The snowbirds are coming back to Southern Arizona. I was chatting with a neighbor I haven't seen since May, telling her about our trip.

"You're so brave!" she said. "All that driving, all alone!"

I hate it when people say that. First of all, I am not brave. And second, I wasn't alone. I was with Bao. And bad things happen, whether you're safe at home or travelling the world.

I mean, what could be safer than walking your dog along a suburban street in Tucson at 8 AM? If there's one time you don't feel as if you're in mortal danger, it's during that daily, morning walk with your dog.

That's what Julia Sunderlin was doing, yesterday morning. Walking her dog Gertie, along Sabino Canyon Road, about a mile from here. Along came two drunks in a minivan. They'd been drinking all night and were headed for a convenience store to buy more beer. They were arguing. One of them grabbed the steering-wheel, the van went off the road and now Julia Sunderlin and Gertie are dead. Just like that. (Apparently, nothing happened to the drunks. Nothing ever does)

I didn't know Julia Sunderlin. I read about it in the paper this morning.

All I could think was, It doesn't make sense. It didn't make sense when my husband died, either. It still doesn't. But there it is. Bad things happen. I don't know why. That's life, I guess. And all we can do about it is try to enjoy everything we can, as much as we can and as long as we can. I like doing car trips, so I do car trips. Julia liked walking Gertie.

At least they're together, Julia and Gertie.