February 4, 2021

White Dog, Bella, and Opal were herded into the office and the door was closed. Zso and Bai went on the sun porch. Roman refused to leave his dad as Steve opened windows and turned on the fan to exhaust the billowing smoke that filled the kitchen and was snaking into the living room.

"Turn off the oven," I told Steve, "and come out of there. Smoke will trigger you asthma if you are not careful." 

The chicken roasting for tonight's dinner proved juicier than normal and chicken grease had overflowed the rimmed pan and pooled on the oven floor. The smoke generated was impressive. The former Girl Scout in me kicked into action: "Grab the air purifier we used to use for Puff and Sachi and put that on in the kitchen to help clear the air. And then join the kids in the office and take a hit on your inhaler. You all decide where we are carrying out dinner since there will be no cooking in the oven until it cools and we can clean it out thoroughly."

Roman stoically sat leaning his head against me and we watched the smoke slowly become less dense. Zsofia and Bailey were at the window to the office casting their vote on dinner. Since the kitchen was off limits it was decided we ALL would carry out and the choice was for Middle Eastern shwarma and salad.

Steve phoned in the order, took White Dog to pick it up, and by the time they returned, the living room was pretty much haze-free. The purifier was doing a heroic job in the kitchen but we kept the door closed after dashing in to grab dog bowls, plates, and flatware. 

Thankfully by post dinner med time the door could be left open. "Well, looking on the bright side," Steve said, "tomorrow night we can finish up the chicken and fennel for a relatively no fuss dinner."