I haven't slept. Not well, anyway, since I got back to Iowa. Both everything and nothing wake me up. I used to like the white noise of the AC unit by my bed. Now that is just. NOISE. I get hot and throw the covers off, then get cold. I read my Kindle/iPhone. I think about stuff. This morning, I gave up trying and I am up before everyone, cat on my lap, thinking about sleeping and why I am not.
I don't think I sleep any better in the UP, but there are some big differences. The things that keep me awake there are great things. First, it stays light in the summer until way late. That's because we are north a ways, but also right on the edge of a time zone. So when I am trying to go to bed at 10:30, it's only 9:30 a few miles away. Plus, as soon as the stars and moon come out, it is so bright that...well, I don't need a flashlight to get to the outhouse.... Next, it is DAMNED COLD at night in the UP. I LOVE that!!! But if you lose control of your cozy blankets and sleeping bag somehow at night, you are gonna wake up shivering. Mostly that's my fault. I am a weird one when it comes to sleeping bags. I cannot sleep IN one. Anything that tries to restrict my movement in any way while sleeping is just not for me. So, the night a few weeks ago when there was a heavy frost (middle of June!), I was snuggled under a sheet, a quilt, an army blanket, and my unzipped sleeping bag. Heavenly.
The other, and main, thing that keeps me awake, though, is NATURE. The birds (I adore birds, which will be the subject of another post) that sing at dusk or dawn are so interesting. Black-billed Cuckoos, Wood Thrushes at night. Turkeys. In the morning, it's Song and Chipping Sparrows, chickadees, goldfinches, ravens. ALL the time it is the White-Throated Sparrow. See if you know this song "It's not easy being green..." Got it? Now, in the key of E flat, hundreds of times a day, "It's not easy being gre-gre-gre-gre-GREEN!" There are also frogs. I especially like the Green Frog, that, in my nature app, it says they sound like a plucked banjo string. That would be a pleasant description. When there are a lot of them, they sound like a bunch of grumbly old men talking in the distance. A little unnerving at night.
My favorite wake-me-up-at-night sounds, though, are the coyotes and wolves. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference, but the yips of coyotes usually sound like kids laughing in the distance, and wolves, well, we all recognize that lonesome howl. And NO, they don't scare me. They find the White-tailed Deer and Snowshoe Hares to be much more available and tasty than a girl in her tent. Bob and I TRY to wake up to hear them at night, and then most of the time one of us will whisper, "Did you hear it?" to the other. The fact that we are both awake enjoying the sounds of the night makes me very happy, and then I am able to snuggle back under my assorted blankets and unzipped sleeping bag with a smile on my face. And sleep...or not.
I didn't explain the 906. I will save it.
Sleep well!
Elizabeth
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