This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Orem youngster Maya Borrowman was 7 years old when she started taking piano lessons and quickly developed a passion for the instrument.

But the family didn't own a piano, so she practiced at home on a keyboard.

Her piano teacher saw her potential and recommended to her parents, Eden and Jeff Borrowman, that they buy a piano.

Alas, Maya's parents did some research and sadly concluded that such a purchase would be too steep for them.

So Maya took matters into her own hands.

She and her mother went to the farmers market every weekend and did face painting. It turned out that music wasn't the child's only artistic gift.

She kept a tip jar, which her customers would fill every week.

This went on for two years while Maya sacrificed her Saturdays and other activities to save toward her goal, never spending a penny from her piano fund.

After two years, Maya saved half the money that she needed to buy a piano — about $2,000.

Her parents helped with the rest, and they went piano shopping, landing at Brigham Larson Pianos in Orem. After much consultation with the sales staff, they left the shop with a new grand piano.

Maya is 11 now and reportedly has become an accomplished pianist.

Loyal subscriber • Merle Hansen is now convinced that The Salt Lake Tribune is preferred reading in heaven.

MediaOne, which manages circulation of The Tribune and the Deseret News, has continued to send her husband, Dennis, a bill for his subscription, even though he has been dead for 12 years.

Merle has kept up the subscription in her name since Dennis died, and she gets a monthly bill. But she also gets a monthly bill in Dennis' name.

She keeps sending his bill back, with the explanation that he doesn't live there anymore, but it just keeps coming.

Now, she has told the company that if her husband indeed is still getting the paper, it's in heaven, so they should send the bill there.

Christmas ride • Eager to do some last-minute shopping before Christmas, octogenarians Don and Janet Thomas went to the Fashion Place mall. As they arrived, she parked the car and they hurried inside. When they came out, however, the car was not there.

As they wandered around looking for their vehicle, two women, in their early 20s, stopped their car and asked if they needed help.

They invited the older couple into their car and drove around looking for the missing vehicle. It turned out, Don and Janet had come out a different door than they went in, and their car was on the other side of the Murray mall.

Once the car was found, the young women waited until the Thomases were in the vehicle and it was started. They then drove off before the grateful couple could properly thank them. prolly@sltrib.com —