Last night I took a half hour to meditate on the sights and sounds of a summer evening in my neighborhood. I watched as fireflies materialized among the hodgepodge of gardens and pulsed among the dark tree canopy.
While focused on the enchanting glow, a sound caught my ear. It was the unmistakable sound of a bat. And it darted a few feet from the window. The glimpse of its quick shadow made me think of summer evenings at my parents’ house when I would explore the edge of the woods and watch the bats scoop for insects around the corners of the roof.
I listened a long time and heard more of the bat in the distance. Even farther into the night was the voice of a frog or two.
I often find myself missing the wildness of the countryside that I grew up in. Most people don’t really understand how you can miss the sound of peepers or watching bats or wondering at the mysterious rustle of deer walking in the woods at night. But it means a lot to me.
Thankfully, our new home is only 15 minutes away from where I grew up, and, while it is very suburban, there are many trees and patches of streams within hearing distance, and the sweet intoxication of honeysuckle along the road to our house. While it’s not a perfect subsitute (you’re just not going to see a opposum rumaging through your garage or a red tailed hawk nesting in your yard if you live in the suburbs), it is refreshing to be able to still enjoy the magic of a summer night.
When I was younger, I lived in an old house with a huge expanse of backyard. We had all manner of trees growing there: a cherry tree, an oak tree, an elm, an acorn tree, an apple tree, a few lilac trees. It was nice. And everywhere there were creeping vines and rhododendron bushes. Buttercups and pansies would sprout out in random patches all over our lawn. Roses too – lots of them!
We used to imagine that we were poor pilgrims, in the middle of nowhere, trying to make a living off the land. Or sometimes we’d pretend we were explorers or elemental beings or something random. Our ‘playroom’ faced the backyard and, when our parents would punish our naughtiness by making us stay in the playroom, we would open the side window and jump out in the backyard and play the day away. It was great. I miss those days. Our house now is very suburban. It’s got a perfectly square lawn, with a cement area where you can put lawn chairs. It’s got orderly rows of bushes, trimmed nicely. It just doesn’t have the same magic.
Just wanted to say your wedding was lovely. I’m so glad everything went so smoothly and I was able to be there and be a part of your beautiful day! Looking back at old pictures, it’s hard to believe that newsboy cap wearing, permanently attached to a flannel shirt girl is the same girl who was so stunning in rhinestones and lace walking down the aisle. How far we’ve come! Love you!