ON CANDLE HOLDERS

CANDLE HOLDERS
April 26, 1993 – 7:00 p.m.

It is now 7:00 o’clock in the evening and there is till light. I was expecting it since about an hour ago. But the lessons of brownout keep coming my way. Like now, after learning much about candles, I am now discovering many things about candle stands.

They also come in different sizes, shapes and colors. Some are made of glass, others of brass, stone, marble, wood, resin, plastic, etc. Glass stands could be dangerous. They cracked when finally heated by a candle nearing its end. Wooden and plastic stands are the most risky as they themselves burn and usually when nobody is around to look.

I discovered that the best candle holder is the old, thick porcelain coffee cup turned upside down. It catches the drippings and is not in danger of burning even when the candle is consumed.

Aside from the candles and the stands there are also lessons to be learned on where to put the candle inside the room. It should be away from curtains, books and other flammable materials like dry clothes. One of the most neglected is a wooden shelf where the heat of the candle flame of the lower shelf could actually trigger the heating and finally burning of the upper shelf. This is a common cause of big fires in some neighborhoods.

For as long as there are blackouts to be experienced there are many lessons to be learned, risks involved and frequent loss of properties through conflagrations. This could also mean several cases of burns that may actually results to death.

I don’t know when lights shall be off tonight, but whether sooner or later, it will mean the same thing. At least four hours of darkness. Four hours of cursing to some, to others, four hours of outdoor living. For me it is four to six hours of sleeplessness while I keep on checking, watching and changing the candles around the house.