By SHARON E. SMITH

The first morning home after the Cerro Grande Fire, I awoke to total silence. It was a lonely day. 

The second morning home, I awoke to three things generally considered annoying: an early morning lawn mower, a barking dog, and the sound of the garbage truck coming down the street. They were the most beautiful sounds I ever heard!

I think of that day whenever I hear these sounds, even dogs late at night. I am not alone. I am in a neighborhood and a community I love.