I am going to lock Miss M in a padded room

We've often said that we are amazed that in 8 1/4 years, Miss M has only had two stitches on her forehead. She is such a monkey that we expected a rewards card from the ER at this point in her life. She must have several guardian angels looking out for her.

Nonetheless, she still finds ways to give me heart attacks on a fairly regular basis.

A couple of weeks ago, she and I were riding our bikes home from a nearby friend's house. We were approaching our street, when she decided it was clear and time to cross. The only problem? IT WASN'T! I had to scream at the top of my lungs to get her to stop and the approaching car had to put on its brakes. I was so thankful that she wasn't hit by the car.

I thought after that, she might have learned something.

This weekend, however, we were walking along a mountain road on our way back to our car after a hike. She, being herself, got lost in her own world and veered out into the road as a car was coming along. More shouts, more brakes, and she went happily along her way.

I have lost several years from my life after these two relatively close calls.

But is that enough? Of course not.

We spent the weekend at a friend's cabin. There is a swift river behind the cabin, which leads to a much swifter river a few hundred yards downstream. Miss M was thoroughly warned multiple times about the danger of the river. Even with that, my husband found her ankle deep in the water, skipping rocks Saturday afternoon. No close call, but we shudder to think of what might have happened if we had found her later. Into the cabin, out of the wet clothes, and into her pajamas with bare feet.

As we were preparing to leave, no one could find her. She wasn't down the trail, she wasn't at the water, she wasn't in the house or on the road. I have seldom been that scared in my life. For ten minutes we hunted for her, until she suddenly appeared downstairs in the cabin. She had hidden to have some "alone time" to think about life. She didn't respond when we called, and we all were about to fear the worst.

I think that took a decade off my life.

I have kept her extra close since then.