DE PLANE! DE PLANE!

The human body will adapt to many things in order to sleep. Bright lights, noise, cold, heat, being uncomfortable can be over come with time. With time . . .

I grew up in a railroad town, back when trains ruled transportation. We lived three blocks from the roundhouse. The train engineers each had a distinct whistle. When they pulled into the train yard they would blow the whistle so their families knew they were home. We had whistles blowing all night long. I never heard them.

Marty and I lived in an apartment with very loud neighbors over us. They threw furniture at each other. We learned to sleep through the barrage. We once owned a home that backed up to the freeway. Never were we bothered by the noise. When we lived in Concord we were fairly close to BART and could hear the high whine of the trains. Everywhere we have lived, there have been certain types of noise for that area. Your body adjusts and you sleep through it.

Now we live in a very very quiet neighborhood. Our bodies jerk awake if there is a change in schedule of delivery of the newspapers or of the neighbors leaving earlier than usual. Our bodies are used to a serene evening. And then we had yesterday.

We had a major storm go through yesterday (still raining and windy today) and that caused problems at the Oakland Airport. They have to change the landing approach during storms. And our neighborhood becomes the final approach. Yes, I can almost see the pilots' faces. We hear the planes coming, going over the house, and leaving. And they are always getting lower and lower. For an agoraphobic who is terrified of planes, this is not a happy time. I don't just hate being on a plane, I don't like for people I love to be on a plane, I don't like planes flying low over my house. I know, I am crazy.

Any who, last night was the worst noise in the 6 years we have lived here. All night, plane after plane, after plane screamed over our home. Who knew Oakland has so many planes landing all night long. Just as we would start to fall asleep, here comes another plane dropping lower and lower and doing the gear changing sound. A very long fitful night.

Even Marty, who can sleep through anything, got no sleep. Poor Marty had to be up and out of the house by 7:00 today for a meeting. I am a volunteer and canceled doing weddings. As soon as I post this, I am back in the bed.