Special Delivery!

And it’s not from UPS.  Nor is it from Federal Express.  Not from the USPS, either.

This special delivery came by U-Haul trailer, pulled by LilSis and RenRed about 350 miles, one way.

Final stop:  Miracle Bayou Tree House

Why is there a forklift pulling up to that U-Haul trailer?  Good question.

The contents must be very heavy.

That, and the fact that the Miracle Bayou Tree House is about 12 feet off the ground, with no elevator.

Our parents passed away in the nineties.  First Mom, then Dad.  At the time, we shared the furniture as best we could.  Now, fourteen years after Dad’s departure from this earth, LilSis decided she wanted to part with one of our mom’s prize possessions.

It’s a gift that Daddy surprised Momma with on Christmas morning, 1982, when Dotter was just a baby.  The men of the family somehow sneaked this huge gift into the family room after Momma went to bed Christmas Eve.  Then they covered it with a blanket.

Talk about a surprised look on Momma’s face when she walked into the den Christmas morning!  And she truly was surprised.  This is what it was . . . .

It’s that piece of furniture inside the trailer, behind The Captain.  My older children, especially Dotter, have many fond memories of sitting at that piece of furniture beside PaPa (my dad) and listening to him sing his heart out, and joining in when they were old enough to read the words.

LilSis is looking through the rag bag for something to put on all the corners to protect the wood from either grease or scratches.  This is going to be an adventurous ride!

This piece of furniture is, of course, a piano, but not just any piano.  It’s a player piano, and once LilSis asked me if I would like to have it, I knew I had to find a way to get it up into the new house and that it would be the best way possible to bring both Momma and Daddy’s memories into the new house with us.

So, I rented a big fork lift.  We added a thick piece of plywood to make a platform, and then we strapped it tightly to the forklift.  RenRed practiced running the lift the evening before and tried to anticipate every difficulty we might run into.

The Captain tickled the ivories with “Blueberry Hill” while RenRed backed the forklift into position.  We stuck The Captain on the platform to make sure the piano stayed put.  Although we knew he could not stop it from rolling off if it decided to do so, we felt better having him there.

Is it a long way down?  Or is it a long way up?  UP they go, slowly but surely.

We left the railings off this end of the porch so we could get the piano up without obstructions.  So far, so good.  All they had to do then was roll it on inside.

It is the first piece of furniture in the new living room of the Miracle Bayou Tree house, and I think it’s appropriate that the continuity this piano brings to our family is significant in settling in here.

We put on a musical roll, opened all the doors and windows, and let her rip.

It was music to our ears . . . . .

Nonstalgically yours,

BW

The Captain playing piano

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33 Comments

  1. This is fantastic BW! I had a player piano while growing up. I did learn how to play it but it was also wonderfull listening to it play all by itself. I know you’ll enjoy it.

    1. Look at Her shine! Beautiful and shining in her home!
      I can hear the music…remember from holidays past…family members together!
      What song did you listen to first?

      Congratulations…so proud for you all!

      1. I don’t know if you remember the actual year Momma received this gift, but we had Christmas Eve at your mom and dad’s in Monroe the night before!!! So, the guys rolled it into the den (without Mom hearing) AFTER we got home late from Monroe! (In case anyone was wondering, Lori is one of my first cousins!)

  2. Oh my goodness! I’ve often wondered what happened to the piano. It matches the floor perfectly! I know Aunt D and Uncle B are smillin’ down on y’all. Enjoy.

  3. what a wonderful thing this is. You parents must be looking down with joy. Enjoy the piano and all the great memories.I Predict that it will bring much happiness and joyous music to the miracle bayou treehouse!
    God Bless

  4. Freaking awesome. Great job. Wish we had a music heritage in my family.
    I helped move a concert grand once. I’d of paid the rent on that lift.

  5. Well, we know Dotter and The Captain play the piano. Does anyone else play without the help of a “roll”?
    Seeing the forklift brought back memories for me. We also had to rely on a forklift to get a piano and other furniture into the “barn” (apt.) for Number 2 Son and Favorite daughter-in-law over 5’8″.
    I know you’re proud to have this special piece of furniture. I also know y’all will have hours of fun while making more memories.

    1. Making more memories sounds really good to me! The Captain picks at it by ear, and I only ever took lessons for a short while. But playing piano is Dotter’s forte`and bread and butter.

  6. That is a beautiful piece of furniture. I know it’ll be the one thing that’ll make the tree house feel like home to you. Start it up playing, sit back, close your eyes and let your mind drift. Should be very relaxing

  7. Wow–I’m so happy about this. It’s like you’ve brought them–Uncle Bill & Aunt Donna–home too. (Can’t believe Santa delivered it after the ride home from Monroe!)

    1. I know! Wasn’t that amazing? LOL! (By the way,y’all, Mindy is another cousin!!!) And let me add here about a family tradition. My dad and his brother took turns having Christmas Eve at their homes after Grandmother passed away. So, one year we would all drive the 80 miles to Uncle Tom and Aunt Joan’s house and the next year they would drive to Mom and Dad’s house for Christmas Eve and we always drove back home after the Christmas Eve celebration. Oh, and fireworks were part of the party when we went to Uncle Tom’s house!!! (And Aunt Joan’s famous chocolate chip cookies with nuts!)

  8. It was quite an adventure, and I think RenRed and The Captain did their parts admirably.

    But I have to correct you on one thing. That year, LilBro stayed home from Monroe, and the piano was delivered while we were IN Monroe. Also, Momma knew something was up, because they had to move that big crock piece she kept the umbrellas in, and they didn’t put it back. She noticed it when we got back home, but she hadn’t a clue why it had been moved, because RenRed and I quickly went into the den and shut the door, and she wasn’t about to disturb the newlyweds!

    I was so excited I couldn’t sleep, and I remember getting up early because I couldn’t stand it anymore and going and waking her up (and everybody else!). I started a Christmas roll and it began playing when she walked through the door. And yes, she was VERY surprised! Sweet memories!!

    1. Dear Blu, sorry that good family memories and my cousins finding this blog when it’s two years old is information overload. I guess it’s just too “Waltonish” for you, huh? Those boring details were for the readers who typically want more. You may exclude yourself from that category and my feelings won’t be hurt. Yep, nice fishy. Six hours fishing here Wednesday in brackish zone only produced hardheads, sail cats, lady fish, rat reds, and a small large mouth. Nothing picture worthy. Now, is that information overload?

  9. Wow, what a beauty!! And such a lovely piece of family history. I bought myself a 2nd hand spinet piano a few years ago and it’s one of my favorite pieces. We had a tough time getting it home so I can imagine it was quite a feat to raise it 12 feet!!

    1. I put a second-hand spinet on the net for sale just this morning. Dotter, who now has a Master’s degree in piano performance, grew up playing this piano and it’s sad to see it go. She has her own piano now, and now we have her grandmother’s in our house, so I hope some family can put it to good use . . . . .and will enjoy it as much as we did. It’s tough getting rid of all this furniture that made memories for us. I wish I wasn’t so sentimental. I broke down and cried in the old house yesterday while sorting through “junk” to get rid of. I’m such a weenie!!! Thanks for the sweet comment.

  10. I’ve been out of town again for work—-I miss reading the blog! What a wonderful memory to move into the house. I love the fact that Captain had to ride up with the piano, even if he couldn’t have saved it from falling, at least he would have been someone to blame it on if it had! Glad to see the house coming along.

  11. P.S. I have a forklift license and all the fancy training certificates to go with it, just in case you need another driver. 🙂