Getting by on trash

5 January 07
The Piano

Many years ago I was trashpicking in one of my old neighborhoods . It was Sunday night and trash was out for Monday morning . There was tons of what I called moving out trash at the curb . As I was checking out the trash a Lady was on the porch ( of a house I had previously owned ) trying to push a piano off the porch . Needless to say , I stopped her .

The lady was moving to a smaller apt and there wasn't the room , or the money to move it anyhow . She said she really loved the piano and had spent a consideral amount of money keeping it up . The sound was beautifull .

Now ; my wife had been begging me for years to bring home a piano but I kept finding organs .

I made arrangements with the landlord to pick it up later , and I did . That is , a piano mover moved it . It still played well . We thought it was a 1913 Cunningham upright , but it turned out to be 1924 . Next , I removed all wood parts that would come off and stripped 6 layers of paint and a few layers of varnish . It turned out to have a soft cherry color .

So now we have the old beauty in the front room . It needs a good tuning ( a little dusting and oiling ) and some minor work . I'm sure we will come up with the money someday . Meanwhile we have given her a good home and she's not ready for the trash heap yet . Wherever would we put the old kerosene lamps , without her ?

Above the piano there is a shelf that holds more lamps . The shelf is made from parts of an older Player piano . Beautifull tiger oak with carved wooden trim and designs . These piano parts came from a friends house after the house nearly burnt down .

I've made a few tables around the house with old sewing treadels with a nice wide ( actualy the front ) board off of a piano , attached .

That's all on piano's for now . Timothy T