Joe the "Genius"

On a recent February day Joe "The Genius" Fisher decided to fulfill a long time dream (1 month is a long time if you are 5 ½ yrs old) of obtaining a set of deer antlers.

Joe knew that deer are tricky (his grandpa told him so) and that he would need to be extra stealthy.  While the deer walk freely through grandpa's yard, Joe's yard is fenced.  So the best way to get the deer inside the yard was to set a trap and bait it.  An apple was thought to be the best bait, but how to construct a trap? 

Well, Joe thought it through and, with the help of some garage items, spent the afternoon piecing together the "Ultimate Deer Trap". First he setup the trip wire …and placed a rock on top of the tuna can (so the deer would be scared and walk into the trip wire); then he baited the trap with an apple; so the idea was the deer would step on the aluminum tray, go to eat the apple but trip over the trip wire causing his antlers to then fall in the garbage lid carefully placed on the sandbox…. And Voila! The "Ultimate Deer Trap" was set.  Joe went off to bed confident that in the morning a set of antlers would be waiting for him.

Joe awoke early the next morning and ran to the porch door to check his trap.  Alas, the apple remained intact and the sandbox was free of antlers.  Joe was upset because the deer had not visited the backyard.  He frowningly confronted his mother about the fact that SHE had closed the gate that he had left open for the deer's easy access to the yard.  And so he left for school with his long time dream still unfulfilled.

Tim, (seeing Joe’s crushed expression), knew he HAD to find a pair of antlers for the trap.  He spent time that day going around to flea markets and swap meets searching for a set.  Finally, he found a set of small antlers (they even had fuzz on them) and, after some serious negotiations, they were his.  After Joe was in bed that night, Tim took the bait apple - poked holes in it to look like deer bites-sprung the trap, and laid the antlers in the sand box.

Joe awoke the next morning; ran to the porch door; and lo & behold, there they were – a real life set of antlers!!  Joe ran out-grabbed the antlers and came running into the house wide eyed yelling "Mom I got antlers – I got antlers"!  Then, all of a sudden it dawned on him –"I am a genius-Mom, I am a GENIUS  - I AM A GENIUS!!"

Well, Joe simply had to take the antlers to school for show and tell – he needed to tell his friends about the trap and what he genius he is.  Dad, knowing what the teacher might say, smartly explained that Joe had to keep this a secret because it was "Not deer hunting season, and Joe might get in trouble for illegally taking deer antlers away from the deer. And so it is now a family secret that Joe has "illegally" obtained deer antlers of which he VERY proud.  It is not a secret that he is a very happy, confident, little boy/hunter.  Who was more stealthy (a word that means a lot to him) than the deer!

Moral of story – Having hopes and dreams is good and, if you are willing to put effort into them, those hopes and dreams can come true! (Especially if you are a "GENIUS")

The Trap

The Prize!!