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

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.

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.

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.