The Critter Getter goes a bit wild with Bud and Annie at the wheel

Ever since my great-granddaughter Annie Clem was old enough to walk, I tried to talk her into letting me take her for a ride on my Honda ATV. Well, she knew I called it the “Critter Getter,” and she always waved to it as it sat on the trailer. She even allowed me to sit her on the seat, and she would hang on to the handlebars.

But she did not like anything that made a loud noise. Every time an airplane passed over our house, she held her ears and started crying. If an ambulance went down the road with the siren sounding, she would, again, hold her ears.

I kept waiting for the opportunity. It seemed like she might not ever take a ride. Every time we babysat her while her mother was working, I walked her around the yard, and she would wave her hand and say, “Hi, Critter Getter.”

Well, I decided to ask her again if she wanted to go for a ride. I was pleasantly surprised. When the wife was walking her in the yard, I asked her if she wanted to ride, and she said, “No, Papa, it is too loud!” I kept telling her it was not too loud, and while the wife held her hand, I started it up.

She grabbed her ears, but then said, “That isn’t very loud!” I asked her again, “Would you like to go for a ride? We won’t go fast.” She said “Yes!”

I put the tailgate ramp down on the trailer, and I slowly backed the Critter Getter off the trailer. I had it in reverse, and when I got it off the trailer, the wife helped her onto the seat cushion in front of me.

Annie grabbed the handlebars, and she inadvertently squeezed the throttle lever. We went backwards rather quickly. I had built a white wooden fence at the end of the driveway next to the garage. It had a 4x4 fence post on the ends and two 2x4 boards fastened horizontally and level from one corner post to the other corner post. It actually looked pretty good ... at one time.

I might add that Annie was just two years old when this happened. I was so proud of her finally overcoming her fear of noises to go for a ride. I was very concerned what happened might have traumatized her and that she would never want to go for another ride.

She has helped me wash dirt and mud of the Critter Getter, and there was some blood from a deer on the trailer floor. She thought the Critter Getter got hurt. As you might have guessed, Nana and I are very proud of Annie and all of our grandkids and great-grandkids. We are truly blessed!

Needless to say, we went on an unexpected ride backwards, and we struck the fence before I could apply the brakes. It certainly made a loud noise. Neither one of us got hurt, but the wife came running to us with her hands on her cheeks.

Annie saw her and said, “Papa, let’s go! Nana is mad!” I put the gear shift in first gear, and we went forward around the trailer. I slowly took her across the front yard. I told Annie that her Great-Grandma Nana was not mad, and she was just concerned we might have been hurt.

Before long, Annie told me, “Go faster, Papa!” I knew she was startled from hitting the fence, and I did not want to scare her going too fast.

We circled the yard a couple times, and she was having fun. As we made another pass around the backyard, Annie saw Nana walking toward us, and she asked me, “Is Nana going to be mad about the fence?” I told her, “No, Nana won’t be mad!” She told me, “Better let me off right here!”

I told her I could fix the fence, and later that afternoon, I made the trip to Menard’s, got new boards, replaced the damaged lumber. Before Annie’s mother picked her up to take her home, I asked her, “Annie, do you want to take another ride on the Critter Getter?” She said, “Not right now, but next time, you drive!” She gave Nana and I a kiss and a hug and said, “I am sorry for hitting the fence.”