So, at the new house? Well, every time someone flushes a toilet anywhere in the house, it sounds like Niagara Falls. Husband attributes it to cheaper plumbing in the 90's compared to our former house's 1960's pipes. By contrast, I never hear the garage door here, enabling everyone to enter the house and sneak up on me!
Last week, I was awakened at 4 am by a loud bang. I laid in bed listening and then heard a quick, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! It sounded like someone was throwing tennis balls into a plastic bucket. It totally freaked me out. I was really becoming concerned that someone was trying to break in, so I woke up husband. Of course, the minute he is awake, the sound stops. He walked around the main floor and found nothing. Then went upstairs, still no sound and nothing seemed disturbed. He asked where I thought the noise was coming from and I said possibly the basement? He cautiously crept downstairs, while I had my cell phone in hand, ready to call 911. We are not gun owners, and any baseball bat we might still have would be in the basement, so I wasn't sure what he would do if he confronted someone, and yes, my mind races like this when I'm scared out of my mind. But he safely returned and began to insinuate that it was my imagination. Um, NO!
We got back into bed and within two minutes, the sound began again. That's when he said, "Honey, I think that's the furnace." Ok, whatever!
Yeah, those 'weird house noises' make life interesting, don't they? I especially like when the house starts creaking and groaning on a windy winter night. . .
ReplyDeleteI'm curious - does the fridge sound like a guy, or a woman, peeing into a paper cup? 'Cuz, you know, they'd sound different. . .
;)
I forgot to change the clock on the thermostat last weekend, so the furnace was kicking on at 5AM for a few days, and the 'ka-chunk' of the relay switch, followed by the fan and the burner turning on, was quite spectacular (and the furnace is deirectly below our bedroom, in the basement, so we got the full benefit). I could hear the whole house creaking, as the fan 'inflated' it like a giant wooden balloon. . .
Always so many things to adjust to, and noises are the weirdest things. This house took a while because it was quieter than any of the others we've lived in, but unfortunately for me, that meant that the noises I hear are NOT heard by anyone else... sometimes, having weird ears (tinnitus and hypersensitive hearing) is NOT fun!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this post....
ReplyDelete" And I hear everything. The buzz of a fluorescent light can drive me to distraction."
I could so identify with your sensitive hears because I'm the same way. And its odd because it's not the loud sounds that really bother me, but more so those tiny, high pitched sounds (like the buzz of a fluorescent light) that drive me up a wall. Also, I can't stand to hear somebody whistling.
UGH!
heh, this reminds me of my husband. I can sleep through almost everything, but that man of mine hears all. Combined with his tendency to imagine the worst and his hyper-alertness (courtesy of military service) and you have a recipe for sleepless nights.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, he has taken to wearing ear plugs at night and that has really helped... BOTH OF US. Because the heater turning on might not wake me up but him jumping out of bed and rummaging for a potential weapon sure as heck will!
I am often driven crazy by noises. I can't sleep if there is a ticking clock, I hate to hear a far-away TV or radio, and hearing someone chew gum makes me feel homicidal. And those aren't even a signal that I'm in danger! If I hear something when I'm here alone at night, it freaks me out.
ReplyDeleteThe house we moved out of in NM had that exact same sound from the furnace as it warmed up, it was really loud late at night.
ReplyDeleteLOL about the sound possibly being the furnace, but I can see myself doing the same thing. What drives me crazy noise wise here are the bathroom fans. I can hear them no matter what part of the house I'm in (its not a big house). I'm always anxious to have them turned off. Son is a night owl plus he works nights and comes in after midnight or after two o'clock in the morning, I've gotten used to hearing the noise he makes (he is very quiet, but I can still hear his door closing, his running the microwave to make something to eat, etc). Thankfully my inlaws put bars on the windows and doors years ago (we are living in their house, long story but we moved in almost 2 years ago when they went into assisted living, hubby would eventually inherit the house). Anyway, the bars are nice. I feel like Fort Knox since no one could break in so usually the noises I hear are something inside the house rather than someone trying to come into the house.
ReplyDeletebetty
Craig -giant wooden balloon is an apt description!
ReplyDeleteSailor - it can be frustrating....I can't deal with two conversations going on at the same time, but that may be a brain issue, not a hearing one.
Ron - the intolerance to whistling made me laugh! I guess I rarely hear whistling, but I can see where that could send you to the moon. Coughing is what annoys me.
Logo - oh no! I'm sorry to hear when military personnel can never escape those reactions.
Agent - I am that way about coughing, but I think we've discussed that before. And let's add coffee slurping to the list!
Jimmy - I didn't understand why I hadn't heard the sound before since we had had the furnace running off and on for at least a month.
Corgi - oh wow! The bathroom fan in our old house drove me insane. It was like hearing a plane idling on a runway. I can see how bars would make you feel safer at night, but that would be an unusual sight in the suburbs.
I've got quite a high tolerance for strange noises, I just wonder vaguely what they are and then tune them out. But when I lived in apartments, any type of music filtering in from other apartments totally prevented me sleeping.
ReplyDeleteJenny can't sleep if there's a loudly ticking clock either. She has to move it somewhere else.
Queenie is also very noise sensitive. i'm good at story telling. you figure out what that might means ....
ReplyDeleteHahaha!! That is so me.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds ridiculous, I'm sure, but my biggest fear upon moving to our new house was "what if the new house is haunted?" I've had experiences before that completely freaked me out so I truly believe in paranormal.
ANYWAY, this house makes the CRAZIEST noises. Our furnace is so loud and makes a popping noise once in a while. And the tile floor makes SUPER loud popping noises all the time too. Mostly in the middle of the night. So crazy. And so loud.
But, at least I know it isn't haunted. ;)
Nick - yes, apartment living can be bad. Our last apt, we lived on second floor and the people below us would walk around and make our lamps rattle!
ReplyDeleteX - it means you're making stuff up to scare her? Not nice!
Kat - I've never really been worried about being haunted, but I have to say, if I knew someone had died in my house, I would not be happy.
well i'm sure i gave that impression but it's actually the opposite .... ever so often when she's extra spooked and i can't find the source i'll, well, make up a plausible source complete with corroborating back-story.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i lie. ever so often. but it's ok at least my lie is for good, right? right?
Yes. Coffee AND soup slurping. Gah!
ReplyDeleteour old house had the ancient steam radiators that used to clank and clang very loudly. every year when heating season began my kids would wake up frightened by the radiators until i reminded them what it was.
ReplyDeleteOur oven fan ventilation -- in both of the "new" houses we have lived in (90s construction and newer)-- has an exterior flap that gets whipped when the wind blows in a certain direction. Makes a fairly loud clapping bang repeatedly. Might be the same cause for you.
ReplyDelete