"bobbie"

Anna asked me the other day for "Bobbie." "Who's Bobbie?" I asked. I looked everywhere for "Bobbie." Maybe she wanted a drink, or some more food (she always wants more food). Or maybe a toy car to play with? But no. She just wanted Bobbie, whoever that was.

I tried to think about who Bobbie could be. Could it be:


Bobbie Kennedy? Former attorney general of the United States, senator from the State of New York, and sharer of birthday with yours truly? Could Bobbie be communicating with Anna from beyond the grave? I decided that, however interesting, it was highly unlikely that Anna was talking about this Bobbie. But if it wasn't RFK she was after, then who could it be? I thought a while longer, and then another Bobbie came to mind.

Bobby Ewing? Scion of the powerful Texan family the Ewings, as portrayed on the early 1980s sitcom Dallas. Man, I saw Dallas a lot as a kid. Maybe almost as much as Dukes of Hazzard. I can recall the theme song, the opening credits, the shots of Texas highways and oil rigs. I always like Bobby. He was the good Ewing, as opposed to that scheming, womanizing JR. But what would Anna want with Bobby Ewing? How the heck would a kid that was less than two years old even know what Dallas was? I was no closer to finding an answer.

Finally, Anna walked across the room and pulled out a Barbie doll and handed it to me. "Bobbie!" she said. "Oh, Barbie!" I responded. "'Bobbie' is Barbie."

Anna likes Barbies, like almost all litle girls. Unfortunately, I am deficient in Barbie play skills. I just don't know what to do with them. I remember that little Ashley Duran, a childhood friend, had a whole family of Barbies and a sports car with which to drive them around. But I don't remember playing much with them -- she was in the driver's seat on that one.

Martha-Liis AKA Maša the babysitter is much better at playing Barbies. The Barbies are always complimenting each other on their hair and clothes and arguing over who is the most beautiful. Girls seem to know how to do these things. Here's a shot of a little gathering of "Bobbies" downstairs.