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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 12:00 AM

BROWN: Just say ‘no’ (to a pony)

By LINDA BROWN, Hold Me Up a Little Longer, Lord

The Big Guy went to buy shoe polish over the weekend and came back with a little pink T-shirt that says on the front: “What part of Princess don’t you understand?”

No shoe polish — just the T-shirt.

Yep, I do believe my normally unflappable husband of 28 years has been charmed silly by our 18-week-old granddaughter.

She’s been good for him.

Normally, it requires a controlled groan to haul himself out of his favorite chair, but when he’s holding baby Bella he’s as spry as a 20 year-old.

Forty years ago a helicopter crash in Vietnam left the Big Guy with a trick knee. He subconsciously rubs that knee when the weather is turning colder or it’s fixing to rain.

It’s turned cooler and downright cold a few days, and rained a lot over the past 18 weeks.

He never rubs his knee when he’s around Bella. I silently think of her as his knee balm.

As the official family photographer, the Big Guy has taken hundreds of pictures of Bella over the last four-and-a-half months.

At first I didn’t say anything. I just smiled as I looked through the printed pictures, picked out my favorites and then proceeded to buy Ottawa completely out of photo frames.

After the first month I suggested we only print our favorite weekly photos.

I thought we were in agreement until I realized that his idea of producing fewer pictures was to produce bigger pictures.

Instead of getting a handful of 4-by-6 prints, I had a dizzying array of 8-by-10 photos begging to be framed and displayed.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m ga-ga over that little girl, too, but we only have so many flat surfaces in the house where we can sit framed photographs.

Saturday during our weekly baby-fix I asked Princess Summer what she’d like for us to get Bella for Christmas.

While discussing the pros and cons of different gifts I overheard BaPa Brown asking baby Bella what color pony she wanted for Christmas.

“Does my pretty little lady want a white one, a brown one or maybe a black one?” he crooned. “Humm? How about a black one since you already have a white doggy and a brown doggy. With a black pony you’d have a pet in all three pet colors!”

“Oh for Pete’s sake,” I said. “The kids live in the city and have a suburban size yard. Bella can’t have a pony.”

“Oh dear, little Missy, your MeMe is a mean one today. Of course you can have a pony. It can live at BaPa’s house.”

“Have you forgotten? WE also live in the city,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Now, now, Pumpkin, don’t you give it another thought,” he said tapping his finger on the tip of her little baby nose. “If my baby-kins wants a pony BaPa will get her a pony. You just let your BaPa handle everything. BaPa knows people.”

BaPa knows people?

What kind of people?

Horse people?

Farm people?

If you happen to be one of ‘his people’ do me a favor and tell him “no”.

Linda Brown is marketing director for The Ottawa Herald. E-mail her at lbrown@ottawaherald.com

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BROWN: Just say ‘no’ (to a pony)

By LINDA BROWN, Hold Me Up a Little Longer, Lord

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.