learn your A B Z's

before leaving the great northern parking lot, i wrote a thank-you-note on the back of one of my postcards and slide it in the door to empire. it read as follows:

to heather (the bartender), frania, and avery,

thanx for contributing to me getting dru-hunk!! on my last nite in fargo. glad to have met you. when he's old enough, frania,you should buy avery - uncle shelby's ABZ book by shel siverstein. it will change his life forever; or at least be a good laugh. OFF TO WISCONSIN!!

much love, jamie

david (my old workwife from boone) introduced me to the book. here's what avery (that lucky kid) is in store for:

B is for baby
See the baby
The baby is fat
The baby is pink
The baby can cry
The baby can laugh
See the baby play
Play, baby, play.
Pretty, pretty, baby.
Mommy loves the baby more than she loves you.

Z is for zoo
Let's go to the zoo
See all the animals!
The animals are locked inside the cages.
Poor animals!
Who will let them out???
See the elephant in the zoo. Give the nice elephant some peanut shells with pepper inside. That will be a good joke on him. Ha. Ha. Ha Ha. The elephant is mad but don't worry -- By tomorrow the elephant will have forgotten all about it.
Poor hippopotamus. The hippopatumus has a bone stuck in his throat and can't get it out. Poor hippopotamus. The hippopotamus has no fingers like you do. Poor hippopotamus. Say, maybe he is not a real hippopotamus after all. Maybe he is really a royal prince that has been turned into a hippopotamus by a wicked witch and when some person takes the bone out of his throat the spell will be broken and he will turn back into a prince again and give whoever did it a million dollars in gold and a horse and a castle.
See the hippopotamus in the zoo
Whew!