When we moved to the south coast of Massachusetts a few weeks ago, I acquired a solar-powered alarm clock. It’s called, The Sun.
We’re a little further east than our former home in Washington, D.C., so the sun rises earlier. And, so do I.
Lately, I wake up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning. I was never a late sleeper, but 5 or 5:30? AM? Adding to the solar-powered alarm clock, when we did work on the house over the years, we put on what the architect calls a “ribbon of glass” along the back of the house. The “ribbon” is, basically, floor to ceiling windows so we can enjoy the view of the salt water river behind us. And, well, those big windows -- which allow us to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets – also allows that big, yellow thing in the sky to serve as an automatic alarm clock, set for 5 or 5:30. Like clockwork or, better, as reliable as the sunrise.
Mind you, I’m not complaining. The view is worth it. I am very lucky to live in this small house in this small town.
There are also these things that fly around the house early in the morning and make very odd and different sounds that I’m not used to from D.C. These things, are called -- Hitchcock Alert -- birds. And, they are birds which make sounds I’ve never heard before. This morning, I was dreaming about something or other and the fellow in my dream had a pager (remember those?) that made this sound like an alarm clock, going off over and over…and over… again. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t just press the button and shut it down.
Then, that big yellow thing in the sky shone me awake and, wouldn’t you know it, it was some bird I’d never heard before making an alarm clock/beeper kind of noise. LOUDLY.
Again, I am not complaining. We’re very lucky to live where we do and have the view that we have. And to hear nature buzzing and tweeting (the old-fashioned tweeting that’s a noise not 140 characters on The Twitter) all around us.
Actually, I always liked waking up early (though maybe not this early). It’s mostly a very quiet time of day. Good for reading the newspaper. Most days now, I move to the living room, which has the same size windows, and read the The Washington Post, well I read the digital version on my iPad Mini, and have the mostly quiet of an early morning surrounding me as I drink a cup of coffee.
Funny how those birds seem to know I’m now awake and I don’t hear them for the rest of the day.
Ah, nature.
We’re a little further east than our former home in Washington, D.C., so the sun rises earlier. And, so do I.
Lately, I wake up at 5 or 5:30 in the morning. I was never a late sleeper, but 5 or 5:30? AM? Adding to the solar-powered alarm clock, when we did work on the house over the years, we put on what the architect calls a “ribbon of glass” along the back of the house. The “ribbon” is, basically, floor to ceiling windows so we can enjoy the view of the salt water river behind us. And, well, those big windows -- which allow us to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets – also allows that big, yellow thing in the sky to serve as an automatic alarm clock, set for 5 or 5:30. Like clockwork or, better, as reliable as the sunrise.
Mind you, I’m not complaining. The view is worth it. I am very lucky to live in this small house in this small town.
There are also these things that fly around the house early in the morning and make very odd and different sounds that I’m not used to from D.C. These things, are called -- Hitchcock Alert -- birds. And, they are birds which make sounds I’ve never heard before. This morning, I was dreaming about something or other and the fellow in my dream had a pager (remember those?) that made this sound like an alarm clock, going off over and over…and over… again. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t just press the button and shut it down.
Then, that big yellow thing in the sky shone me awake and, wouldn’t you know it, it was some bird I’d never heard before making an alarm clock/beeper kind of noise. LOUDLY.
Again, I am not complaining. We’re very lucky to live where we do and have the view that we have. And to hear nature buzzing and tweeting (the old-fashioned tweeting that’s a noise not 140 characters on The Twitter) all around us.
Actually, I always liked waking up early (though maybe not this early). It’s mostly a very quiet time of day. Good for reading the newspaper. Most days now, I move to the living room, which has the same size windows, and read the The Washington Post, well I read the digital version on my iPad Mini, and have the mostly quiet of an early morning surrounding me as I drink a cup of coffee.
Funny how those birds seem to know I’m now awake and I don’t hear them for the rest of the day.
Ah, nature.
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