The sound of freedom

The first night on the farm was Memorial Day Weekend.  Bob had to work, and the kids and I had a track meet the next morning.  We had diligently cleaned the house and moved most of the furnishings in, and Bob made sure we had beds to sleep in on that Friday night.  It was so quiet on the farm, even during the day.  I loved hearing the birds chirp and the tractors rumble by on the lane.  No traffic except farm traffic came by our house.  Occasionally, the wagon from the farm store would come by, it was destined to be a big event in our lives.  As night fell, and we turned the lights on, the little house at the end of the lane took on a friendly glow.  Everyone got things ready for the next day and we started preparing for our first sleep on the farm.  I locked the doors, left the outside light on for Bob, who would be coming in after midnight.  Just about the time my head hit the pillow, the jets at Fentress Air Field started practicing "touch and go" maneuvers.  It was cool enough so the windows were open.  I felt like the jets were coming in one window and flying out the other, it was that close.  I found out later that the end of the month is a big "touch and go" event at FAF because the jets have to use the excess fuel.  Needless to say, that night was a noisy introduction.  Eventually (about 2AM) the flights stopped and I fell asleep.   Little did I know that I would become so accustomed to the noise of the jets that they ceased to keep me from sleep.  As a matter of fact, to this day, I love to see the jets and their screech and howl are to me "the sound of freedom."