For whom the bell tolls.

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Since I was two years old, I have lived a block and a half from the bells. And for as long as I can actually remember, the bells have tolled three times a day, 37 chimes each time; once at 8:00 am, once at noon, and once at 6:00 pm.

The bells have signified different things through the years. When I was younger, the 8:00 bell meant that I was late for school and had less than five minutes to get my butt out the door. In the summer time, the noon bells meant it was time for tuna fish and potato chip sandwiches. And later, after I discovered the amazingness of Gilmore Girls, the 6:00 bell meant it was time to tune in.

Overall, though, the sound of the bells meant I was home. Home from college, the cabin, Paris, or Boston. Just like the smell of my grandma's cinnamon bread or the feel of the wind on my face as I'm flying through the air on the trampoline, those 37 chimes meant instant comfort, instant regression back to my childhood, instant happiness.

But this latest trip home? I was not greeted by my favorite, familiar sound. Instead, I was greeted by a weird, annoying tinkle.

They changed the bells.

And I am not happy about it. And I am sure that Pepper (my cocker spaniel, may he rest in peace) would not be happy about it either, as one of his favorite daily activities was howling along with the bells three times a day (I hope they're chiming for you up in that big backyard in the sky).

As far as I'm concerned, the only bells that are supposed to tinkle are those little tiny ones that rich people use to summon their hired help. The stately Catholic church (one of only two in a town dominated by LDS churches on every other corner) with gorgeous stained glass that I've lived around the corner from since I was two deserves a loud, booming bell, one that chimes thirty-seven times, three times a day.

And so, for anyone that has watched as much Gilmore Girls as I have, I'm going to have to channel the episode where Luke and Lorelai break the bells. But instead, I will be doing the opposite-restoring my favorite bells to their original glory.

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