THE PIANO

It started on a mild, late August morning with a phone call.  I was being offered a job as an accompanist with the Chorus where I sing alto with a bunch of retired folks who just love to sing!  It was a paying job, and as a “retired” person myself, I could use the extra income, but asked if I could have a day or two to “pray about it!”  The lovely lady said, “Of course.”  My husband said that if I had my piano out of storage so that I could practice, I could take the job!  The light bulb went on over my head and I began rearranging my little Postal Sub-station here in the mile-high hamlet of Strawberry.

My piano is an ancient upright, built in 1865.  It was my eighth Birthday present and has followed us to Southern California, back to Colorado, then to Poughkeepsie NY, and San Jose, CA.  It was here in Strawberry once before, prior to nine years at the parsonage in downtown Sonora.  Unfortunately, our apartment here in Strawberry has a block wall with a couple of tight turns precluding the piano entering our apartment.  Until the job offer I had not considered the section of the building housing our small Post Office.

A couple of days later I received an embarrassed call saying that the job had been taken by the person who was asked before me.  My response was unique to say the least – “Hey, it got my piano on the way to Strawberry, I’m sure that was GOD’s intent! And, I will practice the accompanist parts so if need be I can be a substitute!”

I sent a text to our sons saying that the piano wanted to move to Strawberry; ho-hum responses – bad back, no car trailer as a dead JEEP was occupying that - they had already moved our STUFF three times in a bit over a year.  We measured the piano, and except for four sections of cubbies mounted to the wall in the Post Office - no problem!!   Husband Tom got his saw and took care of removing the excess cubbies.  I mentioned my intention to a neighbor and he suggested that another neighbor with a hauling business might be willing to bring it up on the empty return trip to Strawberry.

Behold, that very night the hauling trailer was full of pine needles and tree limbs ready for a trip to the dumpsite.  A phone call and all was arranged.  The next morning we had the piano as “disassembled” as possible and waiting when the trailer and crew arrived at the Storage Facility.  A few minutes tipping it in and securing it and we were on our way.  My husband quickly removed the Dutch Door upon our arrival in Strawberry, the piano slipped in like it belonged there in the .   building we were living in, in the "office" portion!  I love having it back, now I can “tickle the ivories” and as I quip, “I won’t be “going Postal” since I have on-site STRESS relief!”  What a sense of humor GOD has!!

TIME FLIES!!

What an interesting summer!  A couple of my water aerobics gals and I have been swimming the buoys at Pinecrest Lake a couple of times a week, watching the water levels go down earlier that normal.  Dry year causes "permanent solutions" to be dropped in favor of necessity.  The rule by the Dept of Water Resources that Pinecrest Lake would "stay full" until after Labor Day was re-visited in favor of allowing more water to run down to service the customers in the Sonora Area.  When you "always" enter the Lake at the same point the level is VERY NOTICEABLE - shoulder level becomes armpit, then waist, and when it gets to ankle, you enter the water at a different place!!  The docks are still afloat and the fish are still biting and these two "old gals" can swim to the YACHT tied up at the end of the line of floating buoys next to the sail boats!

The air temperature at 9 AM has been right around 50 degrees and the water is colder than that, but I am not brave enough to take my pool thermometer over to the Lake to check the water temp.  As long as we keep moving until the fingers start tingling, we have enough strength to make it back to our entry point - avoiding a walk on the sweeping asphalt walkway that circles the beach area.

The water company has been able to keep up with the town's water needs by running a diesel pump, getting water from the river coming out of Pinecrest, for 3-4 hours twice a week.  LABOR DAY weekend saw the use skyrocket, even with conservation, so we have - the number of bottles of water brought up from "down below" always amazes me!!  We recycle CRV ONLY, but those water bottles have to have their little caps removed or the recycling center will not take them!!  It may be one of those "is this really worth the effort" jobs, but when combined with the aluminum cans and beer bottles, it equals at least a half tank of gas for the car.  We try to never take recycling as an ONLY trip, but combine with doctor's appointments, grocery store visits, etc.  it works out!

The phone is now ringing for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!  Praise GOD for a good summer despite no swimming pool!!