December 2024
Dear Fisherfolk,
Ezra's left hand, Lefty here. I’ve never been the dominant hand. Things like handwriting and shooting a basketball were appropriated by Mr. Right. Sure, there were times when Ezra tried to include me. Somewhere back in high school, Ezra started to train me to do layups and hook shots for his basketball game. He took to using his fork entirely with his left hand to work on my fine motor skills. I got pretty good with the fork, but I was only a passable shooting hand. I really shined when Ezra started playing guitar. Mr. Right did the strumming and finger picking while I got to form the chords and selectively mute the strings.
Right now, my left hand is experiencing pretty severe carpal tunnel syndrome. I can't play guitar for more than one song before he goes to sleep and starts feeling pins and needles all over. As I type this newsletter, I'm dropping letters and hitting the wrong keys. It's frustrating. Fortunately, there is relief on the horizon with a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota at the end of January.
I had a tough time starting this newsletter. My sister, Gabrielle, suggested I write it from the perspective of my left hand. Once I started writing from the point of view of my hands, I saw them as a metaphor for any system and the importance of cooperation. Balance is something to strive for. You can get by with one side or the other, but to really thrive and do well, it takes both halves working together. When I think of the songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney, I think their best work came from the balance of their different attitudes and points of view. Keith and I are pretty different from each other, but it takes both of us to be Trout and we're better for the combination. It seems to me that the world could be a much better place if we figured out how to work through our differences.
We'll be working in the studio and enjoying our families until March 30th when we play Poor David's Pub in Dallas. By then we should be hitting on all cylinders. Looking forward to playing entire sets of music and hopefully coming with some new tunes. Happy New Year!
Troutfully yours,
Keith and Ezra