So sorry there was no post yesterday. I got home late and was just too tired. And why was I so tired, you might wonder? At 4 AM that morning the smoke alarm in the kitchen went off, but only for a few seconds. Just when the dogs and I were settling back in, it happened again. And for the second time, I ignored it. And again, I was almost asleep when it went off at top volume and didn't shut off. So I went to the garage, got the ladder, climbed up and removed the battery, then went back to bed. Simon, by this time, was in full panic mode... trembling, pacing, and trying to dig behind all the pillows on the bed. And of course, the alarm then started that little annoying chirp that we all know so well. I headed for the computer so I could Google "chirping smoke detector." The YouTube video I saw showed a guy pressing and holding the reset button, but when I tried that, it started blaring again, but only for a couple of minutes.

By then, I was exasperated, Simon was practically hysterical, and I just couldn't take it anymore. So I piled the dogs in the car and we drove to a convenience store for a battery (it was 6:00). Back at home, I quickly fixed the alarm and gave Simon one of his thunderstorm pills. After about 20 minutes he was still a mess, so I gave him half a Xanax. Oops! Once it hit him, he stumbled around for awhile, then collapsed and slept it off. Lesson learned.

Last evening I went out to eat with four friends, then we went back to Ann's house to play games. Too much excitement for one day!