A Daily Journal – Remembering

December 12, 2023 (Tuesday)

I remember what is was like 15 years ago. The ice storm started on December 11, 2008. We were without power in the early evening and wouldn’t get it back for two weeks. It was hard to sleep listening to the sound of breaking branches and falling trees. We awoke to a scene of utter destruction. Everything looked like it was encased in glass.

Christmas Dangers (when I was young)

I’ve always loved Christmas lights. In the early 1950s the lights were connected in series, meaning if one light went out, they all went out. They were hot, so hot that when we took the tree down you the needles around the bulb had actually turned brown. I would lay under the tree and just look up at the lights. One time my parents just left me alone under the tree, transfixed as I was while they went to bed.

The light strings had cloth insulation, not plastic but I don’t remember seeing any rodent damage or getting shocked. I had many experiences getting shocked but at least not by Christmas lights. There were these metal reflective stars that had a hole in the middle. They were held in place by screwing the bulb through the hole into the socket. I never thought about this too much, but since the plugs were unpolarized I think it would be possible to have the stars energized with current if they came in contact with the metal socket.

Methylene Chloride

One type of light that was popular looked like a bubbling candle. It had a base and a clear tube full of a liquid (Methylene Chloride). When the bulb was lit it produced enough heat to boil the liquid (103.3 degrees F). We didn’t have any of these on our tree, but my cousins had them. I was familiar with the chemical because I received a “drinking bird” toy for Christmas. Remember those? It was Methylene Chloride that made it work. That was the red liquid in the tube. Thankfully I never broke any of them, the stuff is really unhealthy.

Lead Tinsel

I loved lead tinsel. Unlike the modern mylar stuff, it hung perfectly straight. When we took down the tree I would roll it in a ball. It would discolor your hands… with lead. I often wonder if I could have done better in school if this was never invented.

Outdoor Lighting

There were no GFCI outside outlets when I was young. My father would replace the porch light with a plug adapter. A wreath with C-9 bubs would be mounted on the door. These bulbs were bigger and hotter than the C-7 on the inside tree. One year when we lived in Fairfield, my father came up with the idea of spraying a decorated shrub with water so that the shrub and lights would be coated in ice. It really was something to see. It probably would have tripped a ground fault breaker, but they hadn’t been invented yet.

Daily Picture Theme – #Fly

I participate in a daily picture challenge on the social media site Spoutible. Everyday there is a different subject announced as a Daily Picture Theme. I select an appropriate  photo from my collection to share. I have been sharing these exclusively on Improves With Age, my Substack newsletter. However I have several photos which fit this theme. These are photos of FLY as the insect not as the verb.

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