ST. CLOUD, Minnesota (AP) -- Bill Fickett wanted to give his wife a break from the kitchen on Thanksgiving, so he offered to cook. His kind gesture ended up causing about $14,000 in damage."I don't know how it happened," Fickett said. "My wife just had a baby, so I said I'd take care of the turkey."
He decided to try his hand at deep-fat frying a turkey. He borrowed a fryer and got directions from a friend. He bought a thermometer to make sure the oil didn't get too hot.
Fickett said he was heating up about 3 gallons of oil before the fire started. He adjusted the temperature to the recommended 350 degrees, then stepped into the house to get the bird.
Next thing he knew, smoke was pouring out of the garage.
Hmm. This strangely reminds me of the story that Greg made up and likes to tell people who come to our house. It goes like this: (I am paraphrasing Greg)
"When we got married I was the dutiful husband. I offered to wash our good china dishes for Peninah. She willingly obliged. When I broke the first dish, she shrugged and said 'those things are slippery- be a little more careful next time.' When I broke the second dish she started muttering under her breath. When I broke the third dish, she grabbed the sponge away from me and has never let me wash dishes again. I succeeded."
This story is not true, but it is a good illustration of what some men (and/or women) will do to get out of a household job. But to inflict $14,000 worth of damage on your home? That's just crazy!
Posted by peninah at November 28, 2003 09:29 AMOk, first off, when I tell that story, it only involves 2 broken dishes, not three. Second of all, I have heard that turkey fryer's are very easy to misuse and cause substantial damage with. You have to be very careful, obviously.
I'm betting that that guy is not able to save oodles of money each year by replacing his own toilets, though ;)
Posted by: Greg at November 28, 2003 10:12 AM