On the cusp of a 3-day weekend, the last until Memorial Day.....ugh, that's not a happy proposition...classic Northwest winter weather - grey, fog, mizzly drist. Great for curling up in front of a fire with a great book or a project. Me, I'm headed to the Garden Show after work....I need to see something growing besides my waist and my Visa bill...

More developments on the voice front, not all of which are positive. First of all, keep it in perspective: I do not have a fatal disease, my kids aren't featured on the 6 o'clock news, I have a great marriage. Having issues with my voice does not rate high on the disaster scale.  It's just damnably annoying, and more than a little unnerving. The good news is that the chronic cough of mysterious origin is under tentative control, and a plan is in place should it decide to return. The voice is a bit less definitive. In another week or so, I will begin voice therapy, whatever that entails. All I know is that right now, when I try to sing the way I always have, there are large and embarrassing gaps where sound ought to be. I squeak and croak, and it's not nice to listen to.  So we'll see where that goes.  As a result, I have officially decided to relinquish my role as Saturday music leader at church, and I have withdrawn from the Bravo Chorale. For me, those are profound decisions. But I feel much more relaxed having made them. Maybe without the expectation/obligation of those roles, I can focus more on the reasons why my body has decided to revolt via my voice. ("Your body is revolting...."  "You're not kidding!")  I plan on working in the yard when the weather cooperates, focusing on house projects, and following my heart as much as possible. Even if that is not the answer, it will be fun....