So I've been itching to get back to playing tuba for years, but only in the past 2-3 years has it become a more dominant thought in my mind. It was especially brought to light after an initial meeting with my new therapist where I talked about how band and Scouts were my "therapy" in high school and college (sans Scouts) and he saw the passion for it in my eyes.
Here's the problem: The last time I had a horn of my own was 25 years ago. One day in the early 2000s, I took it to the pawn shop because we needed money and, sadly, I forgot to pay off the loan and it ended up being sold to someone who was a friend of the family. I have tried to locate said friend so I could attempt to buy it back from him but I have been unsuccessful.
I am currently looking to join a community band but recently found out that they don't have any horns available to loan out, not even euphoniums or trombones (which I would also be willing to play if they had them available instead of a tuba). I thought about reaching out to the high school near me about borrowing one of their horns, but the representative for the community band didn't think it would be possible for me to get a loaner from them. My son goes to the school, but he is not involved in any extracurricular activities due to his special needs.
I've looked on the Facebook Marketplace and found a couple of horns that interest me and are not abhorrently expensive, but when I told my wife about what I found, she gave me "THE LOOK" (IYKYK) and said that I can't buy a tuba for myself until I find a house for us to own (we currently rent and you can only guess what my plans are going to be for next weekend LOL).
I don't think a music show would offer a 47-year-old guy the same "rental agreement" they offer kids in school for a horn, especially for a tuba (I have not called to find out if this is a possibility, but I may do that later today). I can't buy a used horn due to the lockdown issued by my wife. And, I don't think I will be able to convince a middle or high school to allow me to borrow one of their horns for an extended period of time just so I can have a horn to practice on and take to the community band rehearsals.
So, what should I do? What options are available for someone whose love of music cannot be quelled but whose availability of the instrument they played for a quarter of their life is not readily available?