A matter of National Security....

[kidsnurse]

 A favorite coffee mug of mine--a lovely glazed light gray ceramic piece of art, with a handle in the shape of a graceful cat, just fell from my hutch, along with a book, a magazine, and two notices from Koda's school.  Why does this minor occurrence [even the mug survived the fall] rate a journal entry?

Because the Navy is dropping bombs.  LIVE bombs.  And has been since 9 January.  And will be, between 8:00am and midnight, every day until 25 January, according to this article--which very handily also gives a toll-free number for "noise issues".

It isn't the noise that's bothering me; it's the shuddering house, the rattling windows, the skittish pets--the interminable headache and edginess of the entire experience.  The Ocala Forest is about 25 miles away from here, and we're used to the routine bombing practices.  But normally, they occur only three or four days per year.  And normally, they don't use live ordnance--which, we are rapidly discovering, is much louder and much more effective at vibration-making, than the usual dummy bombs.  They're annoying, but tolerable.  However.  Every freaking day for seventeen days?

My mother points out that it could be worse--we could actually live in Ocala, where more things fall off more hutches, and windows actually break.  And I could be out of Ativan.  And/or coffee.  And/or cigarettes.  All I'm really out of, at this point, is patience.

Here is an interesting editorial about the practice; Glenwood, the town in the dateline, is actually where I live, and the author gives a good description of the practice--and  saved me from placing what would have been a useless call to the Volusia County Sheriff's Department.

Gawd--there goes another one three.  The dog is whimpering in his crate, two cats just raced down the stairs and under the bed, and a small tree limb fell in the yard.  Nine more days of this is unthinkable.

Okay.  Done ranting.  Going now to hide under the bed with the cats.

Comments

[chaoskir.livejournal.com]

Urrgh, that sounds really bad. I can't imagine how you are feeling right now because I never had something like that around me. Well, last year (the whole June and the half July) there were road works by a road near by the road where I'm living and all the cars and busses and trucks were driving over the very small street (those street is so small: it isn't possible that two cars can passed each other at the same time, the street is just wide enough for one driving car in one right. The other car has to wait untill the car in front has passed) where I'm living and that alone was pure horror. Usually here are not much cars driving - sometimes a long time no car and than at those time here drives a lot of cars in one minute. The whole house had vibrations and you felt the vibrations in your stomach and the walls are tottering when there drove a truck or a bus over the small street. It's really a very small street where I live and the noises of the traffic were bad, very bad and I was annoyed every day and every day more. I guess that what you has to bear right now is much more annoying and loud and disturbing. *hugsyou* Well, I do hope you, your kid, your family and your pets (cats and dogs and whatever animal lives with you) will survive without any damage. *hugsyouagain*

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

the worst part of the whole thing is that there is no schedule to this--it happens randomly, so i can't even brace myself for it. i'm thinking of living the next nine days in the closet under the stairs; it's full of hurricane supplies and has no windows--maybe i'll feel safer in there! ahh, the joys of living in the Sunshine State! :)