Rarely Do Appliances Break On A Weekday Before Five O'Clock In The Evening. Weekends And Pre-Dawn Are The Prime Time For Appliance Failure. These Are Also The Most Popular Times For Your Pets To Eat Something They Shouldn't. Truly One Of Life's Great Ironies.

Has anyone heard the chirping of a smoke detector warning during daylight hours?  I doubt it.  That's because they only warn you about a low battery in the middle of the night.  And so it was at the High Household this AM.  Early, early, early this morning one of the 4,000 smoke detectors in our house began producing a brain-piercing beep every 30 seconds.  At first, I worked it into a dream which was getting a little weird anyway so I was grateful to see it come to an end.  But, once I came to my senses, I realized the failing device was far-enough away that a well-placed pillow might sufficiently block the noise, allowing me to enjoy the remaining few precious hours of sleep.

The pillow worked surprisingly well.  I've become a master of sound muffling with bed linens lately -we have a bit of a snoring issue to address (ahem).  I thought I'd make it to 6:00, but I heard Geoff get up and realized his sound-proofing skills obviously aren't quite as well honed as my own.  I figured he'd manage the battery switcharoo on his own until I heard something I'd been dreading since we moved into our house.  Geoff was in the garage getting The Big Ladder.  That could only mean one thing.

The faulty detector was on the highest ceiling in our house.

A ceiling so high, I'd convinced myself that the detector I saw up there was only decorative - no one would expect your average homeowner to have access to a ladder tall enough to reach it unless they were a fireman or a tree trimmer.  We worried someday this would happen, but we'd clearly been lulled into a sense of complacency because this detector hadn't made a sound in four years.

I offered to crawl up The Big Ladder to replace the battery because Geoff is still dealing with some vertigo issues.  I mean, how often does a former cheerleader get the opportunity to put those pyramid climbing skills to good use, right?  The battery replacement was a success.  I even got it in the right way on my first try, which is quite an achievement since my motor and logic skills at 4:00 in the morning are almost non-existent.

And that was how we started our day.

I'm wearing this:

I'm sure the staff at Whole Foods appreciates a nice statement necklace.

It's Meatless Monday.  I've decided to make an organic green bean casserole - like the one you eat on Thanksgiving - for our main course.  A little baguette alongside, and we're good.

gratitude:  ski weekends, sweet onion on sandwiches, my own bed, mountain house fantasies

thanks and love.