Making Sense

I don't think I realized how sensitive I was to my own super senses until after I was married. Everyday I would come home to our little apartment on NAU Campus and just couldn't figure out what was wrong. For several days something felt like it was just itching at my nerves. And then one day, wallah, I took these hideous little Snowmen (a wedding gift) off the wall and threw them away. Ahhh! Instant relief. That was it! The purple, red, and pink clashing scarves were just too much and out of sight. . . off my mind (and nerves).

One night, when we were in our Deer Crossing Flagstaff house I could hear the fuse box rattling in the wind against the bedroom wall right above our bed. As hard as I tried I just couldn't ignore the sound. Eric, when brought to his attention, could hear it but easily rolled over and went to sleep. So around midnight, I threw a coat over my pajamas, slipped on Eric's boots, and went trudging outside in 10 degree weather and three feet of snow with a flashlight and duct tape in hand. I went to town on this poor little Fuse Box. . . and it never made another sound.

Eric does not share my same curse. A year later the refrigerator in that same house would buzz loudy when cooling. Eric would compassionately tell me, "I know what we can do (hooray, I thought. . . at this point I had tried everything). . . live with it." We finally ended up getting a new fridge. Eric would blame my super senses. . . but I would say any obvious person would notice when he accidentally added cinnamon rather than cumin to a mexican dish.

This new Alaska home hasn't been bad. I WD-40 the squeeky doors after we moved in, the stove has a slight hum, and we have one light in the kitchen that after warming up looses its buzz. . . but I haven't noticed anything I couldn't live with.

So on Monday I came home from riding to school with the boys. When I walked into the living room I heard these terrible rattling, rumbling sounds. My heart faltered. We have yet to really turn on the heat which happens to be radiant floor board heating upstairs . . . and not being familiar with that type of heating was devastated to realize that I would need to gear up for a very loud and rumbly winter. Ugh!! I neurotically ran from wall to wall trying to figure out where the rattling was coming from. What is a pipe? Was it the heater units themselves? I felt and listened to every heater to see if which one was guilty. But nothing. I was trying to decide just how loud I would have to turn on the music so I wouldn't become a basket case. Can I tell you how disheartened I was to learn this about the house I love? Oh, I was so sad. Was I going to have to wear Ear Muffs all winter?

A few minutes later I mosied on downstairs to put in a load of laundry. And what did I notice? The fan in the boys bathroom had been left on. Instant jubilation!! I rushed to turn it off and raced (okay waddled) upstairs. And what did I hear? Nothing. Peace. Quiet. No rumbles, no rattles. For the rest of the day, everytime I heard something, I couldn't help but smile at how worked up I had gotten over the bathroom fan.

(Recently I had an earache. I complained to my OB who graciously took a look for me. And what could she see? Wax, and lots of it!!! About 10 years ago I had this same problem. So I went and got them cleaned out. Every now and then when I hear a sound and ask Eric about it, he'll mention that I should have just left the wax in there! (ironically it didn't effect my hearing at all).)