6.23.2007

Noise




Early last spring we had a little excited that started on our street and has yet to be over...but close. The house that had been sitting empty for months and in need of repair was bought and sold. Of course this was of real interest to us because we live so close to this other home and the people who use to live in it, we miss dearly. I may have said before that living in a small town, news travels fast and we finally found out that a young contractor bought the house and was going to totally redo it and live in it. ( This guy I think is only 26, which Joey and I find amazing because he has sunk a load of money into this house that is so beyond what we could do and we are 40.) Anyways, I have been dealing with construction guys blocking our driveway, garbage in our yard and my biggest pet peeve, LOTS OF NOISE now for months. I've kind of had it!


For the most part I've been able to shut out most of the noise. It started with a lot of ripping down of old stuff in the house, than moved to lots of loud Hispanic music. Of course most all of this is during the day when we are in the house so unless we are outside, I could basically ignore it. Well now that we are in the final stages of this house getting finished my nerves are shot with what I think is the final noise pollution I will have to deal with. An enormous bulldozer! For days, they are been clearing the heavily over ground backyard of this place so it has been nothing but diesel and dirt smell out of any of my doors. For the first few days the kids and I watched all the excitement of what was going on but today, while I was trying to work and concentrate on my pots, the birds singing and my music I really thought I was going to lose it. I crashed most of what I was trying to throw because the noise just got to me so much. All I could think about was how much I appreciated where I lived and quietness that surrounds our little town and street.

I came to a conclusion about a year of so ago when this book on Highly Sensitive People came out, that I was one of them. What basically it talks about is some people have very sensitive nervous systems and can't handle a lot of noise, activity or anything that over the top with one's senses. I am the kind of person who cringes when I motorcycle goes by or if there is to much to take in sensory wise, like amusement parks. I think I'm always the first to identify a strange smell or pick up on people's feeling real quickly.

I think the bulldozer is finished from what I can tell and all the sawing from inside the house , that was still going on at 12 last night, is hopefully coming to an end. I really didn't want to complain or act like all that has been going on has been sort of a pain for us because our new neighbor offered to pour my kiln slab for free, and I can't argue with that! Hopefully with just he and his new bride living in that huge house by themselves, they will be quiet neighbors. Or... now that I think of it, I'm sure the noise level of my kids in the backyard will be pay back for the bulldozer!

1 comment:

Scott Smith said...

He should throw a big party for all the neighbors that have had to put up with the noise.

It's cool that you're getting you kiln slab poured for free. It's the least he could do. Well, actually, the least he could do is NOTHING, but still, it's a nice gesture from a new neighbor.