She was there with you, surrounding you, while you grew arms and legs and eyelids. Your heart beat in harmony with hers. Her blood was your blood; her oxygen, yours. She kept you safe and protected before she even knew what your face looked like or how your voice would sound when you giggled.

My preferred exercise is bike riding. One particular ride is short in distance but difficult in effort. Here I was climbing this hill, my legs hurting, my heart racing, and my Garmin watch telling me that my heartbeat was on the “easy” side.

By BILL HOAGLAND Last week, it was announced by California health authorities that so far this year, three persons have died from venomous snake bites in California and another 70 or so have been bitten but have survived it. Apparently, the unusually warm weather in California is the cause of so many snake bite incidents…