So, have you guessed? Mary Anne would like to be a koala. She said she would spend

most of her time hiding in the trees, but she would also let herself be hugged by children, if they needed her.

Our koala makes a great secretary. Mary Anne is in charge of the club's record book, which includes information about our clients as well as the schedules of each sitter. At a glance, Mary Anne can tell you which of us is available for a job.

The dub record book was Kristy's idea, of course, and so was the dub notebook. The dub notebook is where we write up jobs that we've been on, so that the other members can read our notes and keep up-to-date on what’s happening with our clients — who's suddenly afraid of the dark, who's on a broccoli strike, and so on. All that writing and reading is a real pain sometimes, especially for a terrible speller like me, but I guess it pays off. Parents appreciate sitters who are well informed about their charges.

One member of the BSC wasn't in my room that afternoon, but I want to tell you about her anyway since she's still very much a part of the dub. Her name is Dawn Schafer, and she's Mary Anne's other best friend — and her stepsister. Remember I mentioned that Mary Anne's father had loosened up a little? Well, we think it may have had something to do

with the fact that he fell in love again with an old high school girlfriend, and then married her. That girlfriend was Dawn's mom, Sharon. She grew up in Stoneybrook, but after high school she moved to California. She got married there, and that's where Dawn and her younger brother Jeff were born. After the Schafers divorced, when Dawn was twelve, Sharon brought Dawn and Jeff back to Connecticut. Dawn adjusted to the move pretty easily, with the help of the BSC. But Jeff never got used to Connecticut, and he ended up moving back to California to live with his dad. Dawn missed him like crazy from the moment he left, so she finally decided to spend a few months with him and her dad, in California. She has promised to come back to Stoneybrook, though, and we all hope she makes it sooner rather than later. We miss her.