Organ Music

Did you know I used to play the piano and sometimes the organ in church when I was younger. Our little country church was blessed with people with musical talent, so for many years it has had the organ and piano playing together.
My sister Deb played the piano and organ too, so she would play the organ and I would play the piano in our duets at church starting with Christmas programs of long ago. Having an organ and piano in our home, we practiced there, but they were both involved in duets by family and guests alike, back in the days when activity surrounded neighborhood and family visits. Anyone who played a piano or organ was pressed to play when they entered the Johnson home. Often Dad would sit at the piano and he played many duets with his girls, as long as the brown hymnal was used.

When we were younger yet we had a pump organ in our house. Many smiles and lasting memories were formed around that old pump organ... pumping your feet on the pedals gave power to the sounds that escaped. Our vacuum also played a part in the sounds to fill our home when it was hooked up to the bellows leaving the air supply constant with no need to pump. What fun and trickery... In the photo to the side is Mom's cousin Iona giving the organ a hand back in 1958.
I was given this pump organ (photo below) a few years ago and it has been sitting in my little garage cramped between the mower and flower pots. Currently it's under a tarp where it has become the base for lamp displays at garage sales and it also corals the garden tools stored to the side of it.

My Dad was behind my "adoption" of this old pump organ, it is to become a project for him. Dad is a magician at refinishing, tinkering with the old to make it work again. The ivory is all there, the stops and wooden pieces too, I believe the bellows are probably dried out and silent but soon it will travel to the farm for Dad to give it his special touch. Mom and Dad are planning to come to Denver this week or month. I'm hoping for the week so I can spend time with them before school starts for me next week.
What will I do with all the space in my garage? The city wide garage sales (Steve would always say each year, "you haven't sold that garage yet?!") in Denver are approaching September 13th.