At the old house, I was too short to reach the roof and had to ring my friend with the tallest husband I know and get him to come over and do it. As a woman, I was not happy about having to rely on a man, but I didn't have a longer ladder and there was no way I could reach it.
In the apartment I could put a chair on the table and do it myself.
This time, I was given a warning with a single beep a week before it happened. Alas I had a group of people over and thought it was one of their phones and not everyone had heard it over the gabbling laughter so I wondered if it was in my head. It wasn't.
It started beeping incessantly one Friday. I pulled out the trusty Stephanie Alexander cookbook and rearch it. I was so happy I would be able to do it myself, only to discover I couldn't work out how to pull off the cover. Usually it's a twist and click or a little lever, but it wouldn't budge. Worried I'd rip out the plaster, I had to admit defeat and get an electrician in.
When he arrived, I discovered embarressingly, you just pull them down - no twisting involved. However, they werre expiring (in 2026) so we replaced the lot. I know remember the electrician showing me how to remove them and saying 'but you won't need to do this for another 10 years'.
While I probably could have done it cheaper, I couldn't have done it myself.
You know that joke about women needing men to open jars? Well I can open my own jars - I have plenty of tricks to manage that. Apparently smoke alarms are my Achillies heel. So there are two lessons. Know when you need help and ask for it, and keep the big thick cookbook you never use as it's the perfect height adjuster on the step ladder. Stephanie Alexander is saved from the street library....
“It takes a well-adjusted animal to know when to ask for help”
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Yeah, I had to have those checked out once, too. And there was no one here to help, so I just had to try it myself. I have a tall stepladder and was able to reach them, but I did find it a bit scary since my balance isn’t always the best. I braced myself with one hand on the radiator pipe (the heat was off, so they were cold) and fixed it with the other hand. They’re necessary, so i know if they beep, just check them. I checked them all in every room right away. Sometimes dust can get inside them, and that makes them beep too. I was proud on me that i did this. There a lot things that i learned to do since my hus band past away. I have plenty of tricks for opening jars, too. This tip, for example, is quite handy. Just tap the bottom with the flat of your hand, and the lid is open. I always say: Getting started on a project is often harder than the project itself. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t. That’s my motto for giving things a try on my own.
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