Here's my beeping story. EVERYTHING in our house seems to do some kind of beep. We have an alarm that beeps when any door is open, detectors that beep when batteries are low, CO detectors (when we bought the house it had a furnace for one part of the house that made me very nervous), washers, stoves, and who knows what all else. I find the beeps instrusive at times.

Don was out of town. For some reason I was very edgy. While eating dinner there was a power surge. Then a beeping began. Every 45 seconds -- this beep. The beep was like a door being opened. I was becoming edgier and edgier.

I called the alarm company....the guy tried to walk me through some disconnect process. I found the box but it was locked. He said the key was usually on top. It was....until I knocked it into the locked box in trying to retrieve it (use ladder next time!)

Now I was stuck waiting for a technician. Waiting...waiting with beep every 45 seconds. It would be after 11 pm before they could send a technician.

This beeping was making Edwina REALLY crazy. She was crying, pacing, being wierd.

I went to my bedroom to read as it seemed furthest from the beep. I heard a noise in one of the other bedrooms. A rustling noise. (This is going to be embarrassing but you need to understand how unnerved I was at this point.)

I called the police before realizing it was Edwina trying to burrow under some bags. (You cannot UNCALL the police. They come anyway....)

No technician and it is almost midnight. I called. Their computer system had gone down. They sent a technician. He got the key out. He unplugged the CO detector from the wall that had shorted.

I paid the $100 and slunk off to bed feeling very blond, very embarrassed, and very dumb.