Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
Working at my "garage office," in a hurry because trying to finish a pipe was making me late, I knocked out my pipe against my knee, rubbed out the dottle with my shoe as I pushed a pipe cleaner in it, and split. When I returned five and a half hours later, I smelled a gawd-awful smell when I opened the garage door.
My computer desk is on a little rectangle of old, old carpet that I should have thrown away many years ago. Just never thought I had the time to clear everything off it to pick it up and put it in the dumpster.
Tiny wisps of smoke were coming from a 3-foot-long, 18-inch-wide scorched patch. Evidently my usual rub-out with the toe of my shoes hadn't been enough to stifle an ember. Had there been a breeze at all, I'm sure it would have whipped it into flame.
There was no fire -- but could have been.
I never worried about protecting the floor because it's a dingy old cement garage floor. And that this scrap of carpet had sawdust and ash gathering on it from me being to lazy and unconcerned about it, I didn't worry about it. It had never been a problem.
I have a metal can now, but gee-shhh.
Posting it as a warning to anyone who might not be using a dedicated ash-keeper where they smoke. I suppose the same goes for lawns, this time of year?
Careless.
Working at my "garage office," in a hurry because trying to finish a pipe was making me late, I knocked out my pipe against my knee, rubbed out the dottle with my shoe as I pushed a pipe cleaner in it, and split. When I returned five and a half hours later, I smelled a gawd-awful smell when I opened the garage door.
My computer desk is on a little rectangle of old, old carpet that I should have thrown away many years ago. Just never thought I had the time to clear everything off it to pick it up and put it in the dumpster.
Tiny wisps of smoke were coming from a 3-foot-long, 18-inch-wide scorched patch. Evidently my usual rub-out with the toe of my shoes hadn't been enough to stifle an ember. Had there been a breeze at all, I'm sure it would have whipped it into flame.
There was no fire -- but could have been.
I never worried about protecting the floor because it's a dingy old cement garage floor. And that this scrap of carpet had sawdust and ash gathering on it from me being to lazy and unconcerned about it, I didn't worry about it. It had never been a problem.
I have a metal can now, but gee-shhh.
Posting it as a warning to anyone who might not be using a dedicated ash-keeper where they smoke. I suppose the same goes for lawns, this time of year?
Careless.
