What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

A Very Patriotic Bean

My stepfather is in the hospital with a bad infection in his foot.  It might have been a spider bite, but not sure. I'm going out to stay with my Mom for awhile since she still had limited mobility and mostly because I enjoy her company.  Hoping and praying that my stepfather is well enough to come home before very long.  Stuff just keeps happening to out little family and it is difficult.  The Bean is a strong young man, but he hates to see his family suffering and sad so he takes it hard himself.  He is a dandy kid, I tell you.

When he was three years old, I took him to the local 4th of July Rodeo parade and I was obsessed with getting his photo in the newspaper.  I dressed him up all patriotic in a big Uncle Sam hat.  We sat on the curb waiting for the parade and suddenly, a man with a big camera appeared and aimed it git at my kid!  Woohoo!  He came over and asked his name and age and then left.  The next day I could hardly WAIT to get the local newspaper.  I looked all through it but he wasn't in there.  I was crushed!  He was certainly the cutest kid at the parade (I know, I know....that's my opinion).  Why wan't he in there?  A little later in the day, someone called to say that he was on the FRONT PAGE of the newspaper from LITTLE ROCK that goes out to the entire STATE.  Holey Toledo, that's BIG!

See, he really was the cutest kid at the parade!  (That date on the photo was from when I scanned it in 2007.  It was 1997.)

Being the super cool good sport that he is, I talked him into recreating that photo this year.  
God, I love that kid.  

Happy 4th of July to you and yours!

11 comments:

  1. Love that the Bean is such a good sport to recreate the photo!
    Happy Fourth and healing wishes to your stepfather!

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  2. So cool, love it!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Happy 4th!!!!

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  3. Even all these years later, that hat is still bigger than he is! :-) Best wishes for your step-dad and mom!

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  4. Can't hardly call that young man a kid anymore, can we? He's turning into a very handsome young man at that. I'm sorry that your step-father has the foot infection, but I'm glad that you can help your mother when she needs you.

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  5. Can't hardly call that young man a kid anymore, can we? He's turning into a very handsome young man at that. I'm sorry that your step-father has the foot infection, but I'm glad that you can help your mother when she needs you.

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  6. TOO FUNNY!!
    We ALL love The Bean!

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  7. That photo made me laugh out loud and put a big grin on my face! The perfect way to start the holiday.

    What a sport:-)

    Erica

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  8. Love the hat and the Bean for posing for you a second time! Have a happy 4th!!

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  9. I love reading your posts. I love yard sales way more than I probably should & love checking out the deals you get!! As for Bean posing for you, well congrats! My son is 15 & it would be like pulling hens teeth to get him to pose for a picture :)

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  10. Hi Shara,
    Prayers and good wishes for your Step Dad's speedy recovery. Love your pictures of Bean. Small or grown he is a cutie pie! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday and are enjoying your time with your Mom.
    Lysa
    PS- I absolutely love your post "May the 4th be with you" My most fav are the matches and the tobacco tin. Your whole display is fantastic!

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  11. I can't tell you how much I adore this picture. It is just the cutest thing ever.

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