“She looked up at me, and she said, ‘Daddy, what’s wrong?’ I said, ‘Nothing, Bug.’ Now, I couldn’t see her, but I’m convinced she put her one hand on her hip and pointed her little finger at me. She said, ‘Yeah, there is, Daddy. Tell me what’s wrong!’ I was getting called out by a five-year-old. I said, ‘Well, Bug, if you got to know, I’m just a little frustrated. I can’t get into my barn without walking through all those dern weeds, and I can’t see to mow them.’ She looked at me, and she said, ‘Daddy, I’ll help you.’ I said, ‘All right, girl, if you got the guts, take my finger, lead me to the garage.’”

I imagined this feisty little mini-Lonnie leading him through the grass.

“Bug led me around to the garage,” Lonnie told us. “I had my truck parked outside, but she led me around it and lifted up the big door into the garage where I stored my riding lawn mower. I said, ‘Take me to the mower.’ She took me over there. I got on it, put her on my lap, fired it up, out the door we went. Then she yelled, ‘Stop!’ I said, ‘What?’ She said, ‘The truck.’ I said, ‘Where is it?’ She said, ‘Right there.’ I said, ‘Right where?’”

Lonnie had me now. I was leaning forward on my folding chair in anticipation. “I said, ‘Point at it.’ She pointed at it, and I felt her little arm. I turned the wheel, backed up, turned it the other way, and took off. Then I heard, ‘Stop, the tree! Stop, the fuel tank!’ ‘Okay, Bug. If we got to go left or right, you start turning the wheel that direction. I’ll feel it, and I’ll help you.’ She drove me right out to the barn. I had her get off the lawn mower, go back up to the house, and watch.”

I was cringing, just waiting for him to collide into the side of the barn, or worse.

“I got my hand on the side of the barn, squared it up, and mowed a lap. Then I took that broomstick, held it against the barn and mowed a second lap. I held it all the way out and mowed the third lap. I shut the lawn mower off, and I went back up to the house. I could hear Bug just squealing, ‘You did it, Daddy, you did it! I knew you could do it!’ I picked her up and give her a big hug.