Thursday, April 16, 2009

Cooking with the Gettysburg Family Kids.

Last night as I was downstairs doing a load of laundry, I smelled a smell. A very bad smell. Rich was upstairs with the kids, and I figured perhaps he had burned something while cooking. I'm not sure what it says about our collective cooking skills that he was actually reading in bed and thought I was burning something while cooking. Eventually, he investigated. This was what he found.


That would be what's left of a microwave after your eight year old son thinks he's set the kitchen timer for sixty-nine minutes, but he's actually turned the microwave on for sixty-nine minutes, with nothing in it. Those are the little roller things all melted together in a big pile of plastic.

When Rich arrived, there were fifty-nine minutes left on the clock. The glass plate inside was glowing red hot. Of course, it had also melted. These are the remaining blackened shards of that glass plate in the kitchen sink.



Unfortunately, Rich sort of did a lot of angry yelling, as any father who finds such a situation going on in the kitchen might do. While he was dealing with the broken plate, we heard Shea slip out the front door. Any of you who are familiar with Shea may recognize the cause for alarm in this. Shea went outside. Not to his bedroom, but outside.

Rich took a few deep breaths and followed him outside. When he got onto the porch, Shea was walking down the road. In the rain. Rich called him back and they had some sort of father son discussion which included an apology from Rich for the angry yelling and a story about how Rich almost set this very same house on fire with a toaster oven in his younger years.

I've been wondering all day, where was Shea going to go? Was he just going for a walk around the block? Running away to join the circus? Is this going to be his response in those dreaded teenage years?

The silver lining in all of this is that I hated that microwave and now I get a new one! Shea has even offered to pay us back for it with his allowance.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW! I mean, WOW - the plate wasn't microwave safe? Seems silly. Like the racks in the dishwasher not being dishwasher safe.

Good thing I don't have a microwave. :)

michael in dc said...

I was really intrigued by the idea of molten, glowing-red glass. I wanted a picture of THAT.

I'm glad that Richard tracked down Shea and talked to him.

snason said...

Susan,
Do you remember when you were dusting and the foyer table broke. Dick's first reaction was to yell at you.
Poor Shea.
Mom

Phill said...

Poor Shea. Poor Rich. Poor everyone. (Well, not you, I guess. You get a new microwave.) I know how Shea felt - I was (am?) that kind of kid. He probably has it a little tougher than most folks realize. Glad it all worked out.

Mary K Brennan said...

The things we have to go through just to get a new appliance!? Glad everyone is fine.

Katrina said...

Wow!!! Shea is really creative. Just think, he was trying to help. I let Josh help me yesterday with the paper shredder. Every minute I was waiting for him to start skeaming because he got his finger caught. NO lost fingers, just an upset stomach. And just so you know, it doesn't get easier as they get older. Love you!

Kris said...

I already knew boys and men, esp men should stay away from the stove, but I guess they need to stay away from the microwave too! Mine have started quite a few fires in the microwave, stove, oven, toaster, grill, candles - the list goes on.

Happy VGNO

sheila said...

That's happened here once or twice. I yelled too. :)

The worst thing is that nasty smell! But the good thing is you got a new appliance! :)