Before I got sick, I was learning to play the Irish fiddle. MG took that away from me, because fiddling requires upper arm strength and the use of the neck muscles. But YouTube has videos of old-time Appalachian fiddlers who hold the instrument all wrong: they hold it down in front of them, so they're not holding their arms up at all. And they don't tuck it under their chins. It's enough to make a violinist cringe, but in folk music, anything goes!

So, I am working on a version of the old-time fiddling style that doesn't stress my arm and neck muscles. I can play just as well as before. Which is to say, pretty terrible. But, this is a wonderful boost to my morale.

Abby