Noises in the night may be subdued and soothing or startling and jarring robbing us from precious sleep. A few posts ago, I lamented upon the steady hum of a nearby highway. An overnight on a farm that hosts motor homers on their property offered another version of a night time symphony. This time, not subdued but raucous and irregular open to the mind’s musings deep in the night.
Golden Acres Ranch in the Florida Panhandle has provided a return stopover for years. The Goldens raise and sell, lamb, goat and beef cuts as well as seasonal fruit products, eggs, crafts, boarding for dogs and horses in addition to various festivals scheduled throughout the year. Check out the Mayhaw jam made from the unusual berries of their 175 Mayhaw trees at
Golden Acres Ranch
Following the long farm road into the property is slow, best taken with care as it glides by the goat and sheep pens and the acres of orchard and dense tree forest to the interior. Our parking spot is book-ended by the farm house and the country store. The chicken coop is close by. Chickens and guinea hens scurry out of the way as you walk by. 
During our long day’s drive we were well able to ponder and ingest the past week’s long anticipated, intense and emotional visit to my brother and sister in law and extended family and friends on Florida’s west coast. Seeking an interlude in our fast pace life, we anticipated a leisurely dinner, a good read and a restful night’s sleep. Of course, farms have no quiet hours. In the past Golden Acres has been fairly quiet at night but happily for the Golden’s, business is good during holiday time. With an abundance of dogs in residence for boarding on the day after Thanksgiving, the dogs sang out in chorus often but intermittently. We were aware of the coming night time entertainment.
Our rig is well insulated, so the sound was a bit subdued, but still quite audible and remaining unpredictable. Sleep came and went at various intervals through the night. I was prepared and my mind was not full of regret or complaint. Instead, I began to break down and focus on the chorale responses going beyond the cacophonous tones. Was that mournful deep throated bark a complaint as if longing for family to arrive to take him home? Perhaps he is remembering a run to fetch thrown balls, a tumble in the grass or scratches on the head between the ears.
Was the higher toned repetitive yipping a complaint against a larger dog’s threatening stance or the three or four dogs in tenor-toned unison attempting to attract the freedom they so desire? Each session most likely was triggered in response to a critter passing nearby or a disturbance among the boarders. Do canines have visual memories to trigger their responses or are their responses purely instinctual in reaction to their environment and nothing more?
In the end my night contemplating dog song past fairly well and the activities on the farm continued as usual. We did enjoy another comfortable night in the woods among creatures and friendly hosts and continued on our way westward for more adventure.
Have you tried brainwave technology? My son mentioned this so I got one of those inexpensive free app and then for a $3.99 I bought more songs to add on. There is a more expensive one called holosync, but I'd have trouble sleeping if I spend what they want! Anyway, it is interesting. The first one I think is called brainwave something or other.. don't have my phone one me to check right now but can let you know. It needs to be listened to with earphones and it has songs and sounds (which don't have to be turned on) for topics like getting to sleep, or motivation, or zen medications etc. Still evaluating. It certainly blocks outside noises or if the noises outside bothered me I'd just listen to baroque music. I am not really bothered by most outdoor noise, unless it were to be something really annoying. But my husband slept a lot better while visiting my son in Michigan for TG. He lives outside the city away from the road in a rather rural setting.. no highway noise, no trains, etc. It was quiet, I have to say. Happy Thanksgiving. Hope it was a good one.