As the day dawns in 2009

On Friday before Christmas I had a rather large grease fire in the kitchen. After putting it out, I discovered that the back of the range was melted, the microwave above was melted shut (with food inside), and our cabinets about the stove were on the verge of igniting. Next I made the call to the insurance agent, did some waiting, and eventually, a few days later, we went to shop for a new kitchen range and microwave. Since Sears was having an After Christmas Sale we found what we wanted and waited to order while the sale was on.

Since I've never been in a fire before I did not anticipate the thorough cleaning that would follow! The insurance people sent in a team and our kitchen was scrubbed from top to bottom, the cabinets inside and out. My kitchen has never been so clean! The next day they cleaned the carpet, windows, all the chairs, and even the air ducts and filters. Right now we are waiting for the painters to paint the walls and cabinets. Finally, the range will be delivered on January 10. Until then we are getting by with our Foreman grill, a slow cooker, and the coffee machine. (Tonight I even cooked cornbread in the microwave using the mug-cake method.)

In these last weeks I have found myself a little discombobulated. (I don't even know if that's a word, but it is what I often use to described that feeling of forgetfulness, sort of feeling there is something you mean to do and it's right on the tip of your mind--like the word that is on the tip of your tongue.) I attribute this feeling of discombobulation to the disruption of the fire, but since the middle of October my husband and I have been attempting to integrate our second household into our primary home. That, of course, is an entry for another day--but this could also contribute to my temporary mental distress, couldn't it?