4am...really...geez, if it's not one thing.....

Really...at this point nothing surprises me. 4am I'm woken up by this incessant beeping/chirping. I sit up in bed groggily and try to figure out where the sound is coming from. Not quite an alarm clock sound, sorta like a smoke detector, but not as annoying, sounds like the computer power source when we lose power, but none of the clocks are blinking....arrrggghhhh guess I better get up and check it out.

Follow the beeps until I trace it to the Carbon monoxide detector. Argh, stupid thing, probably needs battery. Can't quite it off wall, can't silence the thing....arghhhhh.....too early...can't this wait until daylight. Finally get it off wall. Look more closely...hey, it's not the battery light, it's the move to fresh air light. Really? What are the chances? It's us, guess chances are good. Ok, focus....what' the darn thing say on the directions? "If alarm signals sound, silence button, call 911, move to fresh air". Really?! REAlly?! Crap!

I get Chrissy up seeing as she is closest to source. She stands straight up in her bunk, bed head going, looks at clock and says...but, but it's only 4:00. I tell her very calmly to move to front door. I open a window as I go. I move thru the house scratching my head....hmmm...we both feel fine, the alarm is beeping away, but carbon monoxide is the "silent" killer. Crap....I go get Maranda up. She immediately starts to panic. I get her to the front door. I read the alarm info outloud to girls....can't really believe we need to call 911. Figure I'll be smart and test battery...shows a full charge. Looks like we call 911. I hope they don't come down the street with the sirens blaring. Meanwhile Thomas and Lisa join us at the front door. The kids are lying curled up in blankets with the door propped. I tell them to all stand up because if the fire dept pulls up and sees them laying like that they are going to think that we've all keeled over.

Fire Dept comes. They turn up the heat and run the hot water heater. They get readings btwn 4 and 6. Sounds reasonable to me. They say they should have a "0" reading, they have to call gas company. Oh goody. Fire dept waits around for a while then has to go, tell me gas company should be here shortly. Gas dept gets here about 5:20. They turn up the heat and run the hot water heater. Their equipment gets same low reading...they get out different sensors and test and determine it's from the fireplace from the fire two days ago. Say what? I asked fire dept about that they said it wouldn't be from that. Gas guys assure me..."yah, ya burn a fire, house is sealed up tight, the detectors go off." Really? A day later? "Yep...how old is the detector?" Uh, probably at least 5 years. "Ya probably want to replace that...get a plug-in kind and put it where ever you are, in your room, watching tv" Really? Not near the basement "Nah, that's where the equipment is...ya want it near you" Really....I thought the point was to have it near the equipment so it picks up the poisonous gas as soon as possible before it circulates. "No, by you, you want to have it by you...everything checks out" And by 5:30 they were gone.

Interestingly enough Mike escaped to the lake house tonight...let's just say the fireman started to look a little suspicious when they were asking about how old the furnace was and the detector and other house specific things which I kept answering I think....but my husband would know... "Uh, mam...where is your husband, did he just leave for work, perhaps the car running in the garage set off the detector" Oh...no, he's been gone for hours. "Would that be right after he sealed the place up tight, turned up the heat, water heater and dryer and all other gas appliances". Hahahahahahaha....hmmm?!