Things That Go Bump

I have an exciting announcement! This year I will be publishing two children’s books–The Parasaurolophus Pizza Parlor and The Christmas Mummy.  You can read about them at my new website: LynnWardBooks.com.

I addition, in a few weeks I’m going to stop posting my blog at WordPress. Instead, it will be on my website, on my Facebook page: Facebook.com/oma.spillsbeans, and Twitter: @OmaSpills.

GOOD NEWS! You don’t have to do anything! I’ll be sending my blog to you from my new website email address: Lynn@LynnWardBooks.com.

Things do go bump in the night, of course, but at my house, they bump all day long.

We’ve lived in this house a few months short of 39 years. That’s hard for me to believe. My brain isn’t good at giving me a mental picture of so many years connected to real life situations. We’ve been married how many years? Is that even possible? My upcoming high school reunion is for how many decades? No way!

I got off track. Every living space has certain noises that you need to get used to. In the past ten years or so, we’ve done a lot of updating. A new heating and air conditioning system meant that the clanking the water boiler made was gone, replaced by a whooshing start up sound.

When we had the roof replaced, it took as a while to track down the whistling we heard. It was the wind blowing through some part of the roof. It’s not unpleasant, but it still takes me a moment to remember where it’s coming from. It adds a bit of atmosphere, like in an old movie.

Currently, houses are being built across the street from us. It is a large piece of property, and the sign says there will be 34 “partnered” houses, what we seniors think of as duplexes. A few basements were dug months ago, but nothing else has happened. Except for two fairly large single homes that have gone up directly across from us. I guess there was land left over after the original homes were designed.

We live on a busy road, but now there are larger, noisier trucks delivering supplies—not awful, but enough to interrupt my concentration and I have to go see what’s happening. I end up staring for a while, because I was struggling with what I was writing and don’t want to go back until I have a better idea. I was happy when the incessant hammering quickly became background noise.

A couple of times I panicked because the floor of my house was vibrating. After a quick prayer that the house wasn’t about to crumble around me, I looked out the front window. Each time a flatbed trailer carrying a large piece of equipment was idling on the road in front of me. Apparently the vibrations were enough to shake my house. Okay. Exhale.    

If they finally sell the lots and get to build the planned houses, these bumps are going to go on for a very long time. They’ll just be the way life sounds here.

These noises are going to be part of my life for so long, I’ve started to wonder if I’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Seriously? I’ll have the comings and goings of 36 families to take their place.