In the Labyrinth

A Quick Postcard from the State Hospital for Insane.

Among the many letters I have been archiving from my great, great grandparents in Valley City, North Dakota was this unusual gem. A quick postcard from Hilda (which at that time, judging by the hundreds of postcards I have was the early 20th century version of a paper tweet) alerting my great grandmother that she had missed the train out of Fergus Falls, MN and would be arriving a day late to Valley City.

But she chose this post card of the "State Hospital of Insane" (even the odd grammar of this title suggests something is off about the place) on which to write and then send her message. Were there no postcards of flowers? Or Puppies in teacups? (I have plenty of those). I mean, who chooses such a card off the rack? And I wonder how great grandmother Jennie Westergaard felt when she laid eyes on it for the first time. Did she know from the front that only Hilda could have sent it? And then...she saved the card, put it in a leather bound scrapbook made expressly for storing one's postcards. I am now on a hunt through all the cards and letters to see if Hilda shows up again in the mail. She seems like someone I might like to know.

I also learned from Wes Anderson, director of the Barnes County Historical Society in Valley City that Fergus Falls is currently working on a project to restore and re-purpose the old asylum into new apartments. And while I am always glad to see historical buildings given a new life, I can't shake the thought that this sounds like the plot of half a dozen horror movies where happy young couples meet angry, insane ghosts in their kitchens, bedrooms, and hallways.

A Sad Farewell To Jean Redpath

I was so very sad to learn that Scottish folksinger Jean Redpath has died, August 21, 2014 -- here in Arizona at a hospice. She was easily the most powerful voice of my childhood -- and her album "Skippin' Barfit Through the Heather" with its achingly beautiful traditional Scottish songs, and her gorgeous voice, slow and unhurried, mostly accapella completely captivated me. I think I wore down the grooves on the record, playing and replaying songs that I still sing today when I am tasked at work, driving, or just on my own. Here are two of my favorite songs from the first album: 

"Rue" -- the cautionary song of man's feckless love.

 

"Skippin' Barfit Through the Heather" -- the title song of her first album and so embedded in my ear that I sing it often to myself, half under my breath but always imagining that brief, poignant encounter on the hills between the nobleman and the country girl. 

 

It is so worth getting her other albums again -- for her renditions of the child ballads and traditional Scottish songs are the best -- just that amazing voice. This album (Skippin' Barfit Through the Heather" doesn't seem to be available any more, but Amazon does carry "The Song of the Seals" which simply gorgeous, along with "Frae My Aine Countrie" --also fabulous.