Do you think much about oral traditions passed through the generations?

Do you think much about oral traditions passed through the generations?

They’re often called old wives tales, adages or the wisdom of our elders, You know: Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.

How about those used About the House? Like rubbing a walnut to hide furniture scratches. Didn’t work for me. How about clearing a drain using Alka-Seltzer and vinegar? Never tried that, but I have no faith in drain cleaners after having tried several and finding all of them worthless. I say, use a drain snake, not harsh chemicals. But hey, to each his own.

Have you heard the old wives tale about getting electrocuted if you shower during a thunderstorm? Or the one that admonishes us not to talk on the telephone during a thunderstorm? I’ll start with the phone.

Not too long after I re-roofed my house, I scheduled a roof inspection for someone else. On the scheduled day, I watched a front moving in, so I called the customer to arrange for an earlier time, trying to beat the storm. I never made it.

Just as they answered, I heard the loudest noise of my life and felt a sharp jab on my lip. Everything went dark, except for the brightest glow I’ve ever seen as I watched a basketball-sized lightning ball roll across my patio, followed by a softball-sized ball of lightning roll across my roof. Yes, they are real. (Google “ball lightning”).

I looked back into my house and saw smoke rolling everywhere, accompanied by the distinct odor of freshly burned electric wires. Luckily, I was able to call the rural fire department, which quickly responded.

No fires were started, but I lost two complete circuits. Also, the dryer, microwave, stove, TVs, clocks, stereos, VCRs and most anything plugged into a duplex were toast. Our fully insured loss topped $20,000, including the new metal roof flashings and gutters with holes.

The carpet below where I sat had two small burns from where my feet were when I felt the poke on my lip. I am a blessed man. I had no injuries from the strike and my insurance covered the loss.

So, to summarize, you can try walnuts and Alka-Seltzer if you want, but never talk on a corded phone — I avoid showering, too) — when thunderstorms are raging About the House.

Rob Kinsey has been a licensed builder for 30 years and is a home inspector with more than 20 years of experience.