Before I met Carol I was square-dancing two or three times a week. Carol and I danced together for a while after we got married, but it wasn't her thing and when the nearest square-dance club folded, we stopped dancing.

As of last week, I hadn't square-danced in about 30 years.

It turns out there are several square dances in the area. Almost all of them happen the same night as a dance at Fred Astaire.

I'm enjoying learning the social dances, so I've been going to those instead of visiting the square dance parties.

Last week, there was a square dance in Dexter on a night when there wasn't another dance scheduled, so a friend and I hit the square dance.

After 30 years, I'd could no longer tell my do-si from my do. It's a good thing this was a "Beginner" dance and the moves got explained before we sashayed into them.

But, after a dance or so, I started remembering the steps, and even the little flourishes like a half-skip during a promenade and a spin when returning to the circle before joining hands.

It's funny how if you'd just set me down and said "how do you do this," I'd have had no clue. I had no clue when I started, but after a couple of memory nudges, stuff comes back.

I ran into the same phenomenon a couple years ago when I put on skates again for the first time in some 30 years. Remembering *how* to do the moves came back, even though the skill and strength to do them wasn't there.

Carol and I saw Glen Campbell on his last tour. He was pretty obviously suffering from Alzheimer's badly at that point. You could see his kids leading him through the act.

But, once he started singing, it was 1969 again. No forgotten words, missed chords or any lapses.

At one point, he dropped his pick. I saw it flick out from between the strings and spin in the footlights.

This happens. It happens to every guitarist.

He never missed a note. He went straight into finger-picking the solo. If I hadn't seen the pick reflecting in the lights, I'd have never known he had to do a quick reset.