"What the??" Part II

It's 9:30 p.m. and the trucks are still at work outside my front door, complete with that loud BEEP*BEEP whenever they back up, which seems so much louder in the dark than it does in the daytime.

Rewind: When I returned to the kitchen to finish up dinner after posting about the dirt pile earlier this afternoon, what do I find but two firetrucks--with all lights flashing--and a street full of firemen in full regalia.

Apparently, all that digging this afternoon did something to puncture a natural gas line. I was just about to call my parents to tell them they would have to park on another street (remember, I was unable to get my car out to go pick them up myself) when I saw a fireman approaching my front door. 'Oh no,' I thought. 'Are we going to be evacuated? That will surely ruin my dinner.' Then I realized he was carrying a box--a strangely familiar box--one of my mother's flat boxes from Costco in which she carries food. A young, rather attractive fireman in his full gear was delivering a box with my mother's part of the dinner in it to my front door! Apparently my parents had already arrived and been instructed to park a block or two away and the kind fireman who informed them of this volunteered to carry my mom's food box up the street. That's what I call a public servant!

Of course, the first thing I said to the cute fireman as I took the box from him was, "I really want a picture of this!" He just sort of did the Smile-and-Nod, and as I was rather distracted by everything that was going on, alas, I missed a great photo opp. My dad, shaking his head as he came in the house, remarked, "Well, at least when the explosion comes, they'll be ready to put out the fire." Always the optimist, my Dad.

When the missionaries arrived a few minutes later, also having had to walk a few blocks, they told us that a fireman started to approach them on their way up the street. Before they could explain that they were in fact not tracting, but rather coming for a dinner engagement, the fireman took off his gloves, extended his hand in greeting, and with a smile said he was a member of the Church, too (not as common an occurrence in Colorado as in say, Utah).

Anyway, it was quite an eventful night--still ongoing. The firemen are gone, however, replaced by the Public Service utility guys.

I just hope I can get my car out of the garage in the morning.