The first thing Ed and I bought together after returning from our honeymoon in November 1966 was this used Chickering piano. He can't really live without one. Since the age of eight Ed has been playing the piano. Although his parents tried to get him to take lessons, it wasn't his thing. Playing by ear is. What a special touch he has, even when playing the boogie woogie, the genre for which he became known in college. For 41 years we've been singing together at the piano. Sometimes I sing and Ed accompanies me; other times we sing duets. Back in the 1970s and 80s our home was the unofficial neighborhood youth center, and singing was a big part of it. The parents used to be surprised to hear their little ones knowing all the words to songs from the 40s, but that's what we'd sing. When we hosted three young adults from Japan for a ten-day sister city exchange in 1976, we taught them the song, "Getting to Know You." Thirty-one years later I still think of them when we sing it.

A few hours after I took this picture last night, Ed and I were at the piano again. Our songs were "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," "In The Mood," "Coney Island Baby," "My Funny Valentine," and "Perfidia." On this American Thanksgiving morning, it's simple things like this that I'm most thankful for.

If you're a regular visitor, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that I've just added this image to my "Edward Hopper visits my home" gallery. CLICK HERE to see it.