An Idea Forms

Every Friday Miss Applesauce Pants, Blue Monkey and Black Rat go fishing.

This is the day when the rest of the disbanded (see Blue Monkey Tells a Tale post) diaper band are gone. And without the diaper band, Miss Applesauce Pants, Blue Monkey and Black Rat can do things that are hard to do when the whole band is together.

 Which is how it came to be, that Fridays were designated Pizza making, Fishing and Painting days.  This past Friday started as all the others.

First Blue Monkey, Black Rat and Miss Applesauce Pants made pizza dough while Blue Monkey played on the piano between dough kneading and rising.

Every since Black Rat quit the band. Blue Monkey has been playing piano..(and sighing), playing violin (and sighing), playing the drums (and sighing.) Finally, on this particular Friday,  Black Rat caved.

All right already, she says as she tosses her pizza dough in the air.  What if we reunite and we are just a rhythm band. Because really..uhm..how do I say this? Black Rat sprinkles some more flour on the dough and then looks directly at Blue Monkey. Well, Blue Monkey, we are NOT VERY GOOD.  

Really? says Blue Monkey(.he is not remotely concerned that we may not sound any good) 

Yes. sighs Black Rat. For now it is her turn to sigh.

Perfect! says Blue Monkey.

Before he can get too excited Black Rat gives him her offer.

We can be a rhythm band, but we cannot practice all the time. Maybe just once a day. Because really? I am an artist. Not a musician. YOU are the musician.

This greatly pleases Blue Monkey. But Blue Monkeys sometimes only hears what he wants. And I will still be the fiddle player. You guys will be the rhythm band and I will be the fiddle player. Because I am a GREAT violin player. 

Black Rat gives Miss Applesauce Pants the see what I have to work with look. Then says. Fine.

But Black Rat is a bit concerned. For you see. The violin is TOO BIG for Blue Monkey. So he can only play open strings because his fingers can't reach the finger board. But Black Rat does not want to disappoint Blue Monkey. So instead she says..

Yeah. But I think you should learn the rhythm band part also. You know, until we can make some money and get you a violin that fits.  And we should probably make some money for some rhythm instruments too. Because right now? We have one drum.

But the kitchen..., states Blue Monkey with a gesture to the pots and pans.

One drum, restates Black Rat.

Blue Monkey knows that pots and pans can make amazing music. But maybe Black Rat is right. Maybe she IS an artist and not a musician. It really doesn't matter, because Blue Monkey cares greatly about Black Rat and would never be in a band without her.

After some debate, Blue Monkey agrees with Black Rat and suggests that they contemplate business plans as they fish.  
 
So Miss Applesauce Pants, Black Rat and Blue Monkey gather their fishing poles to return to Blue Monkey's declared feud on the Chinese Fish.

Now feuding with a fish takes strategy. Part of the strategy for this war has been experimenting with which bait is best. First Blue Monkey tried corn. Corn was how the feud began. Next was hot-dogs. Black Monkey thought hot-dogs would do the trick. But Blue Monkey was SO BUSY that week..that all the fish were scared away. Miss Applesauce agreed to bring worms.

But first all the worms had to be named. And you can't feed worms with names to fish.

No! Not that one! Blue Monkey would cry. That is wormy. 

Not that one either! would join Black Rat. That is princess.

Black Rat likes princesses. Despite the fact that Black Rat chooses names like Black Rat and loves what she refers to as scary, horror, art. Black Rat likes to wear cute little matching outfits with jewel covered flip-flops. She also loves princesses and unicorns. Black Rat is spending some time  this year discovering who she is.

And once Black Rat starts talking about princesses, well, there is no way we can put a hook in a princess. Blue Monkey quickly realizes that this could become a problem.

Here take this one. He tells Miss Applesauce Pants. It's Blackworm the Pirate. And then the calamity begins.

As Blue Monkey is renaming the worms, his pole starts to come apart. Miss Applesauce Pants! he cries.

Miss Applesauce pants tries to help. She really does. But then she slides down the boulder and catches a tree trunk with her foot to keep from falling into the fishing hole.

SSHH!! hiss Black Rat and Blue Monkey in unison.

Miss Applesauce pants tries to put the pole back together, when she feels a pull. No way. It is the fish. Miss Applesauce Pants tugs on the line as hard as she can. Blue Monkey holds onto Miss Applesauce Pants. Black Rat holds onto Blue Monkey.

The fish gets away with the worm. This goes on for 3 more worms. Miss Applesauce Pants, Black Rat and Blue Monkey say goodbye to Wild Worm Hickock, Buffalo Worm and Queen Elizaworm. 

It is agreed that worms are the way to go. But once the fish has finished feasting, the river becomes very quiet again.

I'm hungry, says Blue Monkey. Blue Monkey is always hungry. Miss Applesauce Pants and Black Rat tell him to wait 10 more minutes. And during this 10 minutes Blue Monkey begins to think.

Hey. Where did these worms come from?

The store. Says Miss Applesauce Pants.

You mean you bought them?

Well yes. says Miss Applesauce Pants. People collect and sell worms to the ice-house. I buy them from the ice house. You know..people have worm farms and everything. 

Miss Applesauce launches off on a boring list of things worms can be used for.

Blue Monkey does not hear.

You mean we could sell worms? asks Blue Monkey. Black Rat looks on with interest.

Oh dear, thinks Miss Applesauce Pants.  She remembers harvesting worms with her own  3 GROWN BOYS, when they were young.

Uhmm..yes? she responds meekly.

And so Miss Applesauce Pants, Blue Monkey and Black Rat return home to eat their pizza and create a worm farm. Because a worm farm? Will buy the instruments for the band!