We're Just Monkeying Around...

The morning after we got home from Bangui, I walked out onto our front porch to a gathering of people. I was surprised to see a furry little creature who was the center of attention.

"A monkey!" I exclaimed.

"YOUR monkey," said our neighbor, smiling. I thought he must be joking, but it soon became apparent that it was no joke. Indeed, a friend of ours here had brought us a monkey as a gift.

And, since it would have been terribly rude to not keep such a nice gift from our friend (and because at least some members of the Huntley family were quite inclined to keep him), we decided to keep the monkey.

He is actually John's. John easily came up with a name for the monkey--"Curious George." George, for short.

George is really amiable. He loves to catch grasshoppers, or especially to have people catch them for him and just hand them to him. He also loves fruit. He is extremely cuddly and will take any opportunity to leap onto someone, wrap his arms and legs around them and instantly fall into a contented sleep. When someone tries to set him down, he squeaks as if the world is ending. He is really a social little creature. I wonder how big he will get? He is a cute, grownup guinea-piggish size right now. But he's still only a baby.

John and Sam are really fond of the new pet. Sam likes to hand him things (basically, everything) because he is amused by how George leaps into the air and grabs things with his small hands.

A neighbor across the street owns one of George's siblings (a hunter killed their mother, then sold the babies here in town). George is always so happy to see his brother/sister (not sure which). The two of them usually just give each other a huge hug, then fall asleep together in a matter of seconds.