You can see a lot just by listening

As I sat outside to read and write early yesterday morning, I heard a woodpecker hammering away at a tree a few blocks away. In my mind’s eye, I could see what that sound meant.

The woodpeckers drill holes in the twenty-foot dead pine trees in search of insects. The trees are easy to spot since they’ve already dropped their needles. The bark is dotted with holes before it falls away. One good storm will bring the tree down. The woodpecker’s rapid rhythm prompts me to glance up and check for any dead trees near my house.

What other sounds in the distance grab my attention?

• The revving diesel engine, squeaky brakes, and backup beeping of the garbage truck reminds me it’s trash and recycling collection day.

• A different rhythmic hammering announces that another neighbor is getting a new roof. Each shingle is attached with a rapid pop-pop-pop from the nail gun.

• The whine of a Japanese-made motorcycle shifting through its gears conjures up the image of a traffic-free stretch of interstate highway.

• I always glance up when I hear the rotors of a helicopter overhead. Is it the medical transport? I’ll bet that’s why I heard sirens.

• The squealing of a belt that needs to be replaced in someone’s car engine. How can they stand that sound?

• The sound of a lawnmower makes me glance at my lawn. It is time to cut it again already?

• The groans of heavy equipment and cracking tree trunks signals the clear of a wooded lot for new home construction.

I’m amazed how each sound generates a mental image of what is happening. You can see a lot just by listening.