The Sound of Silence

When I cleared out the bedroom for the workers to lay the self-leveling compound today, I unplugged the CO (carbon monoxide) monitor and put it on a shelf in the walk-in closet. It has a 9V battery backup in case the AC power fails, so it continued operating.

Shortly after the workers left this afternoon, we heard something in the bedroom area chirping stridently at fifteen-second intervals. At first I thought it might have been the smoke detector -- perhaps a delayed reaction to the dust generated during the mixing of the self-leveler -- but Cynthia said it seemed to be coming from the closet.

After reading the CO monitor instructions, I realized that the thing was warning me that the battery voltage was low. All I had to do to silence it was change the battery or plug into any electrical outlet, but the monitor and the spare batteries in the closet were separated from me by the wet goop on the floor. I had to wait for the stuff to harden enough for me to step gingerly across it. Fortunately there was only a thin layer where I needed to walk, so it set very quickly.

Silence was eventually restored, and I was able to enjoy my nap. Cynthia had left the house to go to her yoga class a little earlier than usual!