OK, here's one. I don't think this qualifies as suicide, quite, but it should be in a book somewhere. As most of you know, I regularly play at our local nursing home, and it usually goes over very well.One night, however, Miss Julia, who had Alzheimer's, apparently decided she did not want us in her living room.

She glared daggers at us all evening, and wandered in circles from the front door of the Activity Room out the back door, always cutting very close in front of the band, between us and the audience.About 45 minutes into the program, she walked up to the band and glared deeply into each of us' eyes--real one on one in your face.

We all kept smiling, and gently avoiding her while continuing to play. Suddenly, Miss Julia had HAD ENUF!! She swung her arm at the other fiddler. The bow went one way (I caught it), the fiddle the other,(guitar player caught it),Dana the fiddler gently led Miss Julia to her seat,(where she did stay, apparently her point made), retrieved her instrument, and resumed playing.

None of the band missed a beat except the guitar player--takes 2 hands to catch a flying fiddle. I learned that I can catch a flying bow with my right hand while continuing to left hand pizzacato. It was VERY funny, but also so sad. What could have been going on in her memories? Since then, we have always had a Staff person in the room with us, but if you can play Nursing Homes, bars are a cinch!