Anne Hjelle laughs as her three-year-old daughter ducks down and pops up behind a gray couch. With a poke of a tiny finger, the girl adjusts her turquoise glasses and gets ready to share a true story.

It’s a tale like no other and one that would send many parents carrying their children from the room. Yet the story exemplifies all the things that are good and pure and significant about the special day we call Mother’s Day.

Elsa winds a finger through her blond locks, hesitates, and begins the story about the mountain lion who attacked Mommy.

What happened is soaked in blood. But it also is steeped in courage, hope, perseverance, faith and the infinite love born of motherhood.

Yet for the little girl, the tale is simply about why part of her mother’s face bears scars from a mountain lion attack 13 years ago.

Snuggled in bed, Elsa asked about the scars and Hjelle shared what happened with calm acceptance while also emphasizing the wonders of the natural world.

Today, her daughter understands the lion’s innocence better than most adults.

‘Skin Deep’

Hjelle and her husband, James, never focused on having children. They were hard-core lovers of the outdoors.

Hjelle grew up in Minnesota and enlisted in the Marine Corps almost on a whim. She shook off drinking and smoking halfway through her tour of duty working as a helicopter mechanic at the Tustin base and discovered mountain biking.

She thrilled at ripping along trails, the physical challenge of navigating rocky, technical single track, cranking up hills most people couldn’t even hike. But more than anything, the Marine loved being outdoors.

The rising sun, the sky at dusk, the moon’s silver rays at night, water flowing over rock, the green canopy of trees, deer grazing, snakes slithering in dry grasses, the hoot of owls fed her soul.

After four years in the Marines and a move back to Minnesota, she decided to return to Orange County, enrolled in personal training classes, earned a certificate and met James.

Instantly, they were outdoor buddies. Sometimes, they went their own ways, at their own separate pace. Still, they always came back together in an unbreakable circle of love, appreciation and happiness.

But on Jan. 8, 2004, in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, Hjelle’s world turned.

Hjelle and her riding partner, Debi Nicholls, swept through the curves of Cactus Trail. Hjelle was ahead and slowed when another cyclist pointed out a lone mountain bike leaning against a tree.

She figured the missing cyclist was on bathroom break and pedaled on. Suddenly Hjelle was “punched off her bike with the force of a speeding truck,” she writes in her captivating book, “Skin Deep.”

Instantly, the mountain lion’s massive jaws gripped Hjelle’s head. The Marine was in a fight for her life. She punched the animal with fury. But teeth designed to severe spinal cords in seconds and crush skulls was winning.

Nicholls leaped off her bike and threw it at the lion. Nothing. She grabbed Hjelle’s legs in a frantic tug of war with 122 pounds of bone and muscle.

As the lion pulled, Hjelle’s face started to come apart. Other mountain bikers threw rocks. Finally, the animal let go. There was so much blood, Hjelle struggled to breathe. She tried to put a slab of hanging skin back on her cheek.

Someone called 911. Soon, a helicopter rushed Hjelle to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

James arrived at the hospital. Seeing his wife, the martial arts expert crumbled to the floor.

‘Born Free’

After several years of surgeries, the couple agreed it was time to move on, to let go, to accept that Hjelle would never look like she did before the attack, that she would always have to deal with dead nerves around her eyes.

Yet in some ways, life was better. The couple’s faith in God became more solid. Their love for one another grew deeper. They knew they could survive anything.

Hjelle expanded her personal training business, wrote her book, returned to mountain biking. She even bombed down Cactus Trail in Whiting Ranch, smiling as she flew past where she had nearly died.

Then — about the same time she gave birth to the book — Hjelle’s world turned once again, this time for the very best.

She gave birth to Elsa.

At first, bringing home a baby seemed daunting. The couple had been married for 13 years. She was 40 years old. He was 46. Mom had never changed a diaper.

Still, Hjelle loved everything about being a mother. She admits, “It’s the hardest job in the world.” But she quickly adds, “It’s an awesome experience. Even the timing, I wouldn’t change.”

Speaking only about herself, Hjelle adds, “Being older, I’m more patient. I have a better handle on what’s important.”

Like most mothers, Hjelle acknowledges sometimes feeling overwhelmed at the responsibility of raising a child. “It’s difficult every day, and I want to make the right decisions. I’m a perfectionist, but you can’t be one when you’re a mom.”

Still, things are awfully close to perfect as Elsa plays with the family cat in a modest but immaculate condo with a view of Saddleback Mountain.

The couple even manages to blend their outdoor past with the present. Soon after giving birth, Hjelle started hiking with baby. Later, she carried Elsa in a backpack up and down steep, rugged trails in Laguna Coast Wilderness.

I ask Elsa what her favorite activities are. With a touch of shyness, she quietly offers hiking, riding her push-bike with no pedals and swimming.

Looking at her daughter, Hjelle offers that when she became a mother she understood for the first time the infinite love that grows from being a parent.

She realized deep in her bones how and why her mountain bike riding partner, Nicholls, could risk her own life to fight off a mountain lion. “She has four children,” Hjelle explains. “As a mom, you have to be selfless. She had the instinct to protect her children and, in this case, her friend.”

I ask why they named their child Elsa, figuring the name honors a relative. Hjelle grins. It has to do with a British movie that she happened to see and one that I happened to love as a child, “Born Free.”

In the drama, a real-life couple raises a lioness. Her name is “Elsa.”

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Denied.

Your bad credit history strikes again. You didn’t even plan on applying for credit; You just wanted to get a 15 percent discount on your Macy’s purchase by applying for a store credit card. Nobody enjoys being reminded of past mistakes, but when you have a bad credit history, you are reminded of those financial mistakes every day. And not only is that a blow to your emotional well-being, it’s also bad for your health.

Bad credit = stress

When you face credit checks for typical consumer decisions like buying a cell phone, requesting a gas card, or even applying for a new job, it’s hard to think about anything else, and that can be stressful. “It’s no mystery that stress relief is critical for our emotional and psychological well-being as well as for our physical health,” Kimberly Rotter, a personal finance expert for creditrepair.com, says. A 2015 American Psychological Association report shows that money and finances affect 72 percent of Americans at least some of the time.

Bad credit is depressing

We all have dreams for tomorrow. Maybe you have plans to buy a new home, a better car, or build a healthy savings account for a dream vacation. But when you carry around a bad credit history, it’s hard to move forward with your goals. And, that can wreck your self-worth.

“To find relief, a person in debt needs to take practical steps to deal with the financial underpinnings of the problem,” Bill Fay, a writer for debt.org, says.  “How are you going to deal with the challenges to your financial stability? And how will you handle its effects on your emotional life?” Fay says the answers to those questions will set the tone for the health and well-being of your bank account, your personal life, and your family’s future.

Bad credit is bad for your health—literally

When financial times are tight, what is the first thing we scrap? For many of us, it’s our health. Trips to the dentist get delayed, annual checkups are ignored—all because we fear we can’t afford them. This is no way to live, and it certainly isn’t a healthy habit for your family.

The time is right to make some changes in your finances. “It helps to have an action list handy to help you reach your goals,” Naomi Mannino, a personal finance expert, says. First, Mannino says to request a credit report and check for errors. Second, set a budget that includes doubled up payments on outstanding debt. Finally, talk with a financial expert to help you determine the best strategy for your financial future.

The good news is that your credit history isn’t permanent, so don’t allow bad credit to be an unwelcome symptom of poor health. By taking steps now, you can repair financial mistakes of the past and secure a healthy and happy financial future.

Amy Osmond Cook is the Executive Director of the Association of Skilled Nursing Providers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about best practices in senior care. Contact her at amy@skillednursingproviders.org.

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A plan to replace a low-profile 69-year-old fourplex with a new four-level Spanish-style duplex in San Clemente’s Pier Bowl area complies with city codes, even as it stirs opposition from neighbors, officials said.

On a 5-0 vote, city planning commissioners approved a cultural heritage permit on April 19 to allow Steve and Dale Scibelli’s project at 508 Avenida Victoria, where wooden “story poles” indicate the proposed dimensions for the building.

At a public hearing, six neighbors complained that the building will dwarf neighbors, will be massive and will block multiple neighbors’ ocean views, as far away as Monterey Lane.

“The ocean view does not belong to just one owner,” Corona Lane resident Patricia Cox told commissioners. “It’s all of ours.”

City codes do not protect views from private properties. Planning commissioners voiced sympathy but said there was no choice but to approve the 35-foot-high project, as it complies with city rules.

“I would love to see a project that is in harmony here,” Commissioner Michael Smith said. “I don’t think it’s a good fit.”

David York, project architect, said the owners plan to live in the upper two floors. York said the project was designed to step back from floor to floor, going up, to leave open a view corridor down Avenida Victoria.

Traffic detours coming to Forster Ranch

Through the month of May, San Clemente’s Forster Ranch community will experience traffic detours to let the city and its road contractor build roundabouts at two key intersections.

Work will begin Monday, May 3, to build a roundabout on the corner of Camino de los Mares and Camino del Rio, requiring road closures on all four approaches to the intersection. Access to homes will be maintained, but detours will be necessary until about May 17 when the intersection may be ready to reopen, the city said in a news release.

A similar closure at Camino del Rio and Sarmentoso is tentatively scheduled for May 18 to May 31. Watch for detour signs.

After the intersections reopen, periodic closures may be needed to facilitate roundabout landscaping and paving operations, the city said. “The city asks that the public plan alternative routes during this period and adhere to the detour routes,” the news release said.

Completion of the Del Rio project is targeted for early July.

No rail service this weekend

There will be no train service at the south end of the county this weekend, due to work being done on the rail line in San Diego County.

Metrolink says its trains Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, will halt at Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and buses will be provided to stations on south to Oceanside.

Amtrak trains will halt at Irvine with bus service between there and San Diego. Normal routes resume Monday. See amtrak.com and metrolinktrains.com.

Council to consider radioactive waste

The City Council on Tuesday, May 2, will consider sending a letter asking the California Coastal Commission to reconsider a 2015 permit it issued approving burial of 3.6 million pounds of radioactive waste at San Onofre.

Council members had questions about the contents to put into a letter at their last meeting April 18. They decided to try again May 2, after viewing a report that was presented to coastal commissioners in 2015 together with public input given at that time and now.

Also facing the City Council will be acceptance of a new city soccer park on Avenida Vista Hermosa next to Shorecliffs Middle School, a cost increase for a structural assessment of Marine Safety Headquarters and discussion of tall eucalyptus trees at a city reservoir in the south end of town and their impact on neighbors.

Restroom to close for renovations

The city plans to close a public restroom at popular T-Street Beach for a week in May to perform maintenance and upgrades prior to the busy summer season.

The work will start on May 15, the city said in a news release. During closure, patrons are advised to use the Boca del Canon restroom south of the T-Street Overpass.

Distillery wins permit for tasting room

Drift Distillery, a new family-owned business making craft spirits at 940 Calle Amanecer in the Rancho San Clemente Business Park, has won a permit to operate a tasting room with sales.

The Planning Commission approved a permit April 5. Under its license, Drift will be limited to selling three 750 ml bottles of its craft whiskey, gin, vodka or rum per person per day and offering tastes of 1.5 ounces per person per day, officials said.

Other businesses in the area that have tasting rooms include Artifex Brewing Co. at 919 Calle Amanecer, Lost Winds Brewing Co. at 924 Calle Negocio and Left Coast Brewing Co. at 1245 Puerta del Sol, commissioners were told.

Dance team to present its winning dances

The community is invited to see first-hand the dances that won United Spirit Association titles for San Clemente High School’s dance team at the USA Championships held in Long Beach.

The team will present its annual public concert from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 28-29, on campus at 700 Avenida Pico. Tickets are $16 for adults $11 for children and students, at schsdanceteam.com.

The concert will include the team’s winning intermediate, novelty and large lyrical dances.

Concert is all about bells

The South County Community Handbell Choirs invite the public to a benefit concert titled “Beauty and the Bell(e).”

Adult and youth choirs will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at St. Andrew’s Methodist “Church, 2001 Calle Frontera, San Clemente. There is no admission fee but donations will be accepted to benefit Family Assistance Ministries. The choirs will be presenting hygiene kits to FAM for the needy.

Among the tunes will be “The Haunted Forest,” “Yankee Doodle,” “Scarborough Fair,” “It’s a Small World” and selections from “Beauty and the Beast.”

Learn more at schandbell.org.

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Residents picked up saplings and compost to add to their own greenery at home during La Habra’s annual celebration of the environment on Saturday, April 22.

There were also experts on hand for Earth Day at El Centro Park to talk about water conservation and being green around the house.

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