I wish there was a smoke alarm setting for “I know there is a lot of smoke in here and it’s okay.”

I was at the butcher’s today, and I noticed they had Wilkes County country ham. When I saw that, it immediately took me back. Back to the days when Mom and Dad were building our cabin in Ashe County. And Ashley and I thought we were helping. Back when we would have communal dinners at Greenfield Restaurant, now closed, sadly. Back when I would gorge on the saltiness of country ham and biscuits.

I bought a pound. I didn’t need a pound of country ham. But that seemed like the right amount.

After working in the garden for hours, I wasn’t hungry, but I wanted a little something. I fried up a piece of country ham. It sizzled. It curled up in the pan. It smoked. The smoke alarm went off. Beeping, beeping, beeping. So much beeping.

I waved sturdy magazines back and forth in front of the smoke alarm, hoping the additional air would dissipate the smoke. No such luck. I opened all the doors and windows. I set up a floor fan directly below the smoke alarm. Nothing helped.

So I simply sat down at the table, and enjoyed my slice of country ham. Eventually, quite some time after I finished, the smoke alarms abated. It’s okay.