Blessings Overflow

For years, Gi-gi has been talking about getting her piano to us so we could begin Big Sister in some type of musical education. It's been mostly talk, and the details of her brother's horse trailer or someone's U-haul never quite make it off the drawing board.

Truth be told, the piano is/was promised to my brother, but until he moves to the correct side of the Continental Divide, he's outta luck. In fact, the piano doesn't go far. Gi-gi bought it from an across-the-street neighbor back in 1950- or 60-something. It was a wreck, then, and she spent a summer refinishing it. It's the piano my mom and siblings learned on, the one my brother and I played, and after my mom died in 2000, it was moved a half-block away to Gi-gi's duplex, where it has been since.

Some months ago some cousins were desperate for more room in their small house, and offered us their Old Beast of a piano - missing several notes (and retaining some I *wish* it would lose), and we took it. Apparently no one wants a 6,000 lb antique piano - not charities, no one. We said sure, bring it on. Gi-gi was dragging her feet anyway.

Denting in some corners (of the house) and chipping paint off of other areas, we (by "we", I mean "they") wrangled it into the living room where it and we have enjoyed it's stay.

Then early last week, Gi-gi called and left a message, saying she'd been calling around and pricing piano movers, and she was sorry for the late notice but they were bringing the piano on Thursday (and we could send back her organ). Wednesday evening found Hubby and I (and 3 little sets of helping hands) trying to move the existing one out of it's spot. We discovered it had a broken caster after it tore through the metal strip along our carpet edging, and gouged a few chunks out of the vinyl. That thing is heavy.

The piano movers arrived, bringing Gi-gi's piano, and they got it into position without a hitch. I asked them if the piano store refurbished old pianos, blah blah blah, and they backed away with their hands extended, repeating, "no, no, no..." Hm. They were very smug in their knowlege that they and they alone posessed the handy piano dolly which leaves no gouges in vinyl.

So now we have a piano in the living room, and another one nearby in the dining room - as well as a gigantic picnic table Gi-gi has also wanted us to have (I think it's younger than the piano). "Hey, with that big truck, toss this in too, wouldya?" I suggested that the picnic table would be great in the dining room as well, but Hubby nixed the idea. *He* doesn't have to constantly push chairs back into the vicinity of their table all day long...

So now the mystery of what to do with the "extra" piano. The givers of it suggested that if Gi-gi ever came through, or we decided we didn't want it, to toss it out on the lawn and have a bonfire. I could never do that, of course! That thing can't be "tossed" at all. ;) It is perfectly positioned to go out the sliding glass door, but from there I'm a bit worried. It might crush the small porch outside, but even if it didn't, the "stairs" from there to the grass are not-quite-carefully placed, somewhat-flat-ish, cemented-in boulders. I'm sure they'd tolerate the weight, but they don't seem very conducive to piano moving. And then there would be the problem of a great expanse of lawn between there and anywhere else...