Mishap #2
I forget that my neighbors like to explode things on New Year's Eve. But we do too, so that works out fine. I tend to think of the Fourth of July as the only time it's really socially acceptable to light deafening, shrieking, tiny explosives in the street. No one comes to the window; no one calls the police.
This year I forgot again, and we were staying at home (one does that with a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old and when one is single). So I was unprepared, without ammo. But my boys, ever resourceful, checked the pantry and spied a box of sparklers and a brown paper bag with a few leftover fireworks and even more sparklers.
That night, we joined forces with our generous, firework-loving neighbors across the street. We lit our small leftover poppers and gladly accepted the little bags of snaps the neighbors gave us. The boys ran around happily, throwing them at each other's shoes.
"Let's get our sparklers!" they said. My neighbor had already commented on the ones in the bag. They looked strange. They were all wood, but with treated ends, like sparklers. Ever the practical type, she queried, "Why are they made of wood? Wouldn't that burn? I've never seen any like that."
We tried to light them. They didn't seem to catch. "They must be duds," I said. "Let me see that," she said. She sniffed. Her husband sniffed. "These are incense!!" she concluded. We laughed. We wondered why they were in the bag with poppers and a few metal sparklers. We still have no idea....
The kids gladly accepted the colorful sparklers our neighbor gave us, and we enjoyed the subtle hint of incense mixed with the acrid smell of smoke bombs. The margaritas helped too.
Valuable Lesson Learned: The mind has a tendency to group things together when they seem alike, but it's important to note the differences. Also: Brown paper bags in our pantry can contain all sorts of weird combinations of things.
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