Our family decided to set off some fireworks at our home considering a few things. Our first 4th of July in the new house, not really wanting to drive anywhere with the crazies on the roads, and also that my Dad does not do very well with all the war-like noises going off all over the place. Being a war veteran and having very vivid memories makes this one holiday that he has mixed feelings for. But, he is a serious trooper and wanted us to light off sparkly fun for the kiddos so he could watch them ooooh and ahhh. He is a very involved Grandpa, so their joy often helps his mood. We gathered our chairs and the bag of kaboom and prepared for dark. At the last minute Dad decided it was too much and he'd watch out his window instead of out by the curb. All was going great. Hal was going over to him and asking how he liked the sparkler dancing or the crackling showery fireworks and so on to make sure he was included. He smiled and ooooooohhhhed from his perch until he decided to use his lighter as though he were at an outdoor concert. You know, gently sway with it lit to show appreciation for the show. Yeah. I noticed it and chuckled. Then we had more sparkler fun while taking slow speed photos for dramatic effect ( which turned out amazing). The bag of goodies became empty and family members said goodnight. As we headed indoors I noticed a strange odor and shrugged it off as sulfur grossness from all the local festivities. Checking on Dad revealed that the actual source of that smell was burnt hair. From his beard. He caught it with the lighter when he was being groovy. I left him trimming what was left of it into a more normal shape as I went up to inform my husband of this new information. We chuckled and decided we were just glad he didn't get hurt.
Later that evening I was editing those amazing sparkler pics I mentioned and found this.
I zoomed in and to my horror that is actually my father with his beard ablaze. Adam twirls around with a smile (little does he know what we'd see upon closer inspection). Like I said, Pops is perfectly fine. Shorter beard and a funky smell that lingered for a bit, but unharmed.
Maybe that just shows why that lighter sway is really meant only for outdoor concerts. Thanks for your enthusiastic participation though Daddio.
Word of the day:
Ancient Wisdom when you are an older person and learn a valuable lesson.
No comments:
Post a Comment