RED CARPET WELCOME for Punxsutawney Phyllis! Back in Colorado, she has come to see why so many find Fort Collins is a great place to live. According to a friend who measures snow for a living (those guys in atmospheric research sure do some funny things!), we have a plethora of groovy cloud formations! Weather: partly cloudy, 66F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.
Children’s book author Susanna Leonard Hill has sent her book APRIL FOOL, PHYLLIS!, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler, to circumnavigate the globe! Finding out that Phyllis planned a stop here is what got me out of my comfort zone and into the blogging world.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Punxsatawney Phyllis has caught wind of winter’s last joke: a blizzard on April Fool’s Day. She hails from a long line of pranksters, and they are not falling for it when Phyllis wants to cancel the groundhog’s annual Treasure Hunt. Her prediction proves her right, but she uses her smarts to avoid the worst and safely steers everyone back home .
There are plenty of practical jokes and scavenger riddles for young readers to solve themselves, and the last page includes useful tidbits: April Fool’s Day origins and traditions celebrated around the world. Ebbeler’s richly textured illustrations express a great deal of joy and chaos – and plenty of extra jokes hidden in plain sight! Perfect for this holiday at winter’s end, as well as Groundhog Day, and an appealing addition to weather-related themes in the classroom.
Click on (most of) the pictures for more info!
After a kaffee-klatsch with friends in our favorite non-profit coffee house, Everyday Joe's (she shared a hot chocolate with my son Aaron - with whipped cream of course!),
Phyllis wanted to try on colorful party-fare at Life of the Party.
And ask Kelly what's playing at the Lyric Cinema and Cafe - too bad we just missed the free matinee for kids!
It took a bit of coaxing but Phyllis did share her slice of chocolate cake with orange butter cream frosting with almonds at Little Bird Bakeshop, where she was even allowed to get a closer look at all the goodies!
Phyllis really enjoyed bumping into a friend in Old Town, where any passer by can tickle the keys of one of many Pianos about Town, part of the city's Art in Public Places project.
Olivia and I took Phyllis to view Horsetooth Rock, our famous local landmark. She wasn't up for hiking to the top as she seems to suffer from altitude sickness (almost a mile above sea level in town.
We got 'caught' by the freight train that runs right through town, but Phyllis loved watching all the wagons go by!
She was also thrilled to see her 'place' in our library.
And who would of thought Phyllis likes to climb trees too!
Take a chance on Phyllis – I’m sure glad we did!
julie rowan-zoch 
I LOVE how cute Phyllis looks in these photos! especially that last one among the blossom. That groundhog gets more bodacious by each visit! How cool that she has a spot reserved in the local library! Fun times, with Julie and co!
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Amazing how Phyllis invites one to get carried away!
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Wow Julie! This is SO fantastic! I love your Phyllis doll!!! All the pictures are fabulous, but I agree with Joanna – I LOVE that one among the blossoms! And groundhogs, as members of the squirrel family, actually are good climbers and do climb trees, so that is not at all out of the realm of possibility. (Getting her to share that cake was a lot more unlikely :)) Thanks os much for hosting Phyllis and showing her such a great time!
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What a joy you have created Susanna!
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Did you make that Phyllis, Julie? She’s precious. In your spare time, I think you should write a travel guide for Ft. Collins. You’ve made me want to visit!
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Yes, I love making puppets. Please come to the Fort and visit me if you are near! Actually, I had so much more I wanted to include – kinda got carried away! Guess I can use those ideas for further posts!
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I like the stuffed animal Phyllis, very cute! Looks like she had fun with your kids. I really like your blog header!
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It is actually a puppet, but I made her so that a change of clothes would be possible!
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She is a female after all! And the blossoms are from my crabapple, now pale and blowing away…
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WOW! It looks like Phyllis had a GREAT time! Who knew grounghogs could climb trees?!?
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Susanna says the possibility is there, but knowing more about their prairie dog cousins, I doubt they’d feel all to safe in a tree!
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Wondeful, Julie! Where did you get a live Phyllis from, what a great idea. Did she pop out of the book on arrival?
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Sown from an old sweater that passed a cycle in the wash, outgrown tank-top, buttons and Christmas wrap. We wrap all our own gifts in fabric (sure beats tossing when you can fold and store!).
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I’m thinking Fort Collins has all the snacks we could ever need for reading time on Susanna’s blog!!! Yum! The Phyllis puppet is the BEST! I absolutely love it!!!! I love crabapple blossoms. I grew up over near Carbondale and we had a big apple orchard. Several of the trees were crabapple. I have a good friend that grew up there, too….we were buds in high school and she is now in Fort Collins. It sounds like a wonderful town, and it’s one of the few I haven’t visited in Colorado.Until today…on your blog…I’m so glad that I got to see some of the sights with Phyllis! Thanks for the great tour and being such a great host to Phyllis!
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Thanks Penny! Please let me know if you do ever come to Fort Collins. We have so many great local breweries if you’re ever up for making the rounds – I’ve got extra bikes so we can do a tour! Does your friend live in Old Town/have HS kids? With all the odd jobs I’ve had I do know quite a few people – would be funny if I knew your friend too!
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Her name is Deb Stone and she paints houses. Her daughter is there too…Jackie Carlson. Her son may be there, too-Paul Stone.
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Hmmm, don’t think so but I’ll keep my ears peeled! I love making connections!
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So glad Phyllis got to visit the Fort. She sure is busy and I’m with the snacks. We can all come visit and eat our hearts out. t
Thanks so much for sharing her in this post. 🙂
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Twas a pleasure, wouldn’t you say!
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Wow! This post is great, Julie! I love the idea of Phyllis visiting a non-profit coffee shop, way cool! I’m going to google Horsetooth Rock, it sounds fun! How did Phyllis like meeting her puppet friend? Is there a way you could show a bigger, close up of your handy work? Sorry so many questions. I really liked this post. Y’all looked like a great time was had by all.
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Thanks Pamela. I hadn’t thought of it, but maybe I will post a ‘dissection’ before I send it to you know who!
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I don’t know how I missed this post, but I’m glad I found it now! This was so much fun, and what a wonderful puppet, too! You’re clearly a spectacular hostess. 🙂
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Easy to have a small guest in a small house, especially when groundhogs prefer a hole in the yard!
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I think Phyllis likes Colorado best. So glad she enjoyed Fort Collins!
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Definitely! How are you enjoying the moisture on your skin up west?
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