I play:
* Saltarelle Bourroche chromatic button accordion
* Ozark 2240 Mandolin
In my spare time I run https://www.mudchutney.co.uk selling folk music and celtic themed t-shirts, hoodies etc.
So, I know many of you will have as a first reaction to this, "Damn, Tuck, thanks for bringing the entire room down!" Sorry.
So I have pretty profound CHF and, as you would expect, I've spent a lot time learning about the pathology of this disease. And, let me add, I feel great today. I regularly get out and take five mile walks and enjoy every step. And, a couple of years ago, they installed my "little buddy", a pacemaker/defibrulator combo.
But, I have no delusions: the way CHF works is you can be completely asymptematic and then, out of nowhere, have a massive coronary event. The end result is I'm not going to be the cat that makes it to his mid-90's. I'm just not. I am SO blessed that, when I had two strokes that were the first indications of this disease, that they left NO residual damage. That is very rare. So, right now, I'm working and living my life; raising my 17 year old son who is a great kid and, by far, the best thing in my life. The purpose of this is to say that at 58, and I'm actuallly considerably "older" than alot of you guys that are in your 60's and 70's. And, yeah boy, does shit like this elevate your daily appreciation of the time you have left!! Let's be better "old guys" than we were "young guys". These kids coming up behind us could sure use the example!
"I actually wanted to be a drummer, but I didn't have any drums." - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Northfield F5S "Blacktop", K&K Pickup
And we got to see those too! I still love the music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. It makes me wonder what I am still here for when I look at the obituaries and see people younger than me passing away. I believe we live till we accomplish what we are meant to accomplish - maybe I am supposed to become great at mandolin! Then I guess I will live to about age 150! LOL!!!
As one who is veryclose to celebrating 72 years on this earth, I'm not singing the blues any more - "Woke up this morning" is quite good enough for me.
More seriously, age is just a number, attitude is what it's about. In my time I've known old men of 25 and youngsters in their 80'sand I think a friend of mine who's even older than me summed it up beautifully. "If you think old, you'll be old. If you think young, you'll never be old."
Me? I'm just starting out.
Practice random kindness and acts of senseless beauty.
Somewhat altered and borrowed from Pete Seeger (last verse):
I prefer the "eat a good breakfast," as Seeger sang, to "walk up the stairs." If you saw me in person, you'd realize how much I prefer eating to stair-climbing.
The origins of the song Get Up and Go are somewhat obscure; I always thought Malvina Reynolds wrote it, but apparently not. Someone traced it to a poem printed in a Midwest newspaper; perhaps Reynolds set it to the tune...? Dunno.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
From a recent photo and a 28 year old photo, I'm told I haven't changed a bit, lol! My shirt hasn't aged either!
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are"-Satchel Paige
Not all the clams are at the beach
Arrow Manouche
Arrow Jazzbo
Arrow G
Clark 2 point
Gibson F5L
Gibson A-4
Ratliff CountryBoy A
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