Rude Awakening

I can't think of any jobs that I prefer to do at 4:00 AM, even ones that don't involve standing on top of a step stool at the edge of the stairs. That's why I change the batteries in all the smoke detectors once a year before they start beeping to tell me it's time -- as this one did this morning. It's not a very loud beep and it doesn't repeat very rapidly -- C thinks it's about every thirty seconds -- but it's very high-pitched and a lot worse than a dripping faucet. She was awake long before I was (of course) and Miss Annie was very agitated by the sound. I had no option but to change the battery.

Luckily for me, I had changed a light bulb in the office a couple of days ago and hadn't put the step stool away. (Procrastination isn't always a bad thing.) I also remembered where I'd left the flashlight that I used to take Annie for her late walk, and I even knew where the batteries were. In retrospect, I'm surprised that I managed to change the battery quickly without dropping either the old one or the replacement -- or falling down the stairs. C said she was glad she didn't see me do it.

The expiration date on the dead battery was March 2012. This is the second premature battery expiration problem I've had in just a couple of weeks.