Te quiero

Before our lovely Indian summer is gone, I wanted to report an odd seasonal circumstance.

Strangely, one of our neighbours has begun to listen to Spanish telenovelas outdoors VERY VERY LOUD. I say "strangely" because so far as I know none of our neighbours is Spanish-speaking. Yet on top of the crickets and cicadas is now overlaid the sound of heavy breathing, passionate argument, and an occasional overwrought TE QUIERO! These are punctuated by what I surmise are ads for Spanish feminine hygiene products. I don't speak the language, but I believe they are saying: DO YOU FEEL FRESH?

Am I overly sensitive to noise? The answer is yes. To me, one of the few upsides of winter is that noise is muffled and kept indoors. (I also agree with Spalding Gray that winter fabrics are necessary for proper mental function: "When will my body be covered in wool and corduroy so I can think again?")

Another upside is that playing the accordion becomes less adversarial and more pleasurable. In the summer every surface of the accordion is sticky and chord changes requiring movement of more than half an inch become a struggle. 

Also, in the summer I worry that the fans occupying our windows might allow some accordion sound to leak outside. This would displease my superiors on The Quiet Planet and maybe bring a reprimand from the mother ship.

So winter, yeah. Love it! Really. Fun.