Super-sounds of Norfolk

Lately I have been noticing the sounds of Norfolk. It has been a bit irritating. Where we live in Northern Virginia offers a cacophony of metros, trains, freights, and traffic, so I am surprised that sound is even an issue. Daily we hear the drone of planes, the clop-clop helicopters, the air horns of Navy and commercial ships, the slow chug-chug of freight trains and on occasion the deafening roar of jets flying in formation.

One Saturday after first moving on base, we heard a loud screech followed by the crunch of metal. Of course, I ran outside with Jack on my hip (I did have shoes on) to see the cause. Our house is located right next to the gate to the outside world. Outside of this gate is a good sized ditch and a very large, busy road (Terminal Blvd). The cause of the noise...a small SUV that careened into the ditch nose first. Everyone was okay and cell phones were out and being dialed.

Being right next to Terminal Blvd., which leads directly into the Norfolk International Port, means lots of big semi-tractor trailers and trains. Just the other day, we were sitting on the front stoop doing sidewalk chalk, when I heard a noise so loud and explosive I threw myself on top of Jack. Turns out it was a semi blowing a tire (we saw said semi several seconds later, tire shredded and flapping). However, this was close to what I imagine a small bomb would sound like.

All this talk of sounds, noises, and what not led me to wonder, "Why the heck am I so sensitive to sound lately? Perhaps I do have some super-powers after all (I think I mentioned this in a previous post). Well, low and behold, Bradley has figured it out.

Let's go back a few days....let's say Monday of last week. Jack and I were sitting outside playing and I felt what I thought was a mosquito bite. I ignored it. The next day, what looked to be an innocent mosquito bite turned into a very large welt, with surrounding rings of red. It's a spider bite that kept getting bigger and uglier.

A day later, while describing to Bradley how sounds were driving me crazy lately and how I planned to blog about it, he asked me to walk over to the wall. Looking at him with what he refers to as the "skeptical Anna" face, I went to the wall. He then asked me to put a hand on the wall. I complied. He then asked me to put my other hand on the wall. I started laughing and said, "Are you checking out my butt?" He said, "No. Just keep moving your hands, kind of like you are climbing the wall."

Brad then starts singing, "Spider-pumpkin*, spider-pumpkin, does whatever a spider-pumpkin can."

I kid you not. I respond, "You're a big dork" and swat at him with my superhero hand. So much for checking out my butt. Brad has effectively explained my sensitivity to sounds as a result of my newfound superhero spidey powers. My spider bite (now ten days out) is finally starting to go away.

Shhwip ~ (this is me flinging my web to sign off).

Spider-pumpkin



*If you didn't know, Brad calls me Pumpkin more than Anna. It's a big, ongoing joke. Everyone thinks its hilarious. In retaliation, I call him Squash. Go ahead, call him Squash too.