Tuesday, November 25, 2008

MONKEYS


I have a thing for monkeys - they are the cutest! I went through a stage back when we lived in Houston (early 90's) when I really wanted to OWN one. A girl I knew there had smuggled one across the boarder (horrible story really - she bought it as baby, had it drugged by a 'local veterinarian' and kept it in a space inside her car door as she drove it across the Mexican boarder into Texas - her boyfriend "knew someone" and that's how she did it). Anyway, I got to hold her little baby monkey and it was wearing a little Harley-Davidson t-shirt and diaper made for a premature human baby (with a hole cut out for it's tail) and it was the BEST!!! It actually cried (tears came out) as I was holding it because it wanted to be back with her!! After holding that little monkey I can't stress enough how much I really wanted one. Finally, Vipin caved (or I guess I should write, got sick of my constant pestering) and said that we could get one...IF we could afford it and it was legal to have it. So I started my search..and spent days (okay, maybe weeks) reading the Pet Classified listings in the area newspapers. Obviously, as it turned out, the only one I could find that was in our budget was listed as "A Senior Monkey, retired from years of assisting an organ grinder and in need of delicate care."...so we passed on that (I'm sure it would have been a nightmare!), and I finally gave up my search and got over the need (I'm sure Vipin was pleased). Oh, by the way, some neighbor of the girl that had the monkey called and turned her in to the animal rights people...I agree it was probably for the best, but I have to tell you she mourned the loss of her baby monkey as if it was her child, and I was so sad to see her in that state...I hope they found a nice home for that sweet little guy.

In my family, my sister Wanda (#2 daughter) is the 'official' monkey lover in our family, because she had a stuffed Monkey (incidentally named "Monkey") when we were young...I had a baby doll (named...yes, 'Baby")..but I still love monkeys....especially Pocket Monkeys...or Finger Monkeys...basically...really tiny ones. So today's entry (because I'm in a rush) is only of sweet little baby monkey photos...enjoy!

2 comments:

Wanda said...

OK..you can be the official "monkey sister" from now on. And you can be the "obsessed sister" too. Because I never ever knew that you could obsess about something for so long. ha ha ha ha You are GREAT!!! And thanks for sharing all the little monkey pictures you just happened to run across. Because if you actually collected them and had a file in your computer called "little monkey pictures", I'd be REALLY worried!!! I love you! You are an amazing person and great sister!!!!

Anonymous said...

And I thought you loved salamanders and gerbils. Why did we have to have them all the time when everyone loved monkeys? Never mind.