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September 20, 2007

The school across the street from us has been getting deliveries in the past few days. Probably furniture and appliances, judging from the size of the boxes they keep dropping in our driveway. Of course with big deliveries come big eighteen-wheelers to drop them off.

At least one of them left today, in the late morning during the youngest students' recess. Since it's such a small street, it had to pull into the tiny school parking lot and back out again. But as it backed up, the characteristic "beep, beep, beep" had an odd echo to it. Like someone was copying it for no good reason other than personal entertainment.

And suddenly the rest of the children started up in a chorus of "beep, beeps," and it's like there's a bunch of finches in the playground across the street.

Not that it's a surprise. It's perhaps one of their most endearing qualities to simple strangers. I've heard a zoo of animals from that tiny school alone, ranging from chortling zebras to howler monkeys. Recently they've added to their menagerie German Shepherds, chimpanzees, a gorilla, at least one tiger--no, too shrill. Mountain lion, perhaps? An elephant, several unnamed birds, bears, coyotes, hyenas, wolves and parrots. And I just now heard one of them make a sound like either a very small puppy or a squeaky rubber duck. Your call. And, of course, the finches. But no giraffes. Funny, that.

It's annoying when one is trying to study. But if you stop and listen, it's like an I-spy game, except more of an I-hear, or whatever it is when you're listening for things. Just one of the many things I'm going to miss about this place...


To be continued...