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Outpost:  Solitude  |
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RWW
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
18 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 25 2005 : 2:21:34 PM
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I'd like to return to a remote life in the bush, away from town, away from cement. I yearn to wake up in the mornings and rush to add kindling to embers, put the perk-pot on the woodstove and look out at the snow. Or open my door and hear the birds, the dog barking at a squirrel, and the thrum of a diesel out on the strait. I miss a fire at twilight with my front door open wide to watch the sun set by lantern light. I miss the quiet evenings of reading, no sirens, no cars or trucks, just quiet darkness and water lapping the shore.
Town is closing in. Town is the disease I'm seeking a cure for. Medicine is returning to a former life, renewing mind and body, and reclaiming a contentedness that has been lacking for years. I'm readying the gear and plotting the course. Come spring and the plan will be set, the goal in sight. Peace...
Live, from remote Alaska! |
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RWW
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
18 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2005 : 2:22:41 PM
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Stood looking over the water as the day was coming to a close. Smells from town wafted over and along the beach. Somebody barbequeing (in this weather! well, why not?!), diesel, the smell of an outdoor fire beyond the road. Subtle sounds of nature were painted on this canvas of quietude and fading light, a rather pleasant combination this evening. I stood there, the ocean climbing and sliding at my feet, and was grateful that no matter where you live here, there's still a little bit of silence to be found at dusk. As the cup in my hands cooled through my gloves, first one goosebump, then another framed this block of solitude for the day, and I headed back to the truck, satisfied that I could still claim a bit of the real thing when needed. Sanity...
Live, from remote Alaska! |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2005 : 4:30:02 PM
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Hi RWW,
Oh how I relate to your posts here. In this fast paced world we are in I find it more and more difficult to feel that there is any solitude available anywhere.
I am learning to find my solitude in my attitude and close out the noisome sounds and smells of the ever encroaching town.
Your musings are pleasant and provocative enlisting all of my senses. Thankyou.
This is a little piece I wrote one hot summer afternoon when I was focused on the wonders arouns me.
Hot Afternoon
By Eileen Widman
Sounds Heard from a lawn Chair
Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo- Too-wit
Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo Too-wit
Pweeeee Pweeeee Pweeeee Pweep
Twrrrrr-Chwrrrrrrr
Twrrrrr-Chwrrrrrr
Twrrriiiiiiiiiiiii
Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo Too-wee-oo Too-wit
Chirrup-Chee-Cheee-Chit
Thoo-thoo-thoo-oo
Twup-Tup-Whirrrrrrr
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Whiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tootle-ee Tootle-ee Tootle-ee Tootle-ee Tooo
Chaaah!
ZzzzZzZzZZZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZ
Click-a Click-a
ShuuuuuuuuShuuuuuuuShuuuu
Whooowhooooooo
Shushushu
Twoo-wee-oo Too-wee-oo
Twup-Whirrrrrrr
Pwee-Pwee-Pweep
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2005 : 6:47:18 PM
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I, too, know and embrace the feeling of solitude. It is not solitary or lonely. It is bliss. It is the quiet of an early Iowa morning with only milk cans clanking from the barn. It is the quiet of a Florida morning with red skies over the Gulf and the water lapping the shore. It is the quiet of a prairie morning with the breeze through the windbreaks over open fields. It is many things - it is one thing. It is peace. It is God in nature. It is the message we all yearn for. It is something we should not forget. Every landscape holds a form of it. And our eyes need to capture the message. Life is exquisite beauty. Life is quiet. Forget and leave the noise. Grasp the beauty and love it. It is God's greatest gift to us. And I thank God that all of you here on this site see the beauty too.
jpbluesky
Love those big blue skies and wide open spaces. |
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RWW
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
18 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2005 : 7:03:48 PM
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Amen to it all...
Live, from remote Alaska! |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2005 : 06:07:21 AM
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There is so much sky here in Kansas and it is often a startling blue...to look at the sun rising in the east and setting in the west with new pallets of pinks, golds, blazing yellows and reds every day of my life is solitude, and comfort in the eternity of the sky. I feel small, but embraced when I gaze into my Kansas sky...
Thank you to all who know solitude and find comfort in it.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2005 : 3:39:20 PM
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I too long for solitude - not a solitary life or a lonesome one, but one filled with peace from nature and away from today's harried civilized world. However there is a discrepancy with the life I seek and the one I have come to know: if I were ever to come to find my solitude it would be without such things as email and computers - then how would we continue this wonderful discussion of our lives and interests???
Cecelia
ce's farm
"Curiosity is one of the forms of feminine bravery" Victor Hugo |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2005 : 4:02:48 PM
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I think we can choose to find our solitude where ever we are simply by becoming one with the nature that does surround us. I feel it is important for mental health to find a time of solitude every day where we can regenerate our over extended mental batteries.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2005 : 2:09:02 PM
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Just reading your post Lorij I was right there too. What a refreshing vision.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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TiaLD77
Farmgirl in Training
27 Posts
Tia
Punxsutawney
PA
USA
27 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 06:20:40 AM
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| 6:00 am side porch a hot cup of herbal tea, just me & the cats. Fog has wrapped my little hollow in peace & Isolation. The sounds of cars two streets up is muffled & Birdsong prevails. The sweet scent of fresh mown grass still lingers & mixes with the herbs that grow in pots scattered round the patio. An early humming bird zooms by on his way to the feeder. Purrcy jumps on my lap to warm up & dry off his toes, Phantom, Gizmo & Nixie have sauntered off to the woods to do morning Patrols. The creek is babbling gently still swollen from last nights rains.By 7 the sun has just started to burn through the fog, I have finished my tea & its time to start another day. |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 07:28:34 AM
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I feel solitude just reading everything you all have written. Please write more!
Kay - Living in Beautiful Washington State
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."
--Eleanor Roosevelt |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 08:10:06 AM
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Eileen, you are so right. Lately I have been doing a lot of "evaluating" and thinking about how my present life hasn't turned out the way I had planned some years ago. Other people are involved now, so I can't just "up and get away". Although I am still thinking, praying and meditating about things, I find that it is possible to live simply while all around is harried and rushed. It isn't easy but the solutions are coming. I was out with a girlfriend yesterday and we had a great time, just talking. I told her "duh, something occurred to me the other day which hadn't occurred to me before, and I thought I was pretty smart and insightful" It was this: sometimes we get so caught up in everyday life we, to repeat a phrase, can't see the flowers for the trees get in the way. My life has seemed so rushed lately, and it is really stressing me out. Even simple things were (are) getting too complicated. For instance, it suddenly dawned on me that a simple act of getting ready for church on Sunday, something I used to look forward to as a time of peace and solitude, had been getting disrupted by, of all things, worrying about whether my lipstick was the "right color" for my clothes!!! How I got to that point I don't know, now it's actually funny! I checked and found that I had over 20 lipsticks! Unbelievable! Probably about 18 of them I hadn't even purchased - they were samples (full size) which I had gotten as a gift, premium, etc. when I had bought makeup or cologne. Most of them I had used once or twice. I tossed most of them and went through all my other "stuff" and ditched a lot. I feel a lot less stressed over such a stupid issue!
Cecelia
ce's farm
"Curiosity is one of the forms of feminine bravery" Victor Hugo |
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RWW
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
18 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 5:33:26 PM
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I have no idea when the last post was made to this topic, but I thought I'd check in and update myself.
I left the island, spent the winter in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska at a gold mine. Mining wasn't and isn't my goal, but it afforded me the opportunity to explore an area in Alaska I've been enamored with for decades. The beauty of the state is immeasurable, and this barren region north of the Arctic Circle redefines the concept. Imagine a place where daylight is cast in hues of lavender, and the night sky undulates to a silent Arctic love song. Day or night, the colors, sounds and fragrance of the Northland are awe-inspiring.
Currently, I'm in Washington state (at another mine!) and enjoying a version of spring I've long been missing. Awakening here is not an overnight event, but more like the aroma of baking bread - yeasty first, then warm and inviting and, finally, irresistible when placed near cool, fresh butter. I'm more accustomed to the raucous arrival of this season than the subtle invitation to winter's respite I've experienced here.
In any event, I'm in new territory. I hope to hook arms with a friend and road-trip it through the Palouse to see my daughters, frequent the Spokane, Seattle and Portland Operas, and thoroughly enjoy walking barefoot through the grass. Come Saturday I'll be in line to have my new book signed, the second in a collection of daydreams and familiar memories... |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 5:39:30 PM
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RWW I am glad to see you back. I love to hear about Alaska..I have a dream of visiting there someday..not in the touristy way, but really checking things out that are real. YOu sure have a way with words!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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RWW
Farmgirl in Training
18 Posts
18 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2007 : 12:24:40 AM
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Goodness; didn't mean to mislead. I read in Auntie's flyer that MaryJane would be at the Spokane bookstore to sign her latest book (not mine!), and I had hoped to be there. :-)
Live, from remote Alaska! |
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junkjunkie
True Blue Farmgirl
1306 Posts
Judy
Lawrenceville
NJ
USA
1306 Posts |
Posted - Jun 05 2007 : 2:16:54 PM
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| I've enjoyed reading all of these posts.....and RWW, you write beautifully and conjured some images that I would love to see one day! You should write a book, or at the very least, keep up a journal. Thank you for the serene visions. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 05 2007 : 6:54:07 PM
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I second that notion! Sometimes it is as peaceful to read someone else's writings as to experience it yourself, especially for those who find themselves far away from inspiring scenes and who lead hectic lives. Your writings would be great as a meditation tool! A serene image to focus on to clear your head for (or after) the day.
Alee |
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Carol Sue
True Blue Farmgirl
4033 Posts
Carol Sue
Washingtonian
USA
4033 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2007 : 7:53:09 PM
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I second that motion. Reminding us to slow down and take in the moments. Solitude is an important part of life that we tend to overlook. Thanks, glad to hear from you.
Carol Sue
Life is short, enjoy every moment. |
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corporatefarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
389 Posts
Tamara
Pikeville
TN
USA
389 Posts |
Posted - Jul 12 2007 : 10:51:54 AM
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I loved reading these post. For myself I require a certain amount of solitude to survive. In many ways my life is chatoic. But I know that at least once a week my mind and body needs solitude or things come crushing in. I start snapping at my DH and the tension is deep in my soul. When I take that time to hear nothing to just stop and be it is like my mind and body literally let out a deep sigh. I become a better person. At 46 I have learned to take that time, because if your not good to yourself your not good for anyone else......
there is a seed to plant in every heart |
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sheepdream
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Diane
Bloomington
Indiana
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Aug 25 2007 : 6:56:29 PM
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I am glad to have found this thread. It's been satisfying to read other people's feelings/thoughts about solitude. I'm starting to dream of having land and being away from town and closer to the natural world. I get sad seeing cell phone towers with strobe lights that ruin the view of a sky. I also get sad to see so much light pollution at night, so it's hard to really see the stars. My solitude/sanctuary is at a creek where few people go. I bring my knitting/drop spindling and sit on flat smooth rock bed that slopes into the water. I stay for two hours, watching/listening.There is always something to see that might be missed by people in a hurry. Just the sound of the water gurgling and the images reflected on the water make me feel peaceful.
I like this quote by Thoreau: "In the wilderness lies the preservation of the world."
I, also, enjoyed the words of the author of this thread, RWW.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls & looks like work." Thomas Edison |
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Aug 27 2007 : 10:56:08 AM
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The longer I am away from the lower 48 the less I am able to tolerate it................ I drove up into the mountain - the Chugach late last nite after a call in for surgery... the moon was high up and partially hidden by a cloud. An owl hooted in the woods and I sat silently outside my house. The nights are becoming cool again, termination dust will soon cover my hillside in the Chugach. I could never/would never leave Alaska, it has brought peace and closure to a tumultuous life. My husband and I were outside cleaning up yesterday and just paused and looked at each other, we said the same thing, "I am so happpy"! This is my place......... jo
"life is drab without a lab"
http://web.mac.com/thomja/ |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2007 : 07:37:05 AM
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I know this is an older thread but it absolutely spoke to my heart. I, too, long for solitude. And because I live in the city and am getting more and more sick of it all the time, my yearning grows deeper as each month passes. My mind slowly drifts to the places of solitude that I can recall - my grandparents' country property; Monte Cassino Shrine in St. Meinrad, IN; a bluff overlooking the Ohio river in southern IN. So many places I want to be to find peace and quiet....I'm so glad that others feel that same yearing. It somehow makes it easier to deal with!
my blog: http://catholiccountrygirl.wordpress.com
my website: http://www.backwoodsjunction.com |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2007 : 06:37:55 AM
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I know that yearning for peace and quiet. The need for solitude and inner revitalization. Born and raised in WNY, feeling stuck there until I was 32, I felt that same yearning you all are talking about. Sometimes it was so strong it felt like homesickness and I wanted to cry. I wanted out so bad...
Fortunately, I yearn no more. Now in Idaho, I am blessed with daily solitude and peace. I still have to hold a job but I get that much needed commune with nature every morning and if I need it after work; it's just a five minute walk up the road...
I feel for you all in the cities. I know what you are experiencing and it can feel, at times, overwhelming. What you want (and need) can be achieved! It might take you some time to find it nearby. But it can be done.
I wish for everyone to know the peace and contentedness that that RWW, Jo and I and others have come to know. The longer I live here; I too have less and less tolerance for the city and all of it's trappings. I do all I can to avoid going down there.
I love my life here.
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2007 : 06:49:10 AM
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| RWW, You said you were at another mine in WA. Would that happen to be in Republic? We rented a cabin on top of a ridge overlooking the Kettle River Mountain range while looking for a house to buy. Now that was a place where one could experience solitude. JoAnn |
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Outpost: Solitude |
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Solitude
