Outside my window the light rain continues unabated from a featureless nimbostratus cloud cover; its been a very wet October thus far as I’ve recorded 4.08″ of rainfall since 11:00 AKDT this morning for the month.  The average October rainfall for this area is 2.90″ so at fifteen days into the month we are already 141% of ‘normal’; in addition I’ve reported measurable precipitation on 12 of the 15 days.  Hand in hand with the precipitation is the well above average air temps; I’ve recorded just five mornings in October with below freezing temps yet the ‘normal’ temp range for mid-October should see early morning temps in the middle twenties with day time highs struggling to reach 40 F.  My friend Holly tells me the lakes and rivers have usually frozen by now to the point the locals are beginning to ice skate on them.  Indeed, its been a very unusual weather pattern all year with the extreme heat in June – Talkeetna set its all time high temp of 98 F in mid-June – followed by the excessive rain across September and now into October.  Mother Nature is fickle in her ways and she will do as she wants regardless of our wishes and dreams…

One thing that hasn’t changed is the immense silence that wraps this land in a soft, peaceful blanket; I remember it well from past trips into this area.  It is so quiet up here that on any given day the source of most noise is one’s self.  Since moving in I’ve heard but one police siren, no motorcycles, one semi (he was driving east on East Barge and I think he might have been lost…) and maybe one bush plane a day – often in the distance – along with perhaps three cars per day on East Barge.  I always suspected that noise pollution was a real issue in the lower 48 but moving up here has dramatically reinforced just how intrusive noise is down there.  I do sometimes hear natural sounds but these aren’t intrusive as they seem part of the environment.  Sometimes while sitting on my front porch I’ll hear the howl of some Huskies from John and Ruth’s place maybe a half mile further east on East Barge Drive; they have thirteen Huskies and will be mushing them come the cold weather.  In fact I’ll see them sledding up and down East Barge come the snow.  There are a number of water fowl in the area that have very specific calls which I’m still learning; I also sometimes hear the chattering of the local Red Squirrels as they hasten to hide various foods away for the upcoming winter.  But one of the sounds I love the most is the wind sighing through the birches and white pines; its such a relaxing sound.

Of late I find I’d much rather sit on my front porch and immerse myself in Nature than watch TV or even listen to music; its so much more peaceful and ‘centering’.  I’m slowly losing my need for all the electronic ‘white noise’ I used to surround myself with and as I’ve done this I’m beginning to realize my entire psyche is also becoming more serene and at peace.  In the past when writing I would often have music playing in the background; now I’d much rather listen to the rain tap, tapping on the roof.  The immense silence of the boreal forest is almost an entity unto itself; it infuses the woodlands with a deep peace that is tangible if one is receptive.  The appearance of the large mammals or the calls of birds merely serve to highlight the quiet of the natural surroundings.  The more I partake of this environment the more I want; its an amazing balm for a frazzled soul.  But its even more than this for me; of late I’ve noticed I’m really shifting my priorities and the results have been nothing if not refreshing.  No longer do I worry about the small stuff; those every day issues which we cannot control and have little ability to affect any certain outcome.  In doing this I’ve felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders; I’m just much more calm and centered now.  Stress is something I rarely see now and when it does occur its often in the form of issues like ‘can I get the dogs out for an hour’s walk before the rain returns’ or ‘can I get that limb down before the winter winds arrive’…  Issues that are much closer to home and more immediate; also issues that I do have some ability to influence.  Without question what makes a difference in my life is changing and I’m finding I like the direction it is taking.

I’ve always had a deep spiritual side so its no surprise I frame so much of what I’m experiencing in terms of spirituality; up here the Alaskan wilderness gives me no other option.  To watch a moose foraging amongst the birch and pines of the boreal forest in the dim morning light is so very peaceful yet exciting.  Its amazing to see how effortlessly they move through the scrub and underbrush and doubly so when you realize just how big they really are yet also how quiet.  There’s a rhythm to life up here that I’ve never before felt except when I’ve been up here; a fierce independence tempered by the understanding that Nature reigns supreme and we are all One within her realm.  When I look into a clear night sky up here the number of stars are breathtaking yet I cannot help but understand that everything around me and including me is ‘star stuff’; all that is around me was born in the mighty furnaces of stars of varying sizes.  There’s a feeling of connectivity that’s extremely powerful and seems to underlie everything.  This feeling awakens within my soul the need to really connect with Nature, to try to nurture and develop this connectivity because it feels so ‘right’.  I still get chills when I reflect upon the fact that we are all beings of light and we are children of the cosmos, born of star stuff.  Indeed, the rural Alaskan silence does speak to me and it does so on many levels; only now am I learning how to truly listen…