ATC - October 3 - Monkeying Around

Monkeys and I go way back.
I have had both good and bad experiences with monkeys; the Best was when I was at a wildlife exhibit and an enchanting capuchin 'teacup sized' monkey decided it liked me and proceeded to cradle itself in my hands, pulling my fingers apart to make a 'nest', then pulling them back over itself so it was safely enclosed.
The Worst was being bitten (I have still have the scars) by a spider monkey named Chico who did not want to go back in his cage, after having SO MUCH FUN creating havoc in our biology 12 class. He used his tail to wrap around my wrist and then leaned over and sank his sharp teeth into my wrist as I tried to scrape him off my hands and close the cage door.

This week, in response to Ms D's, my card shows a background of a Monkey Puzzle Tree (Chilean Pine) which is grown around here primarily as a novelty and annoyance to the neighbours.
Our family tradition (which according to my neighbour-cousins I started..) is to pinch the closest person next to you and yell out 'MONKEY TREE!' when you are driving along, (Driver excluded by the way). As I was the tallest at the time and could see The Tree coming up, I would get my pinches in before my neighbour-cousins had a chance. (They are still in therapy over it, I understand).
As by way of an apology, I have since amended the Monkey Tree Pinch to "MONKEY TREE (gently pinch) MAKE A WISH!"

THOTH: the Baboon Headed Deity is the Patron of Scribes so I thought (pun) since I am a writer, I would do homage to him here.

BARREL OF MONKEYS: Life has certainly been that for me at times, never mind the 'box of chocolates' from Forrest Gump.

MONKEY MIND: In meditation, one of the descriptions that seems so apt when you are trying to still your Inner Voice so you can CONCENTRATE, is of course 'Monkey Mind' - jumping from one thought to another.

And last but not least, one of my all time favourite words of wisdom: "Thats Not My Monkey, I have my own to feed, thank you very much."
I have had to eat those words with salt on many an occasion, as Mr Bear has reminded me not to take on 'other people's monkeys' which I can do little or nothing about.

But most of all, Monkeys remind us to have let loose every once in a while and have fun.
Especially on bright Fall Days like this.
Blessings of Monkey Business!
Shanti