Piano Lessons, Ironstone & Moblogging

Look who it is...St. Cecilia! The patron saint of little children who were forced to take piano lessons for six years despite the fact that they sorely lacked talent and were deathly afraid of their teacher! Gotta love her!

I don't know what my parents were thinking when they made all five of us take piano lessons for years. To this day, none of us have a musical bone in our body (one exception: Erin can sing). I have our damn family piano in my house right now, and I still don't play. I think of it more as a torture device than a musical instrument. And Maeve must think of it as a big coloring book, since she "colored in" the white keys with red crayon last year (thank God for Magic Erasers).

I found this framed print of the dear saint at a Delaware yard sale. I assumed that the homeowners were dealers because of all of the antiques they were selling. After we started chatting, I learned that everything for sale once belonged to their long-gone relatives. This print hung in the home of her great-aunt, who was born in the late 1800's. I wonder if she was forced to take piano lessons, too. And if she wrote in her little notebook that she practiced 30 minutes every day, even though it was obvious that she never even touched the piano all week. And I wonder if her teacher would say, "why do you lie to me and say that you practiced when I can see that you haven't even looked at the music?" And then the little girl would start to cry and the teacher would give her back her money, and send her home in shame.

Sorry - I got off track. Let's get back to that yard sale. This huge ironstone platter belonged to the homeowner's great-grandmother (around 1850). My sister, Erin, just started collecting ironstone dishes and platters, so I can't get away with keeping this one for myself. That would be mean of me. Which would be apropos as Erin has, on several occasions, referred to me as Collmean. My nickname for her is O.S.  - Overly Sensitive. It isn't the most creative nickname, but I sure do get a reaction out of her when I say those two letters.

This platter is for you, O.S.!

Hugs & kisses,
Collmean

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Now, on to someone who I would not classify as overly sensitive: my blogging friend, Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad. She is trekking up to PA from DC for the Renninger's Antiques Extravaganza this weekend. This will be our second meeting - our first was when my sisters and I sold our vintage finds at Renninger's in Kutztown in September 2007.

I'll meet her on Sunday in Adamstown for some junk-hunting, political trash-talking, and maybe even some moblogging. Yes, I said moblogging. As in mobile blogging. As in taking pictures with my phone and sending them directly to my blog.

So, come back here on Sunday morning for some grainy photos and fat-fingered texts from Shupp's Grove and Renninger's in Adamstown. Not to be missed!  And if the moblogging doesn't work out, Sue and I will certainly be blogging about it the old-fashioned way.

Will anyone else be in Adamstown on Sunday? Let me know and we can arrange a meet-up. 

P.S. Go read the story of St. Cecilia. That shit is crazy.

Comments

[Mom]

Yo, Colleen, if I've taught you kids anything, you can't use the word "shit" and the word Saint in the same sentence. It's just not kosher. And also,if I must say,you are so modest. You and Peter Pancake are the 2 of my 5 kids that absolutely can play the piano to a degree. Only to a degree. Love, Mama

[Sarah]

I didn't even have to read your link to the story of St. Cecilia. My mother, a devout Catholic, loves to gross me out with the story from time to time. Don't even ask me to remember when something like this would even come up-- all I know is she laughs like a 12 year old boy when talking about it. Real mature.

[Sarah]

Oh wait...there was one major point of the story that was missing in your link. And I ain't divulging...

[HeidiAnn]

Oh, my. We have a Piano Lessons tale in our family, too! I finally was allowed to quit when I was 14, and to this day and I SO sorry that I don't know how to play anymore. I wish so much that I could play like I could then. I have always loved to sing, and it would be so wonderful to be able to accompany myself. Oh, well.

[marykayandrews]

Your family sounds like mine--five kids, Irish Catholic. I wanted to play an instrument, but by the time my mom agreed to fork over the five bucks, the only instrument left to rent was the cello. i was in 6th grade and weighed approx. 47 pounds--and i had to ride to school with the cello strapped to the handlebars of my bike. one day--whap! the cello hit a powerpole, and i was knocked off the bike. my family has never let me forget this happy humiliation. happy junking!

[MagiaMia]

Eight years attending St. Cecilia's gradeschool, and I don't ever remember them sharing that story! Of course, eight years of religion class did inspire a lot of day-dreaming, so who knows.....

[Erin]

Thanks Cooleen (notice how I changed it to cooleen)Love the ironstone... this better not be a trick, cause I want that. I think the cello comment above by marykayandrews is a doozy. BY the way, your beautiful 4 yr old Maeve hung up the phone on me 4 times yesterday... (not exaggerated, "Hi Aunt Erin...click" X 4)...with that kind of humiliation, no wonder I am OS.

[Heather]

Love the post. You always always always find something cool. Your Mom sounds like a hoot too. :D

[Elaine Moore]

Oh goodness - I need that picture. I had to take lessons until I was 16 -- hated every minute and, still to this day, get sick if I think about recitals.

Love the notes from your mom and sis - you guys are a kick

[laurie]

Not only do I enjoy your blog and laugh every time I ready it, but this time was entertained by your sisters comments....cooleen and your little Maeve hanging up on her four times! I would love to hang out at your family gatherings...

[piano lessons]

Hi
Nice post.You always always find something cool.... Nice..