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I KEEP SNIFFING THE AIR. Even though the yard man tossed that hot little television into the snow, the smell of electrical hazard still lingers.






And the yard man and I are accumulating a tidy pile of electric shock casualties, including the heroic Surge Protector, which gave its life for the flat-screen TV (I hummed a few bars of Taps as I unplugged it).

"I discovered my calculator took a hit--it's dead," said the yard man at dinner tonight. "I've been using it for twenty-nine years!"

Earlier I made a special trip to the hardware store to get an appliance light bulb for the fridge, as we're having a hard time adjusting to jars and bottles hiding in its inky interior. But when I went to screw in the bulb, lo and behold, there was already one there. Hmm, that yard man said nothing about replacing the bulb he'd unscrewed and laid on the counter (the very bulb I took with me so as to ensure I'd get the proper size [it was during the Ford administration that I last had to buy one (and yes, there really was such a president)and yes, I found out--there's only one size]). At home, when I went to install it, I groped around and made another discovery--there had been two bulbs in that refrigerator! Wow. (I hummed a few bars of Dear Fridge, I Hardly Knew Ye).

I wished to have bought two bulbs while at the hardware store; but it sure wasn't any calamity. There wasn't one single thing today that even approached that degree of tribulation! In fact, there's good luck to report: While speeding toward home after dark (simply hurrying along, Dear Reader) the headlights of my car flashed on a black and white creature with tail held high, walking directly into my path. I jerked the steering wheel and sharply swerved. Holding my breath as I drew my breath, my good fortune was quickly realized--I'd missed hitting that malodorous critter!

So now, my super fantastic, fabulous Fortune du Jour: Thank goodness it's only faint electrical smells to complain of when sniffing the air!!

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