We all got up a bit late this morning and had to rush to get Mr. B. off to school on time. He made it, but it’s not a good sign, considering Mom is flying out of town tomorrow for a week and I have to organize the morning rush by myself. But I have the solution.
It reminds me of my salad days in the 6th Cav, when I was late to the dawn regimental formation twice in a row. "Lt. Stanley, you need a windup Big Ben," the First Sergeant, a short, stout Jamaican, told me. "Or else start sleeping in the barracks with your platoon." I got the clock. It worked, clanging me out of bed every morning. WestClox apparently no longer makes the old model with two big bells on the top, but Seth Thomas does. I’m going to buy one of those awful things today.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
Yes, this one is a stone cold killer of your dreams. But the quartz movement and the battery take something out…
…or, you can always put a regular alarm clock in the empty tin can or bucket…
Great idea, that bucket. The quartz and battery do eliminate the old loud, mechanical ticking, but the alarm itself is the same. Today’s the day I have to buy it. Or use the bucket, instead, which I might.