High Drama

I was baking two trays of granola. Our oven is a vintage 1960 Thermador in the wall oven and I love it and use it all the time. But last night I broiled marinated chicken and had the tray up high and had left the knob selected to broil. I had left the oven rack up high but what I didn't realize is the big knob had been left selected to broil so when I turned the oven knob off just now it went to broil and the granola was on the top shelf and began to burn. I smelled something. Luckily we were both right here, but we momentarily froze when we opened the oven and saw flames shoot up in a gigantic mustache curl of a wave lapping at the wooden cupboards above it.

We both panicked. Bill didn't have the words but was making a gesture. WHAT WHAT? I was thinking water to spray? To throw? He kept pinching his hands like a lobster claw. Oh, potholders! He was blank on the word and the location! I grabbed two gigantic silicone potholders and said GO OUT!! I ran ahead and opened the two back doors. IT'S HOT, he said not thinking he'd make it to the back door. GO OUT, I said. He took the smoking pan outside and put it on the cement. There it was BLACK GRANOLA charred and smoking in the rain.

We turned off the fire alarms turned on all the fans full blast, opened doors and windows. I ran upstairs and opened more doors and windows to air out the smoke.

Then we heard a fire engine and it stopped in front of our house. I ran downstairs and went out onto the street. Ambulance and fire truck were there but nobody was anywhere in sight. Perhaps they are looking for the fire. That's when I phoned the fire dept and said there's a fire truck in front of my house and I wonder if they are searching for a problem I may have caused burning my food just now.

What house are you? 139 Rathbun. Oh it's next door, for medical reasons. Oh okay, thank you. Been there done that, she chuckled. Thank you for laughing, I feel like Lucille Ball!

We are airing out the house and the cast iron pan of granola is still in the backyard. Today we will buy a fire extinguisher down the road at the Ace hardware store in Bellingham.