I was very pleasantly surprised to get a phone call from my daughter--we talked for two hours. I had symbolically "cut the cord" after years of her caustic blame game attitude and causing me much grief. Until she could speak to me like a normal human being, as one adult to another, I would have no contact with her.

Months later I find this has worked wonders. Now she's the girl I knew when she was growing up; we can talk together about everything. As soon as she knew I meant business, and cut contact, it opened her eyes. Lesson learned susil: As long as you are willing to put up with something, it will continue.

She has deep feelings about plants, animals and the environment like I do. She lives in a new subdivision on land originally deeded to Spanish settlers by the Crown. This land has never been developed or touched. Near an arroyo she found signs of Indian habitation and shards of arrowheads and knapping tools to make them.

The developer who bought this land from the descendants wants to build more houses on the land without calling in the state Archaeologist or Historian to examine the site. I say speak up, go for it, before the site is razed. Good for you, daughter!

susil