Celebrating Harvey's 58th birthday! For a few days, I am only 19 years older than he is; my birthday comes later in this month of birthdays! The occasions above are the activities engendered by Avital's wedding. I had hoped to go, but realized that I did not have the stamina for a trip to CT and then to Boston. So above, here are Sandy and Harvey on the 1st of July, with Matt, the charming significant other of Barbara (who is Sandy's wonderful sister), who was in Boston for business, I assume, and Laura, the oldest of the three girls by about 20 months. Below on the birthday itself, are Sandy and Harvey. Can you tell I am smiling all over my face?
Dear Friends and Family,
Energetic and efficient Margaret came today, in spite of having no baby-sitter for her two girls, about ten and six. She assured me they would sit quietly—and they did, in front of a TV and with a bag of toys they had brought. I heard the younger one tell her mother that when she grew up she would clean her mother's house for her. Margaret helped me make a great switch: the milk pots and pans went into the larger space that the meat pans had had. Some meat pans made their way to storage, and others are in the space where the milk pots were. I am leaving the silverware drawers as they were. Feels great to make this change. I gave Margaret some items I surely will not use and also some the clothes now lying on a bed. One was the outfit, still in pristine condition, which my dear mother-in-law made for me when Harvey had his Bar Mitzvah, just about 45 years ago to the day. Feels good and bad to let such things go.
I have finished with the review I have been working on for a press that wants comments on a ms it intends to publish. I am sure the press never expected such a thorough and opinionated assessment. I tried to tone down some of my assertions to suggestions, but the confidence, perhaps even arrogance, shows. I know a lot about Hamlet after more than 20 years working on it almost exclusively. Also, the text is meant for students, and since the active learning project was one of my passions while I was working at NCC, I am ever mindful of how a text can smother or encourage active engagement. I am so glad I can work at the big compter with my legs pointing down. This work brings me great pleasure.
My smile almost never leaves me.
I wrote that I would write more about Sarah if not about her parrot. I met her in 1999 at the first ever conference on Shakespeare on Screen, organized by and run mainly by our friend José Ramón. A brilliant event. I went alone. Imagine that! I could actually travel then. But once in Spain I had a mishap at the terminal on the way to the luggage pickup. I slipped on some wet terracotta and broke my head (this was the 2nd time). No one stopped to help me; no one spoke English. Finally, a colleague of JR's who was also working for the conference, found me and took me to the airport doctor, who shaved a bit of hair at the back of head (I had lots of hair then, so it did not show) gave me several stitches and a tetanus shot. The shot is what really bothered me for the next days, and I had to seek medication at a pharmacy where no one spoke English. I am telling you all this because in spite of this mishap and its lingering effects, I had a glorious time. I had been invited to give one of the daily keynote talks, and to a group of probably 500-1000 people I spoke about the excesses in Branagh's recent Hamlet film. In front of me, a friend and colleague was nodding his head up and down and smiling. But a scholar who had worked with Branagh on the film was in the audience also. Later, Diane, from MIT, praised me for demonstratimg bravery for criticizing the film with this man in the audience and said I was a good model for the many young scholars there.
One of the scholars was Sarah, who had written voluminously on Branagh's Hamlet, which she adored. She was very interested in my take on the film, and we bonded. Subsequently, she invited me to conferences in Rouen, where I presented various talks. That's where Michèle and Raymond live, and Merwin and I had opportunities to stay at their lovely home. Shakespeare has given me so much!
And to think, I took only one Shakespeare course (on the sonnets and other poems) in my graduate life: none as an undergraduate. I was completely self-taught as far as Shakespeare was concerned, but of course my teachers were the books I read and the film courses I taught.
What happy memories.
Our granddaughter Michelle spent the afternoon and evening with us. We did a few delightful things together. mostly talking, preparing food, looking over the clothes on the bed. And here it is 10 p.m. and I am not even tired, at least while I am sitting here.
Time to go to bed, though.
Love to all,
Bernice
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