C13

Today #2 girl turned 13. I'm not sure how we got here so soon, but it's pretty clear that we'd better continue to hang on tight for this is sure to be a wild ride!

Tradition, if having only one before you counts as tradition, upon turning thirteen requires a scavenger hunt. There should be thirteen gifts hidden with riddle clues. The birthday girl, and one day boy, have to follow the clues to find all the gifts. Each gift leads to the next. Smart girls carry a flashlight and take a sibling along as a pack mule! Of course, this pack mule kept mum since she knew where all the gifts were hidden! She and the brother hid them all! David made up the very clever clues!

Happy happy birthday
To daughter #2
You have 13 presents!
Each one with its own clue.

Gift #1
Is in a big container that’s red
It used to go fast
But right now it’s dead.

You found #1!
No time to gloat
To find #2
Look in something that floats.

You found #2
You’re getting better and better
To find the next one
See if we got a letter.

You found that one too!
Now run, don’t you walk
And look behind something
We write on with chalk.

You found #4
You’re quite hard to fool
You’ll find #5
With the stuff for the pool.

You found #5
We hope you’re not draggin’
To find #6
Look under the red wagon.

To find the next one
Go back on the deck
Amid bottles and cans
Is where you should check.

To find #8
Back down you go
Look near the equipment
That makes water flow.

The next place warms in the winter
And cools in the summer
And when it goes out
It’s a real bummer.

Nine presents found
But never you fear
You’ll find #10
Near a target eaten by deer.

That’s a whole lot of presents
But there are still three
And one of them is hiding
Under the downed tree.

Two more to go
This is no clue for fools
You’ll find the next one
In with the tools.

You found the next-to-last
With the greatest of ease
To find #13
Check the house in the trees.

You found all 13 presents
We hope your birthday is happy
Now I’d better stop these poems
Before I start getting sappy!