Night Noises

One of the curses of having pain is waking during the night.  As you may notice, many of my blogs are composed during the dark of night.  Maybe I am more creative then.  Thankfully, the pain is not nearly as intense as it was initially, so time and medication usually help ease me back to into dreamland.

Many times when I awake, I lay quietly listening to John breathe and it comforts me.  Tonight, he sounded like a duck quacking and in my sleepy fog, it took me a few minutes to realize it was him.  He has been sick and went to the doctor Friday morning after running a high fever Thursday night.  Seems he had an infection and congestion in his lungs and sinuses.  Doing better now, but I think it will take a little more time for the congestion to go away.

There are other sounds too.  Our new refrigerator just dumped a batch of ice.  If I didn't know what it sounded like, then I would swear someone was breaking in.  Yes, it is that loud.

My rooster, BoBerry, with his sweetheart, Henny Penny, sleep on the back porch.  Sometimes he will crow during the night.  Most nights he regularly starts around 4:15 a.m. (He is big and very, very loud, guess that's why roosters aren't allowed in town limits.)  If I hear him before that time, then something has startled him and that is his "alert"crowing sound.  Maybe a possum is meandering through the yard and munching on the salad scraps I put out for composting.  Possums can be very mean so I do understand his alarm.

Our furnace makes a thumping noise when if comes on.  Guess it is the air pressure causing the metal to pop.  I've been hearing it a lot lately, with the bitter cold, it has been popping more often.

Tonight as I listen to "my sounds", most of them comforting sounds that are part of my world, I think about all the sounds the people of Haiti are hearing.  The wailing of injured and sick people.  The sobs of those who are afraid.  The sound of help coming by plane, helicopter, and truck.  The sound of creaking, broken, buildings.  The rumbling of the ground.  Sounds that many of them will never forget.

Night noises, to every one of us they bring a different meaning.

PCQ