Surgery, Life, Survival and New Projects

December through New Year's day was a whirlwind of gigs and rehearsals, followed by one day's rest and a trip to the hospital for some necessary surgery.

I debated about whether or not I should write about my worsening medical condition but wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I mean, just how much do you really want to know about my colon? On January 3, I reluctantly went under the knife for the removal of a 'complex fistula'. You can Google it if you'd like to learn more but I don't recommend it.

I'm quite frightened by hospitals but I'm also quite sure that worry can harm you just as severely as any knife or bacterial growth so I chose to prepare for the ordeal by staying as busy as possible. It worked. Here I am on the other side of this traumatic event. Except for the fact that I can't sit for very long, I'm doing just fine. I've been weaned from the pain medication and have ventured out with friends a couple of times in the past few days. Life goes on and I have some really exciting projects coming up.

We will of course be organizing the Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival again for 2006. The dates will be June 23 to 25 at the Mountain Arts Community Center on Signal Mountain. Watch for more details in coming days.

I'm also very excited about my current recording project which is a music video style DVD shot with HD (high definition) camera's at various locations around Chattanooga. Our tentative release date for this project is mid-April. It will contain some new material as well as a few songs from my past projects. I'm also working on a music book to go along with the DVD to help other hammer dulcimer players learn the tunes.

I want to say a big thank you to those of you who ordered my Winter Mix CD. Your tremendous response was encouraging and allows me to keep on making music. THANKS!!!! ¶ 12:27 PM