Lately I’ve had a number of people point out that this website is long over-due for an update. Here’s what’s been keeping me otherwise occupied!
In the fall of 2002 I was finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, after 6+ years of dealing with a body that just wasn’t behaving. Touring and playing instruments had become increasingly difficult. The past years have been spent learning how to best use what I’ve got.
So what am I doing? Whatever the day and my body dictates! I have to be careful with how I spend my energy. I’m doing well and most days feel pretty good. However, one of the most important keys for maintaining the fullest function possible is to keep commitments to a minimum. Therefore I am no longer touring. I still do a few carefully chosen local performances – not full concerts – but a song here and there, mostly in benefits. At this point we still put on our annual Holiday concert each year, in Camden, Maine, the first Sunday of December.
I’ve spent many years working on an instruction book for learning to play the mountain dulcimer. Along the way, it turned into two books, the first of which is available on this website (check out the Books and Recordings page), through Mel Bay Publications, or hopefully at a music store near you! Book 2 should be available soon...On the home front, my husband Matt Szostak and I are still happily married - Matt still builds the occasional hurdy-gurdy, and works for the Maine State Ferry Service. We're still working on our house, but the lovely flower gardens and raised beds for vegetables are a great source of nourishment. Matt and I are still members of the Quasimodal Chorus.
What’s in the future? Well – who knows? My current goal is to live life in such a way that I forget that I have P.D. That’s not always an easy or even possible task, but worth the trying. This journey has made us even more aware of how lucky we are to have such an amazing and supportive community of family and friends.What can you do if you’re so inclined? You can support organizations that are looking for a cure for Parkinson’s, especially the Michael J. Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org), which is doing amazing work.
On a personal and business end, you can still buy recordings through this website. Sales slow dramatically when you’re not touring or making new recordings and we still have stock on most titles. You can help us turn our storage room into a guest room by buying lots of CDs and cassettes!
We appreciate all the good wishes that have come our way and hope that sometime in the future a cure is found for P.D. and for all the diseases that put restrictions on living life to the fullest.
We’re grateful for some of the things we’ve learned – and continue to learn – from this experience as we discover, once again, that major passages can re-prioritize what is important in our lives. However, having said that, as an old friend once said to me, “Haven’t I learned enough, at least for a little while?”
We hope this finds you well and happy. We’d be glad to hear from you.
Best,
Anne Dodson
Matt and Anne, Glen of Aherlow, Ireland, (not a long way from Tipperary) September 2005
Anne Dodson, 7 Thomas Street, Camden Maine 04843
or email at: anne@annedodson.com
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