Today’s a good day. Spring has sprung. I love spring because all of nature is coming back to life. The meadow is green with new grass. The aspens are turning green as well. The little creek on our property has recovered from its winter slumber. And today for the first time I spotted a fish in the pond. I wish I knew more about biology. Do adult fish find a way to survive all winter in the blackness of a snow covered pond? Or do they hatch anew every spring?

Today is also a good day because we can celebrate surviving another wind storm. I, for one, was nervous all last week, scanning the horizon for smoke, checking the air for that telltale sweet smoke smell of burning brush. It only takes one carelessly thrown cigarette, a car accident, a crazy person, or a downed power line. It seems a minor miracle that we haven’t had a giant, wind-driven conflagration. Thank you firefighters!

Speaking of downed power lines, did you know that a lot of the work being done on our local power lines is a concerted effort by Xcel to prevent power line-caused fires? They are changing out the old bare wires for ones that are insulated so if a tree falls against the wire, the tree won’t burst into flames as 7,640 volts goes running to the ground. They are also stringing the new neutral wire on top instead of on the bottom as was the old practice. Now, if a tree falls, it will likely hit the neutral wire (that is grounded) first and perhaps never hit the (now insulated) high voltage wire. A form of double protection. And, in addition, they are replacing old lightning arrestors and breakers with new ones that are imbedded in sand so that they don’t shower the ground with sparks. Thank you Xcel. I can worry a little less.

To top off my day, I stopped at the post office and lo and behold there was a check I thought I would never see. A local business closed in January owing Serenity for the previous two months of advertising. Typically, when a business closes, they just disappear and Serenity is out of luck. But there it was… a check for the full amount plus interest. Wow! My faith in humanity has been restored. Yes indeed, today’s a good day.