Sock Monty

time flies when you're not paying attention...

2012-01-15T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wow. it's been a while... Um. I will gather the thoughts in my brain - clear some of the dust off some of the fluff - and maybe try to post some new stuff, eh...

2009-09-30T15:34:00.001-07:00

Mum has a surprise for me...?

2009-07-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

The other weekend I went to a very fun and wonderful event!

There was a Sock-Monk-A-Thon nearby at the big Universityschoolplace in a very nice courtyard with a big tent and wooden tables.
It was for OPERATION SOCK MONKEY!
That's were people come & make Sock Monkeys with the help of my friend Lindsey, and the Monkeys get to go to Africa with Clowns and they are adopted by young people there!
There were a bunch of different people there, some who knew all about the wonderfulness of Sock Monkeys, and some who were learning things for the first time.
This was Mum and my second time going to Operation Sock Monkey, and Mum said she wasn't going to let me make my own Monkey, too, because she said it would take both of us too long, so we would just make one together, but when we got there she choose a grey socks with rainbow stripes & I saw a white socks with black heel & toe & spots, and I thought it would be so amazingly wonderful if I could make a spotty dog
- like a Dalmation! -
with it, and I begged and pleaded as she started her grey and rainbow socks, and I promised to be very fast and sew really good and quickly and how very very wonderful would a Sock Dog be and my best friend Lumpy is a Sock Dog, and wouldn't it be a shame if the spotty socks didn't get made into a Dog because how perfect would that be and it would be wrong if it wasn't a Dog and I really really wanted to make my own anyway because I was so proud of my very first Sock Monkey who already lives in Africa and I really wanted to do a Dog in honour of my friend Lumpy and create a wonderful friend for someone small in Africa who wants a Dog...
And of course I won her over so Mum said I could make a Sock Dog. Yay! I sewed very carefully, and only stabbed myself a few times, and Mum helped just a little bit, but I made the second best Sock Dog ever!
(That's because Lumpy is the first best. And Actually, Pointy and Byrd and Claude are all best Sock Dogs, too, but my little Sock Dog is pretty special anyway!)

I didn't name him because whoever becomes his Mommy or Daddy in Africa will get to.
Mum didn't name the Monkey she made either, but I did hear some of the people there say the Monkey looked like she was wearing a seventies disco jumpsuit (whatever that means) and said she looked like a Dancersize Monkey.
She has closed eyes and Mum said she is sleepy after lots of discodancing and exercising.
After I finished sewing I hung around a little with a cool Sock Wolf.
He is hanging around with Lindsey for a while, but he told me he's waiting for a particular person.
He has nice whiskers, and a very long nose!
He told me he's like to go on a tour of the Distilleries of Scotland, and like to taste exotic beers, and I'm not really into that sort of stuff (Mum won't let me try it - and I'm not sure he's old enough either!) but it was fun to talk about!

Together he and Lindsey will take care of all the Sock Monkeys and my Sock Doggy, and then the Clowns will escort the Monkeys and my Doggy to Africa to find them Families!

www.operationsockmonkey.com

Summer

2009-06-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Oh the Summer is so hot and sleepy! I am very jealous of my best friend Lumpy who has his own pool! The Subhuman tells me I cannot put one here. But we don't even have a tub! If I want to cool off, I have to fill the sink with cold water or sneak into the freezer and eat ice cream...
Mum is, as usual, sewing things. I really have no idea what she's making. Not Monkeys right now. I have been entertaining my American Cousin Ellery, who is a Rockford Red Heel Sock Monkey! She is very young, and a bit bossy, but excellent at getting into mischief! Rockfords are nice brown socks that aren't made here in Canada like proper wool work socks, and Ellery has a big mouth! She really likes to laugh and tells good jokes!

We went to visit my friends from Operation Sock Monkey, who were at this funny arty place called The Workroom, which is very very far away. I think we walked for hours to get there! Well, Mum walked - Ellery rode in a pocket and I had my red backpack to ride in! When we got there I got to show Ellery pictures of Africa, where the Monkeys get sent to play with clowns and live with little children there, and I even got to introduce her to my friend I made, Sock Puppy! I will post pictures of when I made him! I sewed him myself! (You can see him here in the picture in the basket. He is white and black spotty, and I am standing behind him. Ellery made a friend with a Bunny! They are in the suitcase! She didn't sew anybody; she just met them.)

Ellery and I had a great day. It's fun being a tour guide and introducing new friends!

my Grandmama

2009-03-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

I have the awesomest Grandmama! She always gets me things, and has the biggest house in the world, not to mention her very own wine store! She lives with my bestest buddy, Lumpy, and plays with us whenever I come and visit. Which isn't as often as I would like...

I'm back! And wready to wright!

2009-03-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

So, I have been a busy little monkey, adventuring and stuff, for the last while. I have been bugging Mum to keep up with my blogging, but she has been busy too. I've been so busy I don't even know where to begin! I was on tv... I got a scooter (awesome!)... Lumpy and me hung out together (we rock!)... We visited a hospital and Lumpy got to remove Mum's brain (just kidding!)... I went cross-country skiing... I even made my own little baby Sock Monkey, which I sent to Africa (Wow!)... I think I might even go waaaayyyyy back in time, and find some really old pictures! Or maybe I will travel thru stories randomly in time! Does it even matter!?

First, tho, I would like to say how wonderful it is to be a Sock Monkey! I don't take up a lot of room. I don't eat much. My own personal banana tree fits in the house. And it's great just being ME, too! I own lots of clothes. I have my own scooter, hats, leather boots, buttons, and for Christmas, I even got a shirt with my own name on it from my own Grandma, (also known as Commander Mom by other people)! Lumpy has a matching one. Well, with HIS name, not mine on it! I have many different, fun friends and I love them all! Hi to them all! I'm going to go look at pictures now, and see what I want to write about...

trapped!

2008-03-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

Help! We are trapped inside a cabinet!

old beer making things

2008-03-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

So, one day I went to Kitchener, where my Mum is frum, and she visited a friend who took her to see his office, which is in a fancy building where people used to make beer. Some of the stuff for beer-making is still there. (There's a neat Library of some sort in there, too.)

We went with Lumpy and Pointy, and we had a swell time climbing on things. I'm not that keen on beer, but I'm certainly keen on things I can climb on!

It was night, and hardly anyone was in the building, so we took a full tour and got to see a lot of rooms. The best part were the walls of barrels (which used to be barrels of beer, but now are all empty) and the big copper thingamys, where I guess they did beer-making stuff in. The big copper thingamys don't do anything anymore but look shiny and fancy.

It was a really neat place, with different levels and inside balconies and high ceilings and stairs going this way and that. I wonder what it was like when they made beer there? Now there are offices and computers there, and I have no idea what people there make now.

Mum's friends name is Dave, and his Sweetie is Lisa. They're a very nice couple and Dave turned lights on and off for us. We had gotten take-out fud and they sat in Dave's officeplace and ate while Lumpy, Pointy and I played.

We played tag and hide&goseek. Pointy's the best at tag because she's so fast! And I'm the best at hide&goseek just because, but I like seeking just as much as hiding because just like I know where to hide, I know where all the good places to look are!

winters end

2008-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hello! After such a long time away, it feels good to be typing again. It's not like I've been very many places, I've just been doing different things... Reading books. Drawing pictures. I got caught up on a bit of my novel writing (nothing ready for publishing yet!) Mum's been busy, and even Grandma, so I've just had to come up with my own things to do. Winter was lovely and I did a lot of walking...

I liked the snow. It was crisp and sometimes sqeaky. People decorated their trees. I took pictures. Mum has so many cameras that I was able to take one to play with. I like how snow makes everything quiet and slow. I like being bundled up in my warm sweater, watching the snowflakes drift down from so far away, I can't see where they start.

2007-09-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello from the Library! I have been camping and picnicking all summer long at the Parliament Library! Thay have computers here, and I keep meaning to write on my blogthing, but I forgot the password! Turns out my friend Fuu knew it all along! I can't post any pictures because my Mum has the camera. I am reading books! I am going to be the smartest monkey ever!

But I miss my pal Lumpy. And my Mum. I want to go picnicking with them...

angels in Toronto

2007-05-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

My Mum has been very bad lately, and not making any Sock Monkeys at all! Instead, she has been photographing angels! She has an art show up this month at a place called Dark Horse Expresso Bar (682 Queen Street in Toronto, at Queen and Broadview) where they make fancy coffees. Mum really likes the tea there. The show is part of "Contact", thi really big city-wide photography festival. I think the angels are kind of funny. In one picture, the angel is running like he's about to take off into flight. In another I think the angel is very pretty because she is glowing. There's a gargoyle in the show, too, and he looks kind of familiar... I'm not sure what gargoyles have to do with angels, but Mum says they were gardians of places. I think Mum could make a Sock Monkey angel for her next project. She saids it's a good idea! She should always listen to me, because I know good stuff. Make more Sock Monkeys! (But the angels are fun, too, so maybe she can take some more pictures now and then, as long as she keeps making Monkeys...) There a secret page on her website for the angels: www.roroart.com/angels. Maybe I will add it to my links. Maybe I should get a pair of angel wings...

been a while!

2007-05-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy! I've been working on things for my band- like song titles and album titles, and who gets to do what - My pal Lumpy is very excited, but doesn't know what instrument he's going to play yet. Now I should probably start writing songs and stuff like that! I've been listening to all my Mum's records, but I still need a new drum set. I think I should start going to open stages with the Subhuman and the Fairies, too. We still need the most important thing... a name for the band! I wonder if the Subhuman will come and play with us sometimes...

In other news, my Mum, who never has time to type for me (although she's helping me today, thanks, Mum) went and got her own Facebookthingy. How come I don't get one? I think I should get one! And I still want a Myspacethingy like Fuu has!

The picture here is of the Subhuman and my friend Skinny, who is going to be in my band. He's going to play ocarina. He says it sounds like loons singing.

DJ FUU

2007-03-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

My buddy Fuuzar has a "myspacething" and I really want one of those now, but Mum says I'm way too spoiled already, and I have to play on my blogthing because I already have it.

This is Fuuzar. He's a pretty cool guy. He's quiet, and hangs around with the Subhuman a lot. I think that's because they're both originally not from Earth here. Fuu likes to go out to bars and hang out with pretty girls. He's going to be in my band, as the D.J.

Ilios is my idol

2007-02-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Everyone has someone somewhere that they look up to. A parent, a sibling, a movie star, a super hero, a rock star. Sometimes it's a friend. I look up to Ilios. He is very, very silly and he is a drummer. Drummers are the best part of a band. The Subhuman knows lots of drummers, and they are all very awesome, but I like Ilios best because he hangs out with me. He's going to teach me how to drum like him and maybe even someday even dance like him, too!

Drummers have many good skills. He has very quick reflexes, and can dodge the Subuman's fire breath! When I grow up, I want to be a quick, skillful drummer, and silly, just like Ilios.

get up on stage

2007-02-10T17:18:00.000-08:00

Don't just sit there!

Make some noise!

an excuse to make noise

2007-02-09T00:18:00.001-08:00

New Years is just

an excuse to

make noise

& dance &

kiss people.

But if you think

about it,

shouldn't every day

be that way?

Why should we wait

for a particular day,

when every day

is a full orbit

of the sun

from that same day

last year?

And what's the thing about

New Years resolutions?

I think I shall

make one -

I resolute

to make

more noise

this year!

music at the lounge

2007-02-08T19:28:00.001-08:00

I got to hang out at the Now Lounge with a bunch of other musicians and drummers like me on New Years Eve.

It was fun.

What began as a night of lovely

organized sets by very talented music folks became a wild free-for-all of percusion and sound that was delightfully fun. Mum even got the Subhuman up dancing. He was there with the band "Camarillo", and there was DeeJay Scootz, and DJ Fuu, and a large number of drummers and other music people, and food and champagne, and funny hats, and those funny little horns people blow at new years. It was great!

happy new year!

2007-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I haven't been keeping properly up to date with my blogthing here, but this time it's not because of my Mum being so very busy and unable to help me, but this time because I have been so busy myself! I have beeing running and leaping all over the place, jumping around, climbing on things and playing music. I've been at parties, events, bars and Gramma's house. I've been up to so much, I don't even know where to begin, but I guess I'll start with the start of the year...

HAPPY 2007 EVERYONE!

Mums bunch of Monkeys

2006-11-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Once again, my Mum has abandonede me to do my writing myself while she makes other Sock Monkeys for the big Christmas art show. (She's going to be at the One of a Kind Show - check her website and you'll get more informtion.) I wish she'd let me organize her booth and stuff. I would do a really good job, and probably faster and better than her, and then she could just sit and sew more Monkeys like she wantws to. (And she'd have time to type fort me, instead of making me do it myself...) I'd like to go to the show, too. I bet I could talk to people and sell Monkeys and teach everyone about how importanrt and speciaL sOCK mONKEYS ARE! Mum says she's worried that someone would try to buy me. I wouldn't let that happen. Maybe I can get the Subhuman to bring me - we could go shopping! That would be fun!

Anyway, go visait m7y Mom at the show, get yourself a Sock Monkey, and if you let youre M on key have a blog -=always help him with nthe typing!!!

Here is a picyture of all the Monkeys Mom is sewing., andf, of course, a p[ictuire of thje fabulous me/. Aren't I cute?

Monty's back!

2006-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Mum thinks the new title for my blog should be "The Most Spoiled Sock Monkey on the Planet." I'm certainly not spoiled! And she's the one who buys me things, anyway. And Gramma. I've been at Grammas house, where she treats me real good. I get to hang out with Lumpy & Claude & sometimes even Petal comes down to visit. We play school and get to dress up and Gramma gives us lots of treat & yummies. I almost don't want to come home again, but then I miss Fuuzar & Donkey & Babetta & Byrd & everyone. And Mum. Yes, Mum, I miss my Mum. (She's helping me type again.) Soon, if I can, I'll post some of my pictures from Grammas house...

Babetta writin now

2006-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Okay! Hi! This is Babetta writin now! Donkey is very bad at writin and he doesn't really like doin it anyway so I get to now. Monty is still in Waterloo with his Granmommy and I think she must be spoilin him rotten! he is a very lucky monkey that he gets to go places so much but the rest of us get to go places too so I guess I can't complain too much. Donkey was writing about the Donkey Sanctuary and he is right it was a lot of fun! It is a very special place just for donkeys and mules where they can go and live together and eat hay and grass and roll in the dust if they want to. I think it would be really great if Mum and the Subhuman could make a Donkey Sanctuary for us! A nice place where everythin is safe and we can eat and play and roll in the dust! (It might have to be a Donkey Monkey Dog Cat Bunny Rhino Dragon Bird Every kind of Animal Sanctuary but that would be okay too! In fact maybe that would be even better because the more the merrier!) If Monty doesnt come home soon maybe I will write again. Bye!

donky riting agan

2006-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

helo.
this iz donky riting agan.

i hav mor picchurs frum thu donky sanchuary.

it was reely nis to hang owt with donkys.

mi new frend thot mi hat lokd sily.

hi sad it waz to warm for a hat. so i tuk it awf.

we had a nis tym chating abowt donky things it waz fun and i hop we go agan sun.

thank yu for reding what i rowt.
i m soree i kudent rit it beter.
i wil get babeta to rit next tym. thank yu

donky

2006-06-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

helo. mi nam is donky.

i m a frend of monte.

hi iz in sumwayr caled water loo so i m riting on his blog whil hi is gon. i m not az gud at it az hi iz. i m soree abowt it but i wil tri to tel yu abowt 1 uv mi adventurs.

monte waz not ther but mi frend babeta was.

we went to a donky sanchuary. it iz neer gwef and our mum who dosnt drive very gud drov us ther. in thu blu car. i lik ridin on her moterbik beter.

it was hilee and then we got to thu farm and thu donkys wer so nis! we met many other donkys and thay all sed it waz a very nis plas to be.

mum tuk owr picchers.

this is me with purpul flowers.

babeta and me on a fens.

and a very speshul donky paynting. thank yu for reding this

gettinng better at typing

2006-06-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not as mad at my Mom now... She said she'll mhelp me to post pictures if I mcand do my nbest to do some of the typing, and who knows, maybe I'll get really good at typing! I'll try to, at any rate. Sorry if the spelling gets a little funny now and again...

I've been getting to go out more, since Mum's been a little less busy lately. We even went to see a movie at a movie theatre! I like movie theatres. I wish we could buy lots of candy there, but Mum says it's too expensive. We went to see X Men Three. It was good - lots of big explowsions and mutants are pretty neat. They couled edo some pretty amazing stuff. I liked the Beast best. He was very intellectual, and blue, and wore a suit. If I were a mutant, I'd want my power to be the ability to transmogrify one thing into somethin g else - like take an old boot and make it into a new sportscarrr, or to take a rotten apple and make it into a shin y new banana! I'd turn this empty hot chocolate mug beside me into a pile of chocolate covereed marzipan.

Mum and I also went out on Sunday, to a park to visit friend for the entrepreneurial tea. It was fun. Jo brought a quilt to sit on, and Kris brought action figures to play with, and Kelly and Toni were ther, too. I even made a tiny new fgriend! Anm inch worm visited us. It was so cute! (But not really an inch long.) There is a link to Jo's and Kell7ys webthings on my blogthing herfe, and I will have to adde Kris, who is the creator of the coolest action figures, and Toni's when she builts hers!

It was a nice day that day, and Mom even got some plants - chives and oregino and some really cool lemon minty thinmg. I hope Mum dosn't kill them now. She's a very poor gardener. And we have no proper garden... yet...

I have to type this myself.

2006-05-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

i am so mad ! Muy Mum is suposed tpo help[ me tyupe this, anmd she is way topo buisyu tpo help me, spo I am havboinmg tpo type it myself. As you can see, I am not a very good typist@!@! I don't even thinik I'm going to be able to put up a picture, because I mdon't lknow how. It's veryu wrong that my own Mum doesn't have to time to help me. I am sooo mad ayt her! The reason I can;'t type very mwll is thaty, being a Sock Monkey, I have big round sock paws, and it's really hard to hit the rifgtht lkeys. I am so mad!! This is rotten@! I really reqally6 hope my Mum can come and help me wsoon . I have no idea what she's doing that is keeping her so busy thst she can't spend just a ;little time helping hert own Monty, but whatevert oit its, it'ws sytupoid!!

scooter monkey

2006-04-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

My Mum is so ridiculously busy that she isn't helping me with my blogthing at all! She's sorting things and typing things and doing things and adding things and filing things and listing things and writing things and going places and did I say doing things? Well, she's doing things, too, and it's most annoying, because she should just be spending time with me! I even got some wonderful new clothes from my "granmommy" Commander Mom, but my Mum isn't even taking any pictures of me!
She's getting ready for The Clothing Show - a big show on May 6 - 7 at the Automotive Building at Exhibition Place. She did it last year and it was fun, and she's even got new designs for this year. This picture is one of her illustrations she puts on her shirts. She calls it "Scooter Monkey" but I know the Monkeys name is really Gretchen. Gretchen is on her way to do her grocery shopping, and she's riding, I think, a Vespa 200, just like what my friends Richard and Michael had!

Rekha's chocolate-peanutbutter-letter muffins

2006-04-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm! For Ilios's birthday, Rekha made the most awesomest muffins!

Let's eat the birthday treat right away!

Um, after a few letters got eaten, the birthday muffins started saying strange things... It was kind of like scrabble,
but we kept eating the letters,
and then we weren't really spelling things that are real words...

It got harder as there were less letters. But, yum, they were the tastiest letters I've ever eaten!

(Maybe I can get the recipe for chocolate-peanutbutter-letter muffins from Rekha...

Then I could make them, spell words with them and then eat them!)

a happy birthday treat for Ilios

2006-04-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

It was Ilios's birthday! And we were invited to join him for a birthday dinner in a nearby restaurant. The soup he ordered was massive! So I helped him eat it.
(I'm not very good at eating soup with chopsticks...)

His Dad gave him the coolest wooden truck! (It took Ilios a moment to figure how it went.)

It was his own truck that had belonged to Ilios as a little baby, and I think it was made by a relative or a friend of the family.
Wooden toys are wonderful!
(The Subhuman has some wooden airplanes and helicopters and I hope that Illios will come over and we can play together.)

Rekha made an extra special birthday treat - muffins with icing letters! Mmmm! Chocolate-peanutbutter!

Rekha is super-great!

mock hot air balloons

2006-04-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's nice to be a Sock Monkey & wander about the city. You see some of the oddest things. Here I found a bunch of strange, solid, mock hot air balloons. As you may know, I love hot air ballooning, so I had to get a picture. Go to October 2005 & November 2005 to see my real Hot Air Balloon Adventures! We got some really amazing pictures!

art girls tea at Aunties place

2006-03-31T11:22:00.000-08:00

When we got to Aunty Natasha & Maireads Tea party, Chrispin was still asleep! Other people came to the Tea party, too - lots of art-girl-people and they had fun in the big room talking about art & entrepreneurship while us Monkeys & such played on the stairs. They're special stairs, just for sitting on, that don't go anywhere and smell like soap, because there's lots of soap everywhere. Aunties M & N make soap, and maybe someday Chrispin & Apple will learn how, too. Then they can invent their own types of soap! If you want to see what their soap is like, go to the link on the right that says "pioneer arts" 'cause that's their company.

The painting of the Monkey is by Toni. I just met her for the first time at the Tea & she paints Monkeys!! And cats & aliens & robots & things! How great is that! (Maybe someday I'll get her to paint my portrait...) I must get Mum to get one of her paintings for me. (Of a Monkey, or maybe I could get one of a bunch of bananas....mmmm!) Mum knows her from art shows, and I think she's going to set up a website, too, which I'll add to my blogthing when it's up.

And there was another person there whom I already knew, Ellaine! I met her at Mums Sock Monkey Workshop, where she had started a Rockford Red Heel Sock Monkey! I finally got to meet Ellaine's Sock Monkey, who is quite beautiful now! She sat & played on the stairs with us, while Ellaine &amp; Toni & my Mum & my Aunties & all the art-girls had their Tea! Ellaine has a website, and it has a link on the right that says "baby blankets" and there might be more Monkey pictures somewhere on her site, too...

I think Mum should have a Tea just for Monkeys & Sock People...!

at my friends house

2006-03-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

Mum went to have Tea at Aunty Natasha & Aunty Maireads house. I always like going there 'cause then I can play with some of my Sock Friends! Chrispin is sort of my little brother, but he was adopted by Aunties N & M! Later, they adopted Apple, too, so that Chrispin can have a little sister. I'm glad that they all live together, because Chrispin & Apple are two of my favourite Sock People, and my Aunties are two of my favourite Human People. I'm a very lucky Monkey to have four favourite people all living together!
My Aunties & Chrispin & Apple also live with Neela. She's a royal princess puppet from Kirkham Puppets, and there's a link to the Puppetblog on the right side of my blogthing! (I wrote a poem on the Puppetblog, once.) Neela plays with us sometimes, but generally, she's a very quiet & reserved person, and spends more of her time with the "grown-ups".

fairies adventuring

2006-03-09T22:07:00.000-08:00

Monty note: We live here with a small tribe of Fairies, who have some very fine Adventures. Usually I don't know where they go, but they just told me this story about how they spent Valentines Day! And so here is some of their tale of Valentine Adventure!

it was St. Valentine’s Day. the fairies were wondering what all the fuss was about. Freya remarked that it was supposed to have something to do with “romance” and Nut and Farnum feigned choking while Mouse and Neenie rolled their eyes. Bobbin asked Freya if she knew anymore about it but Freya said she only knew that there might be music....

so when the Sock Monkey Girl followed the Sub-human out the door to a Valentine’s Day show, all the fairies followed her. apparently it was at a bar called the Fox and Fiddle. The fairies stayed hidden, but Freya doubted that the humans of this place would have noticed anything anyway, for most drinking establishments are meant to distract and amuse humans. small fairies go unnoticed more often than not.

there was music and the Sub-human was playing instruments and singing with some of his musical companions. Farnum liked the "stick of Chapman" that the Sub-human played, and Nut liked the drums. the band played many songs and the fairies did fairy dances. Bobbin and Farnum danced up a storm, even when they played really loud heavy songs. Mouse snuck up to the microphone and sang and Nut jumped on the drums sounded like a bunch of cats running in the upstairs of a house.

as the night wore on the bar became filled with strange, wonderful things, but the humans didn’t seem to notice a thing...

Monty note: Those Fairies have such strange, wonderful Adventures! And if you want to know even more about that night at the Valentines Day show, go to this link: the fairies valentine

and Donkey drove the bus home

2006-03-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

My friends Donkey& Babetta had a delightful time on Commander Moms Big Winetrip.

As well as going & looking at vineyards & wineries, which were of much more interest to the humans, they went to a lovely little B&B and hung out,

and then they went shopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake; a very sweet, small town full of giftshops, and they made a new friend.

When they were all finished & the tour was done, Donkey drove everyone home in the Big Bus.

Commander Moms Big Winetrip

2006-03-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

My friends Donkey & Babetta got to go on a Wine Trip! They rode in a Big Bus & traveled around in Niagara, where lots of grapes grow. Our good friend Commander Mom has a Winestore, and she takes everyone on a Big Winetour each year.
(If you're in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and want to make your own wine, see my link on the right-hand side of the blogthing.)
Babetta & Donkey had a great time on the trip. They're actually much too young to drink, but they made sure everyone signed the guestbook at the lovely little bed&breakfast where the tour had a midday break.

Babetta took her duties very seriously, but Donkey was more interested in relaxing on a comfy bed.

Ikea time

2006-03-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

Once you're in Ikea, you sort of lose track of things like time... Oh sure, they tell you what time it is in London & Paris, but I just think that's confusing! Mum and her friends were okay, because for them, it's always Tea Time! They had their $1 breakfasts, and Mum & Richard drank soooo much tea! Once, I think Mike actually fell asleep at the table while they were drinking tea! Mum & Richard get very chatty. Maybe it's all the tea?
Anyway, since Mum was busy with her friends, it was a perfect oppourtunity for me to run around & swing on things! I found this greatbiglong hoseswingthing in some sort of kitchenthing area, and it was really bouncy! If Mum wants to buy furniture, I think this is what she should get! And I could put a cushion on the bottom of the boucybit, and it could be the greatest bouncy swingthing ever! Everyone write in the commentplace that Mum should get me the bouncy swingthing!
After all the swinging & jumping & bouncing & climbing, it was nice to find a big plushy bed to curl up on. Now I just need Mum to read me a story, but after all their walking & talking &amp;amp; talking, Mum & her friends were ready to go home. Good-bye, Ikea! I hope I get to come back and play again soon...

adventuring in Ikea

2006-02-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

Adventuring at Ikea was great!
It's a big, funny store & they put all kinds of different rooms on display, so you can walk into these spaces & just sit, or play, or climb on all the stuff.

Mum goes there with her friends Richard & Michael, and they talk and talk and talk and it's kinda boring for a Monkey like me, but Mum lets me climb on all the fun things there are to climb on. And there are a lot of fun things to climb on & around & in...
I even found a friend, a nice orangutang & we swung around a bit, before Mum & her friends caught up with us.

But Ikea also has many different storage things, like boxes & trunks & containers, and a small Monkey like me has to be careful...

Ikea shuttlebus

2006-02-25T19:32:00.000-08:00

My Mum loves to go to Ikea. She likes to buy furniture. Occasionally, she just goes to visit her friends Richard & Michael, and have the $1 breakfast. (It's a good breakfast, with eggs & sausages & endless tea - they're things I don't really eat, but Mum says it's yummy.) Anyway, to meet her friends, we took the subway up to Ikea, and there's an Ikea shuttlebus that goes back & forth between the subway & the store. Mum has never before been able to take the shuttlebus. She could never find where it picks up passengers! She always just wound up walking from the subway to Ikea, but this time she was determined to find out where the shuttlebus stop was, and she did find it! There was no sign or anything, but fortunately, there were other people going for the $1 breakfast, so we all got to ride on the Ikea shuttlebus! It was fun! It was a really neat old bus with big windows, a door on the back of it, a curving wooden roof, and bars to swing on. While Mum chatted with the two other ladies riding the bus about how great the $1 breakfast is, I got to play on the bars. I've never gotten to play inside what was essentially a moving playground before! While I swung & spun around, everything bumped along, and too soon we were at Ikea!

chocolate banana muffin

2006-02-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

Oh my, such a big Chocolate-y, Banana-y Muffin! Oh, how wonderful that my Mum has bought me this giant Chocolate Banana Muffin! My life is complete! This is truly food the way it ought to be! I wish I could eat Chocolate Banana Muffins every day! I am at a Second Cup place somewhere, and my Mum is chatting with Aunty Natasha and Aunty Mairead, but I get this Chocolate Banana Muffin all to myself! I am the luckiest Sock Monkey ever right here and now. When my Chocolate Banana Muffin is gone, I shall be very sad. But I must eat it, and then it will be gone. I think maybe Chocolate Banana Muffins are my favourite food in the world! Everyone should tell my Mum that I need to eat Chocolate Banana Muffins often, and then I will not be sad ever again! Happiness can be found in a Chocolate Banana Muffin! mmmmm!

blogging limerick

2006-02-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

A Monkey who lives in Toronto,
thought, I'd better get writing, and pronto!
new things in my blog, but my heads in a fog,
and I'm not sure quite what I want, oh!

It's so hard to type with just paws,
no fingers and not even claws...
I must wait for my Mum, always busy, the bum!
in her work; I must wait for a pause...

There is so much that I want to say,
and I could write more every day,
of Adventures I've been and the things I've seen,
and there's such great games still to play!

I found an old hat I never wore before,
and went iceskating and walked on the shore,
and played with a train and in puddles of rain,
and then I went to Adventure some more!

I'll keep trying to get my Mum to write
my stories, and post my pictures alright,
my journaling will be dutiful &
my blog will be beautiful,
and it will be such a wonderful site!

the fairies valentine

2006-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

it was St. Valentine’s Day. the fairies were wondering what all the fuss was about. where did the holiday come from? what did it mean to be someone’s Valentine? Freya remarked demurely that it was supposed to have something to do with “romance” and the two boys, Farnum and Nut, made rude noises and feigned choking while the other girls rolled their eyes. why did they always have to make fun of things they didn’t know anything about? Bobbin asked Freya if she knew any more about it but Freya said that it wasn’t her forte; she still wasn’t really sure about the New Year’s celebration she’d gotten to see recently. it was all memories of noise and that coarse drink that the humans imbibed on the occasion. the one redeeming fact was that there was music. tonight might be the same.

and so the Sock Monkey Girl followed the Sub-human out the door to a Valentine’s Day show, and all the fairies got to join her on the adventure. Freya made up her mind not to let her younger charges drink anything besides water and juice when they got there. apparently it was at a bar called the Fox and Fiddle. The Sock Monkey Girl was able to walk to the place. the night was warmer like the New Year’s Eve. The Sock Monkey Girl told the fairies to stay hidden until they got there so that they wouldn’t frighten passersby’s. humans can be rather unpredictable when they know that the Children of Eld are near. Freya doubted that the humans of this place would have noticed at all with the noise and goings on, for most drinking establishments are meant to distract and amuse humans. small fairies go unnoticed more often than not.

as they suspected, there was music and this time the Sub-human was playing some of it with some of his musical companions. there was a friendly singer lady who seemed like she might have been gracious enough to be one of the enchanted people. there was another person who played on something called a guitar and had a hat people called “cowboys” normally wore. Neenie said the guitar player reminded her of a Viking she’d once stumbled across. the Sub-human played two instruments, one thing called a bass and another thing called a stick of Chapman. Farnum liked this second instrument a lot. it had more sounds in it than even the guitar player’s guitar. he thought it was too bad the Sub-human didn’t put it on too often but when he did the band sounded slightly bigger. then there was the drummer who was as quiet as his drums were loud. Nut liked his playing very much.

when the band started they played a bunch of songs to start off and then announced that anyone could suggest songs to play or play the band’s instruments if they wanted. this was what was known as a “Jam night”. the patrons would sign their names on a list and the instrument they wanted to play. some of the people even brought their own to play and some brought their own songs too. the fairies liked the fact that they could do fairy dances to some of the tunes and did so as often as they could. all this time the stream of sound and drink flowed and the lights were orange and green and they hid the fairy folk as they were all wearing at least one of the colours the spotlights projectd at the band. there were two server people who were back and forth between the tables and Nut was overheard to say he wouldn’t mind dancing with the pretty server lady but she was so busy he thought she would never hear him if he asked anyhow. Freya said he could send her a “Valentine” and Nut asked her what that was. she seemed a little bit annoyed and wouldn’t answer which confused him further. Nut came over and asked if Freya was alright. Freya didn’t answer at first but when Nut smiled and said he would rather dance with her then she smiled and he gave her a peck on the cheek.

meanwhile, Bobbin and Farnum danced up a storm, even when they played really loud heavy songs. the pair shouted, “wheee!” as they twirled. very silly thought Neenie. Mouse had the urge to sing but since no one could actually see her in all the noise and distraction she had to sneak to the microphone and sing her tiny fairy song on top of it, not realizing that one had to sing in front of the mike to be properly heard. oh well. Nut tried a similar thing on the drums and wound up sounding like a bunch of cats running across a rug in the upstairs of a house. thub-thubba-thub... thub-thub-thubba-thubba. Farnum jumped nervously when he thought he heard the cats coming and then realized that it was only Nut playing the drums as if there were invisible paws padding across the skins. as the night wore on nobody noticed as the walls of the bar became festooned in fairy garlands and the table where they were dancing grew a small patch of soft green grass. nobody noticed as a herd of small elephants wandered out of nowhere to graze on the mantle over the fireplace and sweep their tails back and forth, trumpeting in the warmth of the spotlights. at one point there was a small silver airship circling over the band area surveying the stage and the fairies realized that others of their kind had come to see the spectacle too. Freya thought she could see their tiny faces in the windows of the delicate dirigible which eventually melted through the wall. Nut at this juncture pointed to another table, at which the others turned to see a group of iridescent rainbow trout as big as fairy whales swimming in the shimmering surface of the table, presumably where a glass of something had spilled.

all these tiny happenings were immensely amusing to the fairies but the humans didn’t seem to notice a thing. their attentions were fixed on their own kind and the music that was coming from the band area. then it came time for The Sock Monkey Girl to go and she said goodbye to the Sub-human with a kiss and Bobbin asked what that meant. Freya said it was what Valentine’s stood for she guessed, for she had been watching the couples of humans in the bar exchanging gifts and cards and sitting together. Neenie then had a thought that perhaps Freya would have preferred a Valentine thing from Nut that evening. she tapped Mouse on the shoulder to ask her about this idea and when Mouse turned to her and stopped singing, the elephants began to wander off, the trout leaped out of the table and disappeared with a luminescent splash into the spill and the garlands and decorations began to fade. Mouse looked tired, as if she’d been doing much more than singing in all that time. Neenie sat with Mouse as the singer began to nod and Freya, seeing this realized it was time to go home with Mum. none too soon... they had all had an exciting time and Nut, as they were leaving said that he would like to be Freya’s Valentine if she was okay with it. she smiled and he guessed that might mean “yes”...

happy valentines day

2006-02-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Valentines Day, and the little fairies that live around here decided to follow the Subhuman to a musical gig he was playing at a bar called the Fox & Fiddle...

Happy Valentines Day to everyone & for the rest of the year, too!

the Subhuman

2006-02-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is my Mums Sweetie. His nickname is the Subhuman, and he's very, very tall. Sometimes he's very quiet (he doesn't talk a lot) & sometimes he's very noisy (he plays different musical instruments). He plays bass guitar & electric guitar & acoustic guitar & then something called a Chapman Stick (which has strings, but it isn't a guitar.) (He also has a glockenspiel, a tamboa & a zither, but he doesn't play on them... Mum likes to buy him funny instruments for presents.) He can play a million different songs & practices new ones every day! He sings, too! And he's Fuuzars Dad, too. He's very nice & very funny, and always helps me with things when I ask him, like tying my shoe laces or finding my glasses.

thank you to the Fiddle Guy

2006-02-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

My Mum, Donkey & Babetta all say a big THANK YOU to Chad the Fiddle Guy for letting them visit him. They had a very good time that weekend.

THANK YOU!

what we learned

2006-02-14T23:59:00.000-08:00

If you want to do something, you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

relaxing in North Bay

2006-02-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Monty notes: Everyone had a very nice time in North Bay visiting Chad the Fiddle Guy.

Mum had a good time at the art conference thingy, and it helped her to start her business making many Sock Monkeys!

Babetta had a good time seeing all the sights, shopping in the mall & hanging around with the exciting, stepdancing Fiddle Guy, and quiet

Donkey had the best time sitting in Chads cozy kitchen, enjoying hotchocolate in the sunshine.

nice little place

2006-02-14T01:16:00.000-08:00

Monty notes: While my friends Donkey & Babetta were in North Bay, Chad the Fiddle Guy took them out to a nice little foodplace.

They can't remember the name of it now, but Babetta remembers it had an oldfashioned radio that didn't play any music, and the food was nice.
Chad liked to go there regularly with friends.
They all had hotchocolate.

(That's Chad in the mirror!)

fun at the mall

2006-02-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Monty notes: My friends Donkey & Babetta went up with our Mum to North Bay and stayed with a friend, Chad the Fiddle Guy.

Chad took them to a mall. They ate at the mall foodplace, and Babetta had sushi!

Donkey was very overwhelmed by all the activities, colour & sparkliness.

When they finally got back to the house, Donkey sat in the backyard by Chad's beautiful lillypad pond.

It was a bit chilly, but he found it nice & quiet; more his kind of place.

the conference in Nippissing

2006-02-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Note from Monty: Since there are a number of us in the family, I don't get to go on every Adventure. In this story (which happened quite a while ago) my best friend Donkey & (his girlfriend) Babetta got to go!

A few years ago now, Mum went on a big, important Adventure to North Bay, and Donkey & Babetta went with her. They drove up on a rainy October weekend on Mums motorcycle, to go to a conference held by some art people, all about how to make your art a business. Mums art is making Sock Animals!

The event was held at Nippissing University, and while Mum went to seminars on how to take pictures of your art, or how to pack your art for shipping, Donkey & Babetta hung around the campus. They got snacks and were told to keep out of trouble. Donkey is usually very good at keeping out of trouble, but Babetta is a bit boisterous, so she wanted to explore the place. They couldn't go outside & play because it was raining. They found a room with something on the chalk board, and pretended to have their own seminar. They also sat at the front desk and helped hand out papers.

Mum had a good time at the conference, meeting other art people, and thinking about how to start a business making toys!

going to North Bay

2006-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Monty notes: Mum went to a conference thingy at Nippissing University.
It was called "Art Means Business" and she was thinking of starting some sort of Sock Monkey business.
She drove up there on her motorcycle with Babetta & Donkey.

It was a terrible rainy trip until they got almost there, and suddenly, the sun came out!
Mum stopped so they all could stretch, but there were some strange creatures around...

The horses were nice, but the strange totem animals were a little scary.

fun at the market

2006-02-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

At the big Farmers Market, there's a lot to see and do. Lumpy found the giantest pajamas I have ever seen, and we explored a big red thing, but I have no idea what it does. It had a wheel, and some holes in it, but we were too small to make it work, and we didn't know how it worked anyway. Then we got some BANANA BREAD and went home to eat it! I wish I had more BANANA BREAD right this moment...

hiding in the fruit

2006-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

CCs favourite part of the Market was the fruit, which is funny, considering that she's a Mountain Lion! (I think she thought she was camouflaged in all the peaches!) The Farmers Market has great piles of fruit everywhere, and it's fun to play hide and seek in all the colours! The Market is kinda close to Commander Moms house which is why Lumpy takes us there. Lumpy lives with Commander Mom. We like to get some fruit and have a picnic while the humans shop for clothing & food & fun things to decorate their houses with. My favourite part of the Market is the BANANA BREAD!

St. Jacobs Farmers Market

2006-02-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

There's a nice Farmers Market I go to sometimes that has the most wonderful BANANA BREAD. Yum! There's all kinds of neat things there. Mum gets socks to make more Sock Monkeys there! One day I got to go with my friends Lumpy, CC & Happy. Lumpy is a very sweet, quiet Sock Dog, CC is a friendly Sock Mountain Lion who now lives in Kincardine, and Happy is a big, smiling orange flower. We played in a wagon, and on wooden toys, and made some funny new friends!

getting chilly

2006-02-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

It has been a strange & warm winter so far! I'm not complaining - Mum doesn't let me outside to play when it gets really snowy & freezing, but I'd like a bit more snow than this so we can go tobogganing! Sock Monkeys love tobogganing!

tomatoes

2006-02-01T23:43:00.000-08:00

Mum is making Sock Monkeys again. And this time, she really is making Monkeys & not other Animals. They seem to be getting made for Valentines Day. It is nice & romantic to give your Sweetie a Sock Monkey!
Since Mum is busy again, I don't have much time for going thru my many photos & writing things, but I have this lovely picture of Tomatoes, so I will say a little about my city. I live in Toronto, and it is a place full of fruits & vegetables! The buildings may be funny-looking, but the food is yummy! I live in an old red brick building, and in every direction is food! Restaurants, stores, markets, food of every description & colour! The Subhuman bought oranges he says are as big as softballs! I don't know what softballs are, but they must be huge! They're bigger than my head! Really! I like it here, surrounded by food.

sit in the sun & think

2006-01-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Sock Monkeys love to sit in the sunshine; thinking. Mum is often busy, so I sit & think often. I think about how I would rearrange the furniture if I was big enough to move it. I think about fancy meals I would prepare for my family if I wasn't so terrified of the stove. I think about all the letters I should write to people, but I never do it. I think about how I would like to take classes in other languages, but I don't know what languages. I think about my shoes & hats and how I'd like more of them. I think about alternate universes full of fruit. I think about what sort of vehicle I should drive. A bananamobile... a wooden wagon... a motorcycle like my Mum... a marshmallow car like the Subhuman... Maybe I should write another poem.

kensington market will make you feel better

2006-01-25T01:29:00.000-08:00

After visiting the stupid voting place, it was still a beautiful day, so Mum, S.h. & I went to Kensington Market to buy food. I like Kensington Market! There are all kinds of different shops & it's very colourful. The only bad place is the scary, smelly European Meat Market, which Mum loves, but I sure don't! My favourite shops are the fruit shops! Mmmm, apples & bananas! And never the wrong bananas! Always the right ones! Going to Kensington Market on a warmish, sunny day is good!

sock monkeys don't get to vote...

2006-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

I sat on the steps with my travel mug of cold tea and waited while Mum & the S.h. got to go in and vote.

It's not fair.

let's go vote!

2006-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the big voting day, so I put on my sneakers & my navy school-boy hat, and went with Mum and S.h. to the voting place, a very nice old community centre about one block away, and it was a lovely, warmish, sunshiny day; and when I got there, I wasn't allowed to vote!!

Apparently, Sock Monkeys are not eligible to vote! This is so unfair! And to add insult to injury, they said I was too young anyway! Mum tried to consol me, telling me maybe by the time I'm old enough to vote, Sock Monkeys will be allowed to, but I don't want to wait that long! I wanted to vote yesterday!

Well, it wasn't very exciting anyway. They didn't have cookies for anyone, or tea (I brought my own in a travel mug) or any treats at all.

political promises

2006-01-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

The debates have been fast and furious, and the slander campaigns have been downright mean! The Penguins continually polling at the door have been only mildly annoying. The Penguin Parties promises of "fish for all" and "better childcare" have been met with both optimism and cynicism. Realistically, their wonderful promises of "clear skies and an immediate end to global warming" will be impossible to fulfill, though. The Sea Lions have big business backing them, but also a trail of corruption and wasteful money management. No one has even heard from the Herring Party, and most agree they are too small and slippery to have much sway in this election. Members of the Penguin Party have been reported missing, but the Sea Lion Party denies any responsibility, claiming they are running a clean campaign. With such a close race between the two largest parties, and maybe a few voters expected to turn out, it's hard to say who will win, and who will quietly slip back into the icy water; to eat, or be eaten...

Babetta riding

2006-01-20T00:42:00.000-08:00

This is Babetta, the spirited, boisterous girlfriend of my shy, quiet bestfriend, Donkey. (Donkey went Hot Air Ballooning with me - see previous posts.) Babetta got to ride a horse at a Maple Sugar Festival. (I'll be writing about the wonderful Festival in upcoming blogthings.)

entrepreneurial tea

2006-01-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weekends for us! First was The Sock Monkey Workshop - lot's of fun! And then, the weekend following (last weekend) Mum had something called an Entrepreneurial Tea! She invited a bunch of arty people over, and they ate brownies & drank tea & even had fancy sugar cubes to go in their tea. yum! They all sat around in the Sockstudio and talked about business & stuff. Aunty Mairead & Natasha came over and brought Chrispin, so while the "adults" were having their Tea and gossiping, Chrispin & I sat in the living room and the Subhuman played music for us. He's going to teach us to play guitar and then Chrispin & I are going to have our own Rockband! I think he's coming over again next Sunday, so we'll discuss our band name and what instruments we want to play & stuff. Maybe Fuu & some of the others will want to join our band... Chrispin already has a name suggested - but it's a secret until we learn our first song!

thank you to Ellaine

2006-01-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

I must say a big Thank You to Ellaine, who took some of the pictures I've used in the last few blogthingposts.

Thank You, Ellaine! You are a very excellent person!

People can see more of her art at www.thebabyblanketlady.com

On the topright is Marlee & Marcus, and on the left is Judi, Skinny, Mum, Jake, Lionel & Fuu. Marlee & Judi are Ellaine's own relatives! It's very nice to see family all making Sock Monkeys together, because then their Monkeys will be family, too!

Montys first ever poem

2006-01-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

Oh, the wonderful, amazing creativity & diversity of Sock Monkeys! Here is my first ever Poem!! It was inspired by my visit to the Sock Monkey Workshop.

Here are new Monkeys, who were only socks before...
What fun awaits them; who are they made for?

What sights will they see;
what places will they go?

How to Adventure is what they already know!

People sit and sew, for one hundred years, or more!

Making new Monkeys, who were only socks before,

Monkeys to make new friends,
with which to laugh and play,

Get some socks, and needle and thread, and make a Monkey today!

These Monkeys are, from top to bottom, Marcus (made by Marlee), Andy (made by Ruth), Chester (made by Kim), & Lucio (made by Beatrice)!

The Sock Monkey Workshop

2006-01-16T03:07:00.000-08:00

In the above picture, taken at The Sock Monkey Workshop at Art Works Art School (www.artworksartschool.com), is my old Adventure pal Donkey & myself, and our new friends: (on the left) a shy, nameless Monkey whose Mom, Ellaine, found him at a garage sale; what an amazing find! and (on the right) Beatrice's Monkey, Macaco, a bold fellow who is older & very well-traveled; and he's even a dj, and has been in magazines & commercials! and (in the middle) Marcus - made by Marlee, the amazing first Monkey of the Workshop & already a Super Hero!!

ladies sewing socks

2006-01-15T03:17:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my Mum taught a Sock Monkey Workshop! She talked about the long & important history of my people, and then the wonderful folks who came all made Monkeys!

I was very excited to be in a room full of socks & sewing & new Monkeys being born right before my button eyes! The creation of new Sock Monkeys is a very joyful occasion and to share it with me were many friends.

Here are pictures of all the wonderful ladies sewing their Socks into Monkeys, and even a very rare picture of my own Mum!

the butterfly zoo

2006-01-11T01:05:00.000-08:00

There's a big house at the zoo, just for the Butterflies. What can I say about how incredible Butterflies are?! They seem to float like little scraps of tissue paper in a breeze, where there is no wind. I wish I was a Fairy Monkey and I could fly up & join them.

Mother nature told the Butterfly that they need not follow gravity, but occasionally, they like to come back down to earth & pretend they are flowers.

Kartiko

2006-01-09T02:37:00.000-08:00

This is my friend, Kartiko. He reminds visitors to the zoo not to feed the Animals. Just like Sock Monkeys shouldn't eat too much candy (but ohh, it's so yummy!) Animals shouldn't eat the wrong foods (just like the wrong bananas). There are people who make sure the Animals get the right food, like my Mum makes sure I don't eat too much candy. So love your friends at the zoo, but never give them food! (But if you give me a little bit of candy, I won't tell my Mum. I like jelly beans.)

you can come too, too, too

2006-01-09T02:11:00.000-08:00

The Primates were really amazing. They're so big! There was a tiny little baby Gorilla, and he was still bigger than me. He was asleep on his mommys tummy. Most of the Gorillas were sleepy. The Orangutans were very orange. There was a mommy & a son, and the mommy wanted to read her book (she was reading a computer instruction manual - who would have guessed the sort of things that might interest an Orangutan?) but the son wanted to play, so she tore a few pages out for him to play with, and he ripped them into little bits. When they saw us there, they came over to say hi. I wish Mum would've let me go into the Gorillas & Orangutans houses to play. The Gorillas had lots of neat toys & things to climb on, and the Orangutans looked really sweet. Maybe Mum'll let me invite them all over for Tea sometime.

how about you, you, you

2006-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Monster!!

These big monsters at the zoo are nothing like the dragons I live with at home! I'm very certain that if they could, they'd eat me! Looking down into their pit, I was worried my glasses would fall off - I'll bet their meals sometimes consist of foolish visitors who tried to get their glasses which fell into the pit! I happened to see glasses in the bottoms of some of the other ponds at the zoo, but I'm sure these monsters would just eat the glasses (and clothing and cameras and camera bags) along with the people... After visiting the monsters, I was very careful with my glasses. I only needed them to read the map,anyway.

going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

2006-01-06T21:29:00.000-08:00

One grey day, we decided to go to the zoo! Toronto has a nice, big zoo with lots of nice, big animals. We never get to spend enough time there, so we never see everything, so it's important to consult the book & plan your trip to see the creatures that you want. I, of course, wanted to see all the monkeys & primates. There were some camels giving people rides. My Mum should make a Sock Camel... She's never made one, so I will tell her that she ought to! They have very funny noses. There were many strange birds at the zoo, too. I wonder what this one was? Oh, look, a sign! Name that bird!

super monty

2006-01-06T03:22:00.000-08:00

A little know fact about me is that I am a Super Hero! My super power is the ability to seek & find Adventure! ...Actually, all Sock Monkeys possess that ability... I don't really have any special super powers, but I do feel pretty super in my cape...
Originally I created this blogthing to chronicle some of my Adventuring, so for the next little while, I'll be writing about some of the amazing places I've been to & some of the neat people I've met. These Adventures won't necessarily be written about in the order that they happened, and they won't even all be about me - my friends Fuzaar & Donkey & Babetta & others have done some traveling, too, so I want them to write here as well. The whole point here is to share Adventure!

Freyas New Years

2006-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Note from Monty: I have lots of friends & family living here with me. One group that wanders about the place is the fairys. They're quite tiny & colourful and they wear little felt sweaters and flowers for skirts. Usually they're very quiet & shy, but they have little fairy parties now & then and they like to move things around when no one is looking. It's rare that they go out (or, at least, that we know where they've gone...) but on New Years Eve, Freya the fairy went out to a bar!

Freyas New Years

There was this party at a place called Scruffy Murphy's up on Eglinton Ave. The cover was fairly cheap and the band was pretty decent too. She made some new friends and discovered BEER! When faeries get drunk they don't just feel fuzzy, they become fuzzy. Fortunately it has nothing in common with lycanthropy so the revelers were all safe but being the ectoplasmic being she was, it was literally hard to focus on her after a while. The only way you could have been able to tell that Freya was there was the fact that the band had only two singers but there was a third perfect harmony on "Dancing Queen" and some ghostly fiddle soloing on "Home For A Rest". It makes one wonder where faeries carry their instruments or whether there weren't even more of her aetherial tribe present for the closing of the year celebrations at Scruffy's. Chances are if Freya wasn't the only one of her kind there, the others were probably so wasted they were invisible. I guess that's the way it goes.

Anyway, it ended up that Freya flitted drunkenly home as if she was Woodstock from Peanuts. She had to make several stops in trees and short shrubs on the way home as her meandering flight made her quite dizzy sometimes but Freya made it. I imagine when she woke up there was some other faerie's phone number written in shaky marker on her palm or some such other souvenir from the night (paper crown, plastic champagne glass, etc.) in her coat pocket. The evening helped to get rid of the cabin fever she'd been feeling for a bit since she came to live at the house where she was. Maybe, she thought to herself, the city isn't so bad after all.

xmes is over

2006-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

It is now a new year! A whole brand new year, full of promise & possibility! A bit chilly so far, but pretty. I had nice holidays. (But then, being a Sock Monkey, I am perpetually on holiday...) I went to various granfolk places. I went with Fuuzar, and we had a lovely time surrounded by colourful presents & good food. I got Sea Monkeys! The Fuu got a jester outfit. Mum got a dvd of her favourite tv show, and the Subhuman got airplanes & helicopters. It was a nice time. We even got to see a christmas pageant puppet play. I'm a little sad christmas is over now.

oh tananbaum

2005-12-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

We have a very tiny christmas tree, so we decorated it with tiny teddy bears, tiny monkeys and fairies. Every now and again, the fairies all start singing carols, and it's very pretty.

Wishing
you
warmth
& cheer!

happy holidays

2005-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone! Mum actually managed to finish her christmas elf duties in good time and she can start wrapping all our presents now! Would you like to know a secret? My Mum actually is a christmas elf! I found a very old picture of her when she was actively working for Santa, handing out candy canes. She still has that hat. It has a bell on the end. Now she's a toy making elf, and maybe someday she'll be a Santa Claus...

Here is a picture of a bunch of us Sock Guys giving the Subhuman a hug - everybody should hug each other when the "holidays" get overwhelming.

All the best of the season to everyone, and to all a good recovery from all the shopping & wrapping & eating & merriment!!

at the gift market

2005-12-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

Today Mum & I had a lovely day visiting! We went to the Annex Christmas Gift Market (www.annexmarket.com) so Mum could visit friends and I got to visit my little brother Chrispin. He was adopted by Mairead & Natasha, who make soap (www.pioneerarts.ca). They are awesome ladies, and they are even extra awesomer, because they make yummies, too!! Mum was chatting & chatting & chatting and she had a wonderful time and didn't want to leave. She bought yummies & I bought hats. Actually, they are Christmas trees, but the Foo and I are wearing them as hats! Jo and her Mom make them (www.forbiddencolors.ca). Mum had such a lovely time chatting endlessly with everyone, and I had such a lovely time visiting with Chrispin. What nice & talented friends we have! And it was even a beautiful day outside!

a visit

2005-12-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

The Subhumans good friend Lorne is visiting from far, far away, so we all went out to Pho. I have been here before and I must say it's excellent, but our hearts were broken today with the news that they will be closing in about a month, so everyone, GO HERE! and make their last month wonderful. The food really is superb and the lady that runs the place is supernice. They are located on the south side of Dundas just west of Beverly and the AGO. I don't know the name of the place, but there's a really big MOOSE in front of the place that makes it very easy to find...

my mum

2005-12-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

I want to take a blogmoment, and write a little about my Mum. She doesn't really want me to write about her, but I think I ought to, since I write about her already a bit, and after all, she's my Mum. She is an artist. She makes Sock Monkeys (like me) and Sock Animals, but she also makes lots of other things, too. She seems to be very busy all the time. She has a terrible memory and is always running about the home looking for things. Everything is always messy because she never cleans anything. The poor Subhuman has to do all the work. (I'll write about him later.) I don't really mind the mess, but I wish she would spend more time in the kitchen making brownies & pies & sandwiches & jello... She drinks tea all the time, all day long. She usually has messy hair & messy clothes, and watches too much TV. Her favourite program right now is Baretta. She sits on the couch sewing Sock Monkeys, drinking tea, wearing big red pajamas. In the Sock Studio she sews & listens to loud music like Tool & drinks more tea. I think she is very nice & fun, but then, she is my Mum, and I might be biased.

too busy

2005-12-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

My Mum is so busy right now that she hasn't had any time to help me type! I wish I was bigger so I could help her at the big Show. She says I can't go or someone will want to buy me! Liam got to go to the Show and now he has a whole new home and a family! Mum says it is important to find good homes for everyone, but I wish they could all stay here. Mum says it would get very crowded... (It's already crowded!) I'm not allowed to go to the Show, but Mum brought me a picture. Her display is so tiny, but very crowded. I'd have fun playing on it, but I don't want to get sold! The Show will be over soon, and then she'll come home and spend more time with me.

monkey legs

2005-11-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

It seems to keep getting crazier every day. My Mum was out all day. She took a lot of stuff from the Sock Studio with her, but she left a big mess of unfinished Monkeys laying around! I cleaned them up for her, but it's really weird - they're all just bodies & legs & tails... Kinda creepy... They have no faces yet. I'm the one in the middle. (With the face.) Maybe some'll get finished soon. Oh, I hope so!

busybusybusy

2005-11-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

When you're in the Santa Claus business, Christmas becomes a really crazy time! My Mum is trying to make Sock Monkeys like a devil, all the while working on her website and trying to eat, too! Thank heavens for the Subhuman, or it would be those horrible noodles every day! (Mum may like them, but I sure don't!) I am helping her as best I'm able, but I'm really much too small to be of much use. She lets me pick out some of the socks. She does all the sewing, stuffing (with a little help from the Subhuman), sewing & so on. Mainly, I just pick out socks & watch the maddness... And it's mad! My Mum is going to be selling all my new friends at some big Show here in Toronto, staring in less then a week - I won't even get to play with them! Maybe she'll let me help her name them...

You can find information about this Show on her website - www.roroart.com, but here's a sneak peak at a new page that isn't even up yet! She's writing about the History or Sock Monkeys! Very important stuff! My people have been around for a century! And soon, since Mum has to stop helping me now and go back to sewing, there's be more of us!

the champagne toast

2005-11-16T02:16:00.000-08:00

" The wind has welcomed you with softness.

The sun has blessed you with warm hands.

You've flown so high and so well

that Nature has joined you in laughter,

and set you gently back again

into the loving arms of Mother Earth."

- the Olde World Tradition of Balloon Flight

landing on a runway

2005-11-14T02:17:00.000-08:00

The basket had footholes, to climb in & out with, but to us Sockfolks, they made excellent little windows. Our pilot said, "See that cornfield? With the grass runway next to it?" (We couldn't really see which patch of green he meant amongst all the other green, but we nodded.) "That's where I'm going to land us." And he did! We got lower & lower, and then could see the place he meant. We actually dragged through a bit of the cornfield, and wet, dewy green bits of cornplant were flying into the basket through the foothole/windows, covering Commander Mom and Juanita with soggy flecks of green. They yelled, but it was a very soft landing; only a tiny bit of bumping. We actually landed in a small private runway for a man who has an ultralight plane. He was up in the air when we landed on his runway, and he had to wait for us to roll up our balloon before he could land himself! He and his wife joined us in a champagne toast to our balloon flight.

After all that flying, Juanita was exhausted, so I joined her in a nap on the lawn when we got home.
It was still ridiculously early in the morning!

flying over birds

2005-11-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

The flight was about an hour, but it seemed both longer, because we traveled so far & so high, and shorter, because it was so gentle & easy! Donkey, who was probably the most excited of us to be flying, wanted to pilot the balloon. As we flew, most of the time, we weren't sure where we were flying over, or flying to, but the landscape below us kept changing - roads & apartment buildings, houses & backyards, trees & golf courses, fields & farms.

We flew over the farm where my furry friend Bene was born. He has his own blog at www.benethedogblog.blogspot.com

One of the most incredible parts of the Adventure was flying high over birds! You don't generally think that sometime you might see birds flying about below you...

surprise good morning

2005-11-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

It was wonderful being up so high, and yet, it didn't feel so high. Because the wind was moving us, we were moving at roughly the speed of the wind, and there was no feeling of wind. There were no bumps or sways, and if you weren't looking at anything, you could just barely feel the basket slowly spinning. Our pilot was great. I bet he's never had so many passengers on one flight before!

We floated right over Richards Parents house, and he phoned them on his celphone! It was pretty early, and they were just having their morning coffee, and Richard said, "Come outside onto the deck and look up!" They could see us waving at them! What fun! What a lovely way to say "Good Morning!"

looking at the edge of the world

2005-11-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

Far away, on the curving, distant horizon, is my home city, Toronto. You probably can't see it, but when this picture was taken, up in our balloon, we could see the CN tower as a tiny, pointy silluette, right on the edge of the world, with a vague hint of the buildings around it. The sun was glaring at us and everything had a yellow haze. It was the most amazing moment of the entire flight.

gently up into the sky

2005-10-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Juanita wanted to go Hot Air Ballooning for her birthday (she likes to do something special every year!) & my Mum loves being up high, so they got some tickets for a dawn flight with friends. Hot Air Ballooning requires good weather... Our first scheduled flightdate, near Juanitas birthday, was cancelled because of rain. Our second flightdate would have been near Richards birthday, but it rained. A new date near Michael & Mums birthday... rain. Commander Mom got a ticket, too, but it even passed her birthday in winter and we couldn't find a date that we could all be together and fly in nice weather! It took a whole year, but finally, after Juanita & Richards birthdays and before Mike, Mum & Commander Moms birthdays, we found a nice morning!! The day dawned lovely, and we got our call to fly!

First, the balloon was brought out and a huge fan blew air into it while Juanita & Commander Mom held the edges. Mum & I could actually walk right inside the balloon as it was filling! The air was heated and the balloon started rising. We all climbed into the basket. It was tiny, and there were a lot of us. There was the pilot, two nice ladies we didn't know also having birthday flights & us - me, Juanita, Mum, Commander Mom, Michael, Richard, Sam, Monkey & my good friends Lumpy & Donkey. Up we floated, gently into the sky.

Sam, Monkey & Lumpy must have been afraid of heights, because they stayed low in the bottom of the basket the whole time, but Donkey proved to be a bit of a daredevil! It was a beautiful and cool and fun to watch the cars and houses grow tiny, listening to the traffic sounds, and watching folks get ready for work. The sun rose hazily, and the most amazing thing was watching the world curve away under us. Way high on the horizon, from where we were in Kitchener-Waterloo, we could see Toronto and the CN Tower as a tiny silluette on the very edge of the world. It was pretty spectacular!

our guest departs

2005-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Juanita hasn't stayed very long... She's going to stay with her family for a while now. They're very far away in Alberta, so I won't get to see her! I shall be very sad! I will have to write her letters, & I'm not very good at writing! Perhaps I will just draw her pictures, & she can visit my blogthing sometimes, I hope. Juanita is a very nice person; I hope her new adventure is going to be wonderful!

My Mum has to work tonight making more Sock Monkeys (actually, she's mostly making Sock Bunnies, even though she's supposed to be making Sock Monkeys) so she can't help me write this blog for much longer, but for my next blogposting, I plan to write about my Hot Air Balloon Adventure with Juanita, and I have some very neat pictures!

a guest!

2005-10-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Big news at the homeplace! One of my favourite people, Juanita, has come to stay with us! She was staying with some bad people who weren't good to her, so now she is going to stay with us for a little while and we must be extra good to her! Juanita is a fun person who is almost always smiling and I get to hang out with her sometimes - We've had some very cool Adventures (which I will chronicle soon) and hopefully we will have some fun before she finds her own homeplace... Right now Mum has made a tiny little room for her in the studio, so her bed is surrounded by big boxes of socks! Juanita is extra-excellent because she brought cookies!!

monkey

2005-10-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

This is me! This picture was taken some time ago, but it's me in a tree in Autumn. Ah, the trees in Autumn! I love to climb, and the more colourful, the better! It's important to see the world from as many branches as possible...

Finally I have gotten a picture up! There I am, and as you can see, I am indeed short and mostly grey. My paws are navy and my tail is very skinny. I wish it were longer so I could grab bigger things. (But isn't that just a metaphor for existance!)

not an easy thing!

2005-10-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

This blogging stuff isn't easy! From the date of my last post until now, I have been desperately trying to enter a new post (hey, I'm a sock monkey, I have a lot of time on my paws) and has it ever been impossible! This blogthing is tricky! But it seems to be working now... I hope...

I have wanted to write about my new shoes (they're blue!) but they don't feel that new anymore. I shall have to go out somewhere special and wear them, but I don't know where.

Here in the homeplace, we've been listening to records. Mum and The Subhuman went out and brought back a big bunch of old records. I've been hanging out in the livingroom , so I've been getting to listen to them all. There's a George Carlin one, and a Sesame Street one, and a pile of different musicals, but the best two are a folk one with different people, including Mason Williams, and Bill McNeil's "Voice of the Pioneer".

Mason Williams is very funny. We already have a record of him, and he does nice music too, but I like the funny stuff. On this new record, he has a song called "Them Toad Suckers" which is completely silly!

On the Voice of the Pioneer record there are some amazing stories told by old people remembering when they were young, and in many cases poor. What amazing people they were! Some of the stories were very funny, and some very moving. It is wonderful to hear these stories, and it's an old record, so the stories on it took place a very, very long time ago!

Records are pretty neat. I think they are exactly the right sort of thing for a sock monkey to listen to.

first blog...

2005-10-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

My name is Monty and I am a Sock Monkey. I am not very old. I am very short and I am mostly grey. Sometimes I wear sneakers and hats. Sometimes I get to go on Adventures, so I am making a blogthing to show some of my pictures. (My Mum is a photographer and she is helping me with the typing.) It's going to take me a while, I think, to learn how to use this blogthing, but I will try to tell good stories and show some of the fun places I have been and will go to...

I have many friends, and I will get their help with this blogthing, too. I will introduce them properly in later blogs. Hopefully, I will learn how to put up pictures soon.