[livi]

Well, my friends, this durn forīner has finally reached 10 000 posts.

Its been a pleasure. A wealth of knowledge and good American will.

A few other Pelicans have made a point of acknowledging the 10k milestone in one way or the other. As if that number had a special meaning or influence.

They were right. Its a bloody number. A bad luck number. Make sure you stop posting before you reach it. Something bad will happen.

I left for work this morning, leaving my 15 year old daughter at home with a slight cold. Work all day and just before leaving for home I get a phone call from my brother who lives next door. -"Markus, I think your house is on fire! Lots of smoke coming out of a window on the ground floor. I am on my way over there - wait I see your daughter running toward me now! Get home now!"

I rush home and by the time I get there, my brother and a friend have put out the fire. So how did it start, you ask. Well, and here is a lesson about youngsters in general and teenagers in particular, my daughter decided to treat herself to a nice dinner. Why not pommes frites! Lets see, in the local burger joint they fry it in oil. Lets take a large pan, fill it up with oil, put it on the heater and go watch some TV while it heats up. Said and done. Why does it smell like smoke in here? Better go in the kitchen and check how my frites are coming. Not good. The oil is burning three feet high, licking the cabinetts and the smoke is quickly getting thick in the kitchen. Out the door like a lightning, running for my brothers.

I am just so relieved she is physically okey. Chocked but not burned. Perhaps this 10k posts day was a lucky day after all. I keep thinking, what if she had reacted instinctively and thrown a bucket of water on the oil..

We are alright now and thanks to my brother there were relatively little damage done. No big deal in the big picture. Thanks for listening.