I turn my furnace off over night so that the furnace fan doesn't wake me up. I'd turn the fridge off if I could get away with it.
Quiet times for me go back to growing up on prairie farm. We didn't have electricity. Just think of all the noise that would be absent if you didn't have electricity. The cook stove fire whispered quietly. The house creaked occasionally. That was it . It was quiet. Yes, we had a radio that used very sparingly. It was only noisy when kids played in the house.
I had the backwoods cabin once! Then I moved and had to give it up. That cabin was quiet. Again, the only thing that made a whisper was the fire in the cook stove.
When the power goes off in my house there is a pleasant peaceful feeling. Once in awhile the power went off at school and all the air conditioning stopped. The kids would stop talking. The quietness was beautiful.
Large commercial buildings are incredibly noisy. Commercial buildings have huge echo power. Hospitals are terribly noisy. These building have nothing that will muffle sound.
Airport terminals have thousands of people, air conditioning and many conveyor belt. T
Now I don't get to enjoy quietness very often but I always long for it.
How about you? Do you enjoy the quiet or do you need some noise around you to make you fell comfortable?
You reminded me of how quiet it was when I slept on the ground in my tent last fall at a campground. There was no sound at all, and it is something I remember for that reason. The sounds of urban life are all around us all the time, aren't they? Good post, Red.
ReplyDeleteWe are so used to noise that when it's quiet it's like a new sensation.
DeleteWhat a great post. I have experienced the sounds of silence when the electricity has gone out in a big city. And again when there was no power after a cyclone. I don't mind a radio in the background as a link to the outside world, but find there are times when I crave silence too ~ ear plugs work wonders.
ReplyDeleteOoh I never thought of earplugs. I've used earplugs in some work situations.
DeleteWhen I am doing something intellectually stimulating, like reading, then the quiet is fine. But if I am cooking or doing housework, I like to that the radio or TV on. Out side in the suburbs is never quiet, but sounds of birds and lawn mowers and children playing are pleasant. Right now, here in the evening, there are no media sounds and I can hear our three antique clocks ticking. That is pleasant too.
ReplyDeleteNow hearing clocks ticking means that things are pleasantly quiet.
Deletei totally enjoy quiet - even with the hum of appliances these days and my 4 pups moving around to re-settle in a bed or sighing or snoring as they snooze. i don't turn on the radio, ever. and i put off turning on the tv until the deep, dark of night. :)
ReplyDeleteThe quiet is very peaceful...just like the dogs snoozing.
DeleteI can abide by having some noise to fill silence. But I also need quiet. I haven't had true quiet for a very long time. But when I get it I sure do love it.
ReplyDeleteGet out in the Merritt country and you should find some very quiet spaces.
DeleteI have enjoyed the quiet when we're out at night away from traffic and other noise. At times it's a little disconcerting, but I do like the peace of it.
ReplyDeleteIn 1997 , I was surprised how quiet Maui was.
Deletewow so nice Red!!!i totally agree with you..when the Electrisity is gone its a wonderful quietness..Its a still where you can feel how it really is...I often do not have television on..Just read and hear the noice of the house..Beautiful titi you hold in your hands..how did you do that???Amazing!!
ReplyDeletethank you for beeing here and tell stories of life:)))
Somebody has been hand feeding the chickadees and they come for you looking for a handout.
DeleteI notice quiet this week while being home alone. The fridge and wine cooler are the noisiest, but when they are off the house can be silent. I hear the slightest creak or rustle and think it might be animals, but it is just the house settling its shoulders. Our world is a very noisy place and it is very hard to get out into the woods and hear only natural noises.
ReplyDeleteOur appliances are old so run more and are noisier.
DeleteIt seldom gets quiet around here. There might be 30 seconds when the traffic ceases to zip by, and I simply inhale. The birds are wonderfully chatty, now. I do tend to have the radio on all day, if I can. Hubby's back into curling, so we're keeping up with that!
ReplyDeleteBusy roads, faster vehicles mean much more noise.
DeleteI absolutely love 'quiet'!! The world is a noisy place. Just this morning my husband said, do you mind if I turn this TV off. PLEASE DO, I answered. I get so tired of noise and love being home alone, especially if I can open the doors and windows and hear the peaceful sounds of nature.
ReplyDeleteHome alone is a good one. If somebody else is in the house they are always active and making noise.
DeleteHi Red, I thought I was the only one concerned with the amount of noise around these days. It’s great to read your post and see that I’m not alone. To me, quiet is essential. Without it, I’m probably going to start feeling annoyed. You said, “I had the backwoods cabin once! Then I moved and had to give it up.” I could have said the exact same thing. My cabin was in Montana in a fairly remote location. Sometimes it was so quiet all I could hear was the blood flowing around in my head. Now maybe that is TOO quiet … but I also remember the comforting sounds of the crackling of the fire in the wood stove. By the way, that is a really neat photo of the little bird feeding out of your hand at the end of the post.
ReplyDeleteI would still like to have the rustic cabin but things are too regulated today. The chickadees in some areas are real beggars. As soon as they see you they start looking for handouts. They will land on you.
DeleteI guess it depends on what kind of noise is involved, but I can go for quiet or sounds.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're more of an urban person?
DeleteI enjoy, and prefer, quiet, too. Sometimes it's just a big sigh of relief when a movie is over or a fan shuts off and I can "ret my ears". We live way out in the country and mostly it's very quiet.
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky to be in the country.
DeleteWith heavy winds lately i enjoy the sound made by a small grove of spruce.Been reading most of the day, and haven't had much conversation since yesterday.
ReplyDeleteYes, other human voices can be noisy after you've been on your own for a while.
DeleteNice post, Red. I like quietness. I don't even like the radio on when we're driving somewhere. I just like to relax and reflect.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine your part of Montana having many areas of quiet.
DeleteMrs. Chatterbox needs sound around her at all times, prefers falling asleep with the TV on, but I require silence and enjoy being alone with my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYou two must have some fun times over this one. I used to be able to fall asleep with the radio on.
DeleteI like the quietness too. I and hubby live in a senior building now so it is not noisy here.
ReplyDeleteI have a terrible head cold so I appreciate my quiet time alone this weekend. Hubby is watching the t.v and I am in other room coughing and sniffling. And the weather is cold again and snow.
For a terrible head cold you need some quiet as things seem louder and echo.
DeleteI prefer quiet
ReplyDeleteYaa!
DeleteI like some quiet. If we sit outside it is very quiet and we can here the birds flapping their feathers and birds calling and singing (soon). I like some noise in the house so therefore our TV is on all the time:) That is one friendly Chickadee :)
ReplyDeleteMost chickadees here seem to come to your hand for food. they are little beggars. someone has spent a lot of time giving them food.
DeleteI LOVE the quiet. We live in a world that's much too noisy; it becomes very exhausting after awhile. I enjoy spending time in areas where you can hear all the noises that you wouldn't otherwise hear when you're in the city or main areas. Sometimes I close my eyes and concentrate even harder on my quiet surroundings; it's my way to meditate.
ReplyDeleteI love to be quiet. I can do many new things and think of many things. It will make be to settle down. At times i like this noisy world to have interaction with others and to know about many things....
ReplyDeleteI think it's rare for people to experience true quiet these days. Many people have probably NEVER experienced it! (Especially with all our electronic distractions.) I love a quiet space. In fact when I get a day at home alone, with no TV (because Dave watches it more than I do), I'm in heaven!
ReplyDeleteYes I love the quiet. Teaching could be a very noisy occupation but sometimes when I was reading out from a good book you could hear a pin drop. I think that that is the effect that Literature should have upon young people - a magical quietness.
ReplyDeleteEven the countryside isn't quiet anymore. One thing I learned on my travels is that there is virtually no place left in Alberta where there isn't some sort of industrial noise. Even the backcountry in the mountains is subject to the sound of planes flying overhead. Our world has changed forever.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we do have music playing all the time in our place, there are also quiet times when I retreat to the bedroom or computer room and read. I have noticed that the noise level in many dining places is disturbingly loud.
ReplyDelete