees!Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-40089863988830675732011-05-11T04:51:19.463-04:002011-05-11T04:51:19.463-04:00Jeanie, I think you and I need a trip to Paris, an...<b>Jeanie</b>, I think you and I need a trip to Paris, and soon. As we've discussed elsewhere, a combination of time with a companion and going solo is just right for us. I can't believe it has taken me so long to figure this out!Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-58433460201302773852011-05-10T22:30:32.960-04:002011-05-10T22:30:32.960-04:00This is just hard to fathom, the amazing journey o...This is just hard to fathom, the amazing journey of Joni Mitchell, considering she was born in the small town of Fort Macleod, in rural Alberta, Canada. Yup, that's my province, and even in 2011, the population in that community is 3,000. So I can't imagine when she was born in 1947, how many were there. From such an obscure root emerged such a talented, well travelled (literally and figuratively) international musical icon. I'm proud not only that she has roots in our province, but she had spent time in the Alberta College of Art right here in our City of Calgary. Thanks for posting about her and the heart-stirring song.<br /><br />On another note, did you see Temple Grandin the HBO Movie? No I haven't seen it but looking at the cast, esp. Julia Ormond, now I must get hold of it. Thanks for your suggestion.Artihttp://rippleeffects.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-21645173857462086462011-05-10T20:35:23.309-04:002011-05-10T20:35:23.309-04:00Beautiful Camus quote, beautiful poem, beautiful p...Beautiful Camus quote, beautiful poem, beautiful pictures, beautiful everything!<br /><br />PS: I've been hit with wanderlust this week, coincidence, eh?*https://www.blogger.com/profile/06484208765656281917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-45909548796783800332011-05-10T11:16:46.851-04:002011-05-10T11:16:46.851-04:00What gifts in this post. I was not familiar with t...What gifts in this post. I was not familiar with the Camus quote and much less with his equating of travel and fear, or his claim that "there is no pleasure in travel", which he views more as an "occasion for spiritual testing". His reasoning is compelling, and his coupling of feverishness and porousness as twin states of the traveller do hit home with my sense and experience of what it means to travel.<br /><br />Nor was I familiar with the lyrics of Joni Mitchell's remarkable Hejira, a profound journey in its own right. The truth is that your pairing it with the Camus quote will forever color and enrich my reading and feeling of this poem-song. The match seems perfect; she even sings "I'm porous with travel fever" as if she had just read the same passage, and there is trembling fear in her. And perhaps the mention of a "stranger" can be taken as another nod, intentional or otherwise, to Camus.<br /><br />And the image of the Seine-side blinding blizzard of horse chestnut blossoms is the crowning touch. We travel far and wide, and deep inside, thirsting for beauty in our lives... and then, sometimes, it comes to us unexpectedly in all its raw merciless power, and we almost can't deal with it and must turn our gaze away.Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522265816460154722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-81052223086952577202011-05-10T08:35:28.970-04:002011-05-10T08:35:28.970-04:00Ruth, any time you do a post you connect to Paris,...Ruth, any time you do a post you connect to Paris, you know I'm right in your grasp. When you combine it with Joni Mitchell -- well, what could be better? There is much richness in these lyrics and much with which I can identify. More often than not in life I have been a solo traveler, and sometimes I miss having that road companion. But sometimes, it really is the best -- your own schedule and time and pace. Another beautifully written post. Thanks.Jeaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17482528482559445943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-47311225137841761152011-05-10T05:27:10.350-04:002011-05-10T05:27:10.350-04:00Dutchbaby, how many artists have found reprieve in...<b>Dutchbaby</b>, how many artists have found reprieve in Paris? The anonymity and freedom must be great solace for them. The city and all its pleasures inspiration.<br /><br />And you, I wonder if you were ever afraid of lions and other creatures when you slept in your African tent . . . <br /><br />I'm off to see your photos of South African giraffes . . .Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-75228784220483495162011-05-10T05:24:13.118-04:002011-05-10T05:24:13.118-04:00DS, I was overwhelmed with the thought last night ...<b>DS</b>, I was overwhelmed with the thought last night while reading <i>War and Peace</i> of each individual life who has ever lived! All worlds within worlds within worlds.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-84862154875451431392011-05-09T23:32:18.786-04:002011-05-09T23:32:18.786-04:00I wholeheartedly agree with Camus' quote about...I wholeheartedly agree with Camus' quote about travel. Embracing that vague fear is what makes the difference between a good trip and a great trip. The hyper-awareness that results is a gift of travel. <br /><br />Wonderful tie-in with Joni Mitchell's music. My favorite album of hers is "Court and Spark". I can relate to her lyrics in "Free Man in Paris":<br /><i><br />I felt unfettered and alive<br />There was nobody calling me up for favors<br />And no one's future to decide</i><br /><br />It must have been a great reprieve from <i>stoking that star-maker machinery</i>.Dutchbabyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00844296297519447526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-23243404095600691862011-05-09T22:29:31.865-04:002011-05-09T22:29:31.865-04:00So much interconnectedness in my blog reading toni...So much interconnectedness in my blog reading tonight: "between the forceps and the stone." That's it. That's everything. Mitchell's lyrics, your beautiful descriptions, the perfect quote from Camus: to travel and feel "feverish but porous." Yes. The skin itches to feel that.<br /><br />Thank you.dshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07616750784052488695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-11490860793895787642011-05-09T20:07:28.027-04:002011-05-09T20:07:28.027-04:00Well, Friko, I like your comment a lot, every bit ...Well, <b>Friko</b>, I like your comment a lot, every bit as much as those of the other fine commentators. It feels fine to be outdoors, doesn't it? We just rode our bikes 8 miles in shirt sleeves (finally), we heard red wing blackbirds and bullfrogs, saw two white tailed deer run through the woods, and pulled in our drive near a turkey vulture who was cleaning up a raccoon carcass.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-46381076956196267512011-05-09T17:50:45.156-04:002011-05-09T17:50:45.156-04:00I'd like to say something clever and meaningfu...I'd like to say something clever and meaningful like your other correspondents, but all I can say is that this post and Joni's song go together like strawberries and cream and that I am looking forward to shedding my winter skin and getting into my travelling, summer skin, even if I don't travel very far outside myself.<br /><br />Life is a never ending journey delighting us with reasons to be newly fearful and feeling the prickling of our skin every singe day.Frikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04277167831642088694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-13943761163346722392011-05-09T17:09:37.581-04:002011-05-09T17:09:37.581-04:00Robert, I am not surprised that you love Joni, and...<b>Robert</b>, I am not surprised that you love Joni, and maybe I did run across that information in our walks around the blogs.<br /><br />As for Jaco Pastorius, I have been in love with his bass playing on this album since it came out, but I never heard him elsewhere until today after Steven, Brendan and now you told me about Weather Report. Since I didn't venture out of the folk/rock scene back in the '70s, I completely missed Jaco's fame and demise. He also played bass on Joni's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter ('79) and then Shadows & Light ('80), which has several songs from Hejira with Jaco.<br /><br />Listening and watching him play harmonics today has been a treat.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21312708.post-45759500055743496432011-05-09T15:31:06.931-04:002011-05-09T15:31:06.931-04:00I adore Joni, as you probably know - and this, as ...I adore Joni, as you probably know - and this, as for other readers, is one of my favourite Joni records.<br /><br />Incidentally, I was lucky enough to see Jaco Pastorius with Weather Report in Birmingham many moons ago. It's a concert that's etched itself indelibly on my memory.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.com