Thursday, September 17, 2015

LONE WOLF




I've always disliked the title of this blog but I don't plan on changing it. I thought my old blog, Lone Star Concerto, had an appropriate title for Texas and I liked it. When I moved to Tennessee I couldn't come up with a suitable title for my new blog, so I simply changed one word - star to wolf.

I suppose the title is fairly apt. I am somewhat of a lone wolf - - living alone in the wilderness, surrounded by the great symphonic sounds of nature. Howling at the moon. I'm definitely a loner.

Unfortunately, the American news media has turned "loner" into a dirty word. Whenever a horrendous crime occurs -  serial killer, child molester, deranged gunman - they immediately announce that the perpetrator was a "LONER". 

I suppose the underlying indication is that there are no criminal elements among gregarious party animals.

 What the hell is the exact description of a loner, anyway?  

Member of the John Gacy Fan Club
Manufactures pipe bombs in the basement
Wears a T-shirt with the inscription:
Necrophilia
a zombies worst nightmare 

Okay, it wasn't funny.

I used to be out-going, friendly, adventurous. My life was filled with excitement, romance, and intrigue. Now - in my declining years - I've become a pessimistic introvert. Hermitized, reclusive, misanthropic. I prefer my own company because I'm the most interesting person I know.

Wow, Jon - you're a regular Little Miss Sunshine. I'll bet your dour attitude could sink the Good Ship Lollipop.

Hey, you caught me on a good day. Don't ever come around when I'm in a bad mood.


A change of subject is in order,
but I'll maintain the recurring howling theme.

Coyotes!

Lots of coyotes last night, roaming in wild packs. The first ones came soon after dark and seemingly surrounded the house. My three cats quickly dispersed and went into hiding. The cowards abandoned their posts, leaving me to fend for myself.

I went outside on the back porch. It was very dark and I only got a glimpse of them near the woods. Their howls are fierce, blood-curdling, eerie. Intimidating enough to make me go back inside. Very often their screams sound human.

I'm not nearly as intimidated by them as I was when I first moved here. I actually like the raw wildness of their intrusion. When they are farther away, in the hollow depths of the forest, their howls echo and reverberate.

Coyotes sound similar to wolves, and yet there is a distinct unrestrained savageness about them. Perhaps they sound more like wild dogs.

Late at night I often hear the nearly-demonic sound of birds screeching and screaming. Owls? 

The neighboring cows moo a lot, in organized unison. Sometimes at night. More often during the day. I like to hear them. Far away, across the meadows, roosters start crowing long before dawn.

What the heck is this, Jon - Old MacDonald's farm?

I'm just trying to verbally convey the rural setting of where I live to my readers. This will enable them to be mentally transported to my environment, and to vicariously experience all the wonders of nature that surround me.

Or, it will bore them beyond redemption and put them to sleep.


 My Photo Blog:
http://cabinetofcurioustreasures.blogspot.com 





 
 

26 comments:

  1. We've got a barred owl that sounds like a coyote living in the woods behind the cabin......strange sound....

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    1. I never knew that owls could sound so strange and ghastly. It lends atmosphere to the night.

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  2. Jon,
    No coyotes around here (thank goodness). We could use a fox or two to control the ever increasing rabbit population. Sadly, the only foxes I see are the roadkill out on Ferocious Route One.
    The day will come Jon, when you will share your abode in the wilderness with another. I eagerly look forward to those posts. There is no happiness in this world Jon like sharing your life with another human being who loves and respects you. And being sexy helps too!
    Enjoy those Howler Nights Jon!
    Ron

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    1. Those pesky rabbits can really ravage a garden. I've only seen a few rabbits here, and no foxes at all.
      It would be nice to share my life with someone, in my declining years - - but I doubt if anyone could put up with me. I'm annoyingly independent.

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  3. Yes, here too 'loner' has become a word to imply disapproval or worse, almost inevitably appearing in any description of a newly-uncovered paedophile. I can only assume that those who do have an appreciable social circle need something to make them feel better when what they really desire is just to be left alone, which can be bliss in itself.

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    1. Ray, peace and privacy is sublime bliss. I think I value it now because I've so seldom had it during my life. There comes a time when one just wants to shut out the world. I do enjoy the company of my kitties (I know you can relate to that).

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    2. Absolutely! I'm not ashamed of the fact that, in general I'm one of those who prefers the company of animals to people. Maybe you too? Only trouble is, communication is not exactly two-way!

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  4. I, too, am a loner. At the best of times, I am only good for about one hour of other people before I retreat to my solitude. I am never bored. The thing I find oddest about this is that I have reached a point in life that I can afford to do anything I would like to do..... and I don't want to do anything, because I really don't like people.

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    1. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only member of the Loners Club. I've had a lifetime of so many turbulent problems with other people, that I truly savor the time of peace that I'm now enjoying. Much like you, I never get bored.

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  5. I like to hear coyotes howling but haven't heard any lately.

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    1. There are lots of coyotes here, always running in packs. I do enjoy hearing them howl at night.

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  6. ahOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

    (me howling at the moon)

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  7. Don't worry about being a loner, Jon --unless the media starts using your 1st, last AND middle name. I've been doing plumbing all morning and am now psychotic so I know what I'm talking about. Now what was the question?

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    1. I had completely forgotten that it should properly be John Wayne Gacy. Fortunately, I don't have a middle name.

      Plumbing problems can definitely inspire moments of madness and murderous intent. I've been there many times. Hopefully your psychotic episode will pass soon.

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  8. Keep good company, spend time alone.

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    1. I don't always get along with myself, but I try.

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  9. Aw, the American news media can take a spin ... bunch of extroverts who haven't grasped the peace that comes from solitude. I vividly recall when 'introvert' was something for which I was made to feel ashamed.

    Wolves are endlessly fascinating. I can't find it now, but recall reading (where) only a few wolves' individual pitches can combine to sound like three-four times their number.

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    1. "Introvert" used to be synonymous with "abnormal" but I think that has finally been deemed an archaic way of thinking. Some of the most fascinating people I've known were introverts.
      Anyway, I've never needed to be with other people in order to feel "whole".

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  10. One of my great-grandmothers always said she was, "Talking to a smart person" anytime someone questioned who she was talking to when she thought she was alone. So there's always that. In addition to "loner," I always get a kick out of reports from neighbors of those miscreants you list saying things like "he was always so friendly" or "he basically seemed to keep to himself" or "we never suspected a thing" or (my favorite) "who would believe this kind of thing can happen here!" As if horrific things are only supposed to happen in isolated Transylvania castles or something. And remember, there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. OK, that's all the sage wisdom I can come up with before bed. Hope you have a good weekend. ~~~ NB

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    1. When I talk to myself, I keep hoping I'm talking to a smart person - - but sometimes I wonder......

      Another thing that neighbors commonly say (in interviews) is that "We never locked our doors before this happened."

      What kind of an idiot would leave his door unlocked??

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  11. With all those deliciously eerie animal sounds around you, wouldn't it be grand to record them and incorporate them into an original musical composition? Not what most people think of as "night music," maybe, but I think it would be awesome.

    Nothing wrong with being a loner if that's what gives you peace. I've always been an extrovert, but am perfectly content with my own company, too. My brother is a loner with a capital L.

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    1. The sounds in the wilderness - especially the night sounds - would indeed inspire a great symphony.

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    2. 1931 film: Count Dracula remarks on wolves, "Children of the night. What music they make." Lugosi was Hungarian, wasn't he?

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  12. Perhaps if you had motion activated security lights that would come on when they are near, they would visit someone else. It is funny (peculiar) that the cats know instinctively to hide. Tell them any one of them that sneaks out there gets eaten. WE do have them in Western PA, and the numbers are increasing. I have never seen or heard one.

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  13. Here in the forest there are not only coyotes but also lots of wild dogs. Sometimes they come near the house but they don't stay for long, and I've never felt threatened (well, not yet anyway).

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