Had a "little" porch fire

[Scooby074]

She has no inclination to quit. She quit for about three years while she was pregnant and breastfeeding our son, but she just got back into it. You know how it is. Nobody quits before they're ready.

Quit for 3 years only to start again.. that sucks!

 

[farmgirl19]

And if she quit for the baby, why not for the health and sake of the son and you? I guess as others have said, it is a tough addiction.

 

[creekbend]

I'm glad that things worked out positive.

 

[RobertBrown]

So you could say that "smoking saved your house but it could have cost you your life".
I've heard people talk about quiting and "choices"'.
If you think about it, there really is no choice, there is nothing to consider. There is no upside to smoking.
Thanks for posting and I'm thankful things happened as they did. This could have been a real tragedy.

 

[joshuabardwell]

And if she quit for the baby, why not for the health and sake of the son and you? I guess as others have said, it is a tough addiction.

I know that she has an answer to that question, but I'd have to end up speaking for her, and on such a personal issue, I don't want to do that. Like Dennis Leary said, "Sure smoking takes years off your life, but it's the years at the end, and they're miserable anyway!"

 

[wyeguy]

Folks sure have the right to smoke if they want to. But (I think) there are plenty of others that would like to quit but can't. No doubt in my mind there's a huge addictive factor that grips some worse than others. Never felt it myself but seen it close enough to know it wasn't a choice, at some point. I won't throw stones. I'm just glad the OP shared the experience and that it wasn't any worse for them.

 

[polo1665]

Having had to clean out cigarette urns that had wet butts in them, I would NOT recommend this. Took me 3 days to get the stench out of my hands.

Aaron Z

Not sure I would have recommended cleaning the bucket out with your bare hands :laughing:

There would surely be better ways if you thought about it.

 

[polo1665]

Folks sure have the right to smoke if they want to. But (I think) there are plenty of others that would like to quit but can't. No doubt in my mind there's a huge addictive factor that grips some worse than others. Never felt it myself but seen it close enough to know it wasn't a choice, at some point. I won't throw stones. I'm just glad the OP shared the experience and that it wasn't any worse for them.

+1

My dad tried to quit several times and could never seem to do it. He finally did quit, but not before COPD had been diagnosed.

 

[aczlan]

Not sure I would have recommended cleaning the bucket out with your bare hands :laughing:
There would surely be better ways if you thought about it.

I didnt say that they were in a bucket... They were actually in one of these: Outdoor Ashtrays | Free Standing Ashtrays | Rubbermaid Groundskeeper Smokers Receptacle Beige | 652497BG - GlobalIndustrial.com but enough water had come in through the top to turn the butts into a nasty slimy stinky mess.
I had gloves on but it was a messy job (the metal sliding door to empty them out was rusted shut) and the ooze got onto my shirt sleeves from where it leaked onto my wrists and down into the inside of the gloves.

Aaron Z

 

[cqaigy2]

Glad nobody was hurt and you had such little damage.

 

[polo1665]

I didnt say that they were in a bucket... They were actually in one of these: Outdoor Ashtrays | Free Standing Ashtrays | Rubbermaid Groundskeeper Smokers Receptacle Beige | 652497BG - GlobalIndustrial.com but enough water had come in through the top to turn the butts into a nasty slimy stinky mess.
I had gloves on but it was a messy job (the metal sliding door to empty them out was rusted shut) and the ooze got onto my shirt sleeves from where it leaked onto my wrists and down into the inside of the gloves.

Aaron Z

Yuck, now I understand.
I admire your pluck for actually cleaning it out. I probably would've chucked the whole kit and kaboodle.

 

[aczlan]

Yuck, now I understand.
I admire your pluck for actually cleaning it out. I probably would've chucked the whole kit and kaboodle.

The alternative was picking all of the butts out of the flowerbed rather than the 30% that the smokers with a "the world is my ashtray" mindset throw there (rather than walk 6' to the urn).
Shortly after, I persuaded the manager to get a couple of new ones which have a wider base with a metal pail in the bottom. Much easier to clean out and only need to be cleaned out a couple times per year.

Aaron Z

 

[flamom]

Joshua,
I am glad that it was found in time and everyone is ok! I am sure lesson learned.
FlaMom

 

[polo1665]

The alternative was picking all of the butts out of the flowerbed rather than the 30% that the smokers with a "the world is my ashtray" mindset throw there (rather than walk 6' to the urn).Shortly after, I persuaded the manager to get a couple of new ones which have a wider base with a metal pail in the bottom. Much easier to clean out and only need to be cleaned out a couple times per year.

Aaron Z

Same thing around here. Standing right next to the ash can and the entire area is littered.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I am glad that it was found in time and everyone is ok! I am sure lesson learned.
FlaMom

Indeed. I really like the, "Paint bucket with a 3/8" hole drilled in the lid," idea. She has a "camping ashtray" that is basically the same thing, but small enough to fit in a cup-holder. A paint bucket would make a great option for the porch, and there's no way the kid would get into it, no matter how hard he tried.