Greetings:

I got back from NEFFA last night to find up to an inch and a half of water flooding the low point of the basement, an area of about 30 square feet. I spent a couple of hours pumping out what I could, but the pump shut down when the water level dropped below a quarter of an inch, so I now need to mop up the rest.

I'm happy to say I got a chance to say hello to Sinsull for the first time in a couple of years, and at the same time had a chance to meet Jacqui for the first time ever. I also mangaed to say hello to Dick and Susan, and I ran into all the Chucks repeatedly. However, for a good portion of the weekend I was more than a bit out of sorts. Two of the four people in MacDougal Street Rent Party who were supposed to be at NEFFA had to cancel at the last moment for personal reasons. Fortunately, I managed to draft two quick replacements at the very last moment for our Sunday morning children's concert, NEFFA performer Heather Lev and audience member Axel Henri. Even with only 10 minutes to rehearse the event went off without a hitch. We had about 20 kids and nearly an equal number of adults in the audience, and I don't think any of them suspected that Heather and Axel were pinch hitters until I said so.

On top of that, it is too early to tell if my phyical therapy for osteoarthritis and carpal syndrome will be successful. I still have a limited range of motion in and around my left shoulder from the former, and number and tingling in both hands from the latter. At least I can still play the guitar, although I don't always know where my fingers are. Not that it matters very much. You know, close enough for folk music. [Joke.]

One thing that I will certainly remember about this festival is Midchuck explaining his plan for long term health care insurance. If he ever faces some progressive debilitating disease such as Alzheimer's, he told me he would go and murder all the people he has fantasies of killing. He would then spend the rest of his life at taxpayer expense in the prison wing of some cozy Vermont nursing home. I guess that's socialized medicine Northern New England style. [Also joke, so I presume.]

--- Steve