Now you would think things were quiet here during Mom’s recovery. Truth is that is far from the case. In fact, it was quite loud on more than one occasion. You could even say it was alarming!
It all began the day before Mom’s surgery at 4:12 AM, when the smoke alarms started going off. I’m not talking about the chirping noise they make when a battery needs changing. This was all the alarms blaring away signaling something was wrong! It being July 5th, after a night filled with neighborhood fireworks, I assumed our house was on fire and quickly guided Mom and Asa outside while Dad investigated. I’m happy to say after a thorough search, he found nothing wrong, and the alarms stopped after three terrorizing blasts. Confused and a bit unnerved, we went back into the house and began our day.
Yet the house was not finished with scaring us. The alarms continued to randomly go off, three loud blasts at a time, throughout the day! Again Mom and Dad searched while Asa and I waited safely in the yard. No fires. No smoldering. Nothing amiss. So Dad got to work cleaning each smoke detector and changing their batteries. Now as I previously mentioned, Mom’s surgery was the next day. Therefore while Dad did troubleshooting, we tried to help keep Mom calm by playing fetch with her in the backyard. Ok, truth be told, with all the chirping of batteries being changed, and the random blaring of the alarms, I was in no rush to ever go inside the house again. But I didn’t want Mom to worry. Therefore, Asa and I distracted her with fetch, while I pondered moving my dog bed, couch and TV into the backyard so we could live safely outside.
A thorough cleaning, new batteries, and a few Google searches later, Dad finally figured out the problem. One of the alarms needed to be replaced. In fact, they all probably needed to be replaced, but this one was the first to warn us. A good reminder that smoke detectors need to be replaced every few years, and not just have their batteries changed. However, with Mom’s surgery the next morning, this was a project that would have to wait. Thankfully though no more startling smoke alarms going off since that Sunday.
However, our alarming tale doesn’t end there. The next day Mom had her surgery, and Dad spent a very long, worrisome day at the hospital. He eventually made it home late at night. Much to our surprise he let Asa and myself sleep with him in the bedroom, which is a rare treat. That proved to be a very wise decision, because just before dawn the burglar alarm went off! “Warning! Warning! Burglar! Burglar!” some disembodied voice shouted from the speakers.
Again I tried to usher Dad and Asa to safety, but he deemed it best to keep us safe in the bedroom while he bravely investigated. While Asa stood by the door filled with anticipation to meet a new friend, I devised a plan to help Dad by alternating fierce barking with intense listening. I really wish Asa didn’t pant so loudly, so I could hear better what was going on downstairs. After what seemed like an eternity, I overheard Dad telling the police that everything seemed ok. They suggested calling the alarm company in the morning to arrange a tech visit. Dad returned to the bedroom, and we all promised not to worry Mom by telling her. Too late. The alarm company called Mom’s phone and left a voicemail. When Mom awoke at the hospital to hear that message, she frantically called to make sure we were all safe. So much for not making her worry!
With everything going on with Mom, we soon forgot about getting the burglar alarm checked. But once again the house was looking out for us by giving a reminder. This time it was shortly after 5:00 AM, the second morning Mom had returned home from the hospital. Here’s a fun fact: Dad was so exhausted from his week visiting Mom at the hospital and then caring for her when she returned home, combined with the noisiest air conditioner on high, that he almost slept through the alarm! Once again I’m glad he decided to invite Asa and I to sleep in the guest room with him, because I immediately jumped into action – literally. I jumped on the bed on top of Dad waking him up. Poor Mom didn’t sleep through the alarm though. Despite her doctor’s orders for bedrest, she was jarred out of bed and heading down the hall to find us, thinking it was the fire alarm.
Once again it turned out to be a false alarm. As with the smoke detectors one of the sensors needed some overdue maintenance. But unlike the smoke alarms that Dad easily replaced with a trip to the hardware store, this one needed a technician to do it. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem. But due to the pandemic and Mom being very vulnerable after surgery, there was no way we could let the tech come inside the house. The company tried to assure Dad they’d take all the necessary safety precautions, but he wouldn’t budge. Luckily to avoid another jarring wake up call, they compromised by having the tech give Dad a call and walk him through troubleshooting the issue. Problem solved! And I’m happy to say, no more alarming wake up calls since then!
