My parent's house caught fire last night. Clearly everyone (and the house) is OK, or I wouldn't be making fun...but essentially I got an email today from my dad that read (and I'm not kidding):
"Hey kiddo, glad to hear you're doing good. Your mom tried to burn the house down last night. Take care. Love Dad."
Um. Perhaps an explanation is in order if you're gonna say something like that in an effing email!!! So, I called my mom...and here's where the story gets really good.
My mom is an artist. My parents are currently living in their dream home...a home they designed when my dad retired that is built, from the ground up, according to plans they helped draw and with every single amenity they ever wanted in a home. My mom has a large room that is her "studio" but mostly she uses it for her projects and to teach students who she occasionally takes on. In this room is a hair dryer that she uses sometimes to help paint set on projects so she can move through them more quickly or see what something will look like dry. Although she left the hair dryer plugged in, it was turned off last night...or at least there was no sound or anything else to indicate to her that it was engaged in any way. But apparently it had a short or something and sat smoldering next to a) about SEVEN HUNDRED (literally) small bottles of paint, and b) several hundred pattern books, paper, canvases, wooden furniture (my dad makes it, she paints it)...etc.
So, around 4 a.m., the fire alarm goes off, my parents leap out of bed trying to figure out what's going on, Molly the Satanic Dog is running around barking and generally (I think) enjoying the chaos, and finally they get to the back of the house which is filled with smoke, etc. They put out the small fire before it reached any of the bottles of paint or the huge wooden built in desk/work table/cabinets my dad JUST finished and installed, but apparently there is some smoke damage and quite a large burned spot in the carpet. My mom spent the day washing the walls and floors and trying to air out the electrical fire/burning smell.
Anyway, everyone is fine. The house is fine. But it really makes you think about stuff. I'm so glad they're OK...I'm even glad Molly the Satanic Dog is OK. Although the law student in me really wants to know what's up with that hair dryer!
(Simul-posted at L^3...I'm staying on over there for a few extra days)
