Did I mention my act of heroism when I was in Lethbridge? My unwavering bravery in the face of danger? How I saved three people from a raging house-fire? Oh no? Oh!

I was out for a late evening neighbourhood stroll when, by freak coincidence, I looked over my shoulder just as a tiny column of flame started to scale the wall of a house. Initially I thought the blaze was the result of a foolishly situated barbecue. Later I learned that carelessly stored peat-moss can spontaneously combust in hot dry weather conditions.

Pounding and yelling at the door summoned a middle aged woman who flew past me to the hose, previously invisible to me in the dark and panic. As she doused the flames I called 911. At its peak, the fire was big enough to lick over the roof's edge. All the while, her cute geriatric parents took breaks from the dishes to peek curiously out the window.

The authorities urged me to make sure everyone was safely out of the house and to definitely NOT attempt to put the fire out. By that time, the hose lady was winning the battle and her parents seemed oblivious to the danger, despite all the yelling. Everything turned out alright, but had I not looked over my shoulder at that precise moment, the house would certainly have been reduced to ash.

I'm bringing this up now because I received a Hallmark 'Thank You' card in the mail yesterday addressed to 'Ryan Slocum'. It contained a twenty dollar bill. "Hope you have a nice snack with this little gift." LOL!