Night in the woods

People sometimes ask me if I get lonely living in the woods alone. The question always surprises me, and makes me wonder if I should feel lonely, because the truth is that I rarely feel lonely out here. I could say that I embrace the solitude, but when I really look at my life--between work and other non-woodsy activities, I am barely alone enough to even fully delve into the riches of solitude, let alone become lonely. So tonight I intentionally paid attention to time, space and being. I may not have the amenities of the woods forever, so this evening, after a long day in the garden and in and around Potlatch, I made a fire and then did some stargazing, which is incredibly therapeutic for those with neck pain. It sure is pretty here: at my place, the sky (when you look up on a clear night) is framed by trees. So many stars...what a beautiful universe we live in.