DLD| Myshkin Warbler |Ep 59

Raised in Indiana, Myskin's first experience with desert was on family vacations. "A famous family story is: as a child, I would run to the top of the tallest rock I could and scream, 'I'm in heaven!' I think I really appreciated the desert from a young age". And many years later, finds herself living in the desert. Before coming to live in the desert, Myshkin was a traveler, leaving Indiana at the age of 22, with her guitar, writing and playing music. She toured throughout the states and overseas; either booking her own gigs or luckily traveling with friends who knew locals. She lived in New Orleans for awhile, then traded the humidity for cooler, greener climes in Oregon. What she wouldn't know until later, was that she and her future lover and wife, were traveling in each other's universes for a long time. When Myshkin played a tour stop in Joshua Tree, a mutual friend introduced Myshkin to Jenny Qaqundah - sparks flew and a few months later, Myshkin was leaving Oregon to live in Joshua Tree. Neither of them could have foreseen the formidable challenge they would soon face. After a simple surgery, Jenny (podcast Ep 28) contracted sepsis, was in a coma for six to seven days, in the hospital for months, resulting in the loss of her legs from the knees down. Myshkin and Jenny persevered and have taken this harrowing experience, so early in their relationship, and created great beauty from it. Jenny wrote about her own experiences and invited friends in the community to contribute their points of view, which culminated in her recently released book, 'Held Together'. Myshkin's recently released record, 'Trust and the High Wire' is their love story, one that started in a dream before they'd ever met. Myshkin, who once thought she'd be an actor, is writing, working on a musical theatre piece and is putting more theatrics along side her live music performances to immerse the audience more fully in her dense lyrics and haunting melodies. And, learning patience through parenting - something she'd never thought she'd be doing - and loving every minute of it. www.myshkinwarbler.com Photo credit: Heike Binder Altziebler