Despite the fact that I am very visual and tactile-kinesthetic when it comes to learning ....sounds can drive me insane. The tapping of a pencil. The loud tick of a clock. A squeak in a fan. A rattle in our car.
Argghhhhh!
A few nights ago, while we were watching TV, I heard an intermittent gentle thump. "There? Did you hear it?" I asked my hubby.
"What?"
"That bump. Shhh. There! That sound."
"What sound? I didn't hear anything."
So I went on a sound hunt and hubby, thinking I was losing my marbles, went back to watching TV.
I went down in the basement. Sometimes our water tank gurgles. Maybe that was what I was hearing. I sat on the steps. I waited. Nothing. I couldn't hear the sound.
I came back to the living room. I waited. There. I heard the noise again. Tucker heard the noise. He went to the front door. So I followed. I went into the foyer. Yes. There was the sound. But it wasn't that much louder. Perhaps upstairs. Bump. The sound, again. But was it any louder? Where was it coming from? Outside? I came downstairs and went out on the front porch. I didn't hear the sound. Finally, I had to give up and I went to bed. I tried not to hear the sound. Good luck with that! I decided that it must be the screen on the French door in our bedroom. Tap, tap, tapping... while I nodded, nearly napping. `'Tis just the screen,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.'
I finally drifted off to sleep.
Almost a week later the sound returned. Thump. Bump. Tucker and I looked at each other. I began to prowl around the house, ferreting out the origin of the noise. Downstairs. Upstairs. A little louder there. Outside... not so loud. But wait, it sounds like thin metal. Perhaps aluminum. I stepped off the stairs to examine the gutters and downspouts. The wind had picked up. Perhaps we had a loose section of downspout that was occasionally being blown into something. Nice try. Nothing. I heard the sound again. Definitely metallic. I stepped back further and examined the roof. And finally...ta daaaa! There it was.
A piece of flashing had pulled out from under the edge of the roof of a dormer. It was caught on one end and the wind was occasionally blowing it, where it would thump against the roof, making the bumping noise that had been plaguing me. I climbed out the dormer window, retrieved the culprit and finally was able to have peace reign. You don't take me for an April fool, do you?
Noises really bother me, too! Especially the buzz in florescent lights. I can't even concentrate when I hear it!
ReplyDeleteGood news is that aging should reduce the acuteness of your hearing! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnne
Sounds drive me crazy!!! Through the years hubby has learned if I say something sounds funny, it is gonna break down. Now he fixes the sounds when I first hear them.
ReplyDeletePersistence pays off! I'm one of those who hears subtle changes in the engine or in a mechanical device...I have musical training and so I truly believe it has trained my ears to hear the slightest difference in any kinds of regular sound. My husband is FINALLY realizing that my attention to a changed sound might actually be important because something always happens after I "hear" the weird sound.
ReplyDeleteGood that you had a safe outing from the dormer! Hope you kept low and were able to get back inside the window okay. I'd be okay crawing out, but have a heck of a time crawling back inside!
Lana
At least you knew you were not crazy because Tucker heard it to! Glad you found the source:)
ReplyDeleteNice detective work, and 'er climbing on the roof! I would have sent my hubby up there, just for not believing me (which he frequently does). You are in-tune with your surroundings, and brave!
ReplyDeleteNope. I'm the same way about noises...and smells, too. Hubby drives me batty because he never hears or smells anything strange when I do and then he tells me I'm overreacting. grrr!
ReplyDeleteGood sleuthing skills to find such an odd, random noise.
~Lisa
you found it!!! that would drive me crazy too!! I would send my husband on the mission!
ReplyDeleteYou climbed out the dormer window??? Geez, I could never do that!
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously shuddering just thinking about climbing out the dormer window!!!!
ReplyDeleteStuff like that drives me dotty too. DH never EVER hears any of it either. At least you found it (before you started therapy ;o)
ReplyDeleteLOL so no ghosts huh? lol. My Grandfathers Birthday was on April 1st but he told everyone it was on the 31st of March because he didn't want it on April fools day! lol. I laughed at your story and Jen's comment about finding the source of the noise before starting therapy LOL! Been there! Heard stuff and found out it was something perfectly explainable :)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have climbed on the roof- that's a husband job! I get vertigo. The sound would have driven me crazy too.
ReplyDelete