[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..It has rained here all week..Now I know what the rainy season in the Northwest is about..Speaking of rainy season, we went down to some lake that I cant recall the name of right now, and drove down this dirt road about 5 miles into the rainforest, with a view of the snow covered Cascades on the way in..Absolutely spectacular!..On the way down we saw the Native Indians shore seining in the Hood Canal..So we pulled over and I got out and introduced myself, and talked with them for a bit, while they waited for an outboard powered skiff pulled the seine out straigt, and made an arc towards the shore..They began pulling the
1000' seine in by hand with four men on the corkline and one man on the lead line for two salmon, and one was too small to keep..Interesting nonetheless

On Thursday afternoon we headed out to Seattle in the pouring rain to get a room so we could get a good nights rest for Laura's MRI and CT Scan at 6:00 am on Friday morning..The MRI and the CT Scan of her DBS showed that a lead is in the wrong area of the brain, and was placed in the wrong place during the original surgery in 2003..So she is looking into having surgery done to correct the problem, and hopefully enjoy some better quality of life in the future..Please continue to remember Laura in your prayers

Outside of Laura's pd troubles, we have been having fun, good conversation, and getting closer and closer as we continue to get to know each other..Ive discovered that she is a musical genius, and has alot of impressive original songs..What was very profound a few mornings ago, was the fact that Laura was having a tough day..She was sitting at her computer, dyskinetic trying to eat her breakfast, and stumbles over to the piano, losing her balance terribly a couple of times, and nearly falling face first..She makes it to the piano bench and sits down, and I sat in awe as this beautiful music emerges from the piano..And I said.."Ya know..Its a miracle that you can play that piano in the shape you're in this morning"..and she replied.."When God gives us gifts, He doesnt take them away"

How was your week?

[rosebud]

well I finally got my motor running and am working on a new piece of art. I just sold a set of Parrots (colored pencil work) which will help with my Christmas expenses. And if all goes well I may sell some additional work as well.

It took me a day or to to recover from the Seattle conference. For those of you who may not know, Max and I drove down in his old Caravan and it got us to the hotel and then it died. So in the end we ended up renting a car to get back up to Canada. The Caravan has gone to a new home with a loving family that is going to rebuild its engine. We wish them all luck with their "new"
vehicle.

The weather up here has been raining cats and dogs too (what a peculiar expression that is). I havn't even changed all the clocks in the house to the new time yet....if I wait long enough I won't have to.

Well it's fairly obvious I have nothing to say. I remember Charles M. Shultz (the guy who created "peanuts") saying something like this: I think I've discovered the secret of life.....you just hang around till you get used to it.

Just thought I'd share that with you. It's always nicer when you can take something away with you. Make you feel less like the last two hours you spent onthe internet were not a complete waste of time.

[RLSmi]

where we visited with oldest son and family. Also attended the Illinois state High School crosscountry track meet in Peoria. Grandson Nathan was a competitor and did well, posting a decent time which was a personal best. Finished the trip home this morning through driving rain. No fun!

Always great to hear form all of you guys.

Steve, praying for Laura at this difficult time. Pleased that you were there to share the miracle of her music.

Rosie, always good to hear from you. Keep up the artistry!

Robert

[harley]

working on songs...

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...?bandID=134275

[jcitron]

Hi everyone,

This has been a good week for me too. I've ended my current class on Monday, and I've had the rest of the week off which has been great. I feel funny not typing papers and answering questions, but the funny feeling is nice while it lasts. I start again next Tuesday on my next class. Yay! This will leave me with 5 classes left for my BSIT degree.

Anyway, I did some yard clean-up on Sunday and ended up with really bad tremors in my right hand and arm. I was using a leafblower to push the leaves into the woods. When I got done, it was time for my next round of medication and when I went to take the meds I could barely keep the glass of water straight. This kept up for the rest of the night, but I was back to my internal tremors the next day. This is the first time I've ever experienced this type of tremor.

Steve, your friend Laura is right. God doesn't take away gifts like that. I'm still playing the piano and clavichord on a nearly daily basis. I have good days and bad days (my opinion based on my perfectionist scale), but I take the good ones and let the bad ones float under the bridge.

I will keep Laura in my prayers.

John

[Chicory]

Concerning music, playing the piano, and Parkinson's, watch this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nnLT...eature=related
Oliver Sacks talks about music therapy and Parkinson's and tells about a woman with advanced Parkinson's who could still play the piano.

[jcitron]

Originally Posted by Chicory

Concerning music, playing the piano, and Parkinson's, watch this :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nnLT...eature=related
Oliver Sacks talks about music therapy and Parkinson's and tells about a woman with advanced Parkinson's who could still play the piano.

I saw this video. It's very interesting. She's completely imobile until she hears Chopin's Fantasy, which is really a nice piece. I happened to be learning the piece right now. It's not easy, but I'm getting through it slowly.

John