This here, my friends, is Blonde Man. I don't know where he came from originally, but he cropped up from our long-lost childhood maybe 15 years ago. I remember my younger brother's reaction when we found him, ''Oooooh, Blonde Man! I used to chew on his head.'' And for some reason beyond all sense or purpose, he and I started hiding him for each other to find. Cody was still in high school so he'd leave the house before I got up, which meant I always had a two-inch surprise waiting for me. Blonde Man showed up in coffee cups, hanging one-handed from hanging planters, and my most memorable, taped to the inside of the telephone receiver. For the past I-don't-know-how-many years he has found his home here, in my coin purse. I keep him there because he reminds me of my brother, despite the strange looks I get from grocery store checkers. I'm a sentimental SUCKER and won't part with the darndest things if they remind me of someone I love. Wanna know what I keep because of you? Just ask me.
