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When I'm working on something, I resent interruptions.  I want to continue doing what I'm doing, regardless.

That doesn't mean I don't take breaks--rest breaks, snack breaks, potty breaks are all okay.  It's stopping what I'm doing and having to do something else that annoys me and makes it difficult to get back to the original project.

Sunday I spent more than six hours picking up litter at a pull out and a mile and a quarter of highway, filling 14 bags with litter and the lawn rakings that somebody had dumped at the pull out.   The nearest dwelling is 30 miles away, so why would anyone drive that far to dump dead grass, leaves, and twigs here?

Anyway, I was pretty tired Sunday night and looking forward to sleeping until 8 AM.  Dave was going to show up at 9 to continue working on the deck railings.

I should have known better.  The carbon monoxide detector in my bedroom chose 6:15 AM to tell me its battery was running low.  After I unplugged it and ripped the battery out by its miserable roots, there was no going back to sleep.

Ever so much fun to use with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Today I'm taking advantage of the first decent weather we've had in more than a week--sanding down the cedar framework for the hand and guard rails around my extensive deck.  I took a break to get some water and use the garage bathroom, which is when I discovered the igniter element for the contraption that heats my house and supplies domestic hot water had failed.

Rails with one coat of finish.  Two or three more coats and then we'll be stringing the 1/8th stainless steel wire in the framework.

No biggie, I thought, intent on getting back outside to finish sanding and put a coat of sealer on the cedar.  Just takes a minute to change, after I  find the right size of nut driver.  With five choices in hand, I opened the door to the internal works, tried all the nut drivers, found the right one, and removed the igniter, dropping one of the tiny nuts that holds the igniter in place.

There was no place for it to go yet it took five minutes of flashlight and careful exploration by hand in the tiny compartment before I located it.  I vacuumed the chamber, inserted the new igniter and put on one of the nuts.  The other one, the one I'd dropped in the first place, was in a difficult area to reach, and I dropped it four more times before I finally got it started.

After that, it was easy to finish the job and put the vacuum cleaner and all the tools away.  By this time, it was after 1 PM, so I figured I might as well have lunch before getting back to the sanding.

I went to the kitchen just in time to hear the carbon monoxide detector in the living room telling me its battery was running low.

As I said above, "It's stopping what I'm doing and having to do something else that annoys me and makes it difficult to get back to the original project."

Which is why I'm in the loft telling you about all this when I should be outside sanding and staining.

 

That's the igniter at the bottom.