“Buy A Carbon Monoxide Detector” ( by Carley Evans )

Tonight I take a moment to thank God for an air-conditioning service man this summer who gently but strongly suggested I purchase a carbon monoxide detector because my gas furnace heat exchanger was “pretty rusty” and might fail. He did say he didn’t think it would fail any time soon, but should be checked “at next routine cleaning service.”

Today, the cold snap hit the Low Country and my furnace failed. The carbon monoxide detector went off and my son grabbed Hank — my Bichon — and went outside because the detector said, “Move to fresh air now.” I called the same service; they came out and gave me the bad news — “yep, you need a new furnace.”

The price — well, let’s just say, “Ouch.”

But, we are alive.

Thanks be to God. To think, I might not have listened to the service man this summer. I might have put off buying the detector. My son might not have heard it — he said it wasn’t very loud.