Goldie Fuzz

When I was a little girl, my dad used to tell Stuart and me a story he made up about a raccoon with golden fur. Dad was a great story-teller. He used different voices for all the characters and dynamics to dramatize the action. He knew just how to make us laugh. Once, when he was going to be gone for some time (I believe it was when he was in Turkey on TDY), he recorded the story on tape so Stuart and I could listen to it at night before bed. The two of us shared a room with bunk beds. Stuart had a radio and we'd often fall asleep listening to different tapes, like Abbott and Costello's Who's On First routine or whatever music Dad had recorded onto tape from his record collection.

Anyway, Goldie Fuzz has become part of Grandpa Rick's legacy because now I tell it to my kids. I hadn't done so since Selah was a toddler when she recently asked me to tell it again. Kaity and Joe can practically recite it by themselves! I've told it a few times over the last month or so which apparently inspired Kaity to illustrate the funny little story, which is basically The Three Bears with a twist - namely, that Goldilocks the little girl has been replaced by Goldifuzz, the mischievous, naughty raccoon.

The pictures read essentially like a comic book. Kaity remarked, "If I'd known you were going to put this on the blog, I'd have done a better job coloring it!"

So Goldifuzz tries the fish that Papa Bear cooked, finding only Baby Bear's palatable, then their bowls of water, breaking them in the process (Crash! Splash!), then tries to rest in their chairs, all of which are unsatisfactory. He finally wanders upstairs to Papa Bear's bed, which is made with branches and thorns and pinecones: too uncomfortable (YOW!). Mama Bear's bed, which isn't much better, and finally snuggles down in Baby Bear's bed, which is made up of pine needles, soft moss, and leaves - just right!

The Bears arrive home from their walk, which they had taken while they let their fried fish cool. After inspecting all the damage left in the wake of our hero, Baby Bear squeaks out the news that the perpetrator is fast asleep in his own bed! Naturally, the Bears gobble up Goldifuzz, leaving only his teeth, hair and eyeballs, which Kaity illustrated so thoughtfully.

Now, doesn't that explain a lot about my sense of humor? Thanks, Dad.