How fortunate am I to live in a house that has a deck? Real fortunate. I like the deck a lot, though I don’t take advantage of it as often as I should. About eight feet above ground level and attached to the rear of my abode, it extends fully from one end of the house to the other. From the deck I have an assortment of scenes to look at, including partial views of man-made stuff on nearby properties: brickwork, garage doors, sheds, recycling bins, etc. But who cares about any of that? Manufactured items I damn well would look at carefully, though, if they were there, are swimming pools and hot tubs. But only if gorgeous girls were occupying them. Some day, after I’ve bit the dust, a pool or hot tub or two undoubtedly will appear, and gorgeous girls will put them to good use. Shit! Bad timing on my part.
Luckily, I have worthy viewing options. For instance, when on the deck in daylight I sometimes gaze at the sky and at the trees in my backyard and on other lots, all the while listening to the birdies do their chirping thing. That’s one of my go-to ways of trying to become one with Nature. And, you know, sipping on coffee, and grooving to human music in addition to the avian variety, tends to make that combination of activities even better. Which is why, after plopping my ass down on a deck chair, I had a swell time one recent Saturday morning.
Ah yes, the trees. The deciduous ones are voluminous right now here in Pennsylvania, where summer is in full swing. As I admired a collection of trees from the deck, their leaves as green as green can be, I nearly rose from my chair and bowed down to them. Trees project a majestic aura. I don’t take them for granted.
The skies were wonderful too. A dreamy shade of blue, with strands of clouds lolling about, they put me at ease. What’s more, though we were in the midst of a heat wave, the early morning temps hadn’t yet gone haywire. I was as comfortable as I’d be on a crisp autumn day.
In need of caffeine, I wasted no time saying hello to my mug of coffee. As I did so, I tuned in to the birdsong. Although I didn’t spot any of our feathered friends, it was obvious they were out there in abundance, because an a cappella opus, consisting of trills and staccato bursts, bounced energetically through the air. Now, I’m a f*cking dope when it comes to birds. I can identify only a handful by sight and only one species (crows) by sound. Nonetheless, I dig the music they compose. Who doesn’t?
Amazingly, typical neighborhood noises were absent or minimal during the 40 minutes I sat outside. Human voices (belonging to kids in a house opposite mine) didn’t arrive until the 30-minute mark. Motor vehicle growls and screeches were few. And not a single canine bark rang out. What? How was that possible? There are a million dogs in my immediate neighborhood, and they ain’t famed for being quiet.
Anyway, as it turned out, bird calls were not the primary sounds to reach my ears, because I decided after a few minutes on the deck that the scenario I was part of might reach a higher level if recorded music were added to it. I was proven correct when I dialed up some SiriusXM satellite-radio channels on my smart phone. Nearly all of the songs I heard hit the spot, two in particular: Goodbye Mr. Blue, by folk-rock star Father John Misty, and Chill On Cold, by little-known blues and soul singer BIGLLOU Johnson. They were released in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Goodbye Mr. Blue is a moody contemplation on a failed relationship. Chill On Cold talks about a lady whom guys would be wise to avoid. I think it’s cooler than cool, and that BIGLLOU deserves to become popular as hell one day.
That’s a wrap, ladies and gents. Here are the tunes. Till next time!
Yeah, Another Blogger 
Your deck sounds peaceful (at the right time of morning), and I really enjoyed that folk song, even though that’s not my typical go-to for music 😉
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Hi there, Kathy. Something I like about both songs is the stage names of the performers. Father John Misty and Big Llou Johnson are names with plenty of punch. See ya. Have a good week!
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Thanks Kathy! It’s actually spelled “BIGLLOU Johnson”.. Seems people have some confusion as to how to print it. But I hope you get the opportunity to check out the entire album.. We recorded it over the pandemic and hired over 40 different musicians to complete the project. Much appreciated… BIGLLOU
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You do have cool tunes, Neil, and with voluminous trees, feathered friends, and dreamy skies, who needs a view of pools and hot tubs? 😂
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You’re right!
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Hey Neil, I completely get your deck infatuation. We also have a deck off the back of our house that stretches wide and gives me a vista of tall leafy neighborhood trees, the sounds of birdsong, and the opportunity to watch industrious squirrels, well, “squirrel away” treasures for the winter. I have always loved to watch the stars at night, but in the past two years, thanks to climate changes, the stars have faded. Still, every now and then I get a clear view of the Little Dipper. It’s my haven of peace where I decompress from the nutsiness happening outside my hood, a generally peaceful place (though we do get the occasional annoying drone overhead).
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Hi. You’ve inspired me to sit on the deck at night. I used to do that, staring at the stars and the Moon and passing airplanes. For some reason I haven’t been out there at night this year. I will rectify that!
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I love identifying all the different sounds around when sitting outside. Sadly traffic is the most common but also birds, grass cutters, doors and gates opening/shutting and DOGS! I hear an owl when lying in bed at night which is pretty cool. Love flooding my garden with music – but only when the neighbours are away.
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Hi, Alyson. From the way you describe things, I think that your neighborhood and mine are very similar. I’m sitting on my living room sofa right now, and I hear a lawn mower, for instance. Man-made noises are hard to get away from.
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Yep, from the pictures you’ve shared, a very similar neighbourhood, albeit a continent apart.
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Thanks for sharing your commune with nature! Decks are a good place for a break from indoor work and you can get some vitamin D out there too. A well-written, fun read!
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Howdy, and thanks. I haven’t been on the deck in a few days. I’m going to head out there right now and listen to some tunes. See ya!
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Neil,
What a great place to call home! I don’t know why, but Father John Misty makes me think of Harry Nilsson. Really enjoyed it. I’m all about great blues as well! Thanks for sharing great music and a cool place to hang! Mona
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Thanks for stopping by, Mona. Nilsson was a terrific singer. Such a beautiful voice. He seems to be sort of forgotten at this point. Do you ever hear him on any radio/streaming channels? I haven’t heard anything by him in a long time.
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No, I haven’t. There’s a moment in “Goodbye, Mr. Blue,” where all of a sudden I started singing, “Everybody’s talking at me, I can’t hear a word they’re saying…” and then, of course, I had to go on You Tube and listen to the whole song. I’m not sure when Nilsson died. Okay, I just looked it up. He died in 1994 from heart disease. He was only 52.The world lost a great singer/songwriter. Isn’t 1994 the year Kurt Cobain died as well? Mona
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I could sit around looking up at the leaves and clouds for hours!
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Hi. I know what you mean. Doing that never grows old. And it’s a healthy activity too.
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Neil, get yourself a sky chair on your deck and you will never want to come inside! I love my sky chair.
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Thanks, Pam. I’ll look into it.
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🙌
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The deck is my most favorite place to be in the summer. I’m going to have to check out this sky chair thing Pam mentioned. Sounds so cool!
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Hi there, Michele. I’d never heard of the sky chair either. Maybe we both will end up getting one!
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It looks like an amazing deck you have there. Makes me want to drop by for coffee tomorrow morning.
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Catch a plane! I’ll see you soon!
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It sounds like a wonderful place to hang out! I used to have a large roof terrace in my previous apartment, which I have missed this summer.
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It’s good, usually, to be elevated!
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