Did You Hear That?

  
  The purr of car engines warming up
in the frigid morning air has replaced
the squeal of cats in our neighborhood
over the past few weeks.
   You kind of get used to it. Like the
roar of the occasional helicopter
landing at the near by hospital.
    Of course the choppers come in at
all hours so I wasn't surprised to hear
what I thought was a Life Flight
heading our way just about the time
the sun was rising yesterday.
    Minutes later, however, I realized
this particular "roar" didn't seem to
be getting any closer.
     Well, as it turned out, it wasn't
a helicopter after all.
      The sound was that of a Diesel
Truck. You know...the big ones
like those that haul those huge
trailers up and down our Interstate
Highways every day.
      You see one of our neighbors
is a trucker and his big rig is parked
next to his house when he's not on
the road.
      I'm told those diesels can be tough
to start in the cold weather so I
figured he was warming it up for a
morning run to some far off Walmart
Warehouse or whatever.
      But morning came and went and
the truck just sat there.....running and
running.
       Another neighbor stopped in for
a brief chat. He wondered whether the
trucker had started the rig then dropped
over with a heart attack or something.
Since we knew there were other family
members at home we ruled out death
or sudden disease.
      My son-in-law came by around
mid afternoon. He too questioned the
constant sound of the diesel and the
apparent disregard for neighborhood
tranquility, air quality, or fuel
conservation.
     About an hour later the engine roar
peaked as the driver set out on the
road. The day long idle was suddenly
gone!
    Minutes later the it was replaced by
the monotonous pounding of a Bass beat
blasting from some high tech speaker
equipment as the kids in the place took
over!  Not sure how long this "concert"
will last.
    I'm anxiously awaiting the return of
the truck!
    Hope you'll enjoy some quiet time
today and that all your NEWS is good!