Friday, January 21, 2011

A Boom in the Night

Boom! I jerked awake, certain I'd heard a loud noise. This happens to me sometimes, especially in the winter, and especially on really cold nights. I usually shake my husband and ask him, "Did you hear that?". He then mumbles that he didn't and I try to fall back to sleep, wondering if I heard something or not.

Last night it happened again. Boom! This time when I jerked awake I heard the dog in his crate beside me jolt upright too. His breath came out in loud pants. DH stirred.

"You heard it?" I whispered cautiously.

"Mmm...", he mumbled. "It's the house settling."

A little bit later there came another shuddering thud, followed by creaking in the attic above me. It was a bit unsettling to me. But at least I'd finally gotten confirmation that it wasn't some freaky crossing over from sleep to awake phenomenon that presented itself as a booming sound. It was my house.

I guess that's what happens when the temperature plunges below zero. But only at night. Very weird. Makes me want to look around for cracks. Makes me wonder how much things moved. And it definitely makes me want to stay inside. No, I'm not crazy. If the cold is so bad it can do that to a house, imagine what it can do to me! I'm hibernating today.

How about you? Does your house go boom in the night?