I wake early in the morning,  no matter what time I get to bed.. As I wait for a civilized time to start my day I stare at the view out my window from my bed….. Our bedroom has plenty of windows facing the water but from where I lay..

this is my view.             

You see it too don’t you? It’s Hitchcock. Right? I lay in bed every morning and stare at Hitchcock.. Just a little creepy.

So back to things you think about living off grid on an island which you probably don’t give much thought in the big city…Things which  come up in conversation at an island dinner or perhaps occur during a social setting which in the big city might be disconcerting to a host or hostess. Things which islanders take in their stride and indeed appreciate for their humor. Things which don’t detract from the success of a social gathering but actually enhance the evening. Things which etch into the foundation for which friendships are built and stories are told for years to come.

Most of us have propane fridges, stoves and on demand hot water heaters. Some have solar-powered fridges.. (that is my dream) But most of us rely heavily on gas appliances. One of the concerns of the gas appliance is carbon monoxide poisoning. They come with carbon monoxide detection alarms and if the battery to the alarm dies and the detector is disabled the appliance won’t work.. It is all about safety.. These alarms are installed for everyone’s health.. Being the cautious responsible adults we all are, some also have carbon monoxide detectors in the ceilings of our houses .. for added protection.. you  know .. cause it is all about safety…

We were recently gathered (8 of us) for a dinner party when a carbon monoxide detection alarm began going off.. First in the kitchen.. it was interrupting our conversation The stove was the suspected culprit but the ham wasn’t ready yet. We continued talking.. Then an alarm started in living room from the ceiling. Two different loud beeps were going off randomly.. Then a voice alarm started from another corner in the room…. “Carbon Monoxide” the voice said and for the bilingual in the room  “Monoxyde Carbone”!!!!  It was insistent… Although our conversation had turned to laughter at the situation, it was interrupting us.. It really had our host attention then, so for our safety and health he went out and got the ladder and his beautiful wife held it for him will he disengaged the offending alarms..

The ham was delicious as was the entire meal and we laughed long into the night.. A really great evening once the host had restored our safety with actions and words of wisdom.

Please open a window if you should find that you are the

only one awake