Arson

     Okay, not quite.  Every little boy I’ve ever met (and many not-so-little) has a fascination with fire.  Mine are no exception.  

     We found a desk lamp at an estate sale today.  We’ve been promising Demetri a desk lamp for quite some time, so that he can work at the desk under his bunk bed.  …It was a halogen lamp.  I have two floor lamps that use halogen bulbs.  I was aware that they get hot, and we’d never had a real problem with them getting too hot or tipping over, etc.  (I actually found a second desk lamp I loved and bought it for my guest room- which also happened to use a halogen bulb.)  Demetri was so excited!

     This evening as I walked past the children’s door I saw a faint glow.  Figuring the two little boys had turned the light on again (Demetri was still up reading in a different room) I went in to turn it off.  It wasn’t the light on the ceiling, it was the lamp.  Additionally, there was a strong smell in the room, and ashes on the floor.  Olie had put a piece of paper up to the lamp to try and catch it on fire.  It worked.  Goodbye new desk lamps.

     I don’t read much news, although I do research products occasionally.  Anyway, I’ve never heard much about halogen lights.  Several hours later, after the hoopla over Olie’s venture into the world of arson (is unintentional arson possible?) died down, and the talks, lectures and mandates had officially ended, I looked up everything I could find on halogen bulbs.  SO not a fan! 

     We are counting our blessings and actually very glad to have had this experience.  Now we know, and nobody got hurt.  There are much harder ways to learn lessons.  (Still- it was a bit scary, and it’s the kind of thing that causes me to wander through the house looking for other possible safety hazards.)