Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 -- Mattie died 642 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. Mattie received this wonderful piano keyboard from his two favorite hospital volunteers, Jerry and Nancy. We would literally bring this keyboard back and forth from the hospital to home. As you can see Mattie was learning how to read music and play. After Mattie died, I donated the keyboard back to the hospital for other children to use in the pediatric units. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.

• Number of people diagnosed with the virus: 67,172,295
• Number of people who died from the virus: 853,536

This is the piano that was given to us so many years ago. Probably when Mattie was four years old. Our neighbor, Susan, was moving out of our complex and told me she wanted Mattie to have this piano, so he could learn to play. The only catch was we had to move it. Which Peter and I did! 

Now all these years later, I decided to get it tuned. We found a piano tuner through Mattie's school. Therefore, to me this should be a reputable person. 

This tuner set both Peter and me off! So much so that Peter went upstairs. Peter's mom was the chair of the music department of a private school in Massachusetts. I say this because Peter has been around music and pianos ALL his life. Long story short, the tuner feels the piano is worthless and should not be tuned. She also feels because it is old and worthless, that we shouldn't even donate it to anyone. She feels that would be passing along the problem to someone else!

The tuner says pianos have a 50 year life span. Our Acrosonic spinet dates back to 1944. Meaning that it is old! I think it is a charming looking piano and also I have sentimental attachment to it because it was given to Mattie. After talking to her today, I was at first buying what she was saying. In fact, she maybe correct, but I am not in the habit of throwing away things just because they are old. Someone must be able to rehab this cutie. To me they don't make pianos like this today with fine wood.  

I started searching the internet and found this article on the Acrosonic by Baldwin. Seems to me that I am not the only one out there who thinks these cuties have potential: https://calibbr.com/what-is-an-acrosonic-piano

This afternoon, we met up with my friend Ann to celebrate her birthday. It is an adjustment for me because in the past, after Mattie died, if I wanted to meet with a friend, I easily could. Now my parents are in tow and I have to admit this is a big adjustment for me. If I go out, they want to go with me. I also admit this causes conflicts between me and my mom. 

In any case, Ann has been an incredible friend to me over the years and did the impossible when Mattie was sick and dying. I have so many amazing, thoughtful, and generous friends and my hope is they all understand what I am juggling now, because I truly can't be the friend that I used to be. Which frustrates me.  

We had lunch at Mattie's favorite restaurant today. I can't tell you how many times we ate with him in this room. It truly is hard to grasp that the room and restaurant are still here, but he is not.