Wintertime Snafu

When the seasons change and the furnace successfully kicks on, a sigh of relief can usually be heard at my house.  Aside from the furnace, most of us are well aware of existing winter kinks that may need to be worked out.  After all, it’s been a while since these things were in use. I think we can all agree as we cross our fingers that whatever the hiccup, it’s quite common to hold your breath and hope it’s not overly expensive.  Christmas is around the corner and there is nothing inexpensive about that anymore, so any additional household costs can be quite the downer.

My family recently had one of those snafus to work out.  Fortunately, it wasn’t one that cost us a dime and no, it wasn’t an unlit strand of Christmas lights.  But the snafu quickly turned into one of the funniest moments on one Saturday afternoon in the Dodd household. We have two fireplaces and we do not use them a lot.  Mostly it’s because we rarely have the time to just sit and enjoy them.  Nevertheless, I had them inspected in the spring and was told we were good to go for at least two years.  So, fire it up! It was a chilly Saturday and my 6-year-old was having a friend over to play.  I decided this was a good time for my husband to start a fire.  I could relax in the living room for a little while since the children were occupied.

Here is the scene…                     

I had on my warm sweat suit, a cup of tea, my heating blanket and pillow in hand.  I set up camp on my couch building myself a little nest and finding the best selection of holiday movies on the television.  What a great afternoon for me!  I could not wait!!! The fire was lit. I was taking in the crackling of the logs and the heat emerging from the flames.  It was so perfect that I actually texted a photo to my son who was spending time at his Grandmother’s.  I couldn’t wait for everyone to be home to appreciate and enjoy the same fire I admired and the peace it brought to my mind.

Settled in, I found myself slowly dozing off, but then I thought it was getting a bit smoky in my house.  I yelled for my husband and he switched on the lights and was shocked at the thick fog of smoke. Apparently our chimney flue slipped shut.  My husband put on heavy gloves and hurried to re-open the flue.  We threw open the doors and the windows.  I watched this in awe realizing that my warm and cozy fire was now the culprit of opening up the house for chilly air to flow through.  My heart was racing preventing that relaxation time I longed for so much.  Just when I thought it would be a matter of minutes before I could re-enter my afternoon dream world, all the alarms in the house started to go off in a piercing shrill louder than I imagined and I am sure the entire neighborhood could hear them as well. 

Within moments, up from the basement came the little girls and I heard one shout, “What do we do?” The other answered, “Let’s stop, drop and roll!”  It was nice to know they have been listening in the first grade, but I had a hard time convincing them the house was not actually engulfed in flames and it was not necessary to roll themselves out the front door. As I reassured the children and aired out the house, it all soon came to an end.  Other than my home smelling like a cabin for a solid week, that afternoon was a wash and I never did get that relaxation time, but looking back, it was one of those memorable moments I am sure we will laugh about in the years to come.

As you run into your wintertime snafus, as I am sure you probably will, take it all in stride.  Don’t look at what you’ve lost, but find a smile in what you’ve gained.

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