Pistol Packin' Mamas, Potty Arson, and That Which Does Not Kill Us

At the hospital lately (don't ask, everything's cool), Lamorinda Patch took stock. We ran into a Moraga resident there to sit with an ailing daughter and heard another of those "you don't have it so bad after all" stories.

It seems mom would leave her daughters room and would walk the floor at night to center herself and to give the nurses room to work, trying to respect the privacy of the people in the dimly lit rooms, faces looking up as she passed, some not. One room stood out, a woman swathed in blankets, her adult son - developmentally disabled - holding her hand.

The Lamorindan inquired and learned the woman had terminal cancer, her son declining to leave her side, the nurses bringing him food so he could be near her. Finally, on one of her walks, the Moragan could see the bed was empty and the son visibly upset, as were most of the nurses on the floor.

"What's going to happen to him?" our neighbor asked, and the nurses could only shrug through brimming eyes. So, you think you're having a bad day? Cowboy up, pahdnuh, there are folks out there struggling through a whole lot worse.

Speaking of cowboys, it seems that locals are a little on edge after a spate of recent residential burglaries and some of them, it appears, have taken up arms. On June 6, Moraga police responded to Ascot Court in answer to a report of a woman displaying a handgun in public. Officers made sure the shootin' iron was put up before investigating, learning that two apartment hunters were looking at a residence they thought was for rent when the occupant noted the strangers looking over her property and came out - heeled, as they say.

No harm, no foul. Ever the diplomats, Moraga officers said all parties were "contacted and informed of the misunderstanding."

Whew.

And speaking of close calls (how 'bout these segues this week, eh?) how about Tuesday night's pitched battle between Acalanes and San Marin in Novato. Acalanes player Paul Nork hospitalized with a ruptured spleen after a crushing collision at first base and the game going into extra innings - tied at 4-4 - as darkness fell.

Well, as Patch Editor Brent Ainsworth captured so well, that touched off a duel of a different sort as representatives from both schools squared off over exactly how the outcome of the game would be decided. came out swinging for her boys and it was ultimately decided, we're hearing, that the NCS Division II Championship will be shared by both teams. Nice game Dons... and Mrs. Glimme.

And finally news of the big case in Moraga - that of the ongoing investigation into who torched the two PortaPotties at Joaquin Moraga on June 2. Police said the fires were deliberately set and that they are following up on leads.

We'll see, but McGruff the Crime Dog says this one definitely smells.