The Pink Pahther

 Pink Panther
When my older daughter Amanda Beck Yoder was very young she liked to watch the cartoon, “The Pink Panther.” One reason was the cartoon was mostly silent other than the background music and the action humor was enough to keep a child or an adult amused throughout the presentation. My wife Cindy Morrison Beck and I would occasionally buy a small toy for her. We found a Pink Panther stuffed animal and it was her favorite until she discovered baby dolls. Pink Pnather was relegated to a lesser place of honor on her bed for a few months.
What has brought the thoughts of the Pink Panther to mind is that I am sorting through shelves as I plan my future down-sizing. I am sorting through the shelves in my bathroom closet and one of the things that has claimed a resting space in the closet for years is a verigated pale purple blanket with various figures of the Pink Panther on it.
I “won” the blanket many years ago at a firemen’s fair. Saw it on a shelf in a drawing numbers to win a prize booth. The shelves were loaded with quite a few prizes, but I only had eyes for the blanket. I wanted it for Amanda. I put the “won” in quotation marks because I drew a prize winning number, but it wasn’t for the blanket. The prize that matched the number that I drew was something more expensive. I asked the fireman if I might switch the numbers and claim the blanket.
The fireman was a good friend of mine and because I was actually trading down in value, he readily agreed and I was able to get the blanket. The saddest thing about my deal was that about this time Amanda’s interest switched and she only used it a few times. She was going to give it away and I claimed it again. I know “Indian Giver,” but because I went out of my way to get the blanket, I wasn’t going to let go so easily. I don’t know if she will want it now since her passion for the Pink Panther has cooled or whether it will travel with me when I move. Knowing my kids, that blanket will probably line my coffin.