Celebrating Sally's Recovery

Subject: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 12:23 AM

Sunday night the Once Born Poodle Players met with a bunch of our friends and put on a concert celebrating our autoharpist Sally's remarkable recovery from what was diagnosed as viral encephalitis. Sally was in a near coma for a few weeks, then started slowly recovering: regaining more and stronger consciousness, getting feeling back in her body and limbs, wiggling her toes and fingers, etc. There were some setbacks along the way, even after she had left intensive care for the rehab center. But then, with excellent physical therapy and a lot of support from her friends--and a lot of prayers and good wishes from Mudcatters--she progressed to regaining her mobility, first in a wheelchair, then on her feet with a lot of assistance, then about when she progressed to a walker she went home. This was in late spring. We soon began meeting at her house again for our weekly jams/practices, and soon she was playing the autoharp again and had exchanged the walker for a cane, and now she has abandoned the cane, and walks freely around her house, and with her helper walks a half a block or so and back to the house. She's a bit impatient with the pace of her recovery, but it seems like a miracle to the rest of the group.

Anyway, we had the party Sunday at the home of Nancy, our lead singer, and her husband Don, a potluck with delicious meat dishes prepared by Don. The first couple of hours was devoted to eating, then we got started. The group currently consists of three guitars, two banjos--one of whose playerws (yours truly) doubles on harmonica, Sally and her autoharps, a bass player whose seven year old daughter is one of our two fiddlers, a piano, and a mandolin, and supporting vocalists. We had song sheets for the guests and had a great time on such songs as "The Last Thing on My Mind," "Aragon Mill," "Shady Grove," "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" (featuring me on clawhammer breaks and solo vocals--and I tossed in a harmonica break), "The Wreck of the Old Ninety-Seven," "My Match Is Being Made,"--featuring the seven year old fiddler, and our real rouser, "Columbus Stockade Blues," a few spirituals--"Just a Closer Walk with Thee," "Amazing Grace," "Free Grace," and several fiddle tunes: "Old Joe Clark," "Salt Creek," "Soldier's Joy," and "Cripple Creek." We closed with "Irene, Goodnight." I'm probably forgetting a song or two. We also did a song our lead guitar/lead male singer Charlie wrote for Sally, "My Friend on the Strings"--kind of a Carter Family type tune, and an instrumental waltz, "Sally's Song," written by Walter, our piano player.

Sally played on all of our songs except the two dedicated to her and "My Match Is Being Made"--for which she doesn't have all the chords. She doesn't have the hand strength yet to get as much volume as she used to, but she's getting there, and she's able to keep up, even on our fastest numbers, "...Old 97" and "Columbus Stockade," and she takes breaks on almost all of them.

We have recently been joined by another fiddler--who couldn't make it to the party but is going to be regular, otherwise--Shelly Romalis, a friend of Rick's from Toronto. I invited her when I ran into her at the memorial concert for the wonderful Joy MacCarthy--who joined Mudcat but could never get it to open for her. Joy was playing regularly with our group last winter before her cancer came back with a vengeance. She had played with my teachers' strike band in 1975, but we lost contact, then met again at our local Irish pub, The Starry Plough (Shelly also plays there from time to time), and we connected more strongly at a song circle at Dave and Pam Swan's (the night Catspaw called and arrested me).

All our guests (including my brother and sister-in-law from Des Moines) seemed to have a great time. We're still holding our b

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 01:22 AM

Ahhhhhhhhh......SO nice to hear from you, Charles and to hear the good news of Sally's recovery and of all of the music!! I have missed you, dear friend. Thanks for letting us know.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 01:48 AM

I don't know why my message ended in the middle of the last sentence: We're still holding our breath (collective) about the recording and touring contract.

--seed

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 01:49 AM

I don't know Sally but a cheer from me all the same. A beautiful story with a wonderful prognosis. Blessings on ya.

Ebbie

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Night Owl
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 03:06 AM

Seed...that's exciting to hear...not only that she's doing so well....but that she's able to participate in sharing the music again and HUG her autoharp! I have no doubt that having friends like you, that have stuck by her side throughout, helped give her the internal energy to fight. Would your friends mind if you shared the lyrics for "Sally's Song" and "My Friend of the Strings" with us??

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: sledge
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 04:23 AM

Great news alround, a friend of mine has just gone through a similar ordeal. Its great to see them on their feet again.

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Micca
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 04:48 AM

Bravo, Charles, I am DELIGHTED at Sally's progress, and that she is back to making the Music, there are few things more deeply rewarding than the recovery of a friend...and it is nice to hear from you again too...

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Catrin
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 05:20 AM

I'll second Ebbie's post, I don't know the people involved but what a heartwarming story. It's good to hear such delightful news.

I'll drink a toast to you all tonight.

Catrin

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:10 AM

Its a fine ending for the story Seed. We remember how it began and Sally has been blessed to have friends like you, close and supporting, from beginning til end. I know how deeply this affected you and I'm glad for all of you that Sally is back.

Now no more lewd acts with a banjo and the police will stay away from your door.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: death by whisky
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 06:39 AM

I relly enjoyed reading that. My best wishes to you,Sally and all your families and friends

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:14 AM

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: GUEST,Michael in Swansea
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:19 AM

Oops the anonymous one above is me, finger trouble.
Anyway I just wanted to add my best wishes to Sally. God bless and may you always walk in sunshine.

M

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: jeffp
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 08:30 AM

It's so nice to start my day with good news! Congratulations to Sally, and welcome back, Seed. I am so glad that she is able to come back to the music. It will only get better.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: MMario
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 09:29 AM

great news.

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 07:13 PM

Fantastic!!! I remember Sally's illness threads as being one of the first ones I looked at here, she's like an old friend. Love to all and thank you so much for taking the time to drop in and remind us all that you are still out there. With friends like you, who needs chocolate?

LTS

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 10:16 PM

Squeakie, I think there are a bunch of Mudcatters who would say if they had to choose between chocolate and their friends would ask "What friends?"

And Micca, I hope you are back in good health as well--I checked in a few times over the past months to see you were having your own problems.

Night Owl, I'll have to check with Charlie about the lyrics to "Friend on the Strings." "Sally's Song" is an instrumental, and Walter, in writing it, did a fine job of suggesting the sound of Sally's harp playing. By the way, have you fully recovered from your fire (or was it a flood?)?

And thanks, everyone, for your kind words and thoughts.

--seed

MuhMario, have you and Pat managed to breed a litter of ceramic possums yet?

And Pat, the unnatural acts I perform with a banjo are not lewd, merely bad music. Some of my lyrics are lewd, I'll admit.

And, of course, kat, m'love, I hope you are feeling well and still chanelling the magic of the Mother Earth.

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 12:05 AM

Welcome home. Where the *bleep* ya been, Chas?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 01:04 AM

Geez, Barbara, with all the raunchy songs you sing you gotta bleep out hell? I don't know where I've been, but wherever it was I had a lot more time for reading than I had when I was stuck in the Mud.

Blessings yerself, Barb.

--Charles

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 01:06 AM

Oh, Charles, that's the nicest thing to say! I just love that and so does the "old ball of dirt", as my dad would call her.:-) Thanks, darlin'...it really is good to hear you, again.

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Barbara
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 02:03 AM

Oh, so you thought the missing word was "hell", did you?
Actually, I have learned from other Mudcatters who "work" that we routinely end up on the wrong side of the firewall because of the language here (not to mention content). So I've started leaving at least one letter out of my expletive of choice.
Great news about Sally!
I know what you mean about reading.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: kendall
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 08:52 AM

...seed you old coot! I'd heard you ran off with a Moldavian tuba player but evidently you came to your senses! Wonderful news about Sally. Give her my love...harpgirl (at Kendall's house)

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Áine
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 09:43 AM

Dear Charles,

This is such wonderful news about Sally! Often over the past months I've thought of her, and wondered how things were going. Thanks so much for letting us know how she is, and tell her that she's still very much in our thoughts.

-- Aine

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 10:09 AM

Heather and I are so glad to hear the good news. Thanks 'Seed.

Rick

Subject: RE: Celebrating Sally's Recovery
From: JedMarum
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 01:46 PM

Good news Seed, continued blessings to Sally. I enjoyed reading your update, I could smell the food, and hear the music! Best wishes to all ...