Wendy remembering in rhyme …
Gifts from my Mom
My mother had such an impact on so many people throughout her life. Here are some things she gave to me:
- My mother gave me life (of course!) She said I was an easy birth (compared to Wendy at least). She said I squiggled right out, foreshadowing my future squiggly behavior.
- She was not taken in by the corporate promoters of baby formula, and breast fed both Wendy and I. When I was older, I remember her using a book that listed the nutritional value of any food she might make for us. We didn’t get the Twinkies and Wonder Bread that other kids got. Meals were a family activity. We have raised Hanah in a similar way, and I still enjoy preparing a healthy and delicious family meal.
- I was a small, shy boy. She was there for me when I got beat up by the neighborhood bully.
- I remember her listening to WBAI, and her excitement about Women’s Liberation. I remember how both my parents were involved in liberal movements such as civil rights, and opposition to war. This has had a lasting impact on my political persuasion.
- We had a stream of house guests though out my childhood. Some came to us from other countries through the “People to People” organization. When I was 6 and Wendy was 8, Diana, age 9, came to stay with us for 3 weeks during the summer. She became part of the family, and came every summer throughout our childhood.
- My mom taught me music and sent me to music lessons. More than that, she set an example for me by being a musician herself. Music was a social activity for her as it is for me.
- My parents were both dancers and folk dance teachers. While music in 7/8 or 9/8 time might seem odd to some, for me it is as natural as “Three Blind Mice”. When I first met Nancy, we were both members of the Radost Folk Ensemble, a Balkan dance performance group.
- My mom loved to dress up in costumes (the Film Star, the Irish Washer Woman, the Black and White Jester, etc). I now play music with the “Bucharest Drinking Team”, a zany high energy Balkan dance band. We all wear crazy costumes. I’m a Thai Boxer.
Bucharest Drinking Team, Seattle, 2014
Thanks Mom!
Your little Kimmie
What a wonderful composite of picture and sound you two,
Wendy and Kim, have gathered and prepared! Lori raised you right, all right, good people, smart as whips, dancers and musicians, and fine memory-makers. Thank you.
Lori “stood with me” at my rather unconventional wedding in 1953 to Carl Eisdorfer. We spent our honeymoon learning how to cross-country ski a month later (for a day) with Lori and Karl.