An unreal and bruising amount of noise in the final weeks of August put me on edge. It’s been hideous on account of construction going all summer long in every (near) direction of my house (literally), and even though I’m tired of listening to myself complain about it, I mention it because it IS part of why my rhythm here has been disrupted (yet again).
One of the happier side effects of seeking shelter from the grinding, whirring, whining, beeping, scraping, thumping, clunking, gunning, tapping, roaring (from 7 a.m. until after 6:00 p.m.) is that I rediscovered my basement-studio. It may not be warm in winter, but boy is it quiet in summer!
This, believe it or not, is a step along the way of ‘White House Privilege’. You might notice that the House itself is no longer part of this composition.
School’s started. It’s back to unbelievable traffic and the constant hiding (somewhere! anywhere!) from the invasive sounds of the yard crews, but at least the intense construction of the summer is over.
Time to put myself back together!
feel for you. we’ve had two quiet non-yard working days in this neighborhood and it’s been wonderful. love the pic.
Hi Patricia. I’m so happy to report that it’s quiet today. All the windows open!
I am glad you have found sanctuary in your studio. One of the things that I have found since I no longer sleep well at night is that I can ignore noise very easily when I am awake during the day, weird since it used to be the other way around. Good thing too since my office is surrounded by pounding all day. It drives the others mad.
I do love that picture of you! So beautiful, young and looking almost tragic. Was this a back to law school shot?
I used to be more resilient about noise. Is this part of aging? That photo was taken in Pittsfield Mass in my apartment. I would have been 22 or 23.
great photo Dee!
re noise… I moved to a house on a 4 lane truck route back in the 90’s, for the first 3 weeks I could hardly sleep then one night it rained and the sound of the wet road on the truck tires was like the soothing sound of the ocean, the traffic lights created the sets, the big semi trailers made the 7th waves… from then on I slept like a baby.
It’s all in perception ahe? also our house was party central, we would play music til dawn every Saturday night after the gigs so we never ever complain about noise!
Saying that, the sound of jackhammers is pretty bad but they give me an excuse to listen to Dark Side of the Moon, Sticky Fingers & Lou Reed’s Transformer on 10 and dance around the studio!
Hi Mo, I am describing an extraordinary load of noise, not the regular noise of semi-urban living — but road paving, scraping, jackhammering, earth moving, tree cutting down and chipping, contract-saw burring, trucks beeping to back up 20 minutes out of every hour for twelve hours straight. On many of the last few days of August — ALL of those things at once, and ALL within a less-than-two block radius. Yard crews were punctuation to that (roughly 10 a week).
As to the other kinds of (still-annoying) noises, I play Jimi Hendrix really, really loud and enjoy myself too!
We live near enough to Rte 9 to hear the traffic running along it, which is heavy during commuter hours. THAT sound easily can be heard as a river running near by and is calming in the way you describe…