October

A couple of times this past week I was standing out on the deck, at about 10:00 p.m.  The weather was chilly, but not really cold, with just a little bit of wind. That part of the deck faces south & normally on a quiet evening I can hear the Straight River as it winds its way along the southern-most edge of the farm, along with other nighttime sounds: owls, rustling that could be raccoon, skunk, or the neighbor's half-wild cat, dogs barking, etc. But this is October. On a clear October evening what I hear from my deck is the sound of combines. It's a low roaring sound that carries a long way. And as I looked south I spotted headlights across the river. Our farm flows downward more than a quarter mile towards the river, with the house on the highest spot. Then there's the river, a small bit of flat river bank on the other side (which belongs to our farm, according to the surveyors), then a steep hill up to a large field that is planted alternately in corn and soybeans. We've had a long stretch of mostly dry weather, but rain is predicted for the end of the week, and I'm sure every farmer who is able is out in their fields hoping to get their corn picked before the rain. It's possible I'm hearing the roar of multiple combines.

Night noises are one of my favorite things about living out in the country.  In spring after the snow melts the river runs fast and loud, and the frogs peep a loud, piercing chorus. In summer, the river is slower and quieter and insects make most of the nighttime noise - and the fireflies dance across the yards and fields (they don't make much noise but are really cool to watch). By late summer or early autumn the crickets are in full throat, and depending on the amount of rain we've had, can completely drown out the river sounds. The Great Horned Owls call all year round - although you won't hear them every night - but are particularly enchanting in the cold still of a winter's night. I've only seen an owl once in all the years we've been here, but I hear them often.  I never actually hear a skunk, but know one's been around occasionally.  There are bats who've taken up residence in our soffit on the north side of the house & I hear them scrabble as they fly out to hunt in the warm months; sometime we'll have to remove them and seal up their entry, but they eat so many mosquitoes... Late this summer I started hearing a new night sound that might be a fox - we've seen foxes around over the years - but it could be something else, since my naturalist skills are limited to what I know lives in our area and can find sounds for on the internet.  Occasionally coyotes will set up a ruckus, which of course makes every dog in the neighborhood go off. Sound carries a long way in the country - the neighborhood can be dogs (and coyotes) that are well over a mile away.

I hope the farmer, working long into the night this week, got his corn picked and into bins or delivered to the elevator before the rain.