Sleeping in the Barn

On Sunday night our smoke alarm started chirping. A loud chirp with just enough time in between chirps that if you are exhausted you'll start to doze and then 'CHIRP!' you are snapped awake. The alarm is way up in the vaulted ceiling (which 'they' say is the smart place to put it) so I can't easily check it. It's wired in so I thought we would not have low battery warnings. Harry was sound asleep, completely unaware, until I woke him up. Why did I wake him up? I don't know. In retrospect, it was rude. I am used to Harry being able to fix everything, though, so... Well, once I woke him up, it chirped only a couple of times and then stopped. He said that it fixed itself.

'Are you sure?'
'Yes.'
'Are you sure that it isn't going to start again tomorrow night?'
'Yes.'

I was suspicious because this sounded too much like me. I expect 'reality' from Harry. I am not used to having to be The Realist. If the car doesn't start I just go in the house and let it nap for awhile in hopes that it will feel better when I go out to start it again in a couple of hours. So, of course, 4:00 am this morning :
'CHIRP!'

I didn't want to wake Harry, so I took my pillow and shuffled off to our Barn. I haven't slept in the barn since Harry and I slept up in the loft while he was building Holly House; it's now my studio space and sometimes our children stay overnight there. But it is my sanctuary and it was beautiful waking up there this morning with the stove glowing. Here are some pictures for you.(Ellen, this angel reminds me of you. Yeah, you, my friend in Germany.)