Hey there Civil Enger TN -- I'm a EE in MD. Live near the water. I'm fairly sure you are hearing a water bird (not a frog.) Here they are grey, long beak, long skinny legs, body around 14" or so and wingspan probably twice that. Agree with the start-up whistle but the croaking is gross at times and resembles a large animal gagging I think. Have not looked up the type bird but I'm betting that is what you are hearing.

You are indeed fortunate. Thanks for your reverie. Claire

It depends, many floating engineered wood floors are not much different in construction than laminate, just uses a real wood layer on top instead of the melamine and image layer in laminate. A thicker engineered wood floor is generally better for noise, but the same could be said for laminate. Underlayment can make a huge difference in either type. Laminate "clicking" noise can mean a lot of different things to different people. A lot of the creaks people hear are a result of the subfloor not being completely flat or from warping occuring due to improper acclimation or installatiom. As a result the planks flex when walked upon leading to creaks being heard. A floating engineered wood can experience the same thing.

Frieda, re your question about school assemblies and Jerusalem in particular. It used to be the law that every school began each day with a form of religious 'observance'. As far as I know this is still the case, although the large 'secondary' schools get round it by claiming lack of space/time etc. But junior schools, even the non-denominational ones, will have a couple of prayers and a hymn plus 'announcements'. And C of E and RC kids will probably attend weekly/occasional services in their local church. Of course these days, as your friend says we have become a far more 'secular' country plus we have had a huge influx of people bringing in a wide range of faiths, all of which are meant to be catered for within the 'Religious Education' systems of each school area. RE is still taught as a 'lesson' up to exam standard. That is certainly how I learnt the words and tunes of so many hymns. As far as Jerusalem goes. I feel the words don't mean much on their own but with that wonderfully confidant Victorian music, it would be difficult not to be moved by hearing it sung en masse . . . have you ever been/or heard the 'Last Night of the Proms' from the Royal Albert Hall and large parks around the UK when Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory etc are sung by the thousands in the audience? It may be considered very 'jingoistic' by the nay-sayers but it is a truly rousing sound. Below is an extract from the Last Night of the Proms. I hope it doesn't make your fillings tingle . . .luckily I, unlike millions of my countrymen have never needed any 'work' on my teeth so my head is quite amalgam-free. ;-) Here is a link that might be useful: Last Night of the Proms