Sound reasoning.
Life on the farm was very quiet. The most prevalent sounds were those of birds, from the squawking of crows to the hum of hummingbirds. Of course there were often the mechanical sounds of farm machinery, but they were from my farm machinery so that didn’t impinge on my peace and quiet. Occasionally I would hear voices (“hey, what the heck is that?”) but that was always two cyclists speaking to each other on the road at least ¼ mile away.
Overall, our condo complex (96 units) is pretty quiet. We can hear the thrum of traffic from the main road about 200 feet away, punctuated by the occasional motorcycle, and sirens nearly every day. These sounds have receded into background noise, with the sirens being reminders of our good fortune and the good fortune of the majority of city dwellers. After last year’s fires we are very appreciative of our first responders, for sure. I do hear hummingbirds….not often enough.
Our next door neighbor (we share a wall) is very quiet; I never hear her music and she never hears ours.
Other people’s music! The only time this was an issue was an incredible volume of music, audible for blocks, which turned out to be from a private home outside of the condo complex. I believe the police were called and the volume lowered. I was angry about the rudeness but somewhat conflicted because they played a lot of Eagles songs.
A huge percentage of police calls nationwide are about barking dogs. Even back at the farm we had that problem from one neighbor. I couldn’t even sit outside in the evening because of it. That was finally resolved with cautious diplomacy on my part and the guilty party became friends. Here at the condo nearly everyone has dogs but mostly the cat-sized ones, and with only one temporary exception they are quiet, cute, and a joy to see.
So what brings this topic to my attention? The community pool is about 200 feet away. It is very nice and we use it from time to time. But when two or more kids are in it, OMG. The joyful screams are amazing. Nothing can be done in the water without screaming. Now believe it or not I was a kid at one time and screamed along with the best of them. For me now it is a “first world” problem eminently solvable since I had double pane windows installed.
What is the sound level where you live? Is it a problem? Have you had to accommodate a noisy neighbor or an annoying noise situation? Have you gotten used to noise that bothered you when you first became aware of it?
Are there sounds in your neighborhood that bring you joy? Back at the farm the susurration of the wind was comforting, as is the sound of the fountain just outside our patio. The latter provides “white noise” which mitigates most other sounds, and is very peaceful.
As always this is an open thread, and any subject can be discussed, as long as it is done quietly!