More Florida News...

Here I am again. Life has been strange and stressful in some ways in Florida...and greatly enjoyable and rewarding in others.

Just at the beginning of the year my good young friend, talented songwriter Austin Truax, from northern Nebraska, away up on the border of South Dakota, arrived to spend some time with me. His wife, Rebecca, and kids Shane, 13, and Makayla, 11, remained in the blizzard-blighted midwest so he could come here to find work and prepare the way for them all to leave the midwest permanently. (Rebecca has a job in the midwest that they couldn't give up just yet.) The family moved to Nebraska from the west (Montana) a couple of years ago, but have not found Nebraska a place where they want to stay. Austin has been looking for, and finding, work here so he can move the family to the Sunshine State. We've been baching it here, and getting along fine. I've been giving him a place to live and teaching him about songwriting. He's learned to eat some of my concoctions. He's been helping me out with household maintenance. And firewood hauling and splitting.

The Sunshine State has not been very sunny for a couple of weeks this month! We've experienced nothing close to weather as awful as the blizzards that have afflicted many northern parts of the United States---but we have passed through the longest bitterly cold spell of weather in Florida's recorded history! One day it was actually colder here in the morning than it was in Juneau, Alaska!! I have a good fireplace and plenty of firewood to burn, so Austin and I stayed warm, but I HATE cold weather and so was very glad when it blew out of here a couple of days ago. It is still not quite as warm as it usually gets in January in Florida, but the sun is back out and the temperatures are pleasant. I hope I have no more such cold weather to report while I am here at home.

Music has been going very well. After many long spells of mixing and mastering I have completed my new Roll On CD, and it went off to the manufacturer just yesterday. South Texas readers (and others)---I'll have some copies for sale at my Texas performances coming up, with Terry Smith in the "Texas Riviera" valley, and at the Rio Grande Festival in Mercedes, Texas. Folks, I'm proud of the way this CD came out, and I hope you will all like it a lot. Come and get 'em!

Here is the Texas schedule: http://www.cgmusicman.com/venues.htm#Section%202

The CD will soon be available online (but not yet) on the Purchases page of my web site.

Here: http://www.cgmusicman.com/purchases.htm

The path has been a little rocky for me lately, healthwise. My environmental allergies (pollen, etcetera) have been kicking up seriously here in Florida. I've finally gotten the allergies under control thanks to some sage advice from health counselors at the online Institute for Healthy Living, where I was advised to use Allergy Formula by VitaLogic, an herbal blend, and a good probiotic. These two have done wonders for the allergy problem. It is not gone, but it is greatly reduced.

For some years now I've been having a problem with intermittent numbness, tingling, and some pain in my left shoulder, arm, and hand. This is something that happens to a number of lifelong guitarists. I hadn't worried about it much, but I thought I ought to go see someone about it. I don't go to drug-and-surgery doctors, but a good integrative medical clinic was recommended to me. I went there. Kind of wish I hadn't.

At the clinic the lead doctor directed me to an on-staff chiropractor. I went and had a treatment. Big mistake. After the treatment, I found that the pain and numbness and tingling had escalated from occasional to constant. Against my better judgment, and sort of by mistake (long story) I went to the chiropractor again a few days later...and again his treatment made my problem markedly worse. There has also been enough pain at night since then that I have not been able to sleep at all well. I have not had a full night's sleep since I first visited that chiropractor.

No more chiropractor!! Now I'm seeing the doctor again, a massage therapist, and a physical therapist, all associated with the clinic. I'm feeling a slight slow improvement now. No more chiropractor. It seems I have inflamed nerves caused by overwork, repetitive strain, and some arthritis in my back. Bummer. I'm working on it.

Sometimes I find places I really like to perform, and one I found recently is Kojak's Rib House in Palmetto, Florida. I did a show at the end of last year there, loved it, and did another one on January 12. Once again I had a large and warmly receptive audience. Once again the food was GREAT. Many folks came out especially to hear me. As usual in Florida, Carl Wade (guitar) and Rick Kennedy (bass fiddle) accompanied me. I thought the evening went very well indeed. I did a wide range of material, from vintage jazz to ragtime to country to blues and more, including some of my own compositions. I sang and played only guitar and mandolin. Was glad to find that my troubles with pain and numbness in my left shoulder/arm/hand did not seem to interfere with my playing at all. I have already found ways to deal with the problem a bit. I refuse to be restricted in doing what I was born to do.

Onward!! :=))

I appreciate all of your e-mails of interest in and support of what I do. Makes me feel great. I'm also starting to use Facebook a little bit, so maybe I'll see you there.

More next time!!