It’s a little after 4 am on a Saturday so why am I awake? Old Speck is coming up on his 15th birthday and not unlike his human friends, has a hard time sleeping through the night. Sometimes, when I return home after having left him for 10 days or so, he does this and as time passes, he does a better job sleeping through the night. I hope by this time next week, he’s sleeping better.
I’m one of those very lucky folks who never has a hard time sleeping but this morning, my mind wanders — events of the week are running through my head.
We went out with friends last night and it seems no matter who we spend time with, I come away reminding myself that I have the best life of anyone I know. I’m not saying they have bad lives – heck, they get to see their grandkids almost every day — I’m just saying that I love my life, my routine and what I do all day every day.
Several hours before dawn, darkness surrounds me. Except for the light of my iPad, I wonder how far to the closest light. While at Chad and Nicole’s, even with the blinds closed, it’s never really dark. There are street and security lights everywhere. They go out to walk the dog without a flashlight. Then, I remember when we lived in town in MO, we did the same thing. It was never truly dark. It seems so long ago, and yet, it was only 3-1/2 years ago that we were city dwellers. Here, on a night like tonight, with little moonlight, without the lights on, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. I like that.
I think of the line from The Night Before Christmas — not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. I giggle. The night is alive with activity. There are foxes, raccoons, way too many skunks, deer and coyotes. Photos from the trail cams are always interesting. I wonder if any of the critters look toward the house and giggle, thinking about the pesky humans and dogs still sleeping.
It’s as quiet as can be. Except for the occasional creak of the metal roof which is still cooling down from a near 80 degree day yesterday, there is not a sound. No stereos. No barking dogs. No horns honking. No loud vehicles. No garage doors going up and down. It’s really amazing how quiet it can be when there is absolutely nothing to hear. As the sun rises and the day begins, we can hear the occasional truck going down the highway. There will be chicken chatter and roosters crowing. I will hear cows mooing in the distance but our sounds are quite different from what many people will hear throughout the day.
For now, I will turn off the iPad, hopefully turn off the thoughts of events this past week, and go back to sleep. Roosters will begin to crow in just a little over an hour and a busy Saturday will begin. We have ice predicted for Sunday night so there are a few things we need to do in preparation for the ice. Otherwise, I hope to sew, knit and maybe can a batch of Burgoo or French Onion Soup.
Back to sleep — I hope.
Ranch Wife says
Good Morning Sunshine! 🙂 I’m up too. I wanted to try a new recipe and it requires 8 hours in the crockpot. Since we eat our big meal at noon, I had to get up at 3:40 in order to get it started. Let’s hope its good!
When we have overnight guests, they often comment on how quiet and dark it is here. Some have trouble sleeping because of it, but some say its the best sleep they ever had. My SIL came bounding out of her room once and loudly declared, “Have you SEEN those stars?! Why do you have SO many stars here?!” LOL
Judy Laquidara says
I hope it’s a good recipe too! The stars were the first thing I noticed here. I sure would miss those if we ever moved to town.
Amy (NW WI) says
Your 4AM rambling makes 110% sense to me! I get it, girl.
Thanks for the post today 🙂
shirley bruner says
NOW i know why I was up at 4am yesterday….you woke me up. haha last night we got some ice….now it is snowing. sigh! shoveling ice and snow is not fun. putting wood in the wood stove isn’t much fun, either…but necessary. come on Spring!
Diana in RR,TX says
I think that is one reason I so enjoy our trips to Big Bend. It is so quiet and peaceful. Yes, there are a few low wattage lights on by the parking lot, but where we stay the small porch backs up on the wilderness. I have sat out there in the middle of the night soaking it all in. Actually where we are here except for the trains, it is pretty quiet,(between 1 & 5 AM) but then we’re on a cul de sac. But I do miss the country life!
Sherrill says
Where do you stay, Diana? I’ve never been to Big Bend as long as I’ve lived in TX and would love to go spend a little time out there. I love seeing the stars when you’re out in west Texas and they aren’t obliterated by city lights.
JudyL says
I know you miss it and I hope some day you get to move to the country. On warm, clear nights, Vince and I will often haul our chairs out in the middle of the yard and sit there with our heads back looking at the stars. That scene never gets old. We’re lucky that our nights are breezy enough, and unlucky that we never have rain so it’s rare for us to be plagued with mosquitoes at night. The time we spend sitting and staring at the night sky is one of my favorite times.
Janna says
Makes sense to me too–in Montana we live in total silence except for animal sounds, the creek noise and noise of our own making. In Arizona this year we are staying in a very nice RV park located on a busy highway and on the other side of the highway a railroad track. We will say to our friends who have lived in noise all their lives, “did you hear the train at 3am?” Many of them will say, “what train?” I guess its what you get used to! We just purchased a HUGE solar system for our RVing life, mounted on the trailer we pull behind the motorhome–we intend to do more camping out in the wilds of Arizona rather than in noisy campgrounds. Hey, Judy, I am knitting, really knitting–my “spa cloth” is almost finished–albeit with LOTS of mistakes but I have learned a LOT while knitting it. On to the next spa cloth, I am shooting for NO mistakes! I too love our life, wouldn’t want it any other way!
Teresa says
We live in rural Minnesota. We have no window coverings, so I love to lay in bed and watch the stars twinkle…watch the critters move around the grove…watch the deer passing through…but by far I love the silence. In the deep of winter the air is so crisp it cracks and snaps. The rustling of the squirrels signal fall coming as they gather food. In the spring the return of the birds are a welcome noise to remind me that it will not be cold forever (except when the windows are open and they caw and scream at dawn!). Some days not a single car or truck goes down our road. I have lived in a multi-apartment high rise, in a bungalow on an ocean beach, in a rambler in suburbia, but I wouldn’t leave my little piece of heaven for any of those. Thank you, Judy, for nudging me into reflection this morning.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I wanted the dark in Minnesota, but even when visiting friends out in the country (an hour south of the twin cities), I didn’t get it. Their power company required them to have yard lights to get a good rate.
I also remember getting out of the city in Arizona once to see that twin-tailed comet many years ago. Never did get out of sight of lights, but it was sure darker than home!
Susan says
From 80 to ice in two days – whew! My ice is all melting and dripping and I hope it ALL goes away. I’ve not been out of the house in more than a week! Not that I mind. I like the dark and quiet, too, but I’d rather STAY up until 4 than GET up at 4. LOL
JudyL says
Yes, and it happens about every other week this time of year. Our ice usually doesn’t last long because it gets warm and sunny soon. Last winter (I think it was), we had ice for about 8 or 9 days and that was a long time for us.
Hope yours melts soon. It’s so risky trying to get around with the ice.
Dar in MO says
I’m in that boat too! lol