My Birth & a Piano

My family before I came along: Dad (Richard), Judy, Mom 

(Eileen), Michael (we called him Mickey and now he's 

Mike), Todd, Robin (Age order: Judy, Todd, Mike, Robin)

This is the only picture of me as a tiny baby that I know of

"In 1961 we added Valerie on a sunshiny April day"...as the Family Song 

my mom wrote says...the 4th to be exact, in Richland, Washington. 

My dad always said I was his easiest delivery but I've given birth to a few children so I know that means nothing haha. I do know it means I came more quickly than previous births had, so for at least that much my mom could be grateful. He always called me his "merry sunshine girl" and his "Blondie." If you can believe it, I had the lightest color hair of the whole family, and, well, I was always just a happy ray of sunshine, I'm sure. 😜

at our house on Longfitt St.

I was child number 5 and that forced my family to move to a bigger house. I didn’t know until many, many years later that my mom sold her piano to help make a down payment on our new home at 1422 Agnes Street. It certainly was a happy day for her when we bought a new one. 

This is your great-grandma Eileen's piano. You can find it now in Landi's front room because when my dad and 

Nana Karla moved to Utah from Texas it needed a new home. Your Grandpa Ipson was so nice 

that he drove all the way to Amarillo and back to pick it up because he knew I wanted it.

One of my VERY favorite things was to listen to her play. I became obsessed with piano music and I can remember many times putting a Floyd Cramer album on our record player and then sitting at the piano to pretend I was playing. Every song on that album brings back so many memories of when I was little. 

Take a listen: The Best of Floyd Cramer

(This is the actual album cover but the video is of only one song from it.)

My Mom played hymns and all kinds of other music but one of my favorites was Moonlight Sonata.

She taught me how to read music but she felt that attempting to teach one's own children piano lessons was a recipe for disaster. My brother Todd was deemed the most musically-inclined, I guess, and he received lessons for a short time.

While I regret not being able to play the piano well, an appreciation for the instrument and its beautiful sound is a gift my mother gave to me.