Making music...

Here I am at the Hammond organ. I was probably 10 or 11 years old. As you can see, both photographs were taken at Christmastime. I loved playing Christmas music! I started lessons when I was 9 years old. I never particularly enjoyed these lessons either! I remember whenever I watched my hands while playing, my instructor would smack my hands with a ruler. That really smarted. Nowadays that wouldn't happen! I remember the day the organ was delivered to my house. I had no idea my parents had bought one. If it'd been up to me, I'd rather have played the saxophone in the high school band! But I had to take lessons. I never was that good, but muddled through playing at my church for a couple of years, and even played for a couple of friend's weddings...and one funeral. I've hardly played at all since I've grown up. Sadly I've forgotten many of my chords and my fingers now stumble across the keys.

My sweet husband has a player piano that we have sitting in our living room. Here's a photo of it decked out for Christmas! I honestly prefer hearing piano music any day compared to organ. Hearing David Lanz at the piano is sheer contentment! I "tickle the keys" once in awhile. My husband enjoys hearing me play, so I occasionally (try to) play for him. I mainly play the old church hymns that I loved growing up in the Baptist Church.

My old organ...circa 1965... now sits in my mom's home gathering dust. I don't have the space for it, so it'll probably end up being donated to a nursing home or the like. I don't even know if it could be serviced or for that matter, even  find parts for it any more...it's full of the old-style tubes. Sort of sad.