My doctors home burned last month. Here's their story. Dr. Cheryl MacDonald can attest to the importance of a smoke detector. In October, she bought one during Fire Prevention Week. On Nov. 1 - her son, Nathans birthday - her father-in-law installed the detector in her home at Ginger Woods near Valley. Then between 12:15 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 6, that smoke alarm went off. "We were in bed and there was no flame at the time. We looked around and the smoke was getting thicker," she said. So MacDonald and her husband, Shawn, gathered their children, Nathan, 9, Rachel, 6, and Dylan, 4, and headed toward the door. Still seeing no flames - and knowing their barefooted children were in pajamas - they quickly grabbed vehicle keys and coats before going out into the cold. Their 10-year-old golden retriever, Dawson, was out of the door as soon as it was opened. The MacDonalds then piled into their vehicles, parked in the driveway, and were backing out when the dining room burst into flames. "The kids did see that," she said. The couple went a neighborÂs house next door and the children stayed with them. "My husband and I were back in the yard trying to assist the emergency responders," she said. Damage was severe. "The worst of the damage is in the dining room and we had smoke and heat damage throughout most of the house," she said. "TheyÂre going to have to gut the house." The cause of the fire has not been determined. "We know it was in the dining room. The only candle in the room had plastic on it and had never been burned. Nothing was plugged in. ItÂs truly a puzzle," she said. That Saturday, restoration companies came out. Certain pieces of furniture, some dishes, clothes and photos may be able to be restored. "WeÂre in the midst of that process," she said. For now, MacDonald urges others to check their smoke alarms and to make sure theyÂre working. TheyÂd already had a smoke detector upstairs, but the one more recently installed downstairs bought them time, she said. Besides appreciating that smoke detector, MacDonald is grateful for the outpouring of community support. "I couldnÂt even begin to tell you all the things people have helped us with," she said. "I could never thank people enough." Their church, St. MarkÂs Lutheran Church in Valley, in conjunction with Ginger Woods neighbors set up an account at First Nebraska Bank in Valley. Bethany Lutheran Preschool, where Dylan attends, collected toys for the children. Staff and teachers at D.C. West Elementary School in Valley, where the older children attend, have given gifts to the family. MacDonald, who has been a family practice physician at Methodist Physicians Clinic in Valley since August 2000, has seen an outpouring of support from patients as well. Patients have brought cards, supplies and gifts of money. And theyÂve supplied something else: hugs. At this point, the MacDonalds are staying at a friendÂs lake house. That is a temporary situation. MacDonald estimates it will take six months or longer before their house is ready. But they plan to stay in the same spot at the lake. They want to rebuild. Some things can never be replaced. "The hardest part is going through things that had nothing to do with money that you canÂt save. Letters that are precious. Pictures," she said. Yet she keeps things in perspective. "ItÂs sad to know itÂs gone, but you go back and look at the things you have and you know thatÂs more important," she said. "I walked out with my children in hand and my husband - and the bonus was that the dog walked across the yard and was fine. I told the kids that everything else is just stuff."

Mine is similar. I didn't want one of the wall racks either. I couldn't find a box like this when I was looking so I bought a small tackle box (similar dimensions to Talley Sue's) & moved the dividers around to accomodate different size batteries. It's worked out so well! Even DH likes it. Before, I attempted to store them in the packages in a larger box. Of course, the opened packages were always spilling batteries out. Now I can tell immediately if we're low on a certain size. Mine goes on a shelf with the box containing extra light bulbs. Greta

LOL. Getting back to fuel, I do wonder about diesel. Wonderful engines etc and probably the go-to for commercial power backup but I wonder about the fuel life in terms of standing....it does go off after time, and I suspect the standby maintenance is bigger - and maintenance is something many probably don't factor into costs. I wonder if you can get the special diesel that doesn't include the road tax and is cheaper? The gas equivalent here in Canada is called "purple gas" but don't know if there's a diesel equivalent. If it was legal to do so and you were committed to having the tank topped off regularly, or had two tanks, I suppose you could, theoretically, have a diesel vehicle and use the fuel from tank A) when it was getting old, keeping tank B) full, then swap and use up tank B) - I believe you can have such fuel tested too. Reading the Costco fliers I thought the Natural gas gensets sounded appealing - no dangerous fuel storage, no old fuel to get rid of, but then you are reliant on the outside gas supply. I suppose propane beats this, but how long does IT keep?

Jakabedy, some chimes were not pretty to begin with but most of the older grandfathers had much more beautiful chimes than the newer clocks. Newer clocks have a "brassy" sound (craftsman ship has been gone for a while). If, however, you do not like the chime to the point it bothers you, a good clock man can find working parts from old clocks and replace it or even offer you a newer chime that is less finicky. Placing a clock on a soft floor by a draft can also change the sound of the chime. Remember it is recommended you not even wind your clock without clean white gloves to prevent body oils and sweat from touching the intricate working parts, so putting it by a window means all that is multiplied 100 times and could be the reason your clock does not have that melodic sound. If so, then you probably need new working parts. I have all my clocks serviced each December (around the first of the month so I know they are working at Christmas). My musician son has perfect pitch and cannot stand the sound of my 20th century grandfather clock so we turn it off when he is here, but he loves the sound of the older clocks.