Getting The Gas Back

It's normal for us to stop and restart gas service to the house when we're absent for vacations. It not only prevents possible problems, but the mandated recheck of all the connections when it's turned back on is another level of reassurance.

What's not usual is when the process turns into a 20-minute phone call. No, no problems, just a chatty company employee. I hope it doesn't get her in trouble. And no, I can't get her in trouble as I forget her name three seconds after she answered with it, followed by a how-can-I-help-you? That is usual.

It started when I asked for the gas to be turned on for the first workday after our return when we knew we'd be there instead of out and about. I mentioned we were returning from vacation. My fault, I guess, for starting it. Then again, she had asked whether we were just winter residents as a lot of policies for how companies resume service vary for the short-timers.

It morphed into a discussion of mosquitoes here vs, there, to cooking only via microwave, to the need for hot water vs. letting the climate take care of that for your summer showers while you put off reconnecting the water heater, to availability of cold tap water there vs. here, to fires in the Amazon Rain Forest, to rain starting there but not in AZ, to monsoon destruction of her gazebo, to ....

Eventually the reconnect was scheduled, I have a two hour window within which it will happen, and all the necessary contact info is in place. I did think several times about bringing the call to an end, but really, what was my hurry? She did the heavy lifting on keeping the conversation going, so perhaps it meant it was a slow morning on her end. It was a pleasant contact with a kindred soul with a nice sense of humor - and possibly an easing of the rigors of a strictured and lonely work day on her part.