Goldie’s Red Balloon

Goldie has a pet balloon. It’s a helium balloon and has lost a little of its original heliumatic strength, so it tends to hover and bob between three and six feet off the ground. And, it does seem to float about as if perhaps it were following Goldie – which might be considered creepy – but is seen by Goldie as signs of its affection for her. (Hey, as I typed that I recalled that Red Balloon movie we watched in elementary. Did everybody see that? This boy becomes pals with a large red helium balloon – it’s basically his best friend. Probably his only friend. Then some mean kids pop it. And it is very depressing except that then all the other helium balloons in the town unite and come flying to comfort him. And it ends with him being lifted away by the bunch of them. I’m not making this show up. I guess that ending was supposed to be happy, but I believe I always left the showing feeling rather empty inside.)

Anyway, I just mentioned Goldie’s balloon because it makes for a rather low maintenance pet for any of you who can get one to behave similarly. Of course I fear that old balloony’s life expectancy might be rather short, and I may soon find myself outside with a shovel conducting a small balloon funeral to a backdrop of Goldie’s sniffling tears.