[CAUT] Good Saturday

[James Ellis]

Conrad Hoffsommer's "Good Saturday" brought back several wonderful memories
for me, one of which was similar to the 6th grade girl who was so
interested in the piano.  In my case (30 some years ago), the piano was a
Baldwin Acrosonic, and the girl would have been in the 3rd or 4th grade.
She was taking piano lessons from a teacher for whom I tuned, and was
completely consumed with everything about the piano and everything I did.
She was very careful not to make a sound when I was tuning.  Whenever I
stopped for a few seconds, she would ask some intelligent question, and I
would answer.  Today, that "girl" is married with a family and has moved
away, but her mother is the secretary for a local church for which I tune,
and nearly every time I see her, she reminds me of that day 30 years ago.

But much more recently, I had the NON-pleasure of replacing a whole set of
elbows and a bunch of key bed felts in a Betsy Ross spinet.  When I went to
repalce the keys, one of them was missing.  A little detective work made me
conclude that the little brat who had been messing aroung had taken it.
His mama finally persuaded him to go get it wherever it was that he had
hidden it.  He did, and I finished the job.  That's when I decided that at
my age now, I don't need stuff like this, and I'm not tuning pianos like
that any more.  Some of the younger fellows who want work can have them.

Sincerely, Jim Ellis