Sleepless in Fredericton

It is 2 a.m.  Can't sleep -- again.  Am I getting older?  Is this why?  Or is it because I had two naps this evening?   One around suppertime, and the other about 10 pm.  Could be the reason.

You shouldn't really have a nap around suppertime.  Tell you why.  Because you do dumb things when you wake up and try to prepare supper.  Like having bacon cooking in the oven in your Pampered chef pan (which comes out 'fabulous, darling'), and a portobello mushroom and onions on the stovetop, then deciding to thaw a gluten-free bagel in the microwave because you would like to toast it and have a portobello and onion 'hamburger' on a bun.  You punch in '12 seconds' on the microwave to thaw the frozen bagel.

Then you go to the computer to write on your blog about your husband's retirement.  After a few minutes (5 minutes), you hear the smoke detector go off and look to see the whole kitchen fuming with smoke.  You assume it's the oven because it's always going off and you are baking bacon.   Not it.  You look at the stovetop.  Not it.  You run over to the toaster, as you assume you've burnt the toast again.  No toast.  What is it?   You panic -- you look up and down and all around and can hardly see the kitchen for the smoke.  You cannot locate the reason for the smoke, and THEN you realize what you've done -- punched in 12 MINUTES on the microwave, and the bagel is frying in there!

All the windows come open in the lower layer of the house for many hours.  It's raining out, a gentle Christmas breeze wafting through the window, but the smoky stench still lingers, now five hours later, despite the scented candles I had going all evening.

I just put out a couple of air odor-eaters.  I'm hoping they'll do the job.  Baking soda in the microwave.  Just opened it -- smells the same as when I retrieved the burnt bagel.

What bothers me is this:  how could I be so dumb?  Is it the pre-Christmas brain?  Or the brain with too much in it?  Perhaps.

Will I get to sleep tonight?  I was just lying in bed for the past 1 1/2 hours thinking of everything, including the fact that in 2012, we have moved out of four places -- Jonathan's house (helped him move out of it; his house closed today); moved Mom & Dad out of their  house on Bird Avenue to our house;  Doug's mother out of her house to the special care senior home just last month; and now Doug has moved out of the home he has had for 22 years -- his work home.

Lots of moving going on -- 2012 -- the YEAR OF MOVES.   Perhaps 2013 will be the year of staying.  And hopefully sleeping.