Here’s something you don’t think about much — what happens if the natural gas goes away in the middle of a cold spell? Got a fireplace? Wood stove? Any objection to burning the furniture in the living room?

It’s not quite clear what caused the problem, but some 40,000 New Mexico Gas Co. customers apparently find themselves in this position this evening, reports the Albuquerque Journal. According to the Journal, crews have to shut down every single gas meter before gas can be returned to communities’ main lines, then return to each gas customer, purge air from the lines, test the lines, and relight the pilot lights before service can be restored. Ay, Chihuahua.

We used to fret about running out of gas from time to time in Weirdcliffe, because the propane guy hated driving up our wickedly steep road to fill the tank in evil weather, which is (duh) when you really want a full tank. But up there we had a wood stove, trees and the tools to bring the two together in fiery union. Down here in Bibleburg we have a couple of portable electric space heaters, three propane camp stoves and two cats. Oh, yeah, and a solar assist unit on the roof that mostly works only when the sun shines, which lately, eh, not so much.

Here’s hoping all my friends down thataway are staying warm this evening. As one noted: “We got some excitement down here.” Claro que si.