Now I can play as loud as I want. Shoot deer off the back porch...but I don't like killing critters.

The silence is amazing. Everyone around here speaks English.
I got credit down at the grocery store and the barber tells me jokes.

The move was a nightmare right out of a Steven King paperback.

I bought a small house in town for my wife. She did not like sleeping with the cows...lol Well...the ranch house is pretty "country"...lol

I like the cows, better neighbors than I had in Miami...lol

Six more months of unpacking and I will be back to playing music. Country music I suppose seems appropriate for the conditions.

Billy

I think there’s a good short story here.

A story? Heck no, we want a song!

The piano is up and running. The guitar is still in the case.

There will be a song...not just too sure when.

Billy

Wait. What? Do you mean you bought your wife her own separate house because she didn't want to sleep with the cows out in the country where you are? A separate house would have been the only way I could have stayed with wife 3.0, and even then...

And it's good old country comfort in my bones
Just the sweetest sound my ears have ever known
Just an old-fashioned feeling fully-grown
Country comforts in a truck that's going home
(Bernie Taupin)

Congratulations.

I moved away from Pompano to get away from the crowds so I understand.

I hope you are very happy there.

Notes ♫

Oh, yes, the lyrics of Bernie Taupin have always been absolutely extraordinary. What a sensational 50+ year collaboration.

(No pressure now, Billy )

Sounds like a good plan.

My wife and I have been out here in the woods now for 6+ years.

We can't see the neighbors or the street and they can't see us. I love it that way. We lived for too long in a small town.... I like small towns, but everyone knows everyone else's business and there's no real privacy from prying eyes.

Now....No one walks past my house because if they do, they are trespassing, and my dog has something to say about that. We're 1000 feet off the 2 lane country road tucked back in the trees out of the line of sight. And, in addition, we can barely hear the interstate which is a mile away, the sounds of roosters, goats and the donkey, mixed with the occasional howl of the bobcat and coyotes, with the screech of the hawk and the owls and of course the wind in the trees, are the predominate sounds we hear. Early morning and late evening walks in the woods down along the 2 streams and just breathing the air in the woods...... That's living large in my opinion.

Nice to know some folks are able to get to places that are less peopley.

Herb, not to mention the drone flying over!

Tell me you don’t really shoot at dear from your front porch!

As much as I love the country, I prefer to be near the ocean.

One house east of me is a 2-mile wide lagoon (Indian River), then a thin barrier island, and the Atlantic Ocean. On a windy day, I can hear the surf where I live.

If it weren't for hurricanes, I'd live on the barrier island.

But when I'm in rural settings, I can certainly see why people would want to live there, too.

Notes ♫

Not yet.... but they do come up in the backyard so from the back deck is totally a possibility. However, the deer stand is only a short walk down the path.

We're about 2 hrs from the ocean. We went to stay at a friend's house a few weeks after a fairly significant hurricane hit the barrier island (Topsail Island, NC) dead on. The eye came in about 10 miles up from his oceanfront house. The damage to the north of the eye land fall was extensive and the island had several new inlets cut into it with pontoon bridges spanning them. In a few places there were pilings where a house used to be.

To the south where his house was at.... mostly water damage and a few missing and damaged roofs.

I prefer not to live near the ocean for a number of reasons and being 120 miles inland is close enough for me.

Good for you Billy. Living in the boonies is where I hope to spend the rest of my life. I love the peace and quiet.

I couldn't even tolerate living in a small town anymore. People and traffic annoy the hell out of me. I go out twice a month for groceries and I always dread that, even when using online ordering and contact free pickup on the parking lot.

I hope you enjoy the country life. There's nothing else like it, especially when the state park line is only 300 yards out my front door and it's very remote with NO roads or public access. The lake and marina are only about 2 miles from my cabin.

Now it's time to go back to pickin' the guitar a little bit.

Hey Bob, haven’t heard from you in awhile. Nice to see you back.

I have a summer cabin in a resort area where I grew up, but I hardly use it in the summer. The real time to be here is fall and spring when far fewer people are here. And winter in the Adirondacks can be desolation, but it’s great for writing music.

It's good to hear from you too Matt.

The place you're describing sounds fantastic. It's surprising what a little bit of nature in all it's splendor can do for your state of mind. Especially when it comes to music.

With population density increasing everywhere, having the ability to live in a less stressful place is a big deal.

It is simple really, put three rats in a box and feed them and they will do just fine. Put 20 rats in the same box and they will kill each other.

Just to be able to have a place like Matt has is a pressure relief valve.

Not everyone for sure would be happy on a cattle ranch. I like animals at least as well as most people...lol It is especially true for younger people not to like the remoteness and perceived isolation.

I have come to well understand the difference between what I need and what I may want. I want a lot less nowadays.

I am very happy with this move.

Billy

My father used to breed tropical fish as a sideline to his main occupation, and sell them to pet stores.

Like people and rats, the fish will do fine in a tank until you put too many in there. Then they start attacking each other, taking chunks out of their fins, and if it gets much more crowded, killing each other.

When you get a chance, and if you are inclined to do so, post some pictures for us to enjoy.

Notes ♫

Exactly why I will never live with anything but a dog ever again, Notes. I don't want fish and rats taking bites out of me.

That and I doubt another human could tolerate me for more than short periods at a time. I have been on my street for almost 18 years and I only know 4 of my neighbors.

Same and Same.

Then there's the story of the guy who fell asleep only to wake up to his dog chewing off his toes.

I sleep heavy but not heavy enough to not feel my toes being chewed off. I think some alcohol might have been involved.

I would hope alcohol was involved! That would take a good bit of drink I think!

That's a joke I have told for years. As I walk my dog at the park, I enjoy the happy company of my best buddy. The same best buddy who, if faced with a dead me and nobody to feed him, will eat me to stay alive.

On a serious note, I have an app called Snug. If I don't check in every morning by 9am, an email goes out to 3 people who in turn will know to call me, and then the police if I don't answer. So, Chunk will not miss a meal...

Well, I know my neighbors at the ranch, but they are far away. In general, ranchers look out for each other. Live stock sometimes gets loose and people need to be told.

The neighbors on the street of my new house (wife's new house...lol) in town are very friendly. Three or four have come by to welcome me to the neighborhood.

The kid down the street wants to learn some guitar. I guess I get volunteered for the job...lol

Billy

No pets at all for me (except Mrs. Notes). We like to travel, and to leave one behind for a month or so every year isn't fair to the animal.

I live on a dead-end street, and I know everyone who lives on this street. We all get along, even those with opposite political/religious views. We have an active crime-watch, one of the retired guys logs the license of every vehicle that comes up the road, a couple of others have cameras, and in the 30 years I've been here, only one burglary has been committed, 3 neighbors called the police, and the thief was caught in less than a half hour. He ended up with over 20 years in jail as a plea bargain. He was wanted for quite a few others.

In times of stress, we help each other out. After a hurricane, it's common to see water hoses (we all have wells) and extension cords all over the neighborhood. Those with water helping those who lost prime, and those with generators sharing power with others.

Thanks to the snakes, bobcats and foxes, we don't have rats, and since I'm 32' above sea level (The Florida Alps) the only fish we have up here are either bought at the market, or shared by a neighbor who likes to go fishing a lot.

I like it here.

Notes ♫

A former neighbor of mine wanted to play saxophone. I volunteered. She progressed to pretty good when she moved to New Orleans. She had good talent, but was still challenged by the technical aspects of the horn.

We've kept in touch through the years, and she eventually played in the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as a member of the Rockie Charles band.

She is a fine-art artist (I have a couple of her works) and her new musical passion is violin. I have my father's violin, but can't even get a decent squawk out of it.

Good luck teaching the neighbor. I hope it's a joy for both of you.

Notes ♫