Sleep...naughty puppies...smoke detector

Picture this....

I am finally sleeping peacefully, having a dream about working with the horses. All of a sudden there is this loud beeping noise. I know Bo has left for work, besides this beeping doesn't sound like our alarm clocks. I listen for a second...then it hits me... THE SMOKE DETECTOR! Oh my God! I've been fearing this day since we moved into a mobile home! My dad, a volunteer firefighter, always warned me to never live in a trailer because a whole trailer will go up in flames so quickly that it will be gone before the fire department can get there. Flash back to reality, I don't hear anything but the smoke detector. I bolt out of bed, forget to check if the door is hot, blast out of the bedroom to a smoke filled room. Both puppies are standing there, wondering why I'm in such an uproar. Then I see smoke wafting from my cast iron skillet on the stove. The burner is on! I see debris on the living room floor... the spatula, the butter dish, other plastic. WHEW...what a relief! I turn off the burner, turn on the exhaust fan, open the kitchen window and back door. But I wonder why Benjaman is still in bed. The smoke detector is still blaring. I go to his door, knock and open it. He is gathering his books! I ask him if he knows what that sound is. "Yeah, it's the smoke alarm." he says. I say, "what are you doing?!" "Mom, I have very valuable books!" Okay, so I have to explain to him about insurance and that the books can be replaced, but we need to focus on the people and the animals that depend on us in case of a fire! What a start to the day! It can only get better from here!