LIVE AND LEARN is comprised of the lessons that have come to me as the result of mistakes I have made, some of them quite simple and others quite bone-headed.  If you have something to add, please feel free to share it with us at jim@mustbeguida.com.  Your annonymity is non-existent.

DON'T JUST DUMP YOUR FIREWORKS!  At our annual Guidarita party (where were you?), we had a generous share of fireworks that, when expended, were put into the metal wheelbarrow for safety and ease of transportation to the garbage can.  Usually I put water in the wheelbarrow but neglected to do so this year.  Around 10:30 that night, Teri and I and friends were sitting outside relaxing, when I noticed that the tiki torches were still lit and glowing extra bright.  Upon closer examination, I realized the wheelbarrow was on fire!  Left unabated, the flames could have easily reached the fence two feet away.  Fortunately, the fire was put out and there was no damage.  Not so lucky were the folks elsewhere in Sacramento who put their "dead" fireworks in the garbage can next to their house and woke up to find their house and the house next door on fire.  They literally lost all their possessions.  Come to Guidarita next year and remind me to put water in the barrow and not leave it so close to the fence.


Ya know how sometimes the sprinkler head will get clogged, especially after a long fall and winter without using it and you are tempted to pull away the grass to unclog it so it will spray freely?  Turn off the sprinkler before you do that.

If you want to see if an unconnected electrical cord will reach the appliance for which it is intended, DO NOT plug it into the wall socket and then grab the bare wires that need to be connected to the appliance.  Especially do not do this when it is a 220 volt connection and your wife is away for the weekend and you are alone with your two-year old daughter, who is standing next to you.

To avoid hitting yourself in the head with a sledge hammer, check for overhead wires or lines before raising the hammer as high as possible and then bringing it down.

Road Flares do not go out in water.

"Measure twice, cut once.  Go back to the Hardware Store.  Repeat."