DYI????

I admit, I watch reality tv shows

     Well, some shows, anyway.  I like the shows that fix up a house and sell it for an unbelievable profit.
     Many times the homeowners help out with a project.  But most homeowners are like me:  inept, inefficient, inexcusably clumsy.
     This morning Jackie got up early while I slept until a little after 9.  That is normal, yes.  And I know I have to change that to do more stuff during daylight.  I am working on it.
     Why did she wake up?  The chirping noise of a smoke detector.
     Why didn't I wake up?  One benefit of lousy hearing.  It was at a range that I could not easily pick up.
     But I eventually did, and after ruling out a real cricket in the garage, pantry, bedroom and ceiling. I ventured to the basement and was greeted by a chirp.     Actually, three chirps every minute.
     Which means, she heard it chirp about 120 times.   I don't want to say she was cranky, but......
     Anyway, went down to the basement, changed the battery.  Chirping continued.
     Put in another battery.  Chirping continued.
     Looked at the model number, then went to the computer and Googled the product and number.
     Turns out, a three chip per minute sounding means a malfunctioning unit.     Four chirps is dead battery.  Who knew?
     Following the instruction manual (a phrase I don't think I have ever typed before) I attempted to disconnect the easy connect harness that is wired to the gizmo.
     Every time I tried, my two fingers would lock and I could not grab with my middle finger curled into a ball.  (Some people call it trigger finger.  I just think I used it too much in my life and wore out the muscle that controls it.)
     After several attempts, I gave up and called John.
     He came over, and with some effort, managed to detach the unit from the electrical harness.
     He tried resetting it:   remove the battery, press down on the test button for a few minutes, reinstall.  But nothing worked.
     So I bought a new unit that is similar to the one I had.  I wrote the company and asked if they were the same unit, despite different model numbers.  We'll see.
     I am waiting before I attempt to reinstall it, which should be a relatively easy task.  Waiting, not installing.
     Total time on the project I could not do?  About four hours, or 720 chirps.
     And then I tackled the slow sink in the bathroom.  Let's just say that was 45 minutes I will never get back.
     It works fine unless you run water into it.
     Tomorrow's another day.