Voice Lessons and Neuropathy

Yesterday I went for my first voice lesson. Christian Fernandez Larumbe is going to try to teach this old man a few new tricks. Woof, woof!

The first lesson was encouraging, Christian is a very good and very patient teacher. My goal is to be able to sing along with my ukulele and not be an embarrassment to myself or those around me! If I can improve my singing to keep up with my improving ukulele skills I will be happy. Don't expect me to get up on stage but perhaps I can make a few bucks on the street in Glen Ellyn as a busker. I've got the ukulele, the kazoo, and a little chair. All I need is a battery powered amplifier and I am set.

Did I mention I got a new ukulele? I got a new ukulele. It is a tenor size from Mainland Ukes of Nashville, Indiana. One of the resons I picked it was the fact that the company is in Indiana and the ukuleles they sell are finished there. It is hard in this price range to find a uke not made in China. Mainland's are, but they are completed here. It makes 'em "kinda local." My Mainland uke is, as you can see from the photo below, very pretty, solid mahogany, with purfling around the body and the head. Glossy goodness! And it sounds great. It is not as loud as my all koa soprano Koaloha but it does sound great. Turns out it is a bit easier to play because there is a little more space between the frets which gives my fingers a little more room.

Neuropathy and other things. My son seems to be allergic to foods in the nightshade family - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and such. He has had severe reactions and his arthritis does flair up with these foods. Last week after having potatoes on Sunday my hips started hurting. Then on Wednesday I had some roasted red pepper soup and that night the tendons and muscles from my elbows down my lower arms became tender. These have me thinking that I might suffer from some nighshade allergies also. Now, you would think I would avoid nightshade foods? No, I have tomatoes, and baked potatoes and fries, and put hot sauce on eggs. These are foods I enjoy eating and therefor I must make a conscious decision to avoid them. Not as easy as it sounds.

On the neuropathy front, my fingers and feet seem to be in improving and backsliding in waves. Some days better, some days worse, but overall improving. A few months ago I could not bear to walk barefoot outside. Now I can. A few months ago I could not bear to touch the strings on my ukulele, now I can and am practicing daily. I continue to see improvement.

This weekend we went to Davenport to cheer on Kathy in her marathon relay bid. She did well and we enjoyed seeing her and Kevin and Brady. It was also Rich Brady's birthday and he and Christine were in Davenport also and we got to sing happy birthday to Rich.