Showing posts with label Elton John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elton John. Show all posts

Friday, September 27, 2013

WHY, YES, I DO HAVE TWO PIANOS

I like pianos.

I grew up in houses that almost always had at least two pianos - sometimes quite a few more.

My dad was a music teacher for most of my formative years, and usually there was a room modified into a studio where he had private students come.

And the majority of those students were piano players.

There was usually a grand piano in our living room, and sometimes an upright also. One of my favorite childhood memories was waking up in the middle of the night and listening to my dad play.

And as an adult, I've picked up old cheap pianos that I'll clean up and tune, and then sell for a profit.

My kids can tell you stories about playing underneath a full-size grand piano we had in Hawaii for about a year.

Fast forward to the present day.

I have an old upright that I bang away on occasionally (going back through a self-instruction book) and have as a tuning practice instrument.

A friend was moving suddenly to Phoenix, and had to get rid of a beat-up piano she had paid literally a few bucks at a yard sale. I offered to purchase it, and when I couldn't arrange for it to be moved before they left, just told her to leave it and forget about it.

Today, it finally got moved to my house (with the help of three pairs of missionaries and a one little tiny Datsun pick-up).

And I am wondering what the heck I am going to do with it.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

MAKING FRIENDS


(An old song by Elton John that I had completely forgotten about - check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSfIDT0kJ7s - please ignore the ad)





The landscape around here looks like something from Ireland, not southern Arizona.

We've had a decent monsoon so far this year, and everything around here is furiously blooming and growing and making this arid landscape look like the tropics.

And since I don't believe in mowing the eight acres of land our house is on, it's pretty crazy looking around here.

Since I got rid of our goats a few months back, I only have the horses to graze it down.

So tonight my husband was in charge of Renegade, and I took Najale out.

And I must admit to a completely alternative purpose.

Not just grazing.

But to get Najale and Renegade better acquainted.

If things go as planned, when all the other Arabs I am horse-sitting go back to their rightful owner, Renegade is going to stay with us.

So I need to help these two boys get along with each other.

What better way than to allow them to pig out together for a bit of time?