Silence

When I arriveed to the farm, the utilities were a mess as usual. A fuse blew in the breaker box cutting off heat and water. An electrician fixed that but says the box is old and should be replaced - over a thousand dollars! It will have to struggle on for a while. Next, I discovered that the internet wasn't working. I spent hours talking with teks who gave up and scheduled a crew to come out next week. I haven't had my Dish service turned on because I had hoped to use sling player, so I could cancel Dish to save money. Fixing up the farm is proving to be quite costly. So. From Friday to Tuesday I had no internet or television. I would have told you that I wouldn't miss it- but no. The silence in the farmhouse was very stressful. Outside was cold and rainy, so I couldn't get outdoors much even to hear the birds and rustling leaves. Each morning, I got up, had breakfast, then began cleaning and fixing things. Occasionally I sat down, but once I caught my breath, there was nothing to do, so I would get up and work some more. I must say it was a lesson on how much time I waste watching tv.
Still, I was feeling very anxious by Sunday night. Fortunately it was chilly enough for me to use the fireplace. Watching the flames leap and the logs crackle was extremely comforting. I wound the clock, so the ticking is cheerful. Now with the internet I can connect with friends and write this blog. The sling player is working occasionally, but not enough on which I can depend, so now I have to decide if I can get along without tv. Could you?

Train whistles in the night

I'm in the train station, waiting. I love trains. As a Midwestern child, if I heard a train whistle in the distance at night, it made me dream of all the places I might go some day. Edna Vincent Millet said in a poems that she never heard a train that she didn't want to get on, or words to that effect. Now when I hear a train whistle I think of my beloved Dad. He grow up on a hill farm in southern Ohio.  He told me that when ever a train came along the nearby tracks, all the boys from neighboring farms would stop what they were doing and run to watch the train. I suppose they dreamed of traveling to wonderful places. My Dad knew the names of all the train lines that came through although most of them have probably changed by now.
The drive from my Florida home to here was tedious. I had to drive through the Disney traffic and then through downtown Orlando. It made me realize how much I was looking forward to the peace of the farn. I can't wait to walk through the long spring grass of the yard and see which of my flowers are blooming. The only sounds will be from the birds singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, an occasion passing car or a distant dog barking. Bliss.