Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Every day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme from a random noun generator. The theme for the eighth day of the month is "Art."
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I once sent an email to the church asking about the bells. Pastor Matthew responded (in part):
I completely understand your concerns, as I lived next to a clock tower for six years. It takes some getting used to. If we could shut off our analog system [that tolls the bells] down for the sleeping hours, we certainly would, but there isn't a method or mechanism to do that.
I completely understand your concerns, as I lived next to a clock tower for six years. It takes some getting used to. If we could shut off our analog system [that tolls the bells] down for the sleeping hours, we certainly would, but there isn't a method or mechanism to do that.
You know what? I immediately decided I despised Pastor Matthew. I HAVE LIVED HER FOR YEARS. I am tired of being tired because I can't sleep. Huge sigh. Huge sigh. I don't believe there isn't a way to turn off the system or turn down the volume, but here we are.
BUT.
With this (notable) exception, the church is a great neighbor. It's absolutely beautiful and Sunday morning when I was walking Hannah the Dog in the morning, the lights were on and the windows were brilliant, and I was reminded that you have to take the good with the bad.
They shovel the sidewalks promptly. The people going in and out of the parking lot are always polite and wave Hannah and I through. They hold community events and welcome everyone into the building, even non-churchgoers. Their landscaping is impeccable. Hannah the Dog jumped (JUMPED!) onto the first level of their three-tiered garden beds chasing a squirrel and I plan to tell the neurologist about that the next time we see her (Hannah JUMPED!).
To live so close to such an architectural feat is a wonder and I do appreciate it loveliness. I promise I do.
(Back to regular scheduled kvetching about the church tomorrow.)
Edited to add: Yes! The bells toll every fifteen minutes - once at 15 past the hour, twice at half past, three times at 45 minutes past, and four times on the hour PLUS an additional number to tell the hour, so at noon and midnight it rings four times PLUS another twelve. Twenty-four hours a day! Every day of the year! And it's LOUD.
The bells chime every fifteen minutes? That seems insane. It's a really pretty church though. I grew up in the Lutheran religion and our home church was ugly as all get-out.
ReplyDeleteYes! Every fifteen minutes, 24 hours a day! (It is pretty, but I'm begrudging about it.)
DeleteWait. The bells chime every fifteen minutes even in the middle of the night??? Yes, I call BS- there has to be a way to stop that. Other than that it is beautiful... but those bells.
ReplyDeleteThe bells may very well push me out of this neighborhood that I adore. They're very loud and non-stop.
DeleteWTH! All night? That's some serious bullshit right there. I would complain to your city council, perhaps see if your neighbors will sign something. It is a lovely church, but OMG, all night. That is horrific.
ReplyDeleteWe've signed, we've complained. The standard line is that the church was here before us and we should have known about the bells. In my defense, we did know about the bells, but we didn't know they would go all night long - we assumed they'd be turned off at night, just like everywhere else we've ever lived!
DeleteIt is a beautiful building, and it's nice that they're good neighbors in every other way, but the bells would make me INSANE!
ReplyDeleteOh, it's a slow route to insanity, that is for sure.
DeleteUm, wow. I would move. Honestly, I think I would go crazy in like a single day. I remember visiting several people with wall clocks that chime every hour - even at night - and I thought I would lose my mind.
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful church, though.
We have a church that plays a song every morning on the bells, but that's it. And it's at something like 10:00-10:05 am.
15 minutes is ridiculous. A church in our town chimes twice a day. That seems enough.
ReplyDeleteYup, we have a church in the neighborhood that chimes every 15 minutes... and depending on the direction of the wind, it can be very loud (at least we don't live RIGHT next to it). I can imagine that to be a real NUISANCE.
ReplyDeleteI kinda like churches/bells (even though I am not really religious) and I occasionally like the fact that most (all?) churches tell the time... but then again, is it really necessary in this day and age? I am sure there is away to turn it off.
NO, THIS IS NOT OK. They must figure out how to stop this. Start a petition, NGS! Ack. That would drive me crazy if it happened EVERY 15 MINUTES.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very pretty church, though!
Chiming bells every 15 minutes is what used to be the standard I think. My grandpa used to be a pastor and my sister and my BIL are too. As kids we would tell time just. by the church bells. However I have to admit living right next to one my not be helpful for sleep. I am also wondering if the 15 min chimes have been scaled down here as i havent really noticed. so much chiming. But maybe I just don't hear it? I have to pay closer attention. Nevertheless I can understand its exhausting.
ReplyDeleteThis... this is a time for subterfuge. Can you Mission: Impossible your way in there and disable the damn thing? I mean, seriously. There HAS to be a way to turn it off/adjust it/change it/lower the damn volume. Come ON. Pastor Michael is ridiculous. :P (Hannah JUMPED?!?!?!?!?! Wow and YAY!)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for laughing, but bells ringing every 15 minutes is the worst kind of hysterical. It's like something out of a Monty Python skit. I'm only laughing because I just read your post about the bells stopping.
ReplyDelete