I have mentioned before that Kate is particularly sensitive to lots of things like temperature, noise, music, etc. It seems to me that this sensitivity is even more noticeable now than in the past. It doesn’t take much to startle her. She often responds audibly to someone’s sneezing or coughing. I have to believe the people around us sometimes hear her reaction. She is frequently hot in the house and likes to have the overhead fans turned on regardless of the temperature. I compensate by wearing a sweater.
This morning she wasn’t in a particularly good mood when we went to Panera. It wasn’t long before she complained about a particular rendition of a favorite Christmas carol that was playing. After forty-five minutes, she asked when we could go home. She said it was too hot there. We left to come home. Since it was a little before 10:00 and too cold to work in the yard, I told her I would build a fire and put on some Christmas music. She seemed to like the idea but didn’t express great enthusiasm.
When we got home, and I had the fire going, I turned on the music, Handel’s Messiah. I had the volume too loud for her. It startled her. I turned it down to a more acceptable level. She came into the room and has been working on her iPad for almost an hour. She has enjoyed both the fire and the music. We are back on track now. I think we have averted any further problems, at least for a while. We will go to lunch in another thirty minutes or so. This afternoon we are going to the Bijou where they are putting on a production of Miracle on 34th Street. I expect that will provide another good experience.
