Mishap

We are in the process of remodeling our living room. We are going to be painting, putting up new window treatments and having bamboo flooring layed. We are currently in the process of deconstruction of the room. We have moved all the furniture out with the exception of my computer, desk and a bookshelf.

I was working on clearing out my desk to get it ready to move, and I decided that I was going to clear out my old paycheck stubs. I pulled them all out and started shredding them. I shredded for a long time. My shredder overheated. I also was thinking that I was going to be extra safe and burn the shredded stubs. One of my former employers had my entire SSN on the check along with my checking account number.

I took the garbage bag out to the neighbor's burn pile and lit it on fire. I also decided that while I was there and had a fire lit, I was going to burn our Christmas tree. So, I went and grabbed the tree and threw it on the flame. I picked up the tree and adjusted it so that it would burn more completely. Just as I picked the flaming tree up, the wind switched. I felt the warmth of the flames lick my face and I thought that I probably singed my eyebrows, but I didn't smell the tell tale odor of burned hair. I finished watching the tree burn and went into the house.

I went immediately to the bathroom and looked at my face. Both eyebrows, my eyelashes on my right eye and some of my hair were singed and curled. Then, I smelled the burned hair. ACKKK. Fortunately, they were not completely singed, but it was enough for me to think about doing that again. And no pictures were taken.