Have you ever changed your dinner plan halfway through cooking?

Last night, I baked my daughter a frozen pizza (whole wheat, organic) and set about making myself some healthy adult fare. My chile seasoned turbot fillet was baking in a glass dish when I decided to have a can of Cuban seasoned black beans as a side dish. How healthy!
I'll save myself a dish and just heat the beans with the fish, I cleverly thought. I pulled out the oven rack and began spooning the canned beans around the sizzling fish.

Now you are one step ahead of me here, I know. I've heard of this happening: I had just never seen it demonstrated so vividly. The dish exploded with a bang. Hot chards of glass, sticky fish, and bean confetti littered my kitchen. I'm lucky I didn't end up on a bizarre episode of CSI. (That's redundant: they're all bizarre.)

The first to come investigate were the kitties, smelling the fish and unaware of their peril. Once I got them locked in the garage, I could begin the clean-up. Talk about a hot mess! I saved the inside of the oven for today's entertainment. My gas oven has many nooks and crannies for glass chards to hide. I never took that thing so far apart. Had to use a little WD-40. Is that flammable?

Well, it has been two months since I blogged last. Like exercising, once you break the habit of writing, it is hard to start back up again.



Rather than catch up, I'll just jump into my daily dilemma.

I took my son to the allergist yesterday, specifically to test for a nut allergy, and he turned up allergic to cats. Cats! We have had cats for 6 years, the most recent additions coming as Christmas presents to my youngest daughter last 7 months ago.

My son has always had problems with his sinuses, beginning before we had cats. He had 4 sets of ear tubes and an adnoidectomy. Actually, by the last surgery we had cats. He has missed a lot of school with sinus infections over the years.

So the allergist says the best thing is to get rid of the cats, although he says a lot of people don't. I could by HEPA filters, vacuum more often, load my son up on anti-histamines or maybe even get him allergy shots. But what am I saying to him by keeping the cats?

My daughter is at summer camp this week and has not been part of this discussion.

I have spent thousands of dollars on these cats: vaccines, declaw, spay & neuter, emergency room visit when one got squished under the garage door. They have been a considerable investment. They have sometimes been a pain in the ass, hopping up on the counter and breaking things, barfing and pooping in the wrong places, and leaving decapitated rodents on my doorstep. But they have also been a joy and entertaining.

What to do?
Anyone want some kitties?