A Quick Word on Marooned Pianos…

I was really into this story about a baby-grand piano that mysteriously appeared on top of a sand bar in Florida. For the past week, no one knew where it had come from or why it was there–though the Miami New Times did compile a highly entertaining list of guesses. It was a compelling sight: a lone piano perched atop a strip of sand in the middle of Biscayne Bay. There was something mystical about the whole thing. Was the baby-grand waiting for a magical musician to tickle its ivories? Was it perhaps buoyed up from the bay by otherworldly music? Was it aliens? An act of God? A sign of the music missing from our lives?

Well, a few days ago the New York Times reported that the mystery was officially solved. You can read for yourself about the less-than-magical reasons behind the piano’s appearance. The point of this Quick Word is that I’m a little disappointed with the truth. I liked the speculations about the piano better than the reality. Plus, the piano has since been removed which ends the story on a bit of a flat note. Oh well, it was a fun mystery while it lasted.

And I’m Not Even a Cat Person…

On Sunday, a cat was rescued from the trunk of a car in Buffalo, New York where it had been “marinating” in oil and peppers. The owner of the kitty, Gary Korkuc, was stopped by police officers for running a stop sign but soon found himself in deeper (and much deserved) trouble when the officers heard mewing coming from the trunk. Korkuc claims his cat Navarro was on the menu because he was ill-tempered.

There was a happy ending to this story, because Navarro has now been adopted by a woman who read about his ordeal in the paper and immediately wanted to make him a part of her family. He now has a new home, a new name (nothing like a makeover to change your life), and a new sibling–the woman’s first cat.

Korkuc was charged with animal cruelty and released but here’s hoping that someone keeps an eye on him–because that type of cruelty should not be ignored.