It was the perfect day. RoboHen woke up and clucked happily - it was his birthday and he was in fine spirits. "Hurry up, everyone!" he crowed with excitement. "It's time for birthday things!"
MamaHen heard his delighted crow during her shower and smiled. She was certain RoboHen would have a wonderful day. She gave him his first present at breakfast - a big sturdy bag to hold all his other presents. It was purple, and he loved it. She was a little nervous about the next one, so she counted to thirty before giving it to him. (Perhaps he wouldn't like it.) But of course he did, because it was a turtle! The next present was a birdbath for the turtle to play in - well, it was really a turtlebath. RoboHen was very pleased - "He can drink the water too, if he gets thirsty," he said. He liked the fact that it had more than one purpose.
The next present was also for the turtle. It was a little mermaid statue to decorate the turtlebath. "Wow!" said RoboHen. "You even furnished his habitat!"
He exclaimed even further when he saw the magnificent cake his mom had baked. Every person and animal who came to his party swooned over it. It was so delicious that nobody really had to wash dirty dishes because the guests licked their plates clean. But RoboHen's mom firmly insisted that they go in the dishwasher anyway. "Wow, that's service," said RoboHen.
"It's not every day that my son has a birthday," smiled MamaHen.
"Best birthday Thursday ever!" said RoboHen.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
RoboHen Makes Waffles
One day RoboHen declared, "I am a chef. Today I will make waffles."
"Don't worry," he said as he caught a glimpse of his mom's expression. "They will be perfect."
He tossed a quarter cup of oil into the waffle maker and turned it on as MamaHen looked nervous. She quietly placed a heap of squash nearby in hopes that RoboHen would make squash waffles, but he ignored that. His mom decided to watch quietly from the sidelines. She did want to supervise, but she didn't want to look like a prison warden.
Soon the warmth from the waffle iron was heating up the room, and it was time to pour in the batter. Into the bowl went flour, sugar, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt, and a squat little apple cut into chunks.
"I almost forgot!" exclaimed RoboHen. "I must reach into my wardrobe for the proper attire."
"What in the world?" muttered his mom. "Why do you need special clothes to make waffles?"
RoboHen returned from his room looking like quite the Waffle House worker. Then he reached backward to tie up his spiffy apron, adorned with waffle embroidery.
"The waffle warrior is ready to cook!" he exclaimed as he poured the batter into the waffle maker.
Suddenly a swarm of fruit flies rose up around the kitchen. They headed straight for the chunks of apple in the batter.
Just as suddenly, RoboHen's friend Snow, the dwarf donkey, leaped into the kitchen and slurped up all of the fruit flies. "Mmmm," he said happily, "a tasty snack."
"Phew!" said RoboHen. "Well, that was worthwhile. I worship your furry donkey face."
And they all waffled happily ever after.
"Don't worry," he said as he caught a glimpse of his mom's expression. "They will be perfect."
He tossed a quarter cup of oil into the waffle maker and turned it on as MamaHen looked nervous. She quietly placed a heap of squash nearby in hopes that RoboHen would make squash waffles, but he ignored that. His mom decided to watch quietly from the sidelines. She did want to supervise, but she didn't want to look like a prison warden.
Soon the warmth from the waffle iron was heating up the room, and it was time to pour in the batter. Into the bowl went flour, sugar, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt, and a squat little apple cut into chunks.
"I almost forgot!" exclaimed RoboHen. "I must reach into my wardrobe for the proper attire."
"What in the world?" muttered his mom. "Why do you need special clothes to make waffles?"
RoboHen returned from his room looking like quite the Waffle House worker. Then he reached backward to tie up his spiffy apron, adorned with waffle embroidery.
"The waffle warrior is ready to cook!" he exclaimed as he poured the batter into the waffle maker.
Suddenly a swarm of fruit flies rose up around the kitchen. They headed straight for the chunks of apple in the batter.
Just as suddenly, RoboHen's friend Snow, the dwarf donkey, leaped into the kitchen and slurped up all of the fruit flies. "Mmmm," he said happily, "a tasty snack."
"Phew!" said RoboHen. "Well, that was worthwhile. I worship your furry donkey face."
And they all waffled happily ever after.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
RoboHen Gets a Haircut
On a sunny afternoon, RoboHen was repairing the 101 Things Machine outside in the yard when his mom came up to him with a no-nonsense look on her face. He barely glanced her way and kept fidgeting with the top widget. "Careful, careful," he muttered to himself as he adjusted the marble whatsit.
"RoboHen!" his mom interrupted. "How can you just carry on when I am clearly standing here waiting for you to notice me?"
"Beware!" said RoboHen. "It is dangerous to interrupt a boy and his tinkering."
But he finally looked up at his mom waiting for him in the garden and gave her his attention. Sometimes one must also beware of impatient parents.
RoboHen's mom guided him past the fairy knoll and toward the TurboJet, which is a fancy kind of airplane. RoboHen was not aware of their destination. He waited, fairly impatiently, for his mom to declare herself. Finally, she said, "We are going to the barber."
So off they flew, over the dairy and the market. RoboHen was in despair. He raked his claws over the TurboJet's carpet in frustration. "I don't want to go see RoboLion the Barber!" he wailed.
"I beg your pardon!" replied his mom. "What kind of a mother do you take me for? I would not take you to a bad-guy barber! I can hardly believe you thought I would do such a thing! We are going to visit his partner instead - RoboBadger."
And in fact, all of RoboHen's fears were unfounded. RoboBadger compared very favorably to his old favorite barber, RoboKitten, and on the way home his mom let them stop by the farmer's market just in time to purchase strawberries from the latest harvest. And all was well.
"RoboHen!" his mom interrupted. "How can you just carry on when I am clearly standing here waiting for you to notice me?"
"Beware!" said RoboHen. "It is dangerous to interrupt a boy and his tinkering."
But he finally looked up at his mom waiting for him in the garden and gave her his attention. Sometimes one must also beware of impatient parents.
RoboHen's mom guided him past the fairy knoll and toward the TurboJet, which is a fancy kind of airplane. RoboHen was not aware of their destination. He waited, fairly impatiently, for his mom to declare herself. Finally, she said, "We are going to the barber."
So off they flew, over the dairy and the market. RoboHen was in despair. He raked his claws over the TurboJet's carpet in frustration. "I don't want to go see RoboLion the Barber!" he wailed.
"I beg your pardon!" replied his mom. "What kind of a mother do you take me for? I would not take you to a bad-guy barber! I can hardly believe you thought I would do such a thing! We are going to visit his partner instead - RoboBadger."
And in fact, all of RoboHen's fears were unfounded. RoboBadger compared very favorably to his old favorite barber, RoboKitten, and on the way home his mom let them stop by the farmer's market just in time to purchase strawberries from the latest harvest. And all was well.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
RoboHen turns an Awful Story into an Awesome Afternoon
It was very awkward. RoboHen's mom just hoped it would turn out all right in the end, but it started out to be an awful day. RoboHen was the author of a silly story about one of his friends. He was always making up stories about people, but usually they didn't get him into trouble. This one did, and for a moment there, RoboHen's mom thought they might need to call a lawyer.
RoboHen was gawking at his friend RoboPeacock's new hat, which was orange with purple stripes and red feathers. He liked it so much that he wrote a story in which a mouse gnawed at the hat. Then the character of RoboPeacock's mom put the hat in the laundry and shrank it. Then, to top it all off, it was accidentally left under the outside faucet, and the orange and purple colors ran together.
While RoboHen was eating an afternoon sausage snack, RoboPeacock came strutting angrily in to the kitchen. Although RoboHen was surprised, he stopped nibbling to find out what was the matter. RoboPeacock had an upset, haunted look on her face. "That hat was flawless! She screamed. And now it is worthless!"
RoboHen tried to explain: "But I already told you that it's just a story! I didn't hurt your real hat," he clucked. "And also, I was trying to be creative."
But RoboPeacock was still bothered. "I bought that hat at a special auction," she lamented. "I was the highest bidder because I really liked it."
RoboHen chose his next words with caution. "I know," he said, "and I am sorry."
His friend almost turned on the yelling machine, but she sensed RoboHen's sincerity and decided not to. It was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for a walk outside with a good friend. RoboPeacock and RoboHen headed out the door, leaving a small saucer of milk for RoboKitten. They made their way to the benches on the hill, where they sat and talked and played all afternoon until thoughts of the offensive story were forgotten.
RoboHen was gawking at his friend RoboPeacock's new hat, which was orange with purple stripes and red feathers. He liked it so much that he wrote a story in which a mouse gnawed at the hat. Then the character of RoboPeacock's mom put the hat in the laundry and shrank it. Then, to top it all off, it was accidentally left under the outside faucet, and the orange and purple colors ran together.
While RoboHen was eating an afternoon sausage snack, RoboPeacock came strutting angrily in to the kitchen. Although RoboHen was surprised, he stopped nibbling to find out what was the matter. RoboPeacock had an upset, haunted look on her face. "That hat was flawless! She screamed. And now it is worthless!"
RoboHen tried to explain: "But I already told you that it's just a story! I didn't hurt your real hat," he clucked. "And also, I was trying to be creative."
But RoboPeacock was still bothered. "I bought that hat at a special auction," she lamented. "I was the highest bidder because I really liked it."
RoboHen chose his next words with caution. "I know," he said, "and I am sorry."
His friend almost turned on the yelling machine, but she sensed RoboHen's sincerity and decided not to. It was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for a walk outside with a good friend. RoboPeacock and RoboHen headed out the door, leaving a small saucer of milk for RoboKitten. They made their way to the benches on the hill, where they sat and talked and played all afternoon until thoughts of the offensive story were forgotten.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Birthday Present
RoboHen's heart was heavy. His mom had asked him to find the perfect present for his best friend, RoboPeacock, for her birthday, and he did not think he would succeed. Dear reader, she just had everything a peacock could want. Her grannie spoiled her, buying her golden feather clips and silver doodads, and RoboHen didn't think he could compete at that level of luxury.
There was nothing to do but get out his present-making machine. It had thirteen different settings, and it could make more than fifteen hundred presents in all. RoboHen felt his breathing steady as he made his selections. First, he chose a pleasant color he knew she would like - peacock blue. The next feature he selected was "fuzzy," and he smiled as he pushed that button. He gave the last button, which was very large, a healthy press, as he read the words "cold season" that ran across it. (It had been an extremely icy winter on the eastern side of the U.S., and this was not easy to forget.) RoboHen was very excited indeed to see the result.
The machine began to hum and whir and thump. The humming increased, and suddenly the machine shot out an interesting-looking product. It was a fuzzy peacock-blue sweater with leather patches on the elbows. It was beautiful, but RoboHen wanted one more present so RoboPeacock's birthday would be extra special, so he repeated the process and pressed the buttons again. Out came a gorgeous hat! When he gave it to his friend, all the people in the room gasped at its beauty, and RoboHen gained freedom from his own doubts and worries. He had thought he would be defeated by this task, but it took on new meaning for him as he started to think about what his friend would truly love.
Moral: When we think of others instead of ourselves, sometimes a difficult task becomes easy.
There was nothing to do but get out his present-making machine. It had thirteen different settings, and it could make more than fifteen hundred presents in all. RoboHen felt his breathing steady as he made his selections. First, he chose a pleasant color he knew she would like - peacock blue. The next feature he selected was "fuzzy," and he smiled as he pushed that button. He gave the last button, which was very large, a healthy press, as he read the words "cold season" that ran across it. (It had been an extremely icy winter on the eastern side of the U.S., and this was not easy to forget.) RoboHen was very excited indeed to see the result.
The machine began to hum and whir and thump. The humming increased, and suddenly the machine shot out an interesting-looking product. It was a fuzzy peacock-blue sweater with leather patches on the elbows. It was beautiful, but RoboHen wanted one more present so RoboPeacock's birthday would be extra special, so he repeated the process and pressed the buttons again. Out came a gorgeous hat! When he gave it to his friend, all the people in the room gasped at its beauty, and RoboHen gained freedom from his own doubts and worries. He had thought he would be defeated by this task, but it took on new meaning for him as he started to think about what his friend would truly love.
Moral: When we think of others instead of ourselves, sometimes a difficult task becomes easy.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
RoboHen Refuses to Do Anything Useful
On Tuesday, RoboHen was full of excuses. He couldn't do his chores because his granola bar snack was too chewy and took him an hour to eat. He couldn't clean his room because he had a toothache. He couldn't shampoo his feathers because the shampoo might pollute the lair's garden.
So poor RoboHen's mom gave up. She had to reduce the number of things she could accomplish because RoboHen decided to do fewer of them. Instead of making the orange sorbet cake with orange sorbet on top that she had planned as a treat for RoboHen, she cooked him ramen noodles for lunch. Instead of polishing RoboHen's scooter, she had to clean the kitchen, leaving RoboHen to amuse himself.
Back in his room, relieved of doing his chores, RoboHen was bored, so he doodled. He doodled a cartoon rooster holding a green balloon. Then he included a raccoon washing a shiny jewel in a river. Then he sketched a cougar in a giant orange cocoon. His doodle was a thing of beauty. He was so happy with it that he confused his mom by wandering out into the kitchen and asking her what he could do to help. For the rest of the afternoon, he was so useful that she made that orange sorbet cake after all.
So poor RoboHen's mom gave up. She had to reduce the number of things she could accomplish because RoboHen decided to do fewer of them. Instead of making the orange sorbet cake with orange sorbet on top that she had planned as a treat for RoboHen, she cooked him ramen noodles for lunch. Instead of polishing RoboHen's scooter, she had to clean the kitchen, leaving RoboHen to amuse himself.
Back in his room, relieved of doing his chores, RoboHen was bored, so he doodled. He doodled a cartoon rooster holding a green balloon. Then he included a raccoon washing a shiny jewel in a river. Then he sketched a cougar in a giant orange cocoon. His doodle was a thing of beauty. He was so happy with it that he confused his mom by wandering out into the kitchen and asking her what he could do to help. For the rest of the afternoon, he was so useful that she made that orange sorbet cake after all.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The RoboCoaster
One day, RoboHen awoke with a brilliant idea for the lower part of his lair. He would build a roller coaster! Of course, when he tried to approach his mom, she said, "Absolutely not," but since when has that ever stopped RoboHen? He knew he couldn't ask her for help, so he slapped a bunch of postage on an envelope and mailed it to Europe. He ordered the fanciest parts for a super-scary roller coaster that would explode the riders into the air at the end. "I suppose," said RoboHen to himself, "that it won't really explode, but it will be the best basement coaster ever."
The package came on the day his mom was being hostess to a tea party upstairs. She had no idea what was going on below ground in the remote recesses of the basement. RoboHen was alone, but he was certainly not lonely. He was surrounded by what looked like a bunch of toaster parts and bowling alley pieces. He had a wonderful time trying to decode the instructions. He felt like a soldier trying to understand a secret mission. Then he discovered just what he needed - the owner of the company had sent him a special poster. It told him just how to compose the roller coaster. He put on his loafers, dried his soapy hands, and got to work on this lonesome task. Even though it took 125 hours, his confidence was not eroded.
And if the whipped cream doesn't fall into the chocolate pudding, next time we will hear about the mischief RoboHen got up to with the roller coaster.
The package came on the day his mom was being hostess to a tea party upstairs. She had no idea what was going on below ground in the remote recesses of the basement. RoboHen was alone, but he was certainly not lonely. He was surrounded by what looked like a bunch of toaster parts and bowling alley pieces. He had a wonderful time trying to decode the instructions. He felt like a soldier trying to understand a secret mission. Then he discovered just what he needed - the owner of the company had sent him a special poster. It told him just how to compose the roller coaster. He put on his loafers, dried his soapy hands, and got to work on this lonesome task. Even though it took 125 hours, his confidence was not eroded.
And if the whipped cream doesn't fall into the chocolate pudding, next time we will hear about the mischief RoboHen got up to with the roller coaster.
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