Memories of Maru/Princess Foofypants/Mata Maru
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 6:25 pm
The Princess left her mark on all of us. I’ve been asked to write a “story that reflects her life through the lens of friends that were close to her. A collaborative piece involving many friends would be lovely.” So please contribute your favorite story.
Portrait of a princess, by a friend.
I first knew her as Maru. We met in person maybe a dozen times. The first time I went to her house the back yard was relatively plain as they hadn’t lived there long. The second time, Realist had built her a garden fit for a princess: meandering borders, plenty of things that bloom, and a bench for contemplating it all.
The house was HUGE, especially to me as I’m a city condo girl. Just like Maru — dramatic, larger than life, gorgeous, kinda quirky. That first visit is a blur. My mom had been hospitalized and I needed to get away for a weekend. Realist and Maru invited me down. I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect me to sleep the whole weekend, but I did. The guest room was that perfect. They even drove me home (!!) a 3-hour trip in rain.
I met their menagerie of cats, including the famous Weeny. Weeny was a perfect match for Maru. Weeny LOVED me. (Weeny loved everyone.) Weeny was maybe 5 lbs, and I’d swear 4 of that was floof. Certainly not brain cells. My favorite story is when Maru came home from work, she’d always find Weeny waiting in the window to welcome her home. One day, she was working from home and discovered Weeny in the window, watching patiently for Maru. Or maybe my favorite was Weeny catching their tail on fire. Or stalking and killing a piece af dry pasta for hours.
My second trip was prime Maru. We museum hopped (Women artists and murder dioramas), ate (artisanal grilled cheese and conveyer belt sushi), and shopped for shoes. (I own maybe a dozen pairs. Maru has a shoe closet.) We walked into Nordstrom and salespeople flocked to her side like pigeons to someone with bread. We had open boxes spread all over sales floor. I bought THREE pairs. Maru was dangerous in a store.
My last story for this post involves a chocolate set from 1868. I was cleaning out my mom’s stuff and posted pictures of various things that were up for grabs. Maru fell in love with the set, which Realist described as “vewy vewy pink.” It’s peak Maru — elegant, impractical, evocative of a rich and tasty life.
Please add your stories.
Portrait of a princess, by a friend.
I first knew her as Maru. We met in person maybe a dozen times. The first time I went to her house the back yard was relatively plain as they hadn’t lived there long. The second time, Realist had built her a garden fit for a princess: meandering borders, plenty of things that bloom, and a bench for contemplating it all.
The house was HUGE, especially to me as I’m a city condo girl. Just like Maru — dramatic, larger than life, gorgeous, kinda quirky. That first visit is a blur. My mom had been hospitalized and I needed to get away for a weekend. Realist and Maru invited me down. I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect me to sleep the whole weekend, but I did. The guest room was that perfect. They even drove me home (!!) a 3-hour trip in rain.
I met their menagerie of cats, including the famous Weeny. Weeny was a perfect match for Maru. Weeny LOVED me. (Weeny loved everyone.) Weeny was maybe 5 lbs, and I’d swear 4 of that was floof. Certainly not brain cells. My favorite story is when Maru came home from work, she’d always find Weeny waiting in the window to welcome her home. One day, she was working from home and discovered Weeny in the window, watching patiently for Maru. Or maybe my favorite was Weeny catching their tail on fire. Or stalking and killing a piece af dry pasta for hours.
My second trip was prime Maru. We museum hopped (Women artists and murder dioramas), ate (artisanal grilled cheese and conveyer belt sushi), and shopped for shoes. (I own maybe a dozen pairs. Maru has a shoe closet.) We walked into Nordstrom and salespeople flocked to her side like pigeons to someone with bread. We had open boxes spread all over sales floor. I bought THREE pairs. Maru was dangerous in a store.
My last story for this post involves a chocolate set from 1868. I was cleaning out my mom’s stuff and posted pictures of various things that were up for grabs. Maru fell in love with the set, which Realist described as “vewy vewy pink.” It’s peak Maru — elegant, impractical, evocative of a rich and tasty life.
Please add your stories.