-- She was the hit of the block !

Last week we had what I can only guess is a selective blackout for
about an hour.  I had not foot-pumped my player piano that night
because I was tired.  Then the lights (and everything else) went out.

After a few seconds of trying to regain my composure, I said to myself,
"Oh yeah?  This will be my player piano's moment.  My player piano
doesn't need any electricity!"  I opened the windows wide and started
foot pumping my player piano in the dark.  I picked a really up-tempo
Fox Trot.

I never knew so many people lived on this block -- most of them were
strangers to me.  Some gathered for some sort of "neighborhood confer-
ence" (I think they were preparing to march on City Hall, two blocks
away) and the others congregated out on the sidewalk below our porch.
The player piano is on the second floor -- but that's another story.

An hour of sheer magic.  My player piano, my audience, and I were
actually having fun.  Yes, candles and flashlights.  The kids, their
folks, and old folks loved my player piano for about one hour.  Most
of them (about 20 people in total) sat on the porch or on the sidewalk,
just listening to the lovely piano music.  The others were far too
concerned with getting the lights back on.

Then the lights did in fact come back on.  A few people looked
genuinely disappointed.  They all went home and my player was quiet
again (for a while).

So now _everyone_ knows about my player piano.  What a night!  It was
a great moment which I will probably never forget.  I was saying to
myself, "Savor this moment, it won't last."  And it didn't.  It was over
all too quickly.  Now I know how porches used to be used.  They were
also wonderful things.

The most amazing thing was I didn't need to ask, "Won't you come on
over?"  They simply heard the piano playing away and they were drawn
to it.  One person said, "Well, I was on Augusta Street and heard the
piano."  Augusta Street is a block away!

Gabe Della Fave
http://www.mindspring.com/~gabedellafave/player.htm