Of Turkeys and Tuning

The same day that K-D commented about having wild turkeys, this picture was in the GDTimes on the Rockport page.The South End has been a turkey haven for a number of years. Nowadays, I'm quite aware of them when I have a tuning job in that neck of the woods. A few years ago, being somewhat new to the area after an 18 year absence, I wasn't quite so knowledgeable.

As I recall the tuning was booked for a weekday afternoon in November. A local physician needed a small, old grand tuned. Neither he nor his wife would be home he informed me over the phone, but one of their teenagers would let me in. The check would be waiting for me at the piano. Normally, I don't enter a client's home without an adult present. Especially on a first time job. But this is Rockport and as much as I hate to acknowledge the fact...some things are just different here. I found the address and parked my truck in front of the home, alongside a stone wall. There were several granite steps bisecting the wall and connecting to the front walk leading to the house. As promised, the teen aged daughter let me in and showed me to the piano. The tuning was uneventful and after about an hour's work I was finished. I called out, to the daughter somewhere in the house, that everything was set with the piano, thank you, and if there were any problems or questions her folks could give me a call. I let myself out the front door, my heavy tool kit in hand and my lunch box sized chemical kit (glues and such) over my shoulder. I struggled down the granite steps while fumbling to get my keys out of my pocket, rounded the back of the truck and saw more than a dozen turkeys waiting for me! They had control over the driver's side of my truck!

They looked mean. And territorial. And far too interested in me.

I inched myself back. Around the rear of the truck and then looked to see that the passenger side was still turkey free. It was and I quickly unlocked the door and threw myself in along with my tool kit and glue kit. Once inside, with the passenger door secured behind me, I sorted out myself and my kits. Then I counted turkeys.

Well, as best as one can count that many as they milled about my truck! I used to know how many, now years later, I can merely say A LOT. Yep, more than a dozen, less than two dozen.

I started the engine but they refused to move. A quick toot of the horn and they jumped the wall and sauntered off across my customer's front lawn.