ARE WE AMBULANCE CHASERS?

There were sirens tonight that sounded like they stopped in our neighborhood. We got in the car to go see who was in trouble. There were so many sirens I thought perhaps there was a group heart attack.

It was the first fire of the season, up a little canyon about a half mile away. Too early in the season for fires. Some years are really bad here, forest fires, fires right in town from kids playing with matches or fireworks, fires on the mountains, which are so close. Fires in little canyons, which are abundant right here in town.

Deer live in these canyons. There are homes above the canyons, homes below the canyons and deer wandering through the neighborhood. Years ago the deer stayed in the mountains but now there are small groups of deer all around us, year round.

As soon as we found a group of people congregated on the sidewalk we stopped for the "scoop." It was one of the women in my writer's critique group, her husband and her mom and sister--who are visiting from Idaho. I was so happy to meet them. The mom, who raised this remarkable woman, said, "She just came good. I never had to do a thing."

Amazing! Truly amazing. I am so jealous, both of the remarkable woman who "came good" and of the mom who raised her.

I was not an easy teenager to raise. I am so sorry, Mom. You always told me, "What goes around, comes around." I have paid, I think. And yet I would not trade any of my children, who were not so easy either, for anything in the world. They are wonderful people.

Well, this post didn't exactly go where I thought it would but I'm glad it did. Mother's Day is coming and I'd give anything to be able to apologize to my angel mother. I'd like to tell her how much I adore her. I would say something like, "See, Mom, I've turned out all right." And then I would get one of her wonderful hugs. Oh, how I would love one of her hugs.

She loved me. She still loves me. I think she watches over me, too. So, I will say, "I love you, Mom," occasionally, right out loud just in case.