All Apologies

While no one has questioned the reasons, and indeed, several people have been very kind about it, I do apologize to those people and entities to whom I had to break engagements and become a bit reclusive for the past several days as I handle my mother Sheila's (successful) surgery and start of recovery. Oh, and the feeding of Mom's cat, Molly.
I took a couple of days off of work to help while my sister Heather performed incredibly, coming to town a bit early to help my mother prepare for her hip replacement surgery and do some insurance and medical items; she returned home to Wayne County yesterday.
I am particularly pissed at having to miss the August 25 CD release show at Mohawk Place for Roger Bryan's new Harvest Sum Recordings' CD, "The Engine Hum." Bryan, who is best known for leading The Old Sweethearts (also on Harvest Sum), has, along with co-producer Matt Smith (ex-Real McCoys, Headhunters), created a masterpiece of Americana, pop, country rock, alt.country, folk and rock. Val and I wish we could have been there, and we will continue to enjoy the CD.
I am also unhappy I was unable to attend the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts, the first one I have missed, especially the Mark Freeland Tribute, which Val so nicely photographed and wrote about below.
Hopefully, things will get a bit closer to normal soon.