" Electricity. Friend or Foe ?"

I just had to ask this question today and my answer was a resounding, YES!!! Of coarse electricity is my friend.We've had it for years and I really rely on it.

Seriously I can't think of anyone who doesn't like it. It's very handy and makes us all so comfortable and happy. I will admit though that the cost of it has me reeling at times but I just try to cut back to do what I can to help lower that monthly bill.

That monthly bill can be a huge thorn in our sides. I know I am not just speaking for myself. Sometime I find myself getting down right angry about it's cost but then we may as well throw in the cost of everything today instead of singling out electricity.

On the other hand I have also thought of electricity as my foe. I would like to think of myself as being of an age and generation that could, if need be, survive without electricity. Let me just fall back in time a bit to explain.

The year was approximately 1970. I was 12 years old and I was a talker. Some of you will remember when our telephones were attached to the wall. I don't think that squiggly cord could ever be long enough for me as I would pace back and forth talking to whatever friend I would be talking to at that time. 

I would talk for hours on end. There was so much subject matter back then to talk about. School, teachers, other friends, Boys. The usual girl conversations for hours on end.

I remember one particular gab fest ( That means talking a lot, for those of you who haven't heard of this term. ). This time I was actually sitting at the kitchen table just chatting away. I had a bobby pin ( A small metal pin used to keep hair in place, for those of you who have never heard of this.)  in my hand that I was playing with at the time. Now here comes the really stupid part. As I was talking and playing with the bobby pin, I stuck it in the electric socket that I was sitting next to !

I got a little shock and remember thinking, "Why the heck did I do that?". I knew what would happen as my parents did teach me the dangers of electricity but I did it anyway. I didn't do it on purpose and I walked away from it but I never forgot it. I suppose my mind was very deep in the conversation at the time. 

That was the day that I learned that electricity could also be my foe. As my husband would eventually learn of this story he also learned to have a bit of fun with my fear. He is very handy and knows how to do electrical work safely. Yet each time he works with electricity he suckers me. Even when changing a light bulb. Whatever the electrical chore may be, even when I KNOW that the power is shut off, he likes to wait for just the right moment to let out a "Shocking scream" only to manage to scare the bejeezus out of me !

By the way he almost always gets a smack in the arm from me for this cute little joke he likes to pull on me. You would think by now I would be used to his little electrical pranks wouldn't you?


Since I was twelve I hadn't had any bad experiences with electricity thank goodness until today. 


For years now I have been collecting old license plates. Yes it probably sounds silly but there are memories of old cars, my son's first pick-up truck that he worked so hard for, my mom's "Cats" plate. The car my husband owned when we first met and fell in love. Yes it's all so romantic!


Since I had recently cleaned out the basement while spring cleaning all winter long, I decided that I would finally hang these old plates in the hallway that leads down to the basement. That had always been my plan for them, it just took me twelve years to act on it.


I first had to find the right size and type of nails. I looked at the little picture hanging nails but the heads were too small. I looked at the carpet tacks but they looked to short. Then I remembered that we had a box of common nails. About an inch and a half long with a good size head. Perfect ! Or so I thought. 


I was measuring and nailing on the west wall and had three already hung. This is pretty cool, they looked good up there. Still had about ten more to go though. I turned on the stairs to face the east wall, the wall that the back door is on, and started to measure and hang.


I had two hung and started to nail in the nails for the third plate. The first nail was a bit hard to get in but after one more good hard hit with the hammer, it was positioned right where I wanted it. The second nail went in easy enough. Great! Now lets hang that plate.


I put the left side of the plate on the left nail and then proceeded to put the right side of the plate on the right nail, when all of a sudden I hear a "POP" and see a small flame come out of the nail whole!! What the...?


Honestly I don't understand how I didn't get shocked. My husband said that God was really watching over me. What apparently happened is I had hit the electrical wire that runs from the back door light into the basement. The rest was a bit unclear. I know that I took the plate off of the wall but did I use my hand (Which would have been stupid) or did I use the rubber handled hammer? This part I don't remember.


I was still pretty FREAKED OUT ( A term used in the 70's meaning scared.) at this point but figured I had better get that one nail out at least! So I took my rubber handled hammer in hand, looked at my shoes to make sure they were rubber bottomed, said to my self "Oh God!" and as quickly as I could, yanked that nail out of the wall!


I checked the light and the circuits to see if I had blown anything and I didn't. Now the fun part. I have to call my husband and tell him what happened. He was pretty freaked out himself and was not happy that he wasn't home. Once he knew I was alright his biggest fear was that there may be exposed wire in the wall that could catch fire. 


After he got me settled down (I was about in tears)
and we hung up, he called my son. Frank came over and took the piece of wood off of the wall and checked the wire. He knows electricity very well too. He rewired his entire old house himself. Frank said that all I did was put a small indentation in the wire and checked the whole wire that ran horizontally along the wall to the basement. He said that it was amazing how I missed this wire by a hair, with 5 out of six nails! They were that close to the wire!


Needless to say I stopped hanging license plates today. I told my husband that I had no idea that the wire would be there. That's when he said that he had told me never to hang anything below a switch or socket. If he did, I don't remember. There's a surprise! 


When Kate came home I asked her if she knew this and she said "Yeah dad told me that." At least she remembered this important little tidbit! Well lesson learned I suppose. And as I sit here typing on my computer with my lights on, I would have to say that electricity is my friend. But friends can turn on you if you aren't careful!