Have you ever been told, maybe while house hunting or visiting a friend, that the train right across the street is no big deal? Eventually you get used to it and tune it out. I happen to know this is 100% true because our second house was right across from the Amtrak tracks, the same ones that will take you from Winter Park all the way to Washington DC. We got a lot of fast, express traffic and with the exception of the demented conductors who blew the horn from the second they were within earshot to the second they left it, we eventually tuned the whole shebang out.
I do this with the girls too. I can totally tune out the fake, just-let-me-have-my-way cries and whines. A skill that Wayne says is annoying to others (him included) who can't pull it off with such adeptness.
The problem is, they know. It's like they possess a secret power and can sense when I've tuned out a sound. Suddenly the ol' screech changes just a few decibels and becomes more of a squeal and bam! I'm paying attention again. It goes from background noise to clawing fingers wrapping themselves around my brain.
These children are crafty I tell you. I wonder if they're sharing notes . . .
1 comment:
We too lived across the street from the tracks. We lived there 11 years. The only thing I remember is the lousy reception on the TV when they passed. Was more surprised that when we were viewing the house there was no signage at the crossing (it was in the country). We assumed that it was like many tracks in the area and was abandoned. We would just go across without bothering to look. Completely surprised when after we moved to find out that the trains come along constantly and they were long trains. We had a side track so we would get to watch the trains pass each other. I use to love the sound of the brakes. The brakes on all of the cars had different pitches - always loved it when it was a perfect cord. ... oh, and at night seeing the big beam of light piercing through the fog as it came towards the house.
Now if I could tune out the sound of kids arguing... fingernails on a chalkboard!
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