We have a saying in our house: "You can never go wrong with a monkey...or a chicken." Some animals are naturally funny, especially monkeys and chickens. One of our favorite episodes of The Big Bang Theory features Ricky, Amy Farrah Fowler's chain-smoking simian lab subject. If you haven't seen it, you must. He is one BAD monkey!
Those of you who have been following this blog may recall the post entitled "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", in which I celebrated the joys of whimsy in my Second Half. Since OG is having a bit more trouble making the transition to living in California, we're making an effort to add whimsy to his new life, too. For Christmas, our daughter (a giant fan of Spanish soccer) gave OG a stuffed monkey named Marti (dressed in a Real Madrid hoodie) to keep him company by his computer. When we moved, OG decided Marti would make an excellent personal trainer and set him up on the treadmill.
For OG's recent birthday, our daughter sent a whistle for Marti to help keep Dad on track with his exercises, and I gave him this card. The monkeys bounce and bob; I couldn't resist.
However, I believe my Fathers Day present tops them all. I found this monkey on a tricycle at Grigg's Nursery when I took my mom to look at fairy gardens. OG was so amused he insisted on going back the next day to get plants and a chicken to complete the piece. Now, this is what we see from our living room window. Just look at those expressions! It's hard to have a bad day with these two around.
And, in case you wondered, I AM wearing my monkey socks as I write this post.
I love fairy gardens. Who doesn't? They combine two of my favorite things: gardening and miniatures. The best fairy gardens whisk you away into a wonderful world of make-believe on a tiny scale, much like a dollhouse but complete with a magical outdoor setting. (Does anyone else remember Thumbellina?)
I loved playing with my dollhouse when I was a little girl. I had some furniture and accessories that had belonged to my mother, and we bought a number of additional pieces over the years. When my daughter inherited the dollhouse, she and I used to visit a fabulous miniature shop in Minneapolis to add to the collection. We both cherish the memories of those special excursions, which were precursors to innumerable fun girls' days since. The dollhouse has moved on to one of my nieces, but I still have two boxes of furniture and accessories to pass down in case I'm lucky enough to have a granddaughter one day.
My mother was in town a couple of weeks ago for her first visit since we moved, so I took her to my favorite garden center, Griggs Nursery in Carmel Valley. I wasn't looking for fairy gardens because I'd never seen them there. However, as soon as we arrived, we came face to face with this one. Doesn't it look like The Shire? I can almost see Bilbo and Frodo, can't you?
Mom and I were instantly captivated. We looked around and came across several more. They're quite pricey but SO charming.
Then we found a display of fairy garden accessories, and I was inspired. I promised Mom I'd plant my own fairy garden as soon as we move into the new house. I can hardly wait!
