Noise

There is something about living in the country that gives you a greater ability to hear things. It's the quiet that is most noticable to me. I can actually hear the birds chirping, or pecking, or hooooing. If you sit still and just listen, there really is alot of noise going on. It's just a different kind of noise. But no less deafening. The quieter you are, the louder the animals are. it is amazing what is out there that I don't recognize. But for me it is a comforting sound. I feel close to nature and at peace with the world. Daphne - not so much. She is 15 lbs. of misery. She is beginning to look a little dog-eared (no pun intended) because I know she feels it is her responsibility to keep a watch over everything. Jake (lab-great dane mix) does not have that same sense of responsibility. He is just keeping his eyes on the immediate area. If it comes into his peripheral vision, then he'll deal with it. Otherwise, it is not his problem. He has perfected the art of mellow. Daphne who is a little high strung is convinced we're being attacked from all angles - including the sky. We don't like to take her for a walk without her leash, because at 11 lbs. she is hawk bait - and she knows it. The hawks here are so big that they could swoop down and grab her if they wanted to. So, I guess she is fearful for good reason. If I thought the flying monkeys were coming to get me I'd be a little high strung too. She gets a glazed look in her eyes when we go outside. The smells that animals smell are a warning to them. The scent of another animal means danger to her, and there are lots of scents out there. So, she is on red alert all the time. The poor little thing is flat out exhausted. I don't think she is loving the great outdoors. She did have a bath the other day in the outside hand tub. She was quite happy getting lathered and dried. Quite the spa experience. She loves the sun and splays out on the back deck drying. At that moment she is happy. But then she'll hear the birds that have a nest under the deck and get all fussy again. Her moments of relaxation are few and far between. Jake, however, is just one big relaxed guy. He knows how to nap. He can sleep sitting up if he has to. He is very accomodating, although slow. He will move with you from room to room, but when he arrives at his destination he plops down with all kinds of grunts and groans. We make him tired. But he is happiest here. He can run for hours. He is not young, but when he is running he forgets that. It is blissful, free-wheeling happiness. We should all be as happy as Jake. We're not running through the woods with our ears flying, but we're happy too. The animal noises, whether wild or tamed, make us happy. Nature is amazing, and we're lucky to be a part of it. This kind of noise I can take. Jerry's bees make noises that I'm not thrilled with, but it makes him happy to hear his hives buzzing and humming with activity. I get it, but from a distance. I'm happy when the honey is harvested. Take a moment and listen to the sounds around you. It's not as quiet as you think.

The Amish are here! The Amish are here! Update as of 8:10 this morning. Amish Dan has arrived with the horses and wagons and they are working in the pasture! My faith is restored! I am sitting here in my PJ's feeling incredibly lazy, because the reality is in order for him to be here at 8:00 A.M., they had to leave at 7:00. He is an upstanding guy, and we are thrilled. The pasture plan moves forward! Wooooo hooooooooo!