God Bless VBFD!

     Our downstairs heat went out last week during the storm and had just been repaired when it quit again last night. The repairman came while I was out this morning, but when I came home and opened the back door the smell of natural gas was STRONG! So we grabbed Callie and left the doors open while we ran out of the house to call 911.

     There were some scary moments when I wondered if our house was going to blow up, but within minutes we heard the Fire Department sirens coming down the street and the trucks pulled up. While I have always loved the throaty sound of a fire truck engine(my husband is retired VBFD and my Father was the volunteer deputy chief in my small hometown) just not in my front yard. Callie was of course delighted that so many people had come to see her and was unfazed by all the noise and flashing red lights in hopes of lots of pats on the head.

     After locating the source of the leak and shutting off the gas the firefighters checked the inside for air quality and after what seemed like a long time out in the cold we were allowed back in. So now we're tucked up in blankets waiting for more repairsbut thoughts of those in New York and new Jersey without shelter and warmth in a snowstorm crowd out any small discomfort we might be experiencing.

     I am very grateful that we are all safe and nothing serious happened to our house, and marvel at the how the Universe handled the timing. The gas smell hadn't reached Al on the second floor yet, so I arrived home just at the right moment. Oh...and when I bemoan the difficulty of decluttering and letting go of stuff I never meant all at once in a whoosh. So wishing many safe days and evenings for all first responders out there and all those in the eye of the storm again.