Tuesday, February 23, 2021

MIDNIGHT SURPRISE

 I won't dare go into the details of how  miserable and depressing my life presently is, but I will say that I'm completely overwhelmed with problems and hanging on by a very slender thread.

The only good news is that the frigid weather has abated (it was 40 degrees yesterday), the snow has turned into rain, and there haven't been any more power outages.

As for me - I hardly ever sleep. I'm plagued with migraines, panic attacks, alarmingly persistent irregular heartbeats, and a hacking cough due to the incredible dampness. I won't reveal any of my worst maladies....

Anyway, at around midnight (a few hours ago) I vowed to make a valiant effort to relax. I decided to bake some rolls, make a mug of tea, and watch a movie. Hot tea with milk and honey, warm rolls with butter and raspberry jam.

The kitchen seemed a little smokey with a strange smell. Figured I'd better check the rolls.

When I opened the oven door a wild burst of flames roared up. This wasn't a small fire. It was an inferno. The entire oven was ablaze!

I was stunned and panicked. I'd never seen anything like it and didn't know what to do. In desperation I filled a pot with water and doused the flames.

In retrospect I know what caused the fire. Earlier in the day I was cooking dinner in the oven and had an accidental (and very careless) spill of grease (the ugly details aren't necessary),

I'm hoping that I didn't permanently ruin the stove by baptizing it in water.

Needless to say - I didn't eat any rolls, my tea got cold, and my plan to relax was completely thwarted.

Okay - I just read (on the Internet) that you should turn the oven off immediately if there's a fire.
I didn't.
And you should never throw water on a grease fire.
I did.
And you should keep the oven door closed.
I didn't.

Obviously, I have a lot to learn.


Note-

I cleaned the oven this morning (Tues) and it still works!!

11 comments:

  1. I am sorry to hear about your oven fire. That would have scared me to death.

    Night time anxiety is especially horrible. I have been having late night to daylight anxiety. I try to just watch a movie or listen to music, or just look at blogs. I have had it off and on for years. I consider it my regular sleeping schedule now. That makes it not seem so bad. I don't cook at night. With my luck, that would be the night I would fall right to sleep instead of being kept awake by my anxiety.

    I hope your stove will still work and that your anxiety will go away soon.

    Take care and feel better.

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  2. Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I would have probably done the exact same thing...fire=water. I still think it would be better to ruin a stove than have your whole cabin go up in flames. I am sure you do not live anywhere near a fire dept so this was probably the best decision.
    PS Next Wally World run get a little fire extinguisher.
    ♥️Susan

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  3. I was just going to recommend you get a fire extinguisher. (That's been on my 'to do' list for a year now.) I, too, think it's human nature to throw water on a fire. Just wish someone would do the same to Pelosi. 😜

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  4. With that kind of fire, you have to do what you can immediately and I would have done the same thing. Hope the oven is OK and that you get those rolls eventually.It sounds like you need some comfort food!

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  5. That happened to me once with bacon grease. I'd never seen so much flames when i opened the door for air to get in. I did just that...turn the stove off and smothered the source with flour. Water will actually spread the fire and inflame it and sugar will burn. Meanwhile the house was filled with black smoke. Shortly after the place got repainted and deep cleaned as a soot film was over everything. I also had to get a new stove. When i use the oven now...i make sure I don't get distracted doing others things.

    A friend of mine used water once and in the long run shorted out something. The oven and two burners eventually stopped working.

    I hope your long running curse of luck changes soon. How much can one endure?

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  6. Phew! Sounds like you had a lucky escape, Jon. the god of the oven must be on your side! :D

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  7. To be honest I am not sure how I would have reacted faced with that situation, Jon. Glad to read that the oven still works and hopefully you will be able to bake and enjoy those rolls. I am married to a former firefighter and now need to ask him what to do if I ever have a similar issue...and he's not around.

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  8. Jon, I checked with my husband and he advised to just close the door and not to use water on an oven fire. Also, using a fire extinguisher is not advised as it would be a very messy cleanup and may render the oven unusable because of the chemicals in it.

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  9. WOW! That is definitely a scarey experience! When things happen that quickly, it is hard to think exactlyl clear enough to respond with logic. Try not be too hard on yourself seriously.

    I hope your oven is ok for you to use. Fingers crossed!

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  10. Thank goodness you were able to pot out your oven fire. I don’t blame you for tossing water in that fire. That’s probably what I would have done myself.

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