Roosters, dogs, and firecrackers (pyrothechnica).

Panajachel is a busy place, people constantly coming and going--trucks, shuttles, chicken buses, cars, and tons of motos (motorcycles and scooters). And people Walking! All of this commotion creates a  din that masks background noises,  sounds that seem to be there during the day,  but really become apparent at night.

Lying in bed one hears this irregular Symphony. Barking. Howling. Squealing. The packs of dogs get into a tussle about every hour.  It goes on for five or ten minutes, and then they quiet down until the  next hour.

Firecrackers.  What time is It? Doesn't matter - 12, 1, 3, 4 am - someone sets off a whole package of firecrackers.  Never one or two, but always the whole cluster. Are they Partying? Get up at irregular intervals with an urge for some Explosions? Have a vendetta for the neighbors? Who knows,  but you can bank on it, several times each night...bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

But behind it all, day and night,  most prominently at night, the crowing.  Cockadoodledoo, keekeekadee. Roosters. Not at dawn,  not at dusk, but always, constant. They. Just. Don't.  Stop. Errerra-err.

I'm not complaining.   This is just a different concert than we're used to. Raquel thinks that this noise has disturbed my sleep.  It really hasn't. This cacophony just emphasizes what I said yesterday afternoon while sitting on the veranda (I love that word and want to use it often because of what it implies - we are sitting OUTSIDE in February!). I said "We're in a foreign country." Raquel gave me the "duh" look, of course Stupid! But here we are,  in Guatemala,  living and preaching, testing out a new life.  We did it!

Sleeplessness?  Some, but not so much because of the (sheep Yasuda - for some inexplicable reason autotype keeps offering up this phrase, what does it mean? Why now? Why anytime?)  noise. More so because of anxiety, thinking about things we have to do, things we'd like to accomplish,  things at home required to make this happen, worrying about keeping my family safe, excitement, dreaming about motos. The Watchtower today is about anxiety.  That may help. At least a little.

Wait, I think the roosters have stopped crowing!