What's it like to live here in the North Woods of Wisconsin? Well, it certainly is quite different than living in an urban area, such as Chicago. Each and every morning, I can sit on my front porch, and listen to the "Quiet".
Yes, you can hear the "Quiet" up here! What is the "Quiet", you might ask? Well it is all of the sounds you normally take for granted, because unless you remove the sounds of the city, the hustle and bustle, you cannot here the "Quiet".
As I sit here in the early hours of the morning, I am surrounded by large birch and maple trees, thickly spattered throughout the forest around me. These trees reach heights of nearly a hundred feet or more. And the forest is so thick, that if there was a wind, only the tree tops would display any movement, as they sway back and forth. Today is the Fourth of July, and the flag cannot ruffle, because there is no wind. So it sits here, as if it has it's head down in sadness as it thinks about what the significance of this day really is.
It is interesting to hear the many different sounds of the birds coming from deep within the forest. Up until last week, they were noticeably absent. But now, after a very heavy downpour of large water droplets from the skies above, they are ever so present. I am still kind of a novice at deciphering the different species, but I can certainly tell a woodpecker if I hear one. But then there are the humming birds also, whose wings flap so rapidly, that they make a buzzing sound that is almost scary. When they first approach the feeder, or the hanging flower baskets spattered on the front of the porch, they sound like a menacing insect. That is until you look up and see them feed and move back and forth as they go about their business.
If you listen carefully you can distinguish many different sounds of avian creatures as they go about letting us all know the morning has arrived.
As the sun rises the forest changes color too, as the light penetrates the different voids of the tree lines. Early in the morning, as you look up at the tree top canopy, you will see a cloudy haze develop near the foliage in the tree tops. It appears this effect is from the sun evaporating the moisture after the rain has fallen and left its droplets on the leaves.
Then there is the sound of the deer. I say the sound, but the deer move so carefully through the forest, gently placing a hoof on the ground so they do not make a sound. You only know they are there because you can see them through the trees if you are careful to look, but there is no sound becuse you cannot hear them. You might hear a scratching upon a tree, only to look up and see a squirrel scurrying up the long shaft of branchless trunks.
Yesterday, I watched a spider weave its web. It was amazing, as I watched and admired his engineering expertise. Now, today, I simply watch him as he sits in a corner of the web, waiting for his next victim. I have never seen so many different species of spider, until I moved up here. There are large ones, small ones, fat ones, and the ever so common daddy long legs. But even they're not so common. Becuse now I have the time to study them carefully, and do notice differences, such as color, size and structure.
I can tell by the clear skies that it is going to be hot today, and that certainly will affect the wildlife and their planned activities. It is interesting that even up here, in the middle of nowhere, where technology hasn't fully reached yet, that I have many new friends.....even if they are not human, as I sit here and listen to the "Quiet". Enjoy your Fourth of July holiday! I am certainly starting to enjoy mine.
