Happiness is… Ordering your house around

I recently acquired a Google Home device, and my latest adventure has been attaching HUE lights and then connecting them to the Google system. Now I can turn lights on and off myself in the living and dining room by asking my faithful assistant, Madam Google, to do it for me.

"OK, Google...turn the dining lights ON."

"Hey, Google...turn set the dining lights to 75%."

"OK, Google...turn the dining lights OFF."

I haven't been this happy since my husband install a smart thermostat that I can operate myself with my iPhone. Madam Google never complains about my requests. She doesn't mind how often I repeat them, she never rolls her virtual eyes or sighs a virtual sigh when I ask for something. In the disability world, this is golden.

But be warned… Apparently my house can tattle on me. I increased the temperature On a cold day last January and it sent a "high temperature alert" to my husband's e-mail. He quickly contacted me to make sure the house was not on fire.

"No, I just go to heat up a bit because I was feeling chilly."

I'm teaching my house to take orders. Now I have to teach it not to tell tales.