But I did meet Amy O and that has made the difference. Amy and I are buddies now. I know we look like two odd girls-one short, one tall, one plump, one thin, one light, one darker. But we do have something in common; we are both an only child. I think children who grow up without brothers and sisters have it rough. Why? We don't know how to act around kids our own age; we have no one to practice on. But give us an adult to relate to, we are pros. I don't expect much from kids my own age. That's why Amy surprised me.

I suppose you would like to know more about me (not that there is much to tell) and about this development we live in -in beautiful sunny central Florida where every day is a day with sunshine.

It's called Sunny Brook; does that gag you? My mother loves it because she has a 1st edition book of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm published in 1903. My mother is a book collector and loves old books. She sells books online at eBay. So as you might guess, our house is filled with old books, stacks and stacks of them.

I am reluctant to bring anyone home…. Old books give off a musty smell. I keep sniffing myself to see if the smell lingers on me. My father, Sam Putnam, could care less about any smell in the house; he's gone most of the time. He's a golf course superintendent. This is our third move in five years. As Sam always says to my mother and me, "The grass is always greener on another golf course."

I guess I am one of the lucky ones living in the development because I have two big sago palms, one on each side of our doorway that make my house stand out from the other tan and brown homes with only small spindly trees and palms. Why lucky?

Let me explain. We had just moved into our new house. I had decided to scope out the route I would walk to my new school, since it was supposed to be close. My mom had already registered me but I didn't have a clue how to exactly get there.

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