Amen Brother.

Yeah and the Animal was part of it.

For those who don't know the Animal he was a long time friend, he was Bi-Polar, he spent most of it un-medicated.

When we first bought the farm Animal stayed on the property while I finished my last 6 months of work 440 miles south. I moved every thing up to the farm on weekends with the pickup and trailer. I had no worries of the house being broken into with Animal on the farm. He also converted the brick open building with a metal roof into a workshop.

Animal had a rough time he worked as a bouncer in NYC, he was also the Sgt. of Armes of the NYC HAMC, think Sons of Anarchy except a real world wide MC. He'd start talking about those days and I'd just shut him down, I didn't want to know.

Dude you've got the one skill that transcend aging like no other, one in which you've invested a lot of time, resources and labor.

It is this that I am shifting into, I'm easily spending 2 to 3 hours a day at it. You've got great things you can do with it, you just need to work on the stage fright thing. Just my humble opinion, and I have been humbled, and very recently too. As you've learned from so much else in your life, it's the biggest hurdles that are the ones most worthy of conquest.

The first day at Bass and Nature Camp, as we all were having our evening meal Victor Wooten wrote on a large white board, "imagine describing who you are in 60 seconds then playing it on the bass" Tonight at 9:00pm.

On stage, alone, with a microphone, with Victor Wooten, Chuck Rainey, Steve Bailey, Anthony Wellington, Dave Welsch and 65 other students in the audience who are mostly professionals, I played my 60 seconds. It was every bit as intense as the first time I took the stage at the age of 13, maybe more so. And I did it well, as was pointed out to me by both Victor and Anthony, in class.

Do you know "Time is Tight" by Brooker T and the MGs "o) Do you need a "B3" and a Leslie?

I'm sorry my friend.  RIP Animal.  He was always nice and respectful to me.   I did know about your Mom.  I know you have a close family.

I just had a bad few days, Moe.  I'm doing a lot better than the last coupla years physically.  Had the Perfect Storm of button pushing when we got back from NC.  I don't like leaving the mountains anyway.


One thing I've learned, all I have to do is look around me and see all those people who are much worse off than me.

Thanks for the empathy.

Tony