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Monday, November 19, 2012

The Little Gold Piano

Julie Christie and Omar Sharif--such a story.

When I was a girl, my jobs included dusting the mahogany breakfront and the rungs of the matching dining room chairs, waxing the wood floor for big holidays and polishing my mother's perfume tray. It was a mirrored rectangle, with a lacy golden rim. Along with the bottles of My Sin was a little treasure that I carefully lifted and buffed to a shine with the soft yellow flannel cloth. It was a golden piano, lined with crimson velvet, and my father had given it to my mother.

When you opened the embossed lid, it played "Lara's Theme," aka "Somewhere My Love," from the movie "Doctor Zhivago."

But it wasn't until tonight, when I checked to see what was on my favorite channel [#43, Turner Classic Movies, or TCM] that I came upon the film, made in 1965. I tuned in after it started but didn't miss much....felt I was somehow getting to know my mother by watching it. What an extravagant film, what beautiful images....snow drifts....icicles dripping like rock candy.....frozen crystals on windows...fur hats and muffs....and a field of daffodils after a winter thaw. And what a love story. Poignant , painful....and passionate. A man married to one woman but in fiery love with another, who inspires his poetry. How gorgeous Julie Christie and Omar Sharif are....

"My mother loved this movie," I said to Figgy, who was sitting close to me on the couch. "Remember that little golden piano that Grandpa gave her?" I thought I had shown it to Figgy, but maybe not. She didn't remember.

I also don't know where it is right now....maybe Sis has it....and now I'm wondering, if "Doctor Zhivago" came out when I, the youngest of her four childen, was 4, how did my mother even see it at the movies? Did my oldest brother watch us? It's not like with Figgy, who can remember sitters coming when H. and I went out....

When I dusted, I wound the little music box key and played the song. I can hear it now.

Good night.

TCOY
  1. Boot camp in the park.
  2. Bubble bath.
  3. Spent almost seven hours with Patsy having fun---she's making Thanksgiving dinner for 13 and wanted to make pies from scratch. We made lists, shopped, mixed, rolled and baked in that time. Patsy had her grandma's recipe, and I had my grandma's old wood rolling pin. We made four disks of Patsy's heirloom dough and eight disks of a butter crust from Fine Cooking. We did two double-crust apple pies, two pecan, and Pasty made her pumpkin and a prebaked crust for a chocolate mousse pie. We even called Cathy, my friend in the Good Housekeeping Food Department, who gave us an answer on freezing apple pie ahead of time. I thought Pats could freeze an unbaked apple pie and bake it later, but it turns out Cathy & Co. thought it would be better to bake it and freeze it baked, then warm it before serving. We were so glad to get Cathy's seal of approval. :)

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