[AT] (was) using pitchfork (still O T) pi-annies

[Indiana Robinson]

	I have a rather plain old upright sitting here that was my 
grandmother's. I think she bought it in the 20's or 30's. Maybe 
the only big "splurge" of her frugal life. I had to go look just 
now to see what brand it was, it says Whitney - Chicago. She was 
self taught and never was extra good at it but she got a lot of 
years of pleasure from it. An aunt by marriage wanted it badly 
but we all knew she just wanted it to sell (she had already sold 
4 or 5 that she had acquired here and there) so my father got it 
and gave it to me because he knew I would keep it. Sadly some 
years ago we had a bad roof leak develop suddenly and it got wet 
in one end. We didn't find it right away. Several of the hammers 
came apart. Also my grandmother had hired some guy to work on it 
back in the 40's and I seem to recall them saying that he 
removed something that was operated by one of the pedals. You 
can tell that I am a real expert here can't you...   ;-)    I 
recall my father saying that she "got took". Still it was her 
piano and we keep it. I have hopes of having it restored someday 
before I give it to my oldest daughter but that will have to 
wait for better times. I'm sure it is going to be very $,$$$. I 
won't give it to her until her kids all move out so that gives 
me a few years. I know that she will keep it.
	None of us play the piano. My oldest daughter played the 
clarinet, the second the cornet/trumpet and the third the 
saxophone (one was an alto but I forget the other). Son Scott 
played the drums and base guitar. Scott is the only one that 
still plays but I believe he dropped the drums. I once played 
the cornet/trumpet and I once tried to play the stock market but 
I wasn't any good at that either. Diana just plays a buffoon.   
;-)

	My frugal grandmother's father owned a water and steam powered 
grist mill and saw mill. My grandmothers wedding dress was made 
from the white netting that he bought by the bolt to use to 
screen the meal and flour when it was ground by the huge stone 
burrs. Those were french wheels made in sections like a puzzle 
and I still have two of the pieces of one of them. The french 
stone was highly prized and it was a lot easier to ship them in 
sections that a man could lift.



--
"farmer"

I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack
me at once.   :-) 


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net