Don’t Try This at Home

So here’s an important home maintenance tip from yours truly.

I was replacing the propane tank on our home grill in preparation for dinner guests when I decided it would be a good idea to test the pilot lights.

Unbeknownst to me, the knobs were in the “on” position, which meant that as soon as I connected the line, gas was being pumped into the grill.

So at the moment I pressed the ignition…

PWOOOF!

There was a quick blue ball of flame as the gas cloud that had accumulated ignited, Wile E. Coyote-style. (I am told my eyebrows will grow back…)

It came and went in a second but it was loud enough to get the attention of my wife, who was indoors and on the other side of the room when it happened.

It might also have been my loud cursing that got her attention.

So against that backdrop, consider this:

I had bought what I call a “Fisher-Price” version of a chainsaw (it’s a pretty small power tool) to chop up some large logs so they could fit in our fireplace.

I figured I would be all manly and Paul Bunyan-like in tackling this particular chore. But Meg instead insisted on spending a hundred bucks for our local handyman to do the work instead.

Gee…I can’t imagine why…