It was just a nicer world. People cared. I would go caroling, and other groups would stop by our house. I think 250 channels of 24/7 TV killed almost everything people used to do in the evening. That and city living. When i lived in rural Northern MN i loved taking a walk at night in winter when the moon was as least half full. No lights needed. On my parents 60 acres the family had cut and maintained 3 miles of paths. Half mile along the Whiteface River. We had a 7 acre beaver pond. The dam was 220 feet long. On a summers eve I would sometimes go out and pull a branch out of the dam, then go sit quietly about 10 feet away. Usually it was no more than 15 minutes before a couple of beaver would show up and fix the small leak in the dam.
Summer evenings are the best. Escaping the heat of the house, watching the sky for comets, airplanes, and now that string of Space X satellites drifting by. The sounds of crickets mingled with frogs, the chorus of roosters practicing their distinctive crows, even the growling engines of dirt bikes and other vehicles echoing for miles away because the town is so quiet And winter has its own sights and sounds, muffled though they are. I too wish people would walk into the night or sit on porches. Maybe they still do in some towns where front porches, parks, and promenades still exist.
A lovely Christmas poem.
It was just a nicer world. People cared. I would go caroling, and other groups would stop by our house. I think 250 channels of 24/7 TV killed almost everything people used to do in the evening. That and city living. When i lived in rural Northern MN i loved taking a walk at night in winter when the moon was as least half full. No lights needed. On my parents 60 acres the family had cut and maintained 3 miles of paths. Half mile along the Whiteface River. We had a 7 acre beaver pond. The dam was 220 feet long. On a summers eve I would sometimes go out and pull a branch out of the dam, then go sit quietly about 10 feet away. Usually it was no more than 15 minutes before a couple of beaver would show up and fix the small leak in the dam.
Summer evenings are the best. Escaping the heat of the house, watching the sky for comets, airplanes, and now that string of Space X satellites drifting by. The sounds of crickets mingled with frogs, the chorus of roosters practicing their distinctive crows, even the growling engines of dirt bikes and other vehicles echoing for miles away because the town is so quiet And winter has its own sights and sounds, muffled though they are. I too wish people would walk into the night or sit on porches. Maybe they still do in some towns where front porches, parks, and promenades still exist.
Summer evenings are usually still holding the heat of the day. Which can 104° in the summer here in Silver City, NM.