Today’s track: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea — Dan Mangan (cover) — https://youtu.be/K7rAyM-JtX0?si=NbNveJFNN0Ac1V_3
A while back I wrote about the birds — that whole birds, birds, birds thing (https://themorningbergeron.beehiiv.com/p/birds-birds-birds) — and I figured that was that. A fun little detour. Turns out it wasn’t.
Since then, people in my life — and some people I’m still not sure who — have started sending me things. Dropping stuff off at my door. Dark chocolate pistachios. Gift cards. Half the time I know who it was. Half the time I don’t.
Somebody gave me a hummingbird puzzle and a hummingbird coffee table book. Somebody else, a book on how to attract birds to your yard. Another, generously gifted of those digital bird feeders with the fancy cameras. Another deck of cards on what different birds are supposed to mean spiritually. Lots to dive into! I’m cure I’ll be somewhat of an expert in no time! Or just know enough to be dangerous.
Like I wrote about in birds, birds, birds (https://themorningbergeron.beehiiv.com/p/birds-birds-birds), the real unlock was pairing the Merlin app (FREE) with Claude (FREE). Merlin tells you what you’re hearing — pull up the app, and it names the birds singing around you in real time. Then you hand that off to Claude and start building the whole story: what these birds are, when they migrate through, what they eat, why they’re in your yard this week and not last. Piece by piece you’re building a comprehensive picture of the little ecosystem you share your backyard with.
And something happens when you do that. Your backyard stops being background. It gets romantic — magical, even. That same patch of grass and trees you’ve walked past a thousand times becomes a place with characters and seasons and a rhythm you can actually read. You learn what’s going on around you, and suddenly it means something.
People ran with it. A lot of you downloaded Merlin and pointed it at your own yards.Literally writing this today and a friend pulled out his phone, downloaded it on the spot, and started asking me about it. The gateway to fun is just a quick download away. It’s the one thing being on your phone, that keeps you from being on your phone if that makes sense?
A lot of you told me you do it with your kids. Or with your coffee, every morning. That it’s how you quiet yourself down, take a beat, get still for a minute before the day grabs you. That one gets me. I love that.
I’ll be honest — with this heat, I haven’t been sitting out there listening as much as I’d like. But it’s still there. The feeder now tells me which birds are visiting and how many times they come back. It’s such a neat little thing. We are taking this to the next level it appears!
So — thank you. It’s very kind of all of you. And it’s cool as hell that so many of you are this into birds. Birds appear to be a unifying factor and all politicians out to work them more into their political pushes, I bet it would resonate.
Keep it up. And let me know if you spot a crazy one. Still pushing to get to 40 species!
About that track…
The original, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, is a Neutral Milk Hotel record from 1998, written by a guy named Jeff Mangum. Here’s the bizarre part: the whole album is basically Mangum processing his obsession with Anne Frank. He read her diary, and by his own account spent about three days crying — having dreams where he traveled back in time and saved her. That’s the seed the whole thing grew from.
And it should not work. A fuzzy, half-surreal indie album about a girl who died in a concentration camp? On paper, no. But it’s so good — one of those records that barely sold when it came out and then quietly became one of the most beloved albums of its era. It got so intense for Mangum that he more or less disappeared from music afterward. No big explanation. He just went quiet.
A little full-circle thing for me — I actually got to see Jeff Mangum play live once. Kentucky Theater, downtown Lexington, back when I was at UK. One of those shows you don’t forget.
Here’s the rabbit hole if you want it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Aeroplane_Over_the_Sea — today’s version is Dan Mangan’s cover, which strips it down and lets the strangeness breathe.
If you start paying attention to one small thing, and it opens a door to ten others. I’ve got such a fun tunnel to go down with this new birding hobby, and I’m glad you’re all along for the ride.
Enthusiastically,
Rob Bergeron
Owner–Realtor at Award-Winning Winner Realty
The Morning Bergeron daily track playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-morning-bergeron/pl.u-pMyl2GlSW1N3qv
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3,666 (👀) active residential listings on the Louisville MLS as of this morning.
157 multifamily properties available right now — https://www.flexmls.com/share/EFXWN/156-multi-list — if you are in the hunt.
And Winner Realty’s investor-friendly offerings — https://www.flexmls.com/share/EFXXk/15-multi-list