All through the house not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
No one should be stirring!
It was 2:30 am.
Chirp. Chirp?
I don’t hear anything.
*pause*
*silence*
*keep listening*
*nothing*
Chirp. Chirp?
CRAP.
Where is it coming from?
*pause*
*silence*
*keep listening*
*nothing*
Chirp. Chirp.
CRAP.
Where is it coming from?
*turn on lights*
We spread out to listen.
The chirp. chirp. is not frequent.
The chirp. chirp. is separated from the next chirp. chirp. by at least 90 seconds.
90 seconds feels like 10 minutes at 2:36 in the morning.
We devise a plan.
When we hear the first chirp. we are going to run around to see if we can figure out it’s origin during the second chirp.
There is a lot of running and listening.
There is
very little chirp. chirp. origination identification.
We run.
Chirp. Chirp.
We listen.
Chirp. Chirp.
After
more running and more listening and more chirp. chirp.ing we finally narrowed it down to a smoke detector that we thought might be located near the middle of the house…
There is a smoke detector in the middle of the house in the stairwell!
Let’s sit down and listen.
Chirp. Chirp.
YEAH!
Origination identification completed.
I will go get a nine volt battery to place in the complaining smoke detector…
I will go get a nine volt battery to place in the complaining smoke detector that is on the ceiling
two stories up.
I think I will also get a
ladder.
A tall ladder.
Chirp. Chirp.
That doesn’t look safe.
That doesn’t look
tall enough.
Chirp. Chirp.
Let’s have a strategic planning session at 2:43 am!
It was like one of those
corporate team building exercises.
Without the corporation.
Go team Nirvana!
Get to the top of the 2 story ceiling and replace that nine volt battery in the complaining smoke detector and
learn to trust each other…
Chirp. Chirp.
We planned.
Chirp. Chirp.
We built.
Chirp. Chirp.
We balanced.
Chirp. Chirp.
We overcame…
It took 2 wooden boxes, a large left-over piece of plywood, a 10 foot ladder, Holly’s yoga balance
2 steps above ladder manufacturer’s warning, blog-Stedman’s strong grip and a 9 volt battery to
overcome the complaining smoke detector obstacle.
Go team Nirvana!
Team Nirvana figured it out.
Team Nirvana deserves to go back to bed.
All through the house not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
No one should be stirring!
It was 3:24 am.
Did you hear a bang?
Yes.
Do you hear a chirp. chirp?
No.
Let’s go back to sleep!
The next morning I looked up and saw this:
That was 18 months ago.
I am not about to get out the
corporate team building exercise for anything but a chirp. chirp.
Oh, and when I DO get out the corporate team building exercise for the chirp. chirp. please remind me to replace that burned out lightbulb…
No one should be stirring!
It was 2:30 am.
Chirp. Chirp?
I don’t hear anything.
*pause*
*silence*
*keep listening*
*nothing*
We spread out to listen.
The chirp. chirp. is not frequent.
The chirp. chirp. is separated from the next chirp. chirp. by at least 90 seconds.
90 seconds feels like 10 minutes at 2:36 in the morning.
We devise a plan.
When we hear the first chirp. we are going to run around to see if we can figure out it’s origin during the second chirp.
There is a lot of running and listening.
There is very little chirp. chirp. origination identification.
We run.
Chirp. Chirp.
We listen.
Chirp. Chirp.
After more running and more listening and more chirp. chirp.ing we finally narrowed it down to a smoke detector that we thought might be located near the middle of the house…
There is a smoke detector in the middle of the house in the stairwell!
Let’s sit down and listen.
Chirp. Chirp.
YEAH! Origination identification completed.
I will go get a nine volt battery to place in the complaining smoke detector…
I will go get a nine volt battery to place in the complaining smoke detector that is on the ceiling two stories up.
I think I will also get a ladder.
A tall ladder.
Chirp. Chirp.
That doesn’t look safe.
That doesn’t look tall enough.
Chirp. Chirp.
Let’s have a strategic planning session at 2:43 am!
It was like one of those corporate team building exercises. Without the corporation.
Go team Nirvana!
Get to the top of the 2 story ceiling and replace that nine volt battery in the complaining smoke detector and learn to trust each other…
Chirp. Chirp.
We planned.
Chirp. Chirp.
We built.
Chirp. Chirp.
We balanced.
Chirp. Chirp.
We overcame…
It took 2 wooden boxes, a large left-over piece of plywood, a 10 foot ladder, Holly’s yoga balance 2 steps above ladder manufacturer’s warning, blog-Stedman’s strong grip and a 9 volt battery to overcome the complaining smoke detector obstacle.
Go team Nirvana!
Team Nirvana figured it out.
Team Nirvana deserves to go back to bed.
All through the house not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
Did you hear a bang?
Yes.
Do you hear a chirp. chirp?
No.
Let’s go back to sleep!
The next morning I looked up and saw this:
That was 18 months ago.
I am not about to get out the corporate team building exercise for anything but a chirp. chirp.
Oh, and when I DO get out the corporate team building exercise for the chirp. chirp. please remind me to replace that burned out lightbulb…
BWAHAHAHAHA….have been there way too many times myself…only I am the one at the base of the ladder chanting “pleasedontfallpleasedontfall…”
Also, you are a true artiste with those drawings.
You are sooooo funny! I was in tears at, “There is very little chirp. chirp. origination identification.” – ACK! This was so fricken funny!
See you, Holly – Kellan
Ya shoulda bought the Little Giant ladder; I have one. I could’ve brought it over. But it’s really heavy. You would’ve had to help me bring it over so I could help you. ๐
This reminds me of the shenanigans we tried with ladders that were too short when we were steaming the ugly wallpaper off the two-story-high walls above our staircase. We’d inherited the wallpaper and couldn’t stand it any more. That will make you do crazy things. Still, I could never write a post this good about it. I bow to cartoon Holly, even without her snakeskin boots.
Where was Team Nirvanas Superbowl commercial?
At least you actually replaced the battery. I’ve been known to just leave it dangling like it looked in your “that was 8 months ago photo.” You know, like a limp penis. I just take the battery out and am all “meh – who needs a smoke detector.”
You have such a gift with these animated posts. I cry with laughter Every.Single.Time! Now, if you could just invent a ladder just for these type of situations, well, you could retire a millionaire! And hire someone else to take the death-defying risks. LOL!
I adore your animated life posts!!! We’ve been through the CHIRP CHIRP thing as well in the wee hours of the night – I swear those builders don’t think about where they put those smoke alarms when they are putting them in!!
It took a long time to find the last smoke alrarm that was chirping. It was in the cellar. I don’t remember putting that one in. It was over 10 years old, so I just put up one of the new ones we bought at costco. We have the ones with lights on them in the hallway and over the stair case. Of course they need 2 batteries each. Good thing we buy 9 volts at costco. ๐
I am so glad that you documented this, in case we would have needed it for a Darwin Award nomination.
Luckily, that wasn’t needed. The mice aren’t stirring in our house either. Come check out what I mean.