Piano.

It's funny... how the universe groups things... how ideas tend to gather in the great ether....

A few nights ago, while waiting to get into the bathtub before bed, Zoey and John and I were playing in the front room. Zoey was wound up crazy, like normal. In an attempt to focus her for a minute, we asked her to play us a song on her piano. Normally this would me that she'd slam and bang and laugh. This time she very gingerly croutched in front of the tiny piano and played a tune. Really. She thought about where her fingers were on the keys. (Mostly using her index fingers.) She listened to the sounds coming from the little wooden box. She looked for reactions from us and smiled... a lot. It was absolutely wonderful!

We talked about the piano he had as a kid in his house, as well as the one I had in my childhood home. We thought about where we would put one in our house - someday.

Then the next day (I think), my sister posted a little ditty from another blog that we both read. This post contained a picture of the author's family piano - newly restored. It made Tracy think of the pianos we had as a kid (much forgotten in the black hole that is my childhood of memories).

All of this piano-ness has me thinking about Christmas carols at my cousins' house... good ol' fashioned singing around the piano. (I think I only got to do that once or twice...) More recently, singing with our friends, the Elliotts. I like that kind of stuff.

I've often thought about learning to play the piano. My sister did get to take lessons - or more as I remember it - was forced to take lessons. I don't even know if the option was given to me. I didn't much think about it then, if at all. Now, thinking about how much I love music...how I still remember a few tunes that I taught myself on the Casio of the late 80s/early90s... only one-handed, taken from trumpet sheet music.... how I've been told I might actually have "piano hands." (?! A compliment?! yes.)

Seeing my little girl pluck away with such delight. Showing us, the parents, some glimmer of a future full of music... hmmmm...

Funny. That a little moment before bathtime could have easily been forgotten. Thankfully, I had some help from across the world wide web to focus me.

**Note: these photos were taken today - just so you could see the piano we now have in our home. It's from John's parents' house. I'm not sure if it was his or Bill's or both, but it's Zoey's for right now. :)