One of my favourite things to do is sit on the back porch and just listen. Especially on a Sunday morning before 9 am…that’s when the trains start to run for the day. So soothing. So serene. Joy at its finest!

Since it’s the dead of winter, and not much is happening out there right now, this post will be based on memory. Let me talk you through it as it comes to mind, so close your eyes and listen. Okay, maybe that won’t work…so pretend to close ‘em for my sake. Here we go…

It’s a warm and sunny beginning. You are sitting on our back porch just about ready to start the day. You can feel the sun’s warmth on your skin, growing warmer as time goes by – it’s gearing up for the day as well.
There’s a slight breeze that blows, it blows the leaves of our weeping willow and you can hear them gently turn in the wind. A bamboo wind chime bongs in the distance as well but it’s ever so slight.

You hear some chattering nearby and some zippy running sounds. It’s either a pair of chipmunks or a couple of squirrels chasing each other around a tree. They are always full of energy in the morning right after they wake. There are light crackling sounds that you can’t quite put your finger on at first…then you hear the pleasant chirp of Norman, he’s our resident Nuthatch, and you realize it’s him with a friend or two having breakfast at the feeder.

Then it’s quiet again. And you sit there without a care in the world. So peaceful.

And as time goes by you may hear the occasional purrrr-ow, which would be Halle Cat coming to say hello, she’s probably ready for breakfast. And you’ll hear Dan from far inside the house respond to her “Good morning Halle-girl”. And they’ll talk back and forth for a minute or two.

If you are lucky today will be the day you hear the Pileated Woodpecker that lives in our neighbourhood, be prepared it will startle you at first. And listen closely you’ll hear the wind whip from his wings as he soars by.
Comfort and Joy. That’s what you’ll feel.

And then you hear it, far away in the distance, a rumble. It doesn’t take long; you can hear it moving quickly. And you wish you hadn’t heard it because it means things are changing. It means the neighbourhood is waking. Then it sounds like it’s almost on top of you, surrounding you. And you think no! Why now? Not already! Why so soon? The time has come. It’s 9 am, the train has told you so. And it wiz’s by with the power of what feels like a million horses.

And then all the other noises of everyday living begin to flood in.

Now you open your eyes, and you long for the time when it was quiet, but you go ahead and start your day knowing another Sunday is just a week away.

Okay so maybe I exaggerated a little about the train, but in all honesty, the darn things can get quite loud at times! And throughout the day you get little reminders of the quiet times – but nothing compares to the loveliness and quietness of a Sunday morning before 9.

If you ask me I’d say those are the sounds of a happy garden. A joyful place. A garden that is lived in – and loved.