I have to share a link to someone else's creative output. The blog of Monkey's Deep Thoughts is a true delight. The post called "Spinning Girl and I Make Hot Cocoa" had me in stitches. Over the phone, the blogger Spinning Girl guides Monkey (pictured left) through the process of making delicious Mayan hot chocolate, complete with real vanilla beans and chili peppers. However, Monkey becomes disoriented, and unbeknownst to the cooking instructor, changes the plan to something slightly simpler.Monkey is from the Folkmanis family, and I suspect that my toddler storytime helper, Chester, is a close cousin They may look similar (though note Monkey's close-cropped haircut), but their personalities are quite different. Monkey is a bit of a jet-setter who gets to travel to exotic places like Boston and make movies. Monkey's blog is rated "R", not because of anything terribly risque written in the actual blog posts, but because of the uncensored comments.
Chester (pictured right) has a simpler existence. He is a perpetual toddler whose main job is to help the children in storytime feel at ease. A number of children like to pet Chester's soft fur and the brave ones will let him nibble their fingers. Chester respects other people's space, though, and will wave to the more cautious children. Every March, I tell the people in storytime that Chester's birthday is that month, and I bring in homemade cookies all the week of my birthday. The children sing "Happy Birthday" to Chester, and sometimes make little cards for him. You may think it's sneaky to have Chester pretend to have my birthday, and to have him turn 3 years old every year... but how else are we going to get the cookies?
5 comments:
That's so sweet. I wish we could go to your storytimes. The LSB got to go to library storytime with her Pa on Wednesday, though!
Seriously, Is Monkey not the cutest thing? Chester does look related. I actually have a puppet at my home that could also be a relative. Maybe we sound prejudice with all our "all monkeys look alike" philosophy but oh well.
I'll bet the monkeys are all related, if they're from the Folkmanis family. Sometimes at storytime a parent would say to me, "We have Chester at home, too," and I would reply (without missing a beat), "You mean one of Chester's cousins?" Children understand this a little better, which is why when they lose a favorite friend and someone says, "Oh, we'll get another one at the store," they fall to pieces. They know the one at the store is not the friend they lost!
I'm not sure what tickles me more-- the photos of Monkey, or the anecdotes. To wit:
"It was no easy feat to open this gallon of milk. I had wrestle with it until my fur became matted with an unseemly sheen of sweat. At this point Spinning Girl was burbling about removing vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks. I kept yelling, "oh indeed!", hoping she would ignore any ripping sounds or microwave beeping sounds."
That silly Monkey! but I can't stay mad at him, for he is just too snuggly.
Oh my! I'm finally back on the computer for a night. Chester, Chester, Chester. Yes, I met him once at a family reunion. I once had a Bay City Rollers hairdo like his, but then a crazed barber gave me the haircut you see now.
I've grown to like it, but seeing Chester makes me slightly nostalgic for my furrier days.
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