a blast to the past

So today I'm out on the deck at my parent's home. It's the same house I grew up in, and here I am restaining the deck a nice beige (Chatham Fog),with white railings and it's looking like new. Ah...it's a beautiful day. Actually kind of warm, which is why I am taking a little break here. Not tired yet. Anyway, it's about 75 degrees out there today with an occasional nice breeze, and I am in my shorts and sleevless shirt. I just moved home and I feel so much better out of that old apartment. Not missing it at all. It feels nice to be able to go shoeless (actually had some socks on after I got paint on my nice toenail polish but took em off after they too became tacky). My dad is out there sunning himself as I layer on a second coat along the 2 inch rails. He is telling me to take a break and asking me if I am tired. No I'm not tired, Dad. I have to get this done today ( I'm driven that way, like a worker ant).

My mom is snapping photos. There is a band playing next door at somebodies graduation party. They are playing this song. It just takes me back. The year was 1971. I don't recall the song coming out that year. I don't know why, but I hadn't become fully aware of Elton John until 1973, when I wss invited over to a friend's house, whose dad happened to own one of his albums. That friendship was cut short when she and I were playing with the pool skimmer and she accidentally broke it. I was so freaked out that my Dad was going have a hairy, that I sent her home and took the blame for it. Okay, so anyway the deck wasn't built a the time, but we still have the same above ground pool ( several linings and about a 50 skimmers later). The guy is going to open it up tomorrow. Dad used to do it but now they got a guy for everything.

Back to the memory... I was ten. It was summer. Charlie H used to blast his music with the speakers of his HiFi in the upstairs bedroom windows. He played the same songs summer after summer. I only recall these:

"The theme from Dr. Zhivago"
"These Boots are made for Walking"
"I Can't Get No Satisfaction"

Anyway...he never played 'Tiny Dancer', but it didn't matter. This afternoon on the porch feels as if he may have. The only thing missing is a cold Schlitz shared between my dad and the neighbor over the fence. no wait...It was a cold Bud. In the can.

Breaks over. Back to the deck.