Last night while I was slicing some zucchini for a saute Mr Swami tried to set our yard on fire. Left unsupervised, he does this now and then.
We have a burn pit in the back of our yard where we stack tree & shrub trimmings, etc. A few times per year we burn it all up, along with whatever cardboard boxes have not gone to the recycler. Mr Swami's problem is a love of accelerants. For some reason whenever we need to burn it magically turns out that we have some old gasoline or motor oil to "get rid of". Ie - to burn.
When *I* am supervising it always turns out that we have left over motor oil which is much less volatile than gasoline and so burns without exploding. When I'm not there - gasoline.
So as I was peacefully cutting my vegetables I noticed the DD and then her BF run past the kitchen window looking very intent & focused. I paid no attention on the theory that if mom is needed, mom will be called. Nobody called, but what they were doing was !quick! attaching all our hoses together to reach the fire pit. (Again - had I been supervising the hoses would have already been in place, jic.)
As my daughter described it later: "The flames shot up about 15 feet like usual - but then there was a second explosion and a great saucer-shape of flame shot out sideways from the bottom of the pile!!!" This is what set the brush on fire, and necessitated the hoses. Also? One of our cats who was watching from the nearby glider set a new kitty land-speed record for the 100 meter dash as she raced to the shelter of the screen porch (under it, not in it.)
I am almost sorry I wasn't there.
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11 comments:
*giggle*
I could just picture the whole scene! You happily slicing in the kitchen and the others outside, running around, panicking. :D
*giggle*
That sounds so like something that would happen here. In fact, last time DH (who is a firefighter) burned leaves unsupervised, the trampoline caught fire and the mesh melted. *sigh*
How cool. I wish I had been there. Next time, tell him to take video.
I swear I would love to come and be a bird on a branch for all the goings on at your house.
Well, except the sex. :)
Momma, a local fire department is one of our clients. Some day they will have a story to tell about my DH. Hopefully, it will not involve my house!
Boo, most of the time things around here are pretty dull. Well, except the sex :)
My biggest beef with the soaring flames of an accelerated fire is that I have two very nice River Birch trees planted fairly near the firepit. Of course their lower branches died off due to heat stree a number of years ago - but I really don't want these pretty trees to die!
LMAO!
So do you guys ever roast marshmallows or hotdogs on the fire or does the gasoline ruin that?
Isn't this bad for the environment?
Well, the gasoline burns off very fast. We have roasted many a marshmallow over the coals when our kids were young.
Did you say something Puffy? Lol, it's about a pint of gasoline (well, usually.) About the amount of gas we would need to burn if we mowed a big lawn, and since we have mostly thin, under-tree grass that doesn't need weekly mowings then I call it a wash, environmental-wise.
Some day I will rant about turf-grass lawns and what an environmental disaster they are.
Been there, done that. I was getting ready for work and all of a sudden my grandma (who was down visiting) went running by the back window carrying a bucket of water... *giggle* X had started the back woods on fire with fireworks.
I want to come to your place for a cookout!
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