We've been on the road for about seven weeks; as I write this we are frantically searching for a suitable place to live in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Suffice it to say, we are feeling discouraged and depressed by the cost of living change from rural Kansas to Charlotte where a pretty dismal rental in Queen City costs considerably more than a nice rental in the lands of prairie where Dorothy and Toto once roamed. 

On a more positive note, what I can say is that over the course of the summer I have touched the fiddle once.  One time!  Whoa, you say!  Yes, I reply.  Taking time off from most anything can be a good thing.  It gives one the chance to recharge the battery and mend nagging over-use injuries that are easily (conveniently) overlooked otherwise.  Sometimes, other parts of life demand our full attention and rather than fighting against that fact, it is wise to give fiddling a break.  That all being said--and saying it is way too easy--I know it will take me about four or five weeks of consistent practice to bring back the chops.  Maybe even longer.  But the time away will have been worth it.

Of course, I'd much rather practice fiddle than slog through pages of FOR RENT in the local paper!