My daughter is now 20 years old. We got her when she was 15 months old. Over the last 19 years, we’ve archived a lot of good memories.
The other day, we were all eating out. The restaurant had a claw game machine. You know the one, you put 50 cents in and don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of winning a cheap stuffed animal. Josie said, “Mom, remember Squirrely Shirley? I replied, “Yes, I sure do, baby. That was an epic day.”
Josie was four. From the time she was little, we had always played the claw game. I’m sure we have squandered hundreds of dollars on the claw game. Up until this point, we had never won a damn thing. Josie always took losing in stride, but it had to get old.
One night, she and I were having dinner alone at Steak n’ Shake. As we were leaving, she asked to play the claw game in front of the store. Of course, I dug the 50 cents out of my purse. I’m not gonna lie, she had the eye of the tiger on this particular day. She meant business.
I asked what she was going for. She said without a second of hesitation, “I’m getting that squirrel.” I told her, “Do it, sis!”
She carefully moved the claw back and forth till she had just the angle she was after. She then slammed her hand down on the red button to drop the claw with force.
We held our breath with anticipation.
What I did not realize was that the squirrel’s tail was sewn to the back of his head to keep it nice and jaunty. Well, the hook went between the head and tail and was lifting that fucking squirrel.
Josie and I both started jumping up and down and screaming. Everyone in the entire restaurant was looking at us. I’ll be damned if that claw didn’t drop that stuffed animal right down in the chute.
Josie lost her freaking mind. She kept yelling, “I can’t believe it! We did it, Momma!” I may have cried. The entire restaurant stood up and clapped for her.
She clung to that squirrel all the way home and just kept saying, “I can’t believe it!” We immediately had to name it and settled on Squirrely Shirley.
Her dad was out of town, so of course, we had to call and regale him with the entire dramatic story of Squirrelly Shirley and how she became part of the family.
After countless lost claw games, I’m pretty sure that was the most memorable and expensive squirrel in the history of the universe. However, it was worth every damn penny to see the joy on that child’s face. God, she loved that squirrel. We still have it.
They say that most of the best things in life are free, but I beg to differ on this one. That was one damn pricy squirrel, but I would gladly fork over the money again to see the sheer elation on my kid’s face. Plus, how often does one get a standing ovation at Steak n’ Shake?
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
