And people wonder why I stick to writing and running...

So, tonight I had a conference call with the editorial team for the upcoming Runners' Lounge book. I don't normally, um, do that sort of thing. That telephone thing. And after tonight, I know that it is probably best that I avoid the phone at all costs. Email, that's more my speed. Email, blog comments, the solitary pursuit of running . . . all fine. Phone? Not so much.

It started innocently enough. I was on the phone with the other bloggers/editors, talking submissions and whatnot. Then there was a beep. It was pretty loud but, I don't know, I was busy on the phone and so I didn't think it had anything to do with me. Clearly it was something related to my husband's exercise stuff in the basement.

Another beep. Then many loud and fast beeps and before I knew it, my hubby was running upstairs and then the whole house alarm was going off and there was smoke everywhere and in the midst of all of this, I got off the phone.

He had been boiling sap to make maple syrup and oops! he forgot about it when he went to work out. So, the sap burned in the pan, causing sticky-sweet smoke to fill the house and the alarm to blare for much, much longer than it needed to. The alarm company called to say they were sending the fire department over to our house since, in my husband's haste to turn off the fire alarm, he turned on the full alarm, which sent some sort of panic message to the alarm company, raising their response level to heights much higher than those needed to deal with burnt sap. I told the kind alarm company lady that it was just sap, so no fire trucks were needed. And then moved on to help my husband ventilate the house, all the while hoping, with fingers crossed, that my son would not wake up.

He didn't. Phew! That kid can sleep through anything.

Pretty embarrassing, huh?

Yeah. I believe I will stick to writing and running -- alone -- from now on.