“From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us!” Scottish Prayer
My first few months in northern Minnesota were spent by myself. HE was living in our Florida house and working to keep our health insurance.
There are few absolutely quiet nights in a city. There is always traffic noise, dogs, sirens, and maybe the neighbors’ TV that is kept on all night. One gets used to these noises. Moving to the country, I first noticed the lack of “city sounds” when the sun went down. It was cozy, comforting, and quiet. Until he left. The quiet was TOO quiet. Then came the sounds, and always at night. It was summer and I was sleeping with the windows open. For a while. I can tell you now that the rustling of turkeys roosting on the clothesline has the exact sound of a burglar breathing outside one’s bedroom window. One of my friends calls it “turning moths into grizzlies”, but I really believed that I was listening to bears or wolves cavorting in my back yard during the night rather than the doe and two fawns that I saw there every morning at dawn. Nonetheless, despite the warm summer nights, I slept with the windows closed and latched. Just in case.
It is winter now, nearly four years later. HE is home every night and we have our faithful dog Barney to protect us. Yes, I know he is a Chihuahua, but he is fierce and very scary. A few nights ago, we were awakened by a strange sound. It was a noise that was coming closer and closer. It was kind of like humming, but not quite. It was a combination of sounds that I can’t even describe. In the background of this visceral humming were the sounds of yips. Louder and louder, coming toward our house, then quieter and quieter after it passed, until the night was silent once again. It was an unworldly, almost ethereal experience. It was 3 a.m. My husband, who is fazed by nothing, got out of bed and said “What the hell was that?” We thought it could have been a pack of coyotes or wolves. Traveling, perhaps, but certainly not chasing anything. Moving down the road, as the ditches and woods were filled with deep snowdrifts. Moving on.
Maybe you have an explanation, and maybe you don’t. I don’t necessarily believe in ghoulies or ghosties, but there are plenty of long-leggedy beasties out here in the Minnesota wild.
Good Lord, deliver us!
The Minnesota Farm Woman 
Chris, you are a hoot!!
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Oh….I forgot about the owl sounds! They’re scary, too!
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I know what you mean about more noises when the hubby isn’t there. I will awaken to the sound of sprinklers starting up by our bedroom window if he isn’t home. Not that he would hear anything through his snoring when he is there. LOL
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Just read this one and some of your other stories. You continue to amaze me. I always end up reading your stories aloud to my husband – and he likes it, too! We are always so entertained by your adventures, especially identify with you leaving FL and beginning an entirely new life. An ENTIRELY DIFFERENT life! Having visited near where you now live during all the seasons, I know just enough to understand what excitement you have had. Don’t know if I could have done what you did – I’m older granted, and they say older people do not adjust well to changing their familiar surroundings (I can attest to that), but what you did is astounding! You are brave – very brave – in many ways!
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Aw, thank you Mary (and hubby, too!) I love to find humor in daily life, and my life is pretty funny. Oh, and we’re old, too. I’m 53 and my husband is 58. Yup. Old AND crazy. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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I’d love to be your “old”….(I’m 70)….. but don’t let the sounds scare you – unless they get into your house, then maybe just a bit….
I’m a country girl at heart – love the country – and slept with my windows open from the time it was nice enough to open them in spring till the snow blew in in winter. I loved the outdoor sounds, especially at night or early morning. I had mourning doves to awaken me in the morning and oh so lonesome a sound that was. Then was the hoot owl who homed in the tree outside my window – he’d hoot half the night… and then the distant dogs, who knows what they barked at. We did not have coyotes here in southern MN at that point in time that I knew of. I loved the sound of the cows mooing as they chomped their grass when we had dairy cows and a pasture. Once it got near daylight, the sound of the pig feeders slamming shut and little pigs squeeling to get their noses into the feeder too; and then was Old Red our big red rooster – he always awakened the farm – he was the early bird always….
Oh yes, those were the days, and I guess you could have called me “No Fear”. I was not afraid to walk outside at night to hear the crickets, or peepers, or whatever birds might have been alerted by movement.
Enjoy the sounds, and eventually like you became used to the city sounds, you’ll begin to recognize the country sounds too and get used to theml
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Thanks for reading, Joann! Yes, I am much mire used to the sounds now, but sure wish I had a few cows to listen to!
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