You know how I've been wanting a piano really REALLY bad? So bad I almost paid $3500 for a plain jane upright in St. George I didn't even like? Well, I've been religiously checking ebay and craigslist, because pianos come up quite frequently (on craigslist). Most are old, abused uprights or out-of-my-price-range grands but I kept hoping I'd find "the one."
Well, a few days ago I did a craigslist search for "piano" and there was a new listing for a moving sale. It mentioned a Samick baby grand piano (no picture). I thought it was a long shot (no description? no price?) but decided to call anyway. I hoped I could take advantage of the seller's desperation and talk them down on the price, which I mentally figured to be about $3000.
So I asked the lady who answered about her ad. It went like this:
"Hi, I'm calling about your craigslist ad. How much are you asking for your piano?"
"We're asking $300."
"Three hundred dollars? For the piano?" (sputtering from shock) "It's a real piano, right?"
"Yes, it's a real piano."
"Ummm, okay. Let me call you back."
Holy moly!!! I had to take a moment to collect my thoughts. Bryce was very suspicious of the whole thing and said,"Make sure she doesn't owe money on it" and "What if she's just house-sitting and selling off someone else's furniture?"
Valid points to be sure, but guess what. Bryce and I both went to her house, checked it out and then . . . WE BOUGHT HER BABY GRAND PIANO FOR THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS! For real! Come look, we hired movers and they set it up right in our living room. It's a real piano and it really works. No one owes money on it. She wasn't a criminal hocking stolen goods. Just a woman sticking it to her soon-to-be ex-husband, who originally bought the piano (4 yrs ago) and which the she (the wife) never wanted.
Oh, and get this. It comes with a disk player that turns it into a player piano. What in the heck? How did I get so lucky?
It looks like this.
I feel like I won the lottery.
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Tonight Tyce and I went to the stake mother-son activity, which was a 50's party. It was a lot of fun spending time with my boy and a whole bunch of other boys his age. There were 4 stations everyone rotated through: posing for a photo on a Harley, making construction paper dice to hang from a car mirror, painting on a "graffiti" wall and doing hoola hoop, and "barber shop" where the moms "shaved" the boys and spiked/slicked their hair. (Of course Tyce is basically bald right now and his makeover was, shall we say, subtle.) At the end the moms and sons learned a dance routine to "Rock Around the Clock". We had a blast! It will come as no surprise to you that Tyce is a great little dancer.
4 comments:
AMAZING!!!!!!!
That is like the story I heard, where a friend of Darrell's bought a Steinway (!!!) at an estate sale for $6000. Sometimes the stars align...
Speaking of music, I'm still trying to gather interested singers for an adult choir. Do you have any suggestions about how to contact people? I don't want to go through official church channels, like the ward music chair, because it is not a church choir. Thanks for any ideas you have!
And good luck tomorrow with your new calling. :-)
WOWZERS!!! That's so great! Now you can hear the banging of the keys on a real piano for a fraction of the price! Did you put it where the little electric one is?
I was excited to hear about your new calling...we can talk shop later.
Heather
Heather, the piano is basically where the old one was but it's a ton bigger and looks a lot better!
Angie, I remember a long time ago a series of announcements in the ward bulletin for the Red Rock choir (or whatever it's called). Basically an advertisement for interested singers. Could you do something like that in the various ward's bulletins (with permission)?
Okay, that comment from heavymetalmouth was really from me (Rebecca). When my brother and his wife visited and played on the computer, somehow their sign-in address got attached to our blog.
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