Thank you all for the thoughts and/or prayers. Sorry to have avoided you all for this time. My wife is doing fairly well, no major physical problems other than the fact that her right arm doesn't work real well. She can slowly lift her forearm, but not the upper arm. Also her blood pressure has been high and they are trying to control it with pills, rather than in her IV. Shingles are clearing up and it seems her confusion may be getting better. So, yes, there is hope.

Our son and daughter in law stayed with me Saturday and Sunday and our daughter came down from Wisconsin on Sunday and has been staying with me while going to a work seminar/training in Elgin (about 1/2 hour from here). It has been very comforting and helpful.

I ended up not eating and drinking enough and I got treated in the ER on Sunday after showing up at my wife's room barely able to walk and a little spaced out. Amazing what a bag of saline solution can do to rectify that! lol

Monday night, I actually played my viola for about 1/2 hour, just running through many of the latest tunes that I've been learning. Think I'll try a few more this morning before heading back to the hospital to see when she can hopefully be moved to the rehab facility across the street from the hospital.

First a quick update. She is doing much better. Although her right arm still has limited movement, her confusion is much reduced. She has occasional lapses, but they are fewer and of less concern. She was moved into a rehab hospital yesterday and is starting her various forms of therapy. We are much relieved!!!

@ELCBK, @Mouse, @Mark, and @SharonC - Thanks for the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

@stringy - Thanks to you, also and I would love to get together with you in person, though that will probably never happen.

Now the fretless news. I received "The Traveler" this afternoon and couldn't be happier that @Fiddlerman has allowed it to come into the possession of this learning viola player. I've recorded two videos already, to commemorate the day. The first showing the unpacking and the second, my early attempts to play it with my viola sized hands. Hope everyone likes them!

@ELCBK, @ABitRusty, @Mark, and @SharonC - Thanks for thinking of us, and I'm really happy to have The Traveler!

Got a half hour in today (I still have son, daughter-in-law and grandkids here). I decided to learn The Ash Grove violin first part and try to put together a trio to share with all. Also got in some Amazing Grace and Wayfaring Stranger.

@Mouse, We're encouraged about her progress thus far, and hope it continues at this pace. She still has temporal glitches (thinking her mother is still alive for example), and can't remember some sequence of events.

The practice thus far today was on the violin! Hopefully will play some viola, too.