Shadows and light revisited

Poppet’s shadow and mine alongside hers…

I wrote a blogpost with this title back in early summer, but didn’t even mention the Joni Mitchell song I was referencing. That was an unfortunate omission, because it’s a song worth knowing. Here are the lyrics:

‘Every picture has its shadows
And it has some source of light
Blindness, blindness and sight
The perils of benefactors
The blessings of parasites
Blindness, blindness and sight
Threatened by all things
Devil of cruelty
Drawn to all things
Devil of delight
Mythical devil of the ever-present laws
Governing blindness, blindness and sight

Suntans in reservation dining rooms
Pale miners in their lantern rays
Night, night and day
Hostage smile on presidents
Freedom scribbled in the subway
It’s like night, night and day
Threatened by all things
God of cruelty
Drawn to all things
God of delight
Mythical god of the everlasting laws
Governing day, day and night

Critics of all expression
Judges in black and white
Saying it’s wrong, saying it’s right
Compelled by prescribed standards
Or some ideals we fight
For wrong, wrong and right
Threatened by all things
Man of cruelty-mark of Cain
Drawn to all things
Man of delight-born again, born again
Man of the laws, the ever-broken laws
Governing wrong, wrong and right
Governing wrong, wrong and right
Wrong and right’

Isn’t that nice? Please go to your local record store, order the album ‘Shadows and Light‘ and listen to the title track. It’s really worth it for the harmonies alone.

I’d like to be able to give more here on the ol’ Dachshund Blog, but the last few weeks have been hairy and it doesn’t look as if the stress will be letting up anytime soon. Although I don’t share many private things here on my blog, I will say that the next few months might be a time of rather massive change in my life.

For one thing, I’m moving out of the neighbourhood I’ve lived in the entire time I’ve been in Germany. Munich-Neuhausen has been so very good to me. It really is my favourite Stadtteil (district), and there are plenty of shops and people I’m going to miss.

However, I’m trying to remind myself that nothing lasts forever. Maybe sometime in the future I’ll move back to Neuhausen. Am trying to tell myself such things to make the parting less painful.

If you’d like to know more about it, and can read a bit of German, here’s what muenchen.de has to say about my old ‘hood:

Stadtteilbild: Neuhausen

Dig a Pony, eh?

Will keep you informed of where I land. It’ll certainly be an adventure. It always is with the likes of me.

One street in Neuhausen covered in snow…

 

6 comments

  1. The next place will feel like home soon enough. You know why?

    Because someone told me once that home was wherever his dogs were. They’re all you need. You know that. The neighborhood is really of no consequence.

    Land safely, bon vivant.

    1. Oh, we’re in agreement on this one Amy.

      Truthfully, as long as the red dolphin dogs are there, it’ll be home. You’re absolutely spot on.

      The search for a flat is much more of a struggle than I expected. I’m sure, at some point, I’ll be writing blogposts about the mad people I’ve encountered.

      1. Good. I like when I’m right.

        Apartment hunting is the absolute worst. I have stories, too, from over the years. And a friend of mine was house-hunting recently and came upon teenagers in a basement who were…um…makin’ babies. Not even kidding. Not makin’ ’em with test tubes, either. Well, unless you want to use “test tubes” as a euphemism.

        It’s such a relief when you finally find a place that’s just NORMAL.

        Can’t wait to hear flat-hunting stories from the likes of you.

    1. Oh Barbara, I wish my sadness wasn’t so overt. I try not to let strong emotions take centre stage here. To be perfectly candid, as difficult as this time is, I’m really grateful to be able to go through it with such clarity. Does that make any sense?

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