Question:
"Do smoke detectors ordinarily emit a very quiet, rapid, continual 'tiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktiktik' sound? It's almost a low buzz. "It took me forever to locate the source of this noise; it's varely audible and the hallway is of hard sound-reflecting materials. Smoke detector it is, though.

"So: anyone know if this is normal?"

Answer: Whether troubleshooting computer glitches, which he has no equal, or hunting down "on the fritz smoke detectors," this humanoid skunk is very difficult to deceive.

And so, Graybeard plinks down a couple Russian rubles, old currency, yet still accepted at this ole place we love, Callahans. He flings them into the cigar box, and orders his friend and himself a couple pints of Guiness Stout.

"You've been a good friend, Meffy, except that night you er, lost your cookies in my truck. Thank God for the Hoover steam vac, matey," I says, slipping back into my feeble pirate talk.

Sometime, perhaps a few more pints down the road, I'll tell ye a true story Graybeard had with a real life skunk that wanted "the Beard's" steaks.