I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Stop, what's that sound...

So, I've heard a lot of night noises; deer moving through woods and grasses, owls hunting, raccoons, frogs, peepers, kids walking though my woods, alien abductions. But tonight was a new one.

A heron at feeding at night. Completely weird and unexpected (we had to go through some field guides with CDs to call it). The only other thing close would be frightened deer (but, while the animal is moving, it's all around a small area, I would think the deer would light out over the field, and it isn't really a mammal sound).

We also had a black bear last week. I didn't get to see it, but supposedly it went through my neighbor's field. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't that (as our kitty is getting older and I don't want her to be a bear chew toy).

But herons. Freaky.

4 comments:

mattw said...

Sounds like you live in a pretty cool area. The only new sound we've heard at night now is some jackass lighting M80s or some other large firework at 11:00 at night a couple blocks away. Fortunately it hasn't woken my son.

Steve Buchheit said...

Matt, well, we get those too. Since it's getting closer to the fourth, they're becoming more numerous. It isn't so much the firecrackers or the bottle rockets (except for general idiocy, like , "Let's fire them *this* way") that bother me. It's when they get the rockets and mortars (and some of the larger roman candles). Because when I hear that, "thuft" my brain is thinking, "incoming or outgoing?" I hate that.

Also, most people aren't on my schedule, so when they're still lighting them off around midnight I start having fantasies about, "this is my gurkri/kukri, let me show it to you."

Anonymous said...

I admit to not liking fireworks, either, mainly because they frighten my dear pupster.

But I have heard of worse. One of my girlfriends has a guy three doors down who shoots off a cannon at odd times. Seems there is no local ordinance (or should I say "ordnance"? ; - D )against owning a cannon in their small Ohio town. But who would anticipate a need for such a rule in this day and age? Perhaps Orwell could use such legislation, you never know when this idiot might move to your neighborhood.

Same girlfriend had the next-door neighbor shoot off fireworks near her horse pasture. As her hubby was trying to move the horses into the barn, one started at the noise and crashed him into the gate, ripping his hand open. Bad enough to be sent to the emergency room for your own stupidity, but ten times worse to be sent there because of your stupid neighbor's antics.

Too bad we can't legislate against stupidity, but then where would you send all the idiots?

Steve Buchheit said...

Sheila, the jails would be filled. I think that for a "cannon" you need a federal permit, considering it's a heavy weapon, the the usual thing you go squirrel hunting with. I'm very surprised he wouldn't have to register it with the local authorities.