Ahoy Captain!

This one begs to be told with the weather we have been having.  We had a similar winter about 15 years ago.  I can remember playing outside for hours in the cold and snow as a kid, but as an adult I have turned into something of a sissy.  Anyway, it was a gorgeous and clear evening.  We had been out somewhere and when we made it home through some pretty heavy snow, we found out school was to be canceled the next day.  So, “Doc” and the kids decided to go outside in the snow, build a few snowmen and have a snowball fight.  I generously chose to stay inside and get a fire and the hot chocolate ready.

I have never been really good at starting and/or building fires.  I like the start up logs.  Without them, I go through a weeks’ worth of newspapers trying to get it going.  Of course once I do get it going, “Doc” fixes it.  My fires are never good for him.  Anyway, I went downstairs to start a fire.  We didn’t have any newspaper and I am leary of the gas starter that we have.  So, I looked around and found some large cardboard boxes in the family room.  We had just purchased some new desk chairs and the kids had used them as subamarines.  Don’t ask.

I pulled a few pieces off the submarines (which had been overused and were ready for decommissioning anyway) and got a nice little fire going.  And I couldn’t leave well enough alone.  I got antsy and decided that this might be the perfect way to get rid of the submarines and warm up the house.  So, little by little I added cardboard to the fire.

Apparently, outside it looked like the Fourth of July.  Flames were shooting out of the chimney and lit up the sky as if it were midday.  After a few stunned moments, my husband realized that the flue was on fire and came running in as I stuffed the last of the cardboard into the fireplace.  “What are you doing?!!!”  Of course I answered, “burning submarines.  I have a nice fire going!”

I was banned from starting fires for a while after that.  Even now, I hear about it whenever I get near the fireplace.  There is more to this story which ended up with the arrival of the fire department, but it is too long to tell in one sitting.  I will finish it in a few days.  Have a great Wednesday!!!!