here comes the sun

For us the crisis is over. We awakened this morning to an extremely cold house and the promise of a day of sun as we sat bundled up at the kitchen table with microwaved tea and coffee. We watched as the sun struck the Truchas Peaks to the south and waited impatiently for it to pop up over Taos mountain and flood our kitchen with warm light. The sun rises quite late at this time of year, nearly 8 a.m. We get up much earlier than the sun! We notice the horses (who know more than we do) suddenly stop foraging as if they hear a command, and start walking eastward to stand still as statues. Moments later, the sun came.

Later, the same two gas guys from Denver who came last night, appeared at our door and after lots of searching finally found our gas meter on the state road five or more acres away! After they'd turned on the gas, we four sat in the kitchen for a brief time drinking coffee before they went on their way talking about how hospitable Taos people are and how they were being offered food, hot drinks and warmth in every single house they went to. They were also incredulous over the lack of zoning and organization in this place - quite different from their home city of Denver where there are rules and easements, accurate lists of gas customers and street names! As of early afternoon, there were still 11,000 homes to be reconnected. The radio station has been inundated with phone calls from worried, cranky, grateful, and angry people. These two were just a small part of the gas restoration effort. By late afternoon, our house had warmed up, hot water flowed and we were able to take luxurious hot showers for the first time in five days! Do we really appreciate this small major pleasure in life?  We do now. I will try to remember. But now, I'm going into the next room with my knitting, turn the movie channel to Mrs. Miniver and try relax, unworried, for the first time in days.