ancient cave paintings foretold their invention. pharaohs built pyramids in their honor. the truth about how the mythical treat came into being is full of rivary and intrigue. many say the girl scouts started it. by 1927, the same year that the kellog company invented the rice krispie, the girl scouts of america were...
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it all started with the sons of teddy roosevelt. they hold the dubious distinction of being the first westerners to kill a panda in 1928. stuffed trophy pandas were proudly displayed in the world’s natural history museums, but, no zoological facility could boast hosting a live one of these gentle bamboo-noshing creatures. in the...
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if you’re like me, you want to know if that lovely delicate creature perching on a wild flower or tree branch is a moth or a butterfly. assuming that they have not camouflaged their antennae with fashionable head-gear such as a ball cap or a jaunty beret, it is easy to tell by the...
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how many times has this happened to you? you’re out doing a bit of spelunking in your favorite cave and you see a particularly interesting pointy structure hanging from the ceiling and you’d like to point it out to your companion. then it happens! you can’t remember what to call it! is it a...
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Dear Monkey, Should someone attempt chai early in their tea drinking career? Rebecca rebecca, any time is the right time to try a new tea! chai is a black or green tea with various spices added such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon or clove. it can be enjoyed with milk and sweetener or plain....
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take the guess work out of choosing between a grilled cheese or toasted cheese sandwich. perfect for posting on your fridge or as a menu insert for your restaurant patrons.
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my bags are packed and i’m on the go! (as depicted by this lovely portrait of me by apelad) i’ll be in china & tibet over the next few weeks and i hope to twitter from the roof of the world! catch my tweets at www.twitter.com/hi_im_monkey !
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i have a love/hate relationship with the term “children’s book.” what exactly is a children’s book? a book for children only? written by children? young books that will some day grow up to be adult books? as children’s book week draws to a close, i really don’t have a better grasp on this conundrum....
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in honor of national poetry month and grilled cheese month: two slices of bread grilled to a golden brown hides the molten cheese everyone enjoys grilled cheese poetry!
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on this day in 1858 hymen lipman of philadelphia received a patent for his revolutionary invention. by incorporating an eraser into a pencil he changed the course of pencil history! mr. lipman sold his patent to joseph reckendorfer for $100,000 who subsequently took legal action against the venerable farber castelle for patent infringement. as...
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decorating with fragrant pine cones, colorful holly and charming candles is always fun until something bursts into flames. stock up on a few jaunty red fire extinguishers for the holiday season. you’ll be glad you did. i’ve captured this sentiment in a lovely holiday mug, just in case you know someone who might need...
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to end national accordion month in style, i accompanied a friend to a late night accordion jam session. the air was still thick with the strains of lady of spain as we emerged form the club, loaded my friend’s accordion into the back seat and headed home in the pre-dawn light. as you might...
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unexpected guests can disrupt one’s life. this little chap didn’t just drop in, he plummeted from his nest high above my garden sometime last saturday night. since then, he’s taken over the place. he has food delivered. he parties with the sparrows that drop by for the seed buffet i put out daily. he’s...
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can you imagine my delight to find that chows‘s aïda mollenkamp has mentioned cooking with monkey as one of her top 10 favorite cooking blogs! what an honor to be listed on a favorite site with the sites i love to persuse and what a delight to see the always entertaining and informative david...
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the buddha of compassion, chenrezig, took a vow to relieve the suffering of all sentient beings, but, things were not going so well. he was alone, overworked, overwhelmed and frustrated. it’s no wonder that he just broke down in a fit of hopeless tears. i would have too. one of his tears hit the...
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once thought to be a vestigial organ that aided ancient primates with the digestion of grass and leaves, the appendix is now believed to be a safe house for intestinal bacteria. current data shows that this little organic noah’s ark helps repopulate the intestines with happy & healthy bacteria after a flood of illness...
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this hawai’ian holiday and king kamehameha day on june 11th are the only two holidays dedicated to royalty in the united states. say, aloha to my list of favorite hawai’ian words i can freely use in conversations. (with bonus definition and it’s skillful use in a sentence!) mahalo – thanks – “mahalo for the...
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beloved in tibet and with the tibetan people in exile he may well be the most popular buddha in the of our time. please welcome my good friend chenrezig, the buddha of compassion. you’ll recognize him by his white color, the doe skin casually draped around his shoulders and his impeccable ability to accessorize....
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valentine’s day is all about love, so, it’s no coincidence that i’m kicking of my “know your buddhas” series with my little golden friend here. say hello to the buddha maitreya! today, he’s decked out in his fancy silks, elaborate jewelry and matching crown. other times, you’ll see him in a simple monks robe...
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what says “i love you more than anything else in the world” more than healthy heart. just take a gander at these attractive and well formed p waves. a respectable pr interval, pointy and pert qrs complexes followed by a relaxed st segment and a noble t wave. it’s obvious that this little heart...
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