The Baby Of The Family ...

Kimmy is the baby of the family; she just celebrated her seventh birthday. When she was younger she referred to Buddy as her "fix-it dad" because he was always fixing things around the house. If an arm or a leg fell off her favorite doll, she would say, "Have no fear, my fix-it dad is here."

At one time Buddy was starting to believe that it was his main role in the family. That was before he realized that it was only because the kids were so darn good at breaking things. Margarita still says that Buddy is only good for fixing things.

The first time she said that, Ms. Lucy flashed a devious smile and said, "Buddy I think Margarita have a big crush on you." His immediate response was, "I think we should move -- far away from here."

"Buddy Meuillar, that's not very nice! You know that Margarita is a good neighbor who will do anything for us." He coyly replied, "As usual, you are right Ms. Lucy. Do you think SHE will move -- to another continent?"

Kimmy got her first computer game was she was only five years old. She immediately demanded her fair share of computer time on the family's only computer. Her learning curve was relatively low. Within days, she was expertly following Pooh and Tiger on their misadventures.

Her technical adroitness grew with each new game and only a few weeks ago, she received her seventh computer game. She continues to be a whiz kid at the mouse.

Late last week, her competency flag fluttered precariously when Buddy announced that the virus checker detected two worms and a Trojan horse on the family computer. He realized that this was a little beyond her when she asked if they could use the worms to go fishing.

As you might expect, it did not end there. She woke up in the middle of the night asking, "How did a big Trojan horse get into the house and then into computer without anyone seeing it?"

The next morning Buddy left the family in bed and quietly came downstairs to listen to music and continue reading his favorite book. Not long after, Kimmy came into the room and asked, "Daddy, is fifty-one cents enough to buy a new PS2 game?"

"No! Why do you want a new PS2 game?"
"Because I already beat Shrek and it is no fun anymore."

"Well, fifty-one cents is not nearly enough. You need quite a few dollars and fifty-one cents is only a little over half of one dollar." She flashed a beautiful smile and skipped out of the room saying, "Well, I'd better go and find the other half."

Shortly thereafter, Ms. Lucy appeared and said, "Kimmy just announced that she wants to set-up a Lemonade Stand today. She needs more money to buy a new PS2 game. Does this have anything to do with you?"

The next day was slightly better. Kimmy wanted a pet for her birthday and suggested a horse. "No! A horse is not a good idea! We don't have a barn and the city would not let us build one in the back yard. Even if they did, the back yard is much too small for a barn."

"Can we get an alligator or a python?" she asked hopefully.
"Definitely out of the question! They eat children for breakfast and lunch and dinner."

"I know," she exclaimed! "We could get a dog AND a cat OR a hamster AND a bird."
"No, no! Dogs are out! The last one chewed my shoes and there is no room for a dog in the car. Cats are out! Norm is allergic to cats. No hamsters! They stuff everything into their mouth. No birds! They make too much noise too early in the morning."

In quiet desperation she asked, "What can I get for my birthday?"
"How about a fish? They don't make noise or chew on shoes."

"That's a great idea dad! Why didn't I think about that? Let's go to the store right now, I want to get a fish."
"What kind of fish do you want?"
"I want a fighter! One with a bright red tail."
"OK! One bright-red-tailed-fighter-fish birthday present coming up!"

With the grey owl sightings in central and southern Ontario this winter Buddy took his family for a drive to see the owls. They come to this area every 10-20 years from their remote northern habitat.

Bright-eyed Kimmy spotted the first one on a tree. The next one was in an open snow covered field. Norm looked at it through the telescope and said, "Yuck! It is eating a little animal." Kimmy quickly turned down the offer to see what had succumbed to the owl.

Buddy continued on to search for more owls. They passed a few sitting high up in the trees and then came upon one perched only a few feet from the road. It sat there quietly turning it large head from side to side as if it was expecting company.

Norm and Kimmy looked at it through the telescope and commented on its beautiful round face and those large piercing eyes. Ms. Lucy took many pictures while waiting patiently for it to fly away. They wanted to see its wingspan. It was a remarkable experience.

On the way home, they passed by the open field again and noticed that the owl was still eating his prized catch. Buddy casually remarked that it might have caught a Jack Rabbit for dinner.

Kimmy quietly asked, "What is a Jack Rabbit?" A male rabbit, interjected Norm. In a concerned tone, Kimmy replied, "I just hope it is not the Easter Rabbit."