On Sep 4, 2015, at
3:42 PM, Ronald Rutowski
<R.RUTOWSKI@asu.edu> wrote:
Dear Tom:
I just visited you web site and learned of your
terribly damaging fall this summer. I was at
least glad to hear that you seem to be
successfully recovering with solid hope of being
able to play music again, at least more than just
the uke.
You must know the story about Les Paul breaking
his elbow and having it set so his elbow was at
the right angle to play guitar. Was there
any such repair strategy called for in your case?
I hope this finds you well and continuing on your
way to recovery.
Cheers,
Ron
Dear Ron,
Thanks very kindly for visiting my web page and
writing me. I recall your bike crash and your
bow arm all messed up.
Good news finally: I am now able to play guitar a
little and ALL of the chords and other things will
work.
The middle finger MUST bend and I dislocated it so
badly that I was quite worried.
The key to success was a vanilla D. Picture one.
It was discouraging at first but I finally can
make that chord it with my customary ease. The
D-shape middle finger bend gives me back my ever
present minor 7th flat 5, my favorite augmented,
as well as soul stirring minor sixths and
crispy diminisheds. The doctor was so gloomy about
my hand. "This is the classic injury that tends to
stay stiff. Just warning you." said he. I believed
him because my hand was wrecked.
It's ALL nearly back to my surprise. The index
still fusses some but it will get better. The hand
doctor is surprised.
My left hand is still a claw in the morning, but I
can squash it into shape and play guitar. Later
when the swelling goes down it will be perfect.
Ah, there was a strategy to the surgery although
it didn't have to do with guitar playing: Perhaps
you know about it. I have a total reverse shoulder
replacement and that means that the ball is on top
and the socket below. They say that this will
allow me to use my deltoid muscle to lift my arm.
You may not know that my arm was already quite
gimpy from a bike crash injury that was not
repairable--well not without a new shoulder. So
now it should be better than before. I would have
preferred to skip the surgery and keep my lame
right arm the way it was, but in the end it's a
plus. I guess. I had no choice in any case.
I didn't know I'd even broken my shoulder because
I was so horrified at my ruined left hand with the
finger sticking sideways. They asked me if
anything else hurt and I said my shoulder did and
x-rays revealed multiple fractures. Ow.
It’s only been in the last week or so that I’ve
been able to use my right arm. For six weeks I
could only make a fist and bend my elbow. I can
now eat with a fork carefully, use the computer
mouse, touch type, pick up a coffee cup sort of,
wipe the countertops down a little and do lots of
other things and the improvements are coming very
fast all of a sudden. It’s getting closer to
normal all the time. When I can pull a gear shift,
I’ll be able to drive.
I remember the Les Paul story. I think it was Mary
Ford who crashed the car and he took forever to be
able to play again. (I now see in Wikipedia the
part about setting of his arm at an angle.) People
more often give me the Django Reinhardt recovery
example to which I reply, "Yeah, but he had
talent!"
Well, thanks for your note and for looking at my
webpage which has become a site of considerable
size and interest.
Yours,
Tom
THE BELOW EMAIL I THINK IS
THURSDAY SEPTEMPER 14 1995
Superstitions
11/11/2011 WENT WITH DITS AND
STEVE. Oh, what scenery. Balancing rocks. Saguaro
forests. I had my bad bpack and it was hard.
Friday 11/11/11, we ran into some damned idiot with
a gun and a terrifying dog. He was lost and we sent
him in the wrong direction so he didn't go where we
were going. Something wrong with him, his gun, his
dog, and his idiot of a girlfriend. Got to Bluff
Springs but there was no water as the rangers had
reported and Dits didn't believe. It said on their
sign that there would be an occasional drip from the
pipe, but we didn't even see that. Went clean to
Labarge springs and camped there. A family and some
boy scouts were there. We chatted with them and
camped in a good place far from them and from DOG
AND GUN BOY. It wasn't very cold. We cooked and
slept nine hours at least and then went to that BIG
SPRING with the beautiful pool. Then we went to
Needle Trail and found a place that had a puddle of
water on a rock that we could use to drink. We
filtered this tea-water and it was still yellow, but
tasted good. Slept and then in the morning it
rained. I was dry for a while but then it rained
harder and I got kind of wet. My tarp leaked! By
slapping bug was wet and weighed more. We got up and
started hiking BEFORE LIGHT in the rain. We used our
headlights. SCENERY BEYOND COMPARE. Endless
balancing rocks. We took 7 1/2 hours to get to my
truck. We met some guys who were biologists and knew
Rutowski. He's playing at
PRANKSTERS TOO, in Scottsdale every friday night. I
think it's scottsdale. We stopped at EL
TACO and
ate. It's on Apache Trail.
Generic No Bird 8/12/2018
Generic Place Anywhere Went to see Ron Rutowski in
Scottsdale with Rio Trio but he wasn't playing. He
doesn't play on Sunday. It was a 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
gig at The Blind Pig. I sat at the bar and when I
turned I didn't see Ron. The guy next to me told me
that he was replaced on Sundays by a guitar player.
Oh, but they were really good. The guitar player was
excellent. The guy at the bar with me was 71 and the
ex prosecutor for Ajo, Arizona. Kind of a disaster.
The web page mentioned the guitarist's name but it
didn't say Ron wouldn't be there.
|
Elliot and Cooper Roads
11/19/2011 LAST NIGHT I WENT TO SEE RON RUTOWSKI AT
PRANKSTER'S TOO. It was John Alcock's birthday, and
I sat at their table. They invited me.
THE BELOW EMAIL I THINK IS
THURSDAY SEPTEMPER 14 1995
Rutowski Gig November 18 2012 Downunder Wine Bar b.jpeg
Rutowski at the Downunder.jpg
Ron Rutowski's 1995 Notice of Rosalie Lander's Passing.jpg
Sun Lakes 12/1/2019 I went to the Blind
Pig to see Rutowski play. He was there and
greeted me.
Elliot and Cooper Roads 11/19/2011 LAST
NIGHT I WENT TO SEE RON RUTOWSKI AT
PRANKSTER'S TOO. It was John Alcock's birthday, and I
sat at their table. They invited me.
Elliot and Cooper Roads 11/19/2012 Saw
Ron Rutowski last night. Very good. I went to
Gallagher's of all places afterwards because I was
hungry and went to the taquería and Gallagher's is
next door. One couple was there. It was dead. Then
some people came in. I put my books on the bar and
went to the restroom. When I came back the books were
gone and so were those people. I went out and asked
them through their pick-up window in Spanish what had
happened. They said they didn't know. I think those
people took the books. Damn.
Sun Lakes 9/12/2022 Saw Ron Rutowski
yesterday at the Blind Pig. It is a SMALL bar. Gave
him my book Recuerdo de amnesia because he was in it.
Generic Place Anywhere 8/12/2018 Went to
see Ron Rutowski in Scottsday with Rio Trio
but he wasn't playing. He doesn't play on Sunday. It
was a 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM gig at The Blind Pig. I sat
at the bar and when I turned I didn't see Ron. The guy
next to me told me that he was replaced on Sundays by
a guitar player. Oh, but they were really good. The
guitar player was excellent. The guy at the bar with
me was 71 and the ex prosecutor for Ajo, Arizona. Kind
of a disaster. The web page mentioned the guitarist's
name but it didn't say Ron wouldn't be there.
Superstitions 11/11/2011 WENT WITH DITS
AND STEVE. Oh, what scenery. Balancing rocks. Saguaro
forests. I had my bad bpack and it was hard. Friday
11/11/11, we ran into some damned idiot with a gun and
a terrifying dog. He was lost and we sent him in the
wrong direction so he didn't go where we were going.
Something wrong with him, his gun, his dog, and his
idiot of a girlfriend. Got to Bluff Springs but there
was no water as the rangers had reported and Dits
didn't believe. It said on their sign that there would
be an occasional drip from the pipe, but we didn't
even see that. Went clean to Labarge springs and
camped there. A family and some boy scouts were there.
We chatted with them and camped in a good place far
from them and from DOG AND GUN BOY. It wasn't very
cold. We cooked and slept nine hours at least and then
went to that BIG SPRING with the beautiful pool. Then
we went to Needle Trail and found a place that had a
puddle of water on a rock that we could use to drink.
We filtered this tea-water and it was still yellow,
but tasted good. Slept and then in the morning it
rained. I was dry for a while but then it rained
harder and I got kind of wet. My tarp leaked! By
slapping bug was wet and weighed more. We got up and
started hiking BEFORE LIGHT in the rain. We used our
headlights. SCENERY BEYOND COMPARE. Endless balancing
rocks. We took 7 1/2 hours to get to my truck. We met
some guys who were biologists and knew Ron Rutowski.
He's playing at PRANKSTERS TOO, in Scottsdale every
friday night. I think it's scottsdale. We stopped at
EL TACO and ate. It's on Apace Trail.
Sun Lakes 10/21/2019 Yesterday I went
over to the Blind Pig clean out in Scottsdale because
the Rio Trio site said they'd be there from three to
six. I remembered that Ron Rutowski didn't go
on Sundays but that was way back. I called the Blind
pig and no one answered so I thought I'd take the
chance and IT WAS CLOSED.
Sun Lakes 11/23/2015 yesterday I went to
Carlsbad Tavern and saw Ron Rutowski.
Rio Trio Sign.jpg
The 20th of Oct 2019 was a Sunday
Ron Rutowski Rio Trio March 5, 2023.jpeg
Glenn Campbell.jpg
|