Lesson Learned

    I am never without my camera. It is a good, old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness camera and not some sleek, handy-dandy phone.  The thing weighs a ton and is a bit bulky with the extra lens and such.  Here lately on my hikes around the Bayou, I am beginning to look like I am packing to stay a while.  Now that I have a dog along for the walk, I carry the leash. (He runs free but the leash is there if needed).  I have a mug of coffee in hand and sometimes (very rarely) my phone.  The camera, two extra lens, leash and coffee are necessities...the phone is not.  But, needless to say, my hands are full.  Now add to the fact that I need batteries to run that camera and you can see where this is going.  It is going downhill really fast.

  In the past, I have always carried four extra batteries.  Old cameras use far more battery power than the new creations.  Technology is great but I am slow in learning so I stick with what is tried and true.  Those four batteries up until today were always toted in the jeans pocket.  I figure that small things can be poked there and forgotten until needed.  Pockets are great!  Batteries in pockets are not.  In fact, the combination is stupid.  I found that out today.  

  The last outing of the day started well enough.  I was loaded down with everything and out the door in five minutes flat.  Mr. PJ and I had some serious hiking to do before the sun settled down over the pines.  It does not pay to be out and about the Bayou after dark without a flashlight so we were hustling!  I am not sure how the old dog would react to finding a cottonmouth on the path so I am not even letting the chance encounter happen.  After about thirty minutes of hiking, it was getting hard to tell just what was a stick and not a snake.  Time to head back inside.  Once in, I unloaded all but the pockets.  

  After about an hour, I felt a burning sensation on my upper thigh.  Wow! What was wrong??  I reached in the pocket and found the four batteries.  Ouch!  I yanked out my hand and flung the batteries to the floor.  Those things were HOT!!  No..on closer inspection...one was extremely hot.  The other three were warm but not scorching.  I checked my hand and noticed a red mark where the battery had burned me.  Hmmm....something wrong here!  I examined each battery and found that the one (the odd one in the bunch!) had its protective shrink wrap torn away from the edge of the terminal.  Obviously, this had come in contact with the other batteries and somehow caused a current flow.  The battery was nigh on catching fire! These are all rechargeable batteries from Manor House, Westinghouse and Rayovac.  The Rayovac was the damaged one that caused the problem.  Now...before anyone thinks I am blaming the company...nope.  It was my stupidity.  My oversight caused this burn.  I should have done a couple of things differently and will from this point onward.  One...check the batteries for damage.  Even the slightest rip in the shrink wrap cover can cause problems.  Two...never tote batteries all jumbled in a pocket (especially with other items such as keys.)  While I had nothing else in the pocket, the faulty battery came in contact with the others and caused the overheating.  Lesson learned.  Time to find a battery case.