One of the girls at the clinic had a baby a couple of weeks ago and has been on maternity leave. My very good friend at the clinic is also pregnant and is due on March 6th. We are so short handed right now that everyone is running around like their heads have been cut off. Add to this fact that the Doc has just added two more veterinarians to the practice. This means more patients to be care for with a very short staff. I have been helping up in office reception area while my part-time help covers the boarding area until 11:00 AM. After the lunch hour I usually go back to MY area and run around trying to cover the afternoon and evening shift since my part-time help is needed to cover the morning hours.
So, I've been tired.
I got home last night and spent the first hour feeding and cleaning up after the dogs and then scooping litter boxes. I sat down to the TV with a slice of cold pizza and fell asleep during one of the lame shows that was on. I had thought about getting on the computer but I felt too tried to even think and afraid that my mind couldn't form the words to type a comment on any of the blogs that I love. So I went to bed.
And then at 2:00AM
I noticed that Ruby and Twinkle were pacing on the end of the bed and then I heard a voice. Did I dream that?
I waited a moment. Nothing. I laid back down for a few minutes and then I heard a high loud CHIRP kind of SHRILL noise and then the woman's voice again. This time I heard the words...."LOW BATTERY!"
I sat up and looked at the clock on my nightstand 2 o'clock- something.
Crap. Crap. Crap. I got up and Ralphie started barking and then Twinkle. Soon everyone was up. So down the stairs we went where the rest of the dogs jumped and barked in a hysterical chorus in the laundry room. I let everyone outside and walked into the living room. That damn smoke detector.
I got out my step stool and climbed up and pulled out the battery and then put in a new one. A few minutes later, The SHRILL beep again! and the WARNING voice. I took the battery out and tried putting it in again. A few minutes later, same story. I messed with it again and the fire alarm went off.
FIRE! FIRE! I got it to stop, hopefully before I woke the whole neighbor hood up. Then I pulled the battery out and went to bed. A few minutes later. CHIRP! LOW BATTERY! Yep, the backup battery or something was working. I still have no idea why but I laid there and pressed my pillows against my ears.
This morning I dragged into work and found my friend and her husband dropping off her dogs for me to board. She was going into LABOR early! What a day. Now we were down TWO people. We all did the best we could and joked how we going to go home have a drink or two.
I called my sister on the drive home but no answer. As I pulled into the driveway, she called me back. She was at the hospital with my youngest niece who had an appendicitis attack and was going into surgery in a few minutes! Then she called back and told me that my niece was now IN surgery. I told her that I thought my friend was in the same hospital and then 20 minutes later, my sister called again and said that she had just visited my friend in her room and she was in a lot of pain and at the end of her labor. Then she called me back even later to say that my niece was out of surgery and doing well.
During all these phone calls I replaced the battery with an expensive one that I had bought on my lunch break but apparently I didn't "click" it into place because it fell from the wall with the wires hanging. I attempted to put it back up when I accidentally set off the fire alarm again and then voice was shouting FIRE! FIRE! from that smoke detector and the one in the upstairs hallway! FINALLY, I got it turned off and put up back up.
I poured myself a cocktail.
As I look around I see that my house has really slid into disarray. There are piles of laundry, books, and shopping bags sitting on the chair inside the door. My enclosed front porch has become the catch-all place for STUFF. The recycling is sitting out there waiting to be carried to the outside bin and bags of kitty litter need to be carried inside and downstairs. I feel like I'm living in THAT house. The one where one more pile of laundry or bag of canned cat food will make it ready to be on that hoarders/junk show!
I have to get some sleep and then I have to get this place together. MY battery is LOW!
http://blog.theblakewright.com/archives/date/2009/05
So I might have to step back and get it together.
I might not be around for the weekend or for a week or....I just need to get it together. So that I can think.
Take care and please don't forget about me! I adore you all but I just need a little break.
XOXOXO - Cindi
7 comments:
I can´t help it but I´m still laughing :-) :-) :-) But I do feel so sorry for You!
My fire detectors isn´t polite enough to say Low Battery, it just starts to say beep once every thirty minutes and if I´don´t change the battery fast enough (because I never have any at home)it starts shouting just as if there was a fire. It has happened to me so many times and always in the middle of the night :-) :-) :-)
But why can´t they bring in extra help now when You are so few at work? The vet I´m going to seems to work a bit different. They are lots of vets there because it´s a farming area, but one or seldom two are at the station taking care of small animals like dogs and cats.
But last time I was there they had at least five ( I don´t know the name, animal caretakers?? so I´ll write nurses instead :-) ) nurses taking care of everything around. I know some of them also gives vaccination shots and things like that.
But then again, the economic crisis didn´t hit us as hard as it hit the USA.
I do hope You´ll get some sleep tonight and that they´ll bring in some extra help at work!
Have a great day now!
Christer.
Cindi - holy cow, batman, you have had quite the week. I would have pulled the alarms out of the walls and beaten them to death with hammers. But I am like that with appliances - lol!!! Take care of yourself, and REST. I am taking a few days to get caught up around here, otherwise, maybe we can work a deal with Hoarders, and do back-to-back episodes? hee hee! xoxo Pam
Ya poor thang (Texan for, "Bless your heart!!") My dear friend, you need a vacation!! As they say, "stuff happens," and you seem to have your fair share of "stuff!!" I hate those detectors, so what ya need to do is just stock up on batteries and then you'll be prepared when the stoopid thing goes off again, scaring you and the little 4 leggers!
Take care and if I were you, I wouldn't drink the water over at your work!! hahahahahaha!!!
Hang in there.
xxoo,
Georgina
Cindi,
I won't forget about you! We all have our low battery moments. I'd have to say that my personal battery is low right now but it hasn't started screaming FIRE FIRE yet so I think some rest will recharge me.
I looked around my house last night and realized what a mess it was so will be spending time this weekend cleaning myself (well cleaning the house not me although my hair could use a deep conditioning).
Please get some rest! Hope your niece is recovering well!
(((HUGS)))
Ack, you'd be bored any other way :O)
Good luck all the same!
You are the second person today to talk of smoke detectors going off... best go check mine!!
No wonder Cindi! You are wise to take a break. .we can only do so much,no matter how much we want to do everything.
We'll be here whenever you are ready to return, and in the meantime, know that I'm sending lots of good energy so that you start feeling better!!
OH...my what a night. I'm sorry to hear that things are so rough for you right now. How terrible that you were so exhausted and then had to deal with the stupid fire alarm. This makes me think I better change the batteries in mine before I have the same issue. Hang in there....how long does maternity leave last? 3 months? You'll need a leave after that is over.
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