It wasn't a good week in Lake Wobegon. Prairie Home Companion's masterful sound effects man, Tom Keith, died suddenly this week. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Keith's prowess, I can only say that he must have driven his teachers nuts from an early age. His genius was, in my opinion, enormous. In his monologue, Garrison Keillor could verbally throw the kitchen sink (and I'm positive Keith could have produced a sound for that) at Tom Keith and Keith never missed a beat. Submarines could dive, shopping carts could bang into cars, babies could throw up, tires could go flat, crickets could chirp and trees could fall, all within seconds of each other and listeners would hear the nuance of each sound. Keith's sound effects "partner in crime", Fred Newman will most certainly feel the loss of Tom Keith as will the listeners of Prairie Home Companion.
But, this past week was rather like Lake Wobegon, should Lake Wobegon be anything other than fictional. It has felt like Garrison Keillor wrote a chapter straight out of Lake Wobegon's annals, and I was smack in the middle of it like a character in Keillor's musings. A death, bad news for a friend, incomplete commitments (No, not from Capt. SO.), all contributed to a Keillor-like tale to spin for these past few days. At least there was no infidelity on the part of the postman with the church organist, Pastor's daughter didn't run away with the circus, and the dish did not run away with the spoon.
Staying with more Keillor-like content, the big church dinner is tomorrow night. I cannot imagine how Keillor would play out this event but, for me, I hope that all goes according to plan. Keillor would have a family of mice run through the legs of the eldest female member of the church or some farcical event like that. Perhaps he would have a roving band of gypsy's show up, last minute, requesting a place in which to perform gypsy music for the diners.
Whatever Lake Wobegon would endure, let's just say that what happens in Lake Wobegon stays in Lake Wobegon.
I know Tom Keith is entertaining people somewhere in the deep blue sky.
Ancora imparo
