Suzie’s Kitchen: The Vent

The morning my Mom came to visit I also had a visit with a venting company to finally put a vent in my kitchen hood. It was the one thing our contractor told us was an issue with the house when we bought it and I had no idea what a big deal it was going to be. While I cook every single night my super-sensitive smoke detector would go off and for months I have been trying to call people in to do this job and most people would not return my phone calls. I guess it was not a big enough job for them to make any serious money on so they ignored me. It was absolutely infuriating. I am surprised my smoke detector did not go off from the smoke coming out of my ears with frustration.

I finally found a company who would come and do it and as I stood there in the kitchen watching them cut a hole in my wall to the outside, it felt so counter-intuitive and surreal. My neighbour also called me up as soon as they arrived to tell me there were young men in my backyard which I thought was quite adorable. People in my neighbourhood are very protective of each other as well as very aware of what is happening around them. This must be a very unique element of living in the Maritimes because anywhere else I have lived people would have either just ignored them or called the police directly. They would not know my name let alone my phone number. I found it quite loving and adorable that she called me, worried about me.

I have yet to test out my new venting system since when it is on I am completely deaf and can not hear my Mom speak so yes, I have continued to set off the fire alarm despite my husband’s laughter that I am causing the problem consciously now that I paid money to get fixed. That’s OK. When I am once again alone in my kitchen contemplatively chopping up shallots and garlic with the grill on high, daring the smoke detector, I will turn on that vent and see what happens. For now, I much prefer to gab and take my chances while hanging out with my Mom in the kitchen.