THIS TURTLE WIND CHIME MAKES ITS HOME IN MY SECRET TURTLE GARDEN

I've always wondered whether turtles can hear, so I decided to "sound out" the experts. Turns out that although they don't have an outer ear, they can detect low frequency sounds and pick up vibrations, but they don't depend on hearing to any great extent.
 
It must be lovely to live in a quieter world. I love the sounds of silence but find it more and more difficult to find any. There's lots of talk about how we're so bombarded with words but you don't "hear" much about how LOUD the world has become. I'm beginning to feel like a whiner on the subject, but really, ear pollution is killing me.

Here's my list of sound pet-peeves:

Pet Sounds - Incessant barking, especially from my own shrill canine
Cell phones in public spaces, especially speaker phones - I'm really not all that interested in hearing about your sex life, thanks
Radio - I don't want some imaginary DJ choosing what songs I want to listen to
Movie Theaters - Unbelievably, obnoxiously loud, literally hurts my ears
Home Theater Systems with Surround Sound - Ours is so loud that when my husband was watching the scene in "Astronaut Farmer" where the homemade rocket lifts off and shatters the windows of the farmhouse, I thought ours were going to shatter, too. My grandson was so scared, he jumped out of the bathtub and ran down the hall naked
Car Stereos - Isn't there a law? Shouldn't there be?
Bass from Car Stereos - Is that music or has an alien invaded my head?
Obscene rap lyrics coming from car stereos - I'm seriously thinking of packing a gun
Obscene rap lyrics coming from car stereos with little children inside - This is child abuse
The Four Banger Cars in my Neighborhood - They make the hair on the back of my neck stand up
My Next Door Neighbor's Motorcycle - Hey, Mr. Crotch Rocket, I'm pretty sure you could exit the neighborhood without circling three times at the speed of light
Background Music at Borders Books - Maybe they're just trying to sell CD's, but if so, they should get rid of their overstuffed chairs, because it's impossible to read with the nerve-jangling music they play
Talk Radio - Sorry, people, but you know what they say about opinions.....Keep them to yourself
Trash Pickup before 7 am - Or I could set my alarm clock to an acid rock station
Over the Stove Exhaust Fans - I'd almost rather be hot, and anybody who knows me, knows how I hate being hot
Bombing Practice at Fort Bragg - When I was in Southern Pines on a writing retreat, they went at it night and day and I didn't manage to write a thing except this. Inspiration comes from the strangest places.