Fall Is Here and Not Lonely

On the mile long lane that leads to our clearing, we stopped our vehicle to watch the sandhill cranes feeding. Their couple dances, graceful wing spreads that lift them lightly though they’re large birds, are fascinating. The Canada geese have gathered here again too, feeding and waiting for the signal to fly to their other summer place. The field itself where feeding, dancing and waiting happen is an ocean of fall grasses, heavy heads of grain, dipping and flowing with the wind. 

Fall is my favorite season. Cool nights, stove fires, leaf color, gatherings of seeds and garden produce, wool socks and sweaters, pumpkin pie spice sweets, and even canning apple sauce.

Our first month of living at the cabin has past. I could make a list of all we’ve done of finish work, homemaking cabin-style, decor accomplishments, tree work, chores, hauling of rock for the lane, taking long walks, blazing our own hiking trail, hosting guests, work days, and bird watching. It’s been busy.

The classic questions to be asked when someone decides to live in the woods seem to be the following: Won’t you be lonely? What will you do about church?(Distance) and, why are you moving away from your children? (Distance). The first question did plague my mind as we got closer to moving up here. To be honest we have never really had opportunity to be alone in 38 years of marriage, so how could we know? We’ve lived in a fish bowl in a way all this time. So I had to acquiesce a bit on this question. Whereas Elv is kind of a loner guy anyway and had no qualms concerning loneliness, I could worry a little. I’m a chicken about being alone or being lonely. I heard sounds a lot the first days when Elv would go out to town or down to work. The ore train is comfortably lulling. The big snowshoe hares lippeting about under the cabin was not! It actually sounded like somebody walking around upstairs. So I put on my best logical let’s-identify-this-racket common sense and watched the back of the house where the noise seemed to be happening until I saw those silly rabbits chasing each other in and out of the crawl space. That was so much better than totally freaking myself out. Elv taught me when we were first married that there is a logical explanation for every sound and to identify them accordingly. He has little time for neurotic freaking and fretting. Yes, I have to learn how to enjoy being alone. Besides, being alone is not a very great excuse for being lonely. I am not so sure that alone-ness is akin to loneliness.

All that to say, we have had no reason or opportunity to be lonely here. We have had overnight guests almost every weekend since we moved. Last weekend our guests came Sunday evening and left Monday late morning. We lingered at both the supper table and our breakfast time. We sat in the living room by the fire and talked late and shared our evening reading and prayers Sunday evening.

For now, I think that the answer to the first classic query is, ‘No, we won’t be lonely.’ We feel richly best and grateful.