Monday, February 17, 2014

Please Blitz Jeremy, and Yeah, I Finally Gave Away My Piano

Before I get to my silly post for today, I want to encourage you to visit the A-Z Challenge Blog.  One of our co-hosts, my buddy Jeremy, broke his ankle, had surgery, and is needing some bloggy love.  As a team of co-hosts, we wrote his "About Me" feature as a surprise.   (There are more coming up in the following weeks leading up to April about the most of the rest of us).  He's also being Blitz Attacked (see Friday's post).  I ask the favor that you visit the A-Z Challenge Blog even if you're not involved just to say, "Get better soon!" or whatever fits your style. I know the encouragement will help him heal.  Thanks.

*****


My piano has a new home, and it’s a good home.  Yet I’m a nostalgic person, and the big hole in my family room reminds me that though something may have sentimental value, I’m in the place where I need to let go of that which no longer serves a purpose for me, and can bless someone else. Then I have more room to get myself and my essential stuff organized.

I can’t play the piano anymore.  I used to sit down to keep in touch with enough frequency that I could still play “Color My World” by Chicago.  The reason I could play it was that it’s the only song that was taught to me without sheet music, so I’d sit and let muscle memory take over, and the song would just flow.  It’s a really neat feeling when that happens.

I’m going to take a little side trip here and explain about the lack of sheet music, which I know you’d expect the math nerd and recipe girl to need.

I had to have a ride to the bus-stop.  We’d moved, but I still got to go to my originally planned junior high.  Therefore it wasn't always a good time for The Nutritionist to pick me up when the bus dropped me off.  I'd just go to PieGirl’s house.  Sometimes for hours.  We sure didn’t mind!

She not only taught me that song, she introduced me to Billy Joel and we’d sing “heartattackackackack” at the top of our lungs while listening to “The Stranger”.  She tutored me, patiently, since I couldn't cook ANYTHING at the time, in how to make a perfect apple pie from scratch.  She was good at so many things, and such a good friend.  (I can still make apple pie, by the way.  Though I'd pick playing Color My World.  I also know how to buy a good pie.)

Here in my present, The Transporter, along with already kicking some serious talent around on electric guitar, wants to learn how to play the keyboard.  My former (practice saying it, Tina) piano can’t hold a tune (oh, that wasn’t on purpose but I like it), was ancient, and was taking up real estate that could be used for a keyboard.  (So could The Transporter’s own room…but any parent of a teenage boy knows that to make the normal laws of physics apply in said space, you need to add to the equation what a guy is willing to do to keep his room clean…)

We've had an ad up on craiglist with full disclosure of my former piano’s pros and cons, and had three calls in a month.  I thought the ad had expired, honestly.  Yesterday a family, with four little girls 9 and under, came to get it.  All four want to learn to play.  Mom is a pianist, and surprisingly, was very happy with what she found.  “It has all its keys.  All its keys make a sound.  We have someplace to start from, and we can put our money into fixing it up.”

They had driven two hours, rented a trailer, bought tie-down straps, and were ready to go.  I had a delightful time with SuperMom while the (now four, due to the strategic arrival of my three) strapping men got that old relic out the door and secured in the trailer.

Good-bye, Grandma Vivian’s piano.  Swissie and I had fun with our lessons, and it was lovely being the caretaker of this family “treasure” all these years.  Good luck to the four little girls whose names all begin with A, and to homeschool mom and super nice dad.  Enjoy.


~Tina, who wonders if you know how much dust accumulates under a piano which has been sitting for thirteen years…And yes, I could actually play that.  (Mine didn't have the little riff at the end though.  This was the closest I could find.)


20 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Someone else will get such joy out of it now. And you're right - no way that would fit into a teenage boy's room.
Comments are already racking up for Jeremy! So cool of DL to send out a Blitz for him.

Brian Miller said...

i am glad you found a good home...and it will inspire others now to pursue music so...

off to wish jeremy well...

Brian Miller said...

ha. all your links go to blogger.com not AZ

JoJo said...

I'm so glad the piano is going to a good home and will be used!!

BTW, I consider it a point of pride to still be able to sing along with Scenes from an Italian Restaurant after all these years. The ironic thing about that album is that 'only the good die young' came out spring of 78 and that was the year I made Confirmation. It became the anthem of my Confirmation Class (out of earshot of our extremely strict and traditional priest of course!).

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Hi Tina,
Sad news all,departure of an age old piano and Jermey's case. Anyways glad to know that its going to a useful place. Now I am on my way to Jermey's place I mean a to z challenge. T C.

Andrea said...

That is great that your treasure will now be treasured by others!

Philip Verghese 'Ariel' said...

Tina the link to a to z is broken pl. Fix it its taking me back to my blogger dashboard lage. Pl.fix it. Good day.
phil

Tina said...

ALL LINKS FINALLY FIXED THOUGH I HAD A LONG FIGHT WITH BLOGGER OVER IT AND I'M NOT HAPPY. I test the links, they work. Then I get the
"Oh snap" and I reload the page, and it saves, so I think it's fine. Then I preview, and of course the links aren't live since I'm pre-scheduling...and then I wake up to a broken-linked post. GAAAAAHHHH!

~Tina, please try again? Please?
Thanks.

Andrew Leon said...

We have a piano. I had a piano in my house growing up, too (which I assume is still there). I can't play the piano.

Silvia Writes said...

I have an old piano no one plays anymore. My son did for a little while, but he prefers the keyboard now. It's very old, so not sure it's 'givable.' Good to hear you made someone else happy.

A Beer for the Shower said...

I love the sound of the piano. What I don't love is moving extremely heavy things, so should I ever get into the piano, I'll buy a keyboard. The thought of having to deal with all of this is just too much for me.

Anonymous said...

I made friends with our piano at the age of 2 years and although I don't play now music is a big part of my life,

Yvonne.

Jo said...

Sad to get rid of it though. Matt used to play the piano and is an Associate of the Royal College of Music, but that was when he was 17. These days he can't play anything.

Hope the new owners get lots of pleasure from it.

Kate @ Another Clean Slate said...

I wish I learned how to play the piano as a child- although I suppose it is never too late.

Rusty Carl said...

I'm glad you were able to let go of the piano. I'm sure it was hard. I'm a big fan of collecting... things.... so I know it would have been hard for me.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how you did it. I don't think I'll ever separate with my piano, and if I do it will go to one of my kids. This heirloom is staying in the family. Still, I'm very glad those delighted little girls will give your piano a wonderful home. It's like when we gave away Edward the Tortoise. We knew he needed more space and a better home. Those kids who got him, were the happiest kids around!

Unknown said...

It was hard for me to part with my parents piano, and yes lots of dust.
Jeremy needs all the love he can get. He does so much for everyone else.

shelly said...

I bet you miss it.

Anonymous said...

i'm sure the new little owners will love Swissie!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Tina .. I think that's great - and how lovely the mother will get it restored so it's better in tune, and they're prepared to put their pennies towards your piano for its better life ... then those littlies will all be able to play so well -

Love it .. cheers Hilary