The Story of My Piano

On my to-do list (could be called my bucket list or my retirement dream list) has always been learn to play the piano.  As I mentioned in my last post, I am more than a little musically impaired.  Can't even hum a tune much less sing in any key other than off or out of. At hockey games, I needed to watch other moms so I could clap in sync when we were doing some crazy clap and stamp your feet nonsense.  Thankfully when the boys get older they really want you to stop cheering like that.

But I still want to learn to play the piano.  In order to do that, you need a piano.  So for some years I've been sort of, kind of secretly hoping to get one.  None of the kids were interested in learning, so it didn't happen when they were at home.  In the last year, I started looking on various second hand sites but with no real luck.  So I retired with the plan to learn written down but no piano and no real leads to getting one.  Learning to play was taking on the shape of one of those "yeah, yeah, I'm going to do that someday" plans that never happen.

Then serendipity... my neighbour, Carole, (who was part of my nebulous plan as a person to teach me since she has taught piano,) decided to relocate to Jasper. This meant selling her house and much of its contents.  She invited me over for early dibs on some of her larger items before her yard sale.

There was already items missing in the house, things in boxes to be shipped to her new home and my eyes went right away to her piano.

"What are you doing with your piano? I asked, expecting the answer to be that she was shipping it or storing it or it was sold.  Instead the answer was,

"I'm trying to sell it but can't find anyone to buy it."

A deal was made, and I was on her deck calling over to ours to tell my husband I was buying a piano.  Just like that, the biggest part of the learn to play puzzle was solved.

Her deck to ours!

Moe was skeptical, where would we put it--I had an 25 year old answer for that.  When we chose plans for the house I always knew a piano would fit exactly in one spot in our living room.  It was empty enough, still waiting for the piano. Then he needed to know where his favourite chair would go. I had an answer for that.  How and when would we get it moved to our house since it required at least four people.  I had answers for that.  Have you ever noticed that if you really want something you can make it happen..eventually?

A couple of nights later, at my mother-in-law's 87th birthday celebration, I asked my two brothers-in-law, John and Robert if they were around the next morning to help move a piano along with my two boys and hubby, that way they would be five people.  They agreed and then, John suggested doing it that night instead of waiting to do it during the garage sale even though they'd be one less guy.

I hurried home with my sister-in-law, Denise to check whether that was convenient with my neighbour.  No problem, she wanted it moved. The birthday celebration was interrupted.

So in came the men, John appointed me as foreman which is really a joke because he sold and moved furniture for years and Cameron had worked a summer as a mover. The neighbour was sidetracked by my sister-in-law to sell her a bed perfect for her visiting grandchildren--so really no supervision at all.

The piano made it down the stairs, out the front door and across the driveway. The men needed to put it down to re-position.  A request for Carole to play was made.  So there on a beautiful early summer evening, half way on her lawn, halfway on ours she played a few bars of a remembered Beatles song. Ah, one of life's beautiful, unexpected moments.

Perfect for a concert

With a little more huffing and exertion and moving of items, the piano made it up the front steps and into the house to be maneuvered into the very spot I had picked out on the floor plans years before.

John asked me if I knew anything at all about playing a piano.  So I showed them everything that I knew...how to play the scale of C with my right hand. (Thanks Beth.)

I bought a book recommended by the instructor on You Tube that Cameron found for me. And now everyone in the house has soldiered through my hours of practicing so that I could "master" the scales almost and have  When The Saints Go Marching In be recognizable. I have hours and hours of practice ahead of me.

Carole came over before she left and played a piece. The house filled with beautiful music. How bittersweet for both of us.  The piano may never be played as beautifully again but the house can be filled with music anyway.

My new baby!

 


Thanks to Moe, Cameron, John, Robert and Carole for helping my plan become a reality.