Just like songs can bring to mind specific emotions and memories, I believe other sounds (besides music) can do the same. With this entry, I'm focusing on "good" sounds. Comfort sounds. Happy memories. I'll save the irritating sounds for another post.
1. Train whistle - I think this has to be my number one comfort sound. The small town I grew up in didn't have passenger train service (maybe in the "old" days, but not that I can remember), but we did have freight trains. The tracks were close enough that I could hear the whistle each night, yet not so close that it was jarring.
2. Barred Owl - There are many types of owl, but I like to hear the Barred Owl, or what I usually call a "Hoot Owl". I often hear them in our woods and have learned that if I call out to them, they will many times hoot back in reply!
3. Woodpecker - While I do enjoy hearing a woodpecker drilling a hole in a tree, what I really like to hear is the call of the Pileated Woodpecker. With a voice to match their size, I think they are the variety Woody Woodpecker must have been modeled on!
4. Northern Cardinal - I like to wake up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. Something about that just portends a good day. As with the Pileated Woodpecker, the song of a Cardinal transports me back to my childhood.
5. Summer Sounds - That's vague, I know, but it's really a variety of sounds. As a child I wasn't always sure what creature made what sound. As an adult I think I've sorted them out. Spring Peepers calling for rain (frogs), Bullfrogs with their deep voices (obviously frogs), and Cicadas (what I called locusts - the annual ones as opposed to the 13 or 17- year variety that make such a racket).
Even though I've already picked five, I must give an honorable mention to livestock sounds. Every time we are out in the middle of our pond fishing and I hear a cow moo, it makes me smile! Same for when we had donkeys and they'd bray. Such entertaining sounds!!
With the exception of my first pick all my favorite sounds are from nature. Maybe yours are inside sounds. (popcorn popping, bacon sizzling in a pan, bubble wrap?) Think about it - what are some of your favorite sounds?
- Kelly
- Making my way through the ups and downs of life, holding fast to my favorite Bible verse: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." ~2 Corinthians 5:7. I began blogging in earnest at Yahoo360 on October 24, 2005. (briefly using LiveJournal and blog-city prior to that) In June 2008 I moved to Blogger. I'm now at WordPress where I hope to remain.
14 comments:
One of the most peaceful sounds to me is the near quiet of a cold snowy evening where you can just barely hear the wind. In the fall I enjoy hearing a stronger breeze rustling the dry leaves that have fallen off the trees. Another great sound is a stadium full of roaring fans at a football game.
Crunching gravel!
What it means to me is sleeping in my grandparents´ spare bedroom, waking up to the sound of the neighbour´s daughter fetching a small bucket of milk for her family.
Of course there are other lovely sounds, but this was the first one that sprang to my mind. Funny as it goes back forty years.
Good post!
Hmm I need to think about it, but I love the sound of the cork popping out of a bottle of champagne. :D
It's amazing that when you stop to think of it, the things that come to mind are the sounds of your childhood. Here are mine in no particular order.
Popcorn popping... I think the sound was better before the microwave.
A fish jumping in a still lake... both site and sound are memorable, and take me back to Minnesota.
Thunder, when there is lightning. Somehow I need both the visual and the sound.
Sleep murmurs from a small dog or small child while sleeping.
Roar of the crowd...(thanks, Mike!) I prefer hockey crowds to football, but either will do.
Good new "fave" list... Kelly!
I love hearing the mockingbirds sing in the fall. So beautiful...
I have to agree with Quid. Thunder is a favorite of mine.
Milk frothing for the morning cappuccino. It says to me, "just a little longer dear, just a bit longer, and we'll have you waking up..." Such a sweet wakeup. As opposed to the alarm clock which would go straight to the top of the list for most annoying.
Tim's voice. I like his voice. It's always calm and unruffled.
I also like the wind and rustle of the trees. And water flowing. And the ocean.
And baby chuckles. I do love baby chuckles.
1. The sound of husband dearests key in the door.
2. Footsteps through dry autumn leaves.
3. The sound of water crashing against rocks.
4. The general noise of train stations.
5. Silence as in the countryside at night when all is so so still and peaceful (we never get this living on the outskirts of a city).
Hmmmm...let me think. I totally agree with Mike on the near silence of a snowfall evening or morning. A white hush is the best way to describe it.
others in no particular order:
Gentle rain ( HATE storms with thunder and lightening!)
The various songbirds in my backyard.
The gentle lap of water from a pool or beside a lake.
Church bells
Train whistle ( I agree with Kelly on this one. There are tracks just far away from me right now that I hear a distant whistle from time to time)
the sound of a sleeping baby on a baby monitor.
And, the sound of my ceiling fan at night.
Love your list...but, to me, the sound of a train whistle in the middle of the night is by far the loneliest sound on earth. It makes me want to cry...
My favorite five Summer sounds are:
1. My cats purring.
2. Rain on a tin roof.
3. Mockingbirds mocking.
4. Crickets/cicadas on a summer night.
5. Doves cooing.
Just look at all the comments! I love it when y'all join in on something like this. :)
Even though I'm not a fan of winter, I'll agree with Mike and Pamel about the silence of snow. It's a distinctive sound (lack of sound?)that I do love.
Dorte - I'm glad I took you back to your childhood with this!
Joey - You made me think of New Year's Eve! Come back if you think of more.
Quid - Popcorn even tasted better when it was done in a pan on the stove.
Jen - I always think of Mockingbirds fighting with each other! They're pretty entertaining birds.
Debby - If I do a least-favorite-five I can assure you that alarm clock will be on my list, too.
Tracy - It amazes me, even living in the country as I do, just how much "noise" there is out there that you wouldn't expect. Depending on the atmospheric conditions...sound really travels! (trucks on the highway almost 3 miles away, lawnmowers in the distance, barking dogs, etc.)
Marion - I have a love/hate relationship with dove. Sometimes I enjoy their cooing, other times I want to wring their little necks and tell them to shut up!!
great list!
love it!!
and i'd add to it...night sounds, squirrels, the sound of waves.
great and quirky post, Kelly!
big hugs!
betty xx
I was a little late to this one but I'll add a few that haven't been mentioned.
Dad's knees cracking as he walks down the hall before bed. :)
Popping of packing bubbles.
Genuine, heartfelt laughter
windchimes
the hum of the TV from my childhood
Love you--V
Neat concept!! I'll have to think a bit.
Birds singing ... though I can't identify any of them by their songs.
Genuine laughter -- especially from children
The fizz of soda over ice ...even though I'm not a big soda drinker I love that sound.
Night sounds ... similar to what you described for summer sounds
The air conditioner working on a very hot day!!!
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