- Thoreau sees every day as an adventure. One day, he tries taking out all his furniture in order to sweep the floor. Another day, he tries a new species of berry (verdict: ick).
- One summer afternoon, he watches the birds, and hears the sound of a locomotive going down the nearby Fitchburg Railroad. This is the stuff of action movies, don't you think?
- He thinks the train is an exhilarating example of progress, but wonders if man is keeping up with his own inventions. (Are the robots going to take over?) He notes how the train schedule now structures the village day, instead of the other way around.
- Thoreau also doesn't find anything wrong with commerce, per se. In fact, he admires the business-minded spirit that connects all the different parts of the globe.
- Oh, and on the same note (not at all), he hears a cattle-car rolling by.
- On Sundays, he hears church bells.
- And don't forget the animal kingdom. He is able to hear whippoorwills and screech owls and even some frogs.
- He hasn't heard a rooster crow yet (hopefully that means he sleeps in) nor any other domestic sounds, cats, dogs, or children – just the outdoors of the wild, wild East.