 | Blogs > Ola2006 > Notes from Ola > THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE |
9/30/2009 12:06 pmLast Read: |
This morning when I woke up, I sat at the side of my bed for a few minutes to gain my perspective of where I was, what day it was, and who I was. I thought to myself “boy, it is really quiet.” I live right off of a main street of the city and it was still early enough, the morning work traffic had not begun. It then dawned on me why it was so unusually quiet. My air-conditioner was turned off. Thank goodness, we have finally entered into our fall season, and said good-by to the “so hot I need to turn the a/c on” weather. That A/C makes a lot of noise! I really enjoy the silence. Whenever I’m watching TV and a commercial comes on, I push the mute button. Ah, so nice. Some of the commercials are so irritating, and even more so the longer they use them. Like the swiffer commercial “don’t you love me, baby” and the auto insurance guy saying “call 1 800 general NOW!!” Just typing it now irritates me! I remember the year I was fourteen, and we had a devastating flood. The day the flood rains came we woke up to the sounds of big boulders tumbling down the raging river. It wasn’t so frightening at the time, but years after, whenever we had a heavy rain and heard that familiar sound, we couldn’t help but feel a little trepidation. Years ago, living in Portland, I remember being woke up from a very sound sleep. Again, I lived right on a main street, and the night was quiet. Off in the distance I heard screaming, and realizing it was coming from a car traveling down the street, the screams got louder as the car got closer. As the car past my place I could tell it was going at an exceedingly fast speed, and the screaming I heard was coming from what sounded like a small child. The child was yelling for the driver to please slow down. It all happened so quick that I wasn’t able to get to the window in time to take note of the car, or a license plate. I’ve often wondered since whatever happened to the screaming child. Okay, on to more pleasant sounds. As I sit here and type this, it is still fairly quiet around here, even though it’s close to noon. It’s been a little windy, so I hear my wind chimes. They have a very soothing affect on me. I know I’ve written about this before too, but one of the most calming sounds for me is the sound of a buzz saw. It triggers very pleasant childhood memories of my Dad. It’s also been a long time since I’ve had the enjoyment of sitting on a wood stump, basking in a sunny spot in a wooded clearing, listening to the bees, and other flying bugs, as well as the soft sound of the wind blowing through the trees, and feeling a gentle peace within me. I still feel good whenever I pick up the phone and hear my mother’s voice on the other end. Hers is such a cheerful one. Last, but certainly not least, I remember visiting my grandmother years ago and sleeping in the room next to hers, I could hear her snoring. My grandmother could snore with the best of them. At first my thought was “how will I ever get to sleep?” and then I realized how blessed I was to still have her in my life, and her snoring took on a while different meaning. Sounds, just like smells, can bring on all sorts of feelings and memories. How about for you? |
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 9/30/2009 12:36 pm |
The song..."THE SOUND OF SILENCE".......love it. I'm looking to the future and it's out of sight, only in the end shall I take flight.
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9/30/2009 1:29 pm |
peepers in the spring / kids playing basketball in the street... popcorn popping - that one is good for sound and smell!
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 9/30/2009 1:40 pm |
Great post girlfriend. I love to see you free flow in your sharing. For me the sound of the ocean is the end-all, be-all. Big surprise, huh? Giggles. "He who knows not the world, knows not his own place in it." Marcus Aurelius
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9/30/2009 1:51 pm |
nice blog! depending on the tide, some evenings when i open the sliding glass door into my backyard, i can hear the surf, sometimes quite loud. i close my eyes and listen. it's a wonderful sound!
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9/30/2009 2:08 pm |
Hi Ola, I know what you mean. We have been told not to jump out of bed, bad for the B/P!!! The road where i live is totally silent in the mornings. When I wake up on Saturday morning you could hear a pin drop. Its a great bonus to live in a quiet area, and then we have the sound of the stream down the valley, which is also soothing. Its funny how the past comes back, ie the car with the screaming child. Enjoy your silent mornings Ola, air conditioning is over for awhile.
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9/30/2009 2:44 pm |
Let us also not forget there is a silence that speaks so much louder than words! My sub-division isn't nearly as quiet as I'd like it to be with the blare of lawnmowers in summer and snow-throwers in winter. Sounds, smells and music can all trigger memories for me. JJ
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9/30/2009 3:21 pm |
I lived on the West Coast of Vancouver Island for two years.....The surf was huge and constant, having nothing to slow it down....there being open ocean all the way from Japan. The house was right on the beach and for the first couple of weeks, the pounding and sucking of the waves kept me awake......then I got used to it.....then it became a lullaby, so when I moved to the east, protected side of the island, I missed the surf and was kept awake by the silence.....
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9/30/2009 4:05 pm |
Today I turned off the air conditioning! It is very windy outside, and the temperature is a pleasant 75...way less than the 100 degrees last week! It is very quiet indoors except when a bus is backing up when they pick up a nearby resident. The loud BEEP BEEP BEEP is only noticeable if we are actually awake.
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9/30/2009 4:21 pm |
Budetta: Not much sound here in Mayberry, thats kinda why I moved here.giggle. Well yeah there are OTR Truckers going thru town, but we so used to it, we don't hear them anymore. In the early summer there is weaning calves bawling 24/7, & the sound of the "warblers" is the sound I miss from "The Ranch". Take care, be safe, & Happy Your BUD Bill
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10/1/2009 2:51 pm |
Hi Karen. Here at night, just the surf breaking can be heard, but now that October is here we will have the quol birds arriving. They are a smallish bird that migrate here at this time and leave again in April and they have this mournfull call that goes 24/7. 
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