If you can't stand the heat, get out of the laundry room

(Val) Last night was one of those rare evenings where I actually looked forward to a little time to relax and dive into a new book that I had picked up from the library the day before. A Delirious Summer by Ray Blackston, for which I had waiting weeks after putting it on reserve, was beckoning from my bedside table. The kids were busy doing homework, so I slipped on my headphones, powered up my Dell DJ and settled in for a cozy, rainy night of reading.

Three chapters in, and I had already laughed out loud several times. I love authors who can do that! Comfortable and lazy, Jennifer Nettles singing Just Might Make Me Believe in my ear, I am rudely interrupted by my daughter saying, “Hey, what’s that noise?”

Removing one of the earpieces, I hear the piercing beep of the smoke detector in the basement. I leap from the couch, dash down the stairs and am greeted by the hideous smell of something electrical burning. A bit of smoke rises above my dryer, so I grab hold, pull it away from the wall and notice flames inside. Fortunately for me, there’s a fire extinguisher nearby, and even better, it works! I take one shot down the back of the dryer, and as far as I can tell, that does the job.

Of course, it’s not until after I’ve sprayed this stuff, and inhaled a bit of it, that I realize the dryer is still plugged in. (Note to self: Before trying to put out an electrical fire, make sure the device you are extinguishing is unplugged. And instead of yelling at your daughter to “Go get Daddy” tell her to call 9-1-1!)

After unplugging everything on that wall (freezer, washer, and dryer) and yanking all of the clothes out of the dryer, it is finally confirmed that the fire is out, and we have been spared what could have been a horrible disaster. As I take a few breaths, then cough to clear my lungs of fire extinguisher stuff and electrical smoke, that’s when the shakes set in and all the “what-ifs” start to overwhelm me. What if the battery in the smoke detector hadn’t been changed? What if the fire extinguisher had been outdated? What if I didn’t always insist that the dryer be turned off before we leave the house, go to bed, etc.? What if the kids had been home alone? As I sat in the recliner a bit later, silently thanking God for taking care of us, I felt overwhelmed, and very, very grateful.

So now I have two things on my agenda: 1) Find a new washer and dryer (the washer was already on its way out. Heck, the pair were at least 15 years old) and 2) Take a trip to one of my least favorite places, the Laundromat. It’s not that getting all your laundry done at one time is such a bad thing, it’s the thought of all the laundry that has come before mine that kind of grosses me out a bit, but hey, one has to admit that the trip can sometimes be entertaining. There are certainly some interesting characters at the Laundromat, although I have yet to see anyone have as much fun as that couple in Keith Urban’s Better Life video. Oh well, one can dream.

Yes, this is my exciting life here in the heartland, which I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. But I know what you’re thinking. “What has this got to do with racing?” Well, nothing, really, but racing season in my neck of the woods doesn’t start for a couple of weeks, and I have to do something to keep you coming back as we get ready.

With regard to racing, blogging and the like, I have posted the tentative schedule here in the blog. We’ll be working on getting our credentials together and making any travel arrangements over the coming weeks, as well as trying to get a little financial/goods support from interested sponsors. (If you know of anyone, please drop us a note.)

Spring and I are really looking forward to hitting the road and seeing types of racing that we’ve never seen before. Our first event looks like it will be a drag race at Gateway, which will definitely be a new one for me. I have been around circle tracks, mostly dirt ones, my whole life, so it will be interesting to see what all the fuss is about these guys who just have drive a straight line for a few seconds. (Just kidding!) I would assume it’s a little bit like those lunatic rodeo guys trying to stay on a crazed bull for 8 seconds, and although it’s fun to watch, I’ve always wondered just how one goes about learning to do that. It’s not like you can say to the bull, “Ok, let’s just take it easy this first time, no rough stuff, good boy!”

Anyway, the rain has finally stopped here, the clouds are on their way out, and it looks like a beautiful day here in my neighborhood. A good day to string up a clothes line and send some garments flapping on the breeze while I peruse the appliance ads.