Furwaggle Chapter 37

Chapter 37
Rain

In the real world there is rain. Some times a little and some times a lot, depending on where you’re at. But there is never just the right amount for everyone. In the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle, where animal’s talk to each other, there is always just the right amount of rain. Even this doesn’t please everyone.
Fluffy had finished lunch about two hours ago and decided to take a little stroll while waiting for dinner. As he walked across the barnyard something hit him in the head with a splat. He looks around to see who is it that threw something at him. The only one he sees is Wiggles and he seems to be engrossed in some sort of odd dance. Fluffy started to walk over to Wiggles, just as he got there, Zorba came running by with something over his head. Fluffy said to himself, “This has started out to be a weird day, first Wiggles is acting odd and Zorba has a peculiar thing on his head”. Fluffy started to hail Wiggles, but before he could say anything he was hit again by something that makes a splashing noise. Fluffy quickly looks around but he doesn’t see anyone. He thinks, “If I find out who is throwing things at me they are in for a good biting”.
Wiggles continues doing his little dance. He jumps from foot to foot while fluffing his feathers and holding his beak up in the air. Fluffy tries to get Wiggles attention but no amount of grunting or making sounds of any kind gets his attention. Finally, he lets out the loudest bark he can make and that snaps Wiggles out of his trance. With his eyes still a little glazed, he said, “Well hello, Fluffy, didn’t see you there and why all the barking”? Fluffy responds with, “Well I had to get your attention because I have seen the most unusual thing”. Wiggles replied, “And what unusual thing have you seen now”. Wiggles knew that Fluffy was always on the strange side of things. Fluffy said, “It’s not me that's doing something odd, it’s Zorba. He is running around with something big and black over his head”. Just then something hit Fluffy again. This time it was a double hit, once in the head and once on his tail. With a growl, Fluffy whirled around and barked out, “Ok, whoever is hitting me had better cut it out or I’m going to give you a licking that’s going to hurt, big time”. Wiggles figured that Fluffy had at last gone over the edge and it was best the he humored him. In a very calm voice Wiggles said to Fluffy, “Now Fluffy there is nothing to be upset about, it’s just a little rain, that is why Zorba is carrying that umbrella and that’s why I was doing a rain dance”. Fluffy got a strange look on his face, and his mouth began to move but no sound came. After a moment there was a few more hits on Fluffy and that seemed to be the trigger that set Fluffy into motion. He began to whirl in a small circle and jabber at the same time. “You mean that it’s raining, that’s WATER and it’s getting all over me”. The whirling got faster and the jabber got louder. “WATER, WATER”. There were a few other gibberish words that could not be understood but it didn’t slow Fluffy down any. Wiggles then realized he had made a big mistake. There were two thing that Fluffy could not stand. One was cats and the other was water in any way, shape or form. Before Wiggles could do anything to calm Fluffy down, the rain started to come down with a flurry. Fluffy must have seen the barn on one of his spins and off he went on a dead run toward it. As he ran he would bark, growl and snap at the raindrops. Lucky for Fluffy the barn door was open just enough for him to slip inside with a final snarl. With a chuckle, Wiggles went back to doing his rain dance.
Later that day after the rain had stopped, Wiggles was sitting in a rocking chair on the chuck house porch when he seen Fluffy making his way across the barnyard. Fluffy was being very careful not to step in any of the mud puddles and at the same time keeping an eye out for any lingering raindrops.
When Fluffy got onto the porch, Wiggles remarked, “Well it looks like you got your bath for this year”. With a snarl Fluffy said, “and I don’t want to ever do that again. Now when are they going to serve dinner”?
My tiny mind now knows that water is wet even if it comes as rain.
Continued… (Maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you
A Pyramid Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The Thing

Humans are a curious lot in the real world. In fact a whole business has come about to help fulfill this curiosity, it’s call News. There is the newspaper, the TV news, the radio news, and there is even news on the Internet. This inquisitive nature can even be found in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle, where animals talk to each other. The only difference is animals more likely will consider it to be nosy.
Wiggles has just exited the barn where his nest is located. It’s early in the morning; in fact it’s so early that it is still full dark. The darkness doesn’t effect Wiggles much because he can’t see very much anyway due to his poor eyesight. Today he is up early because his stomach is upset from eating sour corn for dinner, the day before. He thinks maybe the chuck house will have something to settle things down. They stay open all the time for just such things as stomach problems, because these kind of things happen often with their type of cooking. Before he has gone far, he stubs his toe on something, and begins to jump around on one foot. From out of the darkness comes a little voice saying, “That’s a fancy dance you’re doing there Wiggles”. Wiggles stops his hopping and looks into the darkness but sees nothing, so he asked. “Who is it that’s spying on me and my hopping”? A response comes back, “Its me Little Lighting Bug, and watch where you hop, I don’t want to get squashed”. “Well, if you would turn your light on then I can see you and most likely won’t hop on your head”. “All right, I was just trying to save some energy to help fight global warming”, said Little Lighting. With a snap there was a bright light from Little Lighting. He then asked, “Wiggles, is this what you were dancing for”, as he pointed to something on the ground. With a distain look Wiggles said, “I wasn’t dancing, I stubbed my toe on something. What is it anyway”? Little Lighting snapped back, “Don’t ask me you’re the one doing the stubbing”. With some guiding help from Little Lighting, Wiggles was able to reached down and picked up the thing. He brings it up close to his glasses and gives it the once over. In wonderment Wiggles said, “I can’t tell what it is. How about you Little Lighting”? Little Lighting replied, “Beats me, its just a thing that’s round and has bright spots all over. Will I have to go do some Lighting”. With that Little Lighting fluttered his wings and slipped away.
With a shrug Wiggles resumed his walking toward the chuck house carrying the round spotted thing. By the time Wiggles got to the chuck house, the sun had started to rise. The reason it took him so long, was he had walked very slowly and carefully so as not to stub his toe on another thing. He and Fluffy arrived at the chuck house at about the same time. Fluffy always liked to be first in line for breakfast and was somewhat surprised to see Wiggles there that early in the morning. Fluffy snarled at Wiggles, “What you trying to do, beat me out of being first for breakfast”? Wiggles snapped right back, “No, I would never try to get between you and breakfast. I had an upset stomach but the problem seems to be gone now. But on my way over here I stubbed my toe on this thing and…” Fluffy interrupted Wiggles with, “Ok, ok, I get it. But what is that you are carrying”? Wiggles answered back, “That’s what I have been trying to tell you. It’s the thing that I stubbed my toe on this morning”. With a look of uncertainty on his face, Fluffy asked, “Just what kind of a thing is it”? “I don’t know”, responds Wiggles. As Fluffy reaches his paws out he said, “Here let me see it”. Wiggles hands over the thing to Fluffy, who immediately throws it down on to the chuck house porch. The thing lands with a thud and just lies there. Wiggles cries out, “What are you doing Fluffy”? With a smirk Fluffy said, “I was just testing if it would bounce or not. I guess it don’t”. Wiggles replies, “You’re not much help”. At that point the breakfast bell rings and Fluffy said, as he dashes through the chuck house door, “Got to go now, got no time for this thing kind of a game”.
Wiggles decides maybe instead of fooling with the thing, he could set it on the rocking chair, on the chuck house porch and take a little nap. But before he closes his eyes Zorba comes walking by. “Hi there Wiggles . What you up to”, he calls out. “Just resting my eyes a little”, Wiggles replies. Wiggles then asked, “Are you on your way to breakfast”? Zorba then said, “Nope, I ate already. Had some fresh bananas right off the tree”. Wiggles wrinkled up his nose and asked, “Aren’t they kind of green coming straight from the tree like that”? With a big grin Zorba said, “No, they are pretty good if you add a little hot sauce”. He then asked Wiggles, “What is that you have there”? With a little sigh he starts to tell his morning story, “I got up early this morning because I had an upset stomach and on my way here I stubbed my toe on this thing”. Zorba asked back, “How is it now”? With some confusion Wiggle asked, “My upset stomach, or my Toe”? With a little chuckle Zorba said, “Neither, I was asking about the thing you have there. What is it anyway”? Wiggles answered, “I don’t know. It’s just a thing that’s round with bright spots. It’s hard and it don’t bounce”. Zorba rubs his chin and then said, “Why don’t you open it up and see what is inside”. “Ok but how”, asked Wiggles. “I know just the thing. There is an ax over at the woodpile”, said Zorba. With that, the two started off across the barnyard to the woodpile.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach the woodpile, even with Wiggles slight limp. “Ok Wiggles, put that thing down on that old tree stump and I will give it a whack with this ax, “commanded Zorba. Wiggles did as he was told and started to back up saying, “Wait let me get out of the way”. Zorba took a couple of practice swings and then swung the ax at the thing as hard as could. There was a very loud thud but the thing just lay there. The same can’t be said for Zorba, he and the ax went into a violent vibration. In fact the shaking was so great that Zorba’s teeth was rattling. After a few moments Zorba’s quivering settled down to a slight tremor. Wiggles was in awe but he finally was able to say, “I never seen any thing like that”. Still a little shook up Zorba stammered, “You should have seen it from my point of view”. Wiggles looked down at the thing and reported, “I don’t know about you Zorba but the thing doesn’t have a mark on it”.
Just then Fluffy came running up and asked, “What was that? It was loud enough to he heard all over the land”. Wiggles explains, “That was Zorba trying to open up the thing with an ax”. Fluffy reaches down and picks up the thing and looks it over. I don’t see even a scratch from hitting it with the ax, but I do hear it doing some buzzzzzing”, remarks Fluffy. Wiggles looks up and tells Fluffy and Zorba, “That’s not the thing humming, that’s just Busy Bee flying around us”. Sure enough, Busy makes a couple of circles around the trio and then lands on the tip of Fluffy’s tail. Fluffy goes into a fit yelling, “Get him off, Get him off. He will sting me”. Zorba has come to normal but he can’t take this yelling, so he yells right back at Fluffy, “Cut it out. Busy can’t sting anyone; he broke his stinger last month. Now stop all this yelling”. Then with a buzz, Busy asked, “What are you three up to with all this noise”. Wiggles turns to Busy and again begins to explain, “We have this thing and we were trying to open it up with an ax but didn’t have much luck. All we know is that it is round, and covered with spots”. Fluffy chimes in with, “and it don’t bounce”. Zorba adds. “and it’s very hard”. Wiggles finishes with, “Do you have any idea what this thing is, Busy”? Busy fly’s down and lands on the thing in Fluffy paws. He walks around the thing a few time, sniffs and then said, “Beats me. I can tell you for sure it’s not a flower”. With that Busy flaps his wings and said, “Well guys, I got to go. There is some new flowers blooming out in the north forty and I got my work cut out for me”. In a flash Busy was gone.
Zorba asked, “Ok, does anyone have any bright ideas about what to do with this thing next”. After a few moments of quiet thinking suddenly Fluffy spurts out, “I know, lets see if it floats”. With a puzzled look Wiggles asked, “What do you mean, floats”. Without hesitation Fluffy replies, “I mean lets see if it floats in water. You know like a boat does”. “Sure”, said Zorba. “We can put it into a bucket of water from the well”. With high spirits they go off toward the well in the middle of the barnyard. Zorba gets to the well first followed by Fluffy and then limping Wiggles is last carrying the thing. Right away Zorba draws a big bucket of water from the well and places it on the well railing. He then tells Wiggles, “Drop the thing into water and lets see if it is a boat or a submarine”. Wiggles limps up to the bucket and throws the thing in with a splash. “Well, what happened”, asked Zorba. With disappointment Wiggles reports, “The thing went right to the bottom and there isn’t even bubbles”. Fluffy said, “Here, let me see”, as he sticks his head into the bucket. In his excitement Fluffy puts his head deep into the bucket, so far that his nose is under the water. There is one thing Fluffy can’t stand, and that is water. Particularly when it’s in his nose. He gives a snort and jerks his head out of the bucket hitting its side and tipping it over. Out pours the water and the thing from the bucket. “Look out”, yells Zorba, but its too late, the thing is gone into the well. There is a moment of stunned silence. They are unable to speak as the three just look at each other. Finally Wiggles said, “Will I guess that’s the end of the thing”. Zorba adds, “There’s no way of getting the thing out of the well”. Fluffy just snorted. With that the three just walked away.
My tiny mind now knows why curiosity is bad for cats.
Continued… (Maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you
Mighty Mite Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 35

Chapter 35
Reunion

In the real world humans gather together on various occasions, such as Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and just a family reunion. Most of these get togethers are planned, but there are some that are just spontaneous. But in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle, where animals talk to each other, reunions are rare and never planned.
Today we find Fluffy laying on the chuck house porch taking a little snooze while he waits for the dinner bell. This is his favorite place; he is rarely disturbed because no one else is as devoted to eating as Fluffy. But all of a sudden there is an ear splitting ruckus, causing Fluffy to come out of his slumber and to open one eye part way. Things are a little blurry but Fluffy can make out that there is a chicken jumping up and down while making the loudest screeching noise he has ever heard. Fluffy gets up and puts his paws to his ears and yells out, “Ok, already. Stop all that screaming you’re hurting my ears”. Fat Chicken yells back, “You would be shrieking too if you had seen what I seen”. Fluffy is wide-awake now and he realized two things. First off, this chicken is gone full mad and second he’s not going to be able to go back to sleep. “Ok”, Fluffy asks, “just what is it that you seen that makes you so outrageously crazy”? Fat Chicken takes a deep breath and starts in, “There is a wacky dog down at the chicken pen snapping at every one, and it’s all your fault”. Fluffy starts to say something in self-defense but then stops and after a moment of thought asked. “Did you say a snapping dog”? “Yes, that’s what I said. Now what are you going to do about it”, replies Fat Chicken. Fluffy yells, “Oh no”. Then he jumps off the porch and breaks into a dead run toward the chicken pens.
On his way toward the chicken coops he passes Zorba high up in a tree yelling something that sounds like, “help…mad dog”. Next he sees Wiggles running toward him and he is yelling, “my tail feathers, my poor tail feathers”. But again Fluffy doesn’t stop to chat. He runs even a little faster if anything. Then the next thing he realizes is that he is at the chicken pen wire fence and he is going too fast to stop. With a bump he hits the wire and is thrown for a full loop and lands with a thud on his back. He is stunned but looking up he sees a familiar face looking down at him. The face is saying, “You always did like to make a spectacular entrance Fluffy”. As Fluffy stagers to his feet he realized the talking face was his cousin Snapper. Fluffy blurts out, “Snapper, what are you doing here”? Snapper replies, “Why I’m here to see you cousin. I’ve heard so much about this fictitious dreamland that you live in. I just had to see for myself”. Then Fluffy sees thru the chicken wire that there were about half a dozen chickens running around and squawking about their tail feathers. With a stern look Fluffy tells Snapper, “You can’t go around snapping at chicken, duck or any feathered types here”. With a sheepish grin Snapper said, “I’m sorry. I was just trying to be friendly”. Then Fluffy asked, “Just how long are you planning to be here”? While pointing toward the grassy field next to the barnyard, Snapper said, “Well I just don’t rightly know. It all depends when the rest of the in-laws get here”. Fluffy turns in the direction Snapper is pointing and he is shocked at what he sees. The field is full of dogs, all sizes, shapes, and breeds. “What, … what is all this”, Fluffy stutters. Snapper takes a deep breath and starts in naming the relations, “There is cousin Jake and aunt Mary, uncle George and his kids, Manny, Moe and Jack. Then on the off breed side of the family there is Spot, and his two brothers Larry and Larry… blab, blab, blab, and so on…” “Wait, wait”, yells Fluffy. “You mean to tell me that there are brothers with the same name”? With a knowing look Snapper said, “Well sure, it is a big family and they ran out of names”. With a dejected look Fluffy asked again, “How long are you and your pack going to stay here”? Snapper answered, “We will most likely decide that at the family meeting just after the howling contest”. “Oh no”, said Fluffy with a shock. “Just when is this howling going to start”? With a knowing look Snapper said, “Oh, whenever it gets dark enough to see the moon”. Then Snapper asked, “Say isn’t it about time for dinner. It’s been over an hour since we ate last”? Just then the dinner bell rings which triggered a mad rush to the chuck house.
After about an hour of slurping and chomping most of the pack has finished their dinner. Fluffy is about the last one to exit the chuck house and everywhere he looks, he sees a sleeping dog. It seems that being a big eater and after a meal, sleeping is a family trait. Fluffy goes over to his doghouse but it is already full, there is even a large Doberman lying on its roof. Just then, Wiggles came walking by and asked, “What’s the matter Fluffy”? With a whimper Fluffy replies, “I don’t have any place to sleep. They have taken over my little doghouse”. “Not to worry Fluffy”, said Wiggles. “You can sack out in the hay loft in the barn”. By the time they got to the barn it was almost dark and the howling was starting up. It came from all areas of Furwaggle, a bark here a howl there and each one louder then the last. Inside of the barn Wiggles stuffed cotton in his ears and Fluffy put his head under a bale of hay. Both settled down for a fitful nights sleep.
The next Fluffy knew was he was being shaking awake by Wiggles as he shouted, “Come on Fluffy its wake up time”. Fluffy pulled his head out from under the bale of hay and gave out with a big yawn. Wiggles cheerfully said, “Come on, let’s go greet the sun rise”. They both climbed down the ladder from the hayloft and walked out into the barnyard. All was quiet and calm except for a far off bird chirping. Also there wasn’t a dog in sight. They did see Zorba walking toward them. He called out, “Hello boys, I see you are up bright and early this morning”. “What happened to all of Fluffy’s relatives”, asked Wiggles. Zorba replied, “Oh they packed up and moved out during the night, right after the howling competition”. “You were at the howling contest”, asked Fluffy. Zorba puffed up his chest and said with pride, “Not only was I there I came-in third place and was awarded a bronze medal”. Wiggles asked, “Howling isn’t an Olympic event is it”? Zorba snapped back. “No it isn’t yet but they have done dummer things like stopping women’s soft ball”. With that both Wiggles and Fluffy nodded their heads in agreement. Then Fluffy asked, “What caused the dog pack to move along”? With a snicker Zorba answered, “Well, at the meeting after the howling, I happened to mention that there was a place past the south mountains called Dogland that was run by dogs. It is a wonderful place where there is plenty to eat and cats for the chasing”. “Huh, I never knew there was such a place”, stammered Fluffy. Fluffy then asked, “Are you sure…”? but before he could ask any thing else Zorba interrupted with, “Say, did you hear that. I think it’s the bell ringing for breakfast”. That was all it took, Fluffy spun on his heel and took off on a run toward the chuck house. He yelled back to Zorba and Wiggles, “See you after breakfast”. Zorba and Wiggles started following Fluffy at a slow pace. Wiggles said to Zorba, “You made that up about Dogland. Didn’t you, you silver tongue devil”? Zorbas response was, “Say, did I ever tell you that I have a sure cure for making duck tail feathers grow”.
My tiny mind thinks that there is an art to communication.
Continued… (Maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you
Spider Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Retirement

In the real world there are many goals and milestones. One of the most common is retirement. It comes in many different forms and for many different reasons. But in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle, where animals talk to each other, retirement is a personal choice and taken whenever it is desired. All that is required to retire is to say, “I retire”.
Fluffy was limping across the barnyard when he encounters Zorba and Wiggles. Zorba calls out to Fluffy, “Good morning Fluffy, why are you limping?” Wiggles added, “you got another burr in your paw”? Sheepishly, Fluffy answers back, “No, I don’t have a burr, if you must know, I twisted my ankle coming down the chuck house steps”. “You what?”, said Wiggles. Fluffy snapped back, “I just misjudged the number of steps and so I fell”. “Oh, that explains it, you only walk down those steps four or five times a day. It’s an easy mistake to make by someone with a bad memory”, Zorba, mockingly said, Wiggles just had to add, “He does'nt have a bad memory, he just does'nt use it all the time”. “Ok you guys, stop it all ready. What are you two up to”, said Fluffy. “Well, if you must know, we are going to Annie Owl’s retirement party”, answers Wiggles. “Why do you want to do a dumb thing like that for? Didn’t she just retire about four months ago?”, said Fluffy. “Yes, this is the third time she retired this year. But there will be food for everyone”, informed Zorba. Fluffy’s eyes lit up and he began to hop on three legs while asking, “Can I come, can I, can I”. “Food always gets Fluffys' attention”, remarked Wiggles, as two of them walked and one limped off toward the fowl yard.
Just as the trio reaches their goal, Fluffy jumps up on three legs and shouts out, “Rat, look there is a rat”. Off to on side comes a growling voice, “I’m no rat, I’m a cat, and I go by the name of Slinky”. “Well you look like a rat to me”, responses Fluffy. “Wait a minute, I know you. You are Fluffy the one that got flunked out of cooking school for eating all of the cooking vittles”, said Slinky. Humble Fluffy replies, “It was all a mistake, I was just hunger”. In an attempt to restore some peace Wiggles asked Slinky, “Were you a student of Annie Owl”? “Yes, I was in the class of ninety nine”, replied Slinky. And then with a smirk toward Fluffy, he continued with, “I graduated at the top of my class”. Fluffy gave a little growl but before he could say anything Zorba jumped in with, “and what have you been up to since then”? With a smile of pride Slinky said, “Well I sleep in the warm sun, prowl at night and generally sneak up on things, you know the normal cat things”. Slinky then added, “Speaking of sneaking, I see Jelly Belly Porky over there, think I will sneak up on him like I did in school”. With that Slinky dropped down to his sneaking possession and began to sneak off toward his unsuspecting prey.
“Well that was interesting”, remarked Wiggles. All of a sudden Fluffy sniffed the air, made a quick turn and struck a hunting dog pose. Wiggles saw that Fluffy was acting a little more weird than normal so he asked, “What are you doing Fluffy, what ever it is, cut it out, you’re embarrassing and it’s making me uncomfortable”. Without moving a hair Fluffy said in a whisper, “Shush, you’ll scare the food away”. Zorba joined in with, “You should have known, when Fluffy goes weird it has something to do with food”. Fluffy didn’t say a word; he dropped down to a three-legged sneaking position and began to creep toward the table where the food was laid out. Seeing Fluffy sneaking up on the food, Wiggles remarked, “Well that will keep Fluffy busy for awhile”. Then Wiggles seen Annie Owl across the fowl yard he turned to Zorba and said, “Come on Zorba I will introduce you to Annie”. The two friends made their way thru the crowd to where Annie was standing. Wiggles said to Annie, “Annie I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Zorba”. Annie shook Zorba’s hand and asked, “Were you in one of the school class’s that I taught”? “No”, Zorba replied, “I went to circus school in a land far, far away”. “Oh”, Annie said with a shock. “You were one of those that rather play than learn”, Annie continued. With that Annie turned on her heel and walked away. Zorba just stood there with his mouth open. Wiggles reached over and patted Zorba on the shoulder and said, “It’s ok, remember she is retired”.
Just then Fluffy walked up with potato salad dripping from his jowls. He asked, “Are you two about ready to go back home”? With a smile Wiggles ask, “What is the matter, have they run out of food”? Fluffy replied, “How did you guess. Come on, let's go”. Zorba said, “I think I have had about all of the retirement that I can stand for one day. Lets go”. With that the trio started off toward the chuck house, two were walking and one was limping.
My tiny mind thinks that retirement can be a good thing and sometimes not.
Continued… (Maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you
Card Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 33

Chapter 33
A leap of faith

While trust and bravery are rare noble qualities, there are many other traits that are not so rare, such as confusion and misunderstanding. These errors can happen even when the same language is spoken between animals such as in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle
Fluffy has finished his breakfast and decided to go out into the barnyard to chase some butterflies.
He just gets started playing this game of snap and fly when Zorba comes walking by. He calls out to Fluffy, “Good morning Fluffy, what are you up to this fine morning?” Fluffy calls back as he spins around and snaps at a fleeting Butterfly, “I’m playing catch with some friends of mine.” With a puzzled look Zorba said, “Fluffy I don’t think that is the kind of catch that is normally played. Usually it is played with a ball and….” Fluffy interrupts with, “Look you play catch your way and I will play it my way.” Then Fluffy notices something about Zorba that is new. He asked, “What is that you got tied around your neck? It looks like a rope, you planning on making a swing or something?” It is true Zorba did have something wrapped around his neck and draped over one shoulder. With a chuckle Zorba said, “It’s not a rope, it’s a bungee cord.” Smugly Fluffy asked, “You going to tie up a bungee. Don’t think you’re going to have much luck, there aren’t any bungee around here.” Zorba replied, “No, no it’s not for tying up anything it’s for bungee-jumping.” “Oh I see, you’re going to play jump rope”, said Fluffy. “No”, replied Zorba, “It’s for jumping off of things.” With a shocked look Fluffy blurted out, “Sure, that doesn’t sound quite right to me.” “It is.”, protested Zorba. “Come on lets find Wiggles and he will tell you that I’m right.”

The two of them started off toward the barn where they knew Wiggles normally hangs out. And sure enough there was Wiggles sitting in his favorite rocking chair. Wiggles knew it was too good to be true, that he would have a peaceful morning when he heard Zorba and Fluffy coming in his direction. Sure enough in a few moments Fluffy calls out, “Wiggles wake up, we need you to explain something.” Wiggles slowly opened his eyes and said, “I’m not asleep, I was just resting my eyes. Now what is the problem this time?” Both Fluffy and Zorba started talking at once, one was barking and the other squealing. All that Wiggles could make out was something about jumping rope with a bungee and a few other words that made no sense at all. Wiggles fluffed his feathers and interrupted the two with, “Ok, one at a time. What is it you want to know?” Zorba spurted out before Fluffy could say a word. “Would you please explain to Fluffy what bungee-jumping is?” Wiggles was sure that this was going to lead to no good but he cleared his beak and said, “Bungee jumping is a really dumb sport that involves jumping off of something high while connected to a long, thick, elastic rubber bungee cord.” Then Fluffy asked, “You mean jumping out of the top of a tree or maybe the roof of the barn?” It was Zorba's turn to add something to the explanation, “No Fluffy, something like a real high platform or bridge.” “Well that puts a kink into it.” Remarked Fluffy, “There isn’t anything like that around here.” There was a period of silence then Zorba perked up and with a twinkle in his eye said, “There may not be any tall bridges but there sure are some mountains and they have some very tall cliffs. Come on it's just a short little walk to a Bungee jump.” Wiggles was right, no good would come of this. So he said, “Just so you are clear about this. I will walk along with you but I’m not doing any jumping. I fly but I don’t jump. What about you Fluffy?” Not to be out done by Zorba and a rare chance to show up Wiggles, with gusto Fluffy said, “Not only will I walk along, I’ll Bungee as well.” With that the threesome start the trek to the nearest mountain.
The first mile was easy walking because the ground was pretty level and flat but from there on, it was an up hill climb. By midmorning there was a lot of huffing and puffing coming from the group as they slowly made their way up the mountain. Between wheezes, Fluffy remarked, “There must be a better way. Isn’t there a road or trail or something?” Zorba who was in the lead called back, “Keep you eye out for Hillbillie the Goat, he can put us on the right path.” No sooner had the words got out of Zorba's mouth than Hillbillie stepped from behind a large bolder chomping on something. He stopped in mid chew and said, “Well, hello boys. Aren’t you a little lost? I don’t normally see valley types this far up on the mountain.” Wiggles flopped down on a rock to get his breath and then said, “You must be Hillbillie the Goat.” Still munching on some grass the goat replied, “Yep, but I prefer to be called Billie. Now just what is it I can do for you lost kids?” By now Fluffy had got enough wind back in his lungs and he starts blurting out, “Well we come up the mountain to do some Bungeeing and we need an easy path to the very top.” With a look of disbelief, Billie said to Fluffy, “I don’t know what a Bungee is, but I’m sure I’ve never seen one up here and as far as going to the top of the mountain, good luck. No one, not even us goats go any higher than we are right now. It’s too steep and you would most likely fall off.” With a tone of self-importance Fluffy barks back, “Oh no, we won’t fall, we are going to jump.” Billie took a step backwards in shock and said, “You mean you’re going to… But you will be… Oh my.” Fluffy butted in with, “Look just tell us how to get to the top.” Billie then realized that no amount of logic or words were going to do any good on these valley types. So he just shook his head and said, “You want to get to the top, well just climb up and when there is no more up then you’re at the top.” With that Billie turned and started down the mountain.
After another hour of climbing and many huffs and puffs the threesome found that there was no more up. In fact they were standing at the very top of the mountain, it was all down from here. Zorba walked over to the edge and looked over. “Yes, this will do just fine”, he remarked. Wiggles and Fluffy joined him and all they could see was a whole lot of straight down. Wiggles took a sharp breath and said, “It sure is a long way down.” But Fluffy didn’t say a word; just a little whimper or two as he flopped down on his belly and began to crawl backwards. Zorba then asked, “Ok, who is going to be the first to Bungee?” Wiggles replied, “Remember, I said I would walk but not jump.” Fluffy could only whine while his paws covered his eyes. “Looks like it’s up to me”, Zorba said as he began to tie one end of the Bungee cord around his waist and the other end to a large rock. He then bravely walked to the edge of the cliff. Wiggles figured he would try to bring some sense to all this madness, but before he could say anything, Zorba had taken a big leap off the cliff. All was silent for a moment then Zorba could be heard, “Yahoooooo”. Wiggles rushed to the cliffs edge and peeked over. By this time the Bungee cord had stretched out to its maximum and had started to bounce Zorba back up toward the mountaintop. All that Wiggles could say was, “Wow”. Fluffy was still rolled up in a ball with his paws over his eyes but he called out, “What’s happening?” Wiggles couldn’t take his eyes off of Zorba as he bounced up and down on the Bungee cord like a Yo-Yo. So Wiggles just called over his shoulder to Fluffy, “Come take a look.” Fluffy whimpered back, “I can’t, tell me what is happening, no don’t tell me.” By now Zorba had stopped his Yo-Yoing and had started climbing up the Bungee cord. This was an easy task for a circus-performing Monkey. When he reached the top where Wiggles and Fluffy were, he said, “What a trip. Anyone else want to give it a go?” There was dead silence. So after a few moments Zorba added, “Ok, might as well pack it up and head back to the barnyard.” Both Wiggles and Fluffy nodded their heads and the threesome started down the mountain. Zorba said, “That was something else.” Then Wiggles chimed in with, “It could have been a disaster.” And Fluffy added, “It was a disaster I missed lunch.”
My tiny mind thinks that bungee jumping belongs in that special group of things like Skydiving, hiccups and running with scissors.

Continued… (Maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Demon Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Learning

It is said with great authority that the earth is round and I believe it more or less. It wouldn’t be so hard to except if it were not for the fact that there are large sharp mountain peaks, deep craggy valleys and ever so flat deserts. But it doesn’t matter much in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle, there like most things, it is what it is. Roundness of the earth, or even animals talking to animals, is all accepted as normal.
Breakfast is over, the pots, pans and dishes are all washed and stacked away ready for lunch. On the chuck house porch Fluffy has his nose buried in a newspaper when Mr. Wooly the Sheep comes walking by. He calls out to Fluffy, “Good morning Fluffy, how is this round world treating you?”. Fluffy looks up from his paper and replies, “Not bad if it wasn’t for that guy that comes by on a pogo stick ever now and then. What are you up to this morning?” But Wooly doesn’t stop to talk, he is on a mission, but calls out over his shoulder, “I’m off to the barbers for my spring trim. But if I see that pogo rider I will tell him that you’re looking for him and would like a twirl.” Still engrossed in his paper Fluffy says, “Aw Ok…, No wait I don’t want to ride a pogo, I just want him to stop. The noise that the pogo makes disturbs my reading.” But it is too late, for Wooly is already out of sight.
Fluffy goes back to reading his newspaper when he hears, “THUMP, THUMP, THUMP”. He quickly looks up from his paper but doesn’t see where the noise is coming from. Fluffy figures who ever is riding that pogo stick must already be around the corner of the chuck house by now. This time Fluffy doesn’t go back to reading, he just raises the paper up but his eyes are peaking over the top edge. Then the sound comes again, “THUMP, THUMP, THUMP”. And what does Fluffy see but a strange looking something bouncing by. He yells out, “I gotcha. Stop that pogoing right now”. The stranger stops and turns to Fluffy and said, “Sorry, didn’t see you there”. Fluffy snaps back, “Well, you see me now, and stop that pogo stick noise making”. The stranger comes closer to Fluffy and said, “You are going to have to speak up. I don’t hear so good”. In a very loud voice Fluffy yells back, “I said stop riding that pogo stick around here. The noise distracts my reading”. The stranger replies, “Sorry about the racket mate but you see I don’t hear so good ever since my circus days. My act was that I was shot out of a canon two times a day and three times on Saturday and the boom kind of got to my hearing. And by the way I’m not riding a pogo stick. I’m a Roo and it’s hopping that I do”. Fluffy yells back, “I don’t care if you are a Roo or a blue tail raccoon, I want you to stop pogoing or hopping so loud that I can’t read my newspaper”. The stranger replies, “Mate I’m not a raccoon of any color. I’m a Roo as in Kangaroo from down under, Australia don’t you know”. With curiosity Fluffy asked, “Well Mr. Roo if you’re from down under, what are you doing up here besides interrupting my morning reading?”. Roo answered, “I’m looking for my old mate Zorba from my circus days. Do you happen to know where I can find him?” With a little grumpiness in his voice Fluffy said, “Sure, any thing to get rid of you. You most likely can find Zorba down at that old oak tree at the edge of the barnyard doing flips, swings and stuff”. With that, Roo turned and hopped off toward the oak tree.
About half an hour later, Fluffy is back at his newspaper when he hears, “Hay there Fluffy. Thanks for sending Roo over to find me. And what is that you’re doing”. Fluffy looks up and sees Zorba and Roo. With a look of annoyance Fluffy replies, “I would have done anything for a little peace and quit. And if you must know I’m trying to read the newspaper”. With a look of surprise Zorba spouts out, “Gee Fluffy I didn’t even know you could read”. Sheepishly Fluffy said. “I’m learning, been taken a class from Mrs. Turkey the retired school teacher. She gave me a home work assignment to read a newspaper ever day”. Zorba remarks, “So that’s the reason you’re reading the paper. But Fluffy, that newspaper you have is over a week old”. Awkwardly Fluffy remarks, “Well she didn’t say it had to be a new paper. Besides it will take me about a week to get through it all”. “A week”, comments Zorba. “Sure”, said Fluffy, “Ever day I start from page one and work my way through as far as I can get between breakfast and lunch”. With a shock Zorba said, “You mean that you read the same thing over and over each day?” With a smirk Fluffy replies, “That’s what it means to read the newspaper. Now if you two will leave me alone I have to get ready for my reading class”. Zorba and Roo start to walk away when Zorba turns and asked, how often do you have a class”? With pride Fluffy announces, “I have a half an hour class once a week”. Zorba and Roo walk away and Fluffy goes back to his newspaper.

My tiny mind knows that an education is good, even if it is hard.

Continued… (Maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Pyramid Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 31

Chapter 31
Spring Time

The best thing about winter is when it's over and is replaced by spring. When the season’s switch from winter to spring, that is when we trade-in frostbite for hay fever. In the real world this swap is celebrated with great feelings of joy. But in the fictitious dreamland called Furwaggle it is never too hot or too cold, it’s always just right. But there is still gladness for the new crop of flowers and newness to the land.
It is early morning and Wiggles is still cuddled in his straw nest up in the hayloft of the barn. He is not really asleep nor is he awake. He is just jelling, with his eyes closed and his brain randomly wondering over good thoughts. But then, there is an interruption to his tranquility. Wiggles is doing his best to not pay any attention to his name being called from the barn door. It is like a buzz saw in his brain and he can’t ignore it any longer. He slowly opens one eye but all he sees is a blur. He then opens his other eye and it’s a double blur. Wiggles then puts on his glasses and things clear up a little but the name-calling is still there and so is his poor eyesight. Wiggles stands up, ruffles his feathers as he calls out, “Who is it that’s bringing noise to my morning”. There comes a reply, “Its me, Zorba”, “and its me Fluffy. Come on its daylight and its breakfast time”. Wiggles figures he might as well get up because these two aren’t going to go away and anyway, he had lost his jell. So he climbs down the ladder to the barn floor and joins his two friends on the short walk to the chuck house.
Breakfast goes on as normal with a lot of munching and slurping sounds, mostly from Fluffy. At one point Fluffy asked, “Zorba, what is it that you’re eating”. “Well if you must know”, answered Zorba, “it’s a banana with cream, and a big dash of hot sauce”. With a puzzled look Fluffy asked, “do all circus monkeys eat that for breakfast”. Zorba shot back, “I don’t know about that but this circus performer does”. Fluffy ignored Zorbas sarcasm and asked. “Do you want to know what I ate for breakfast”? With disdain Zorba replied, “No, I really don’t want to know”. By now Fluffy had finished his breakfast and was licking the bowl clean. He noticed that Wiggles plate was still about half full, so he asked, “What’s the matter Wiggles, don’t you like your corn this morning”. With a scornful look Wiggles said, “Naw, it’s a little tough, I don’t think it’s been cooked enough”. With that they got up and went out on to the chuck house porch.
Once on the porch Fluffy immediately lays down with his head resting on his paws and Wiggles heads for his favorite chair for some peaceful rocking. These two are getting set for a little after breakfast relaxation but not Zorba; he does a double black flip off the porch. After landing with a flourish, he calls out, “Come on you two, up and at them, you’re burning daylight and there are things to be done”. Fluffy's eyes are at about half-mast and Wiggles is just getting comfortable in his rocking chair. “Not me”, mumbles Fluffy, “I got spring fever”. Mockingly Zorba shoots back, “Looks more like gold-bricking to me”. Wiggles inquires to Fluffy, “What is it with him this morning”. Fluffy lifts up his head and says, “I think it’s that hot sauce he had for breakfast, that is doing it”. Wiggles realized that there is no way that Zorba is going to let him do any jelling, so he asked him, “Just what is it that you want to do”. With glee Zorba answers, “It’s about time you woke up to what is going on. It’s springtime and there is a new crop of flowers over in the valley just waiting for us to enjoy. Come on with me and see what Mother Nature has made for all to see”. Reluctantly Wiggles and Fluffy get up and start following behind Zorba as he skips down the dirt road toward the valley of the flowers.
At about the halfway point to the valley, Fluffy suddenly stops and barks out, “Say, do you two smell what I smell”. Holding his nose Wiggles says, “I don’t know, but it sure isn’t the perfume of flowers that I’m smelling”. As the odor gets stronger, Zorba has his tail rapped around his nose and he points down the road and says, “I don’t know what it is but it’s coming toward us”. Sure enough, coming down the road, walking in the direction of the trio is Baby Skunk. As he gets closer, Baby calls out, “Hi there fellows. Are you going to the valley of the flowers? If you are then you’re in for a treat because they smell fantastic”. With that Baby Skunk passed by the threesome and their only responses are a wave and some coughing but each has a private opinion. Wiggles was, “How would he know”, Fluffy's mind could only come up with, “That’s sure no recommendation” and Zorba's thought was, “I hope he didn’t leave anything behind”. With that they hurried on down the road where the air was fresher.
After a little more walking they crest a little hill and there it is, the valley of flowers. It is a sea of yellow cornflowers, all aglow as far as the eye can see. With a hoop and a yell Zorba immediately runs out into the field of flowers, while Fluffy and Wiggles stand on the road enjoying the magnificent view. Then Zorba’s yelling takes on a whole different tone. It has more a tone of pain than joy. “What is the matter”, calls out Wiggles. Fluffy adds, “Did you step on a thorn”. While holding one foot and hopping on the other, Zorba shouts back, “No, something bit me”. Then there came a squeaky high-pitched little voice, “and it serves you right, stepping on me the way you did”. Fluffy is the first to realize whom it was talking to Zorba. “Gee”, said Fluffy, “I didn’t know flowers could talk”. Then the flower said, “Well let me tell you something, my name is Sunny and I’m of the sunflower clan and we take it very personal when some big footed dummy steps on us. And yes, we can talk, all you have to do is clean out your ears and listen”. By now Zorba had hopped back onto the road. Still holding one foot he blurts out, “Well I don’t know about the flower talking thing but he sure can bite”. With an apologetic tone Wiggles says, “Look Sunny we are sorry about the stepping on you thing and we will be more careful”. This seemed to calm Sunny some and he said, “I know it shouldn’t need to be said but have you ever been told that it is ok to look but don’t touch and definitely no stepping on anything”. Wiggles then turned to Zorba and Fluffy and said, “I think it’s about time we started back to the barnyard”. “Sure is”, said Fluffy, it’s getting close to lunch and we sure don’t want to miss that”.
With a wave goodby to Sunny, the three start back up the road toward home. Fluffy is out in front mumbling, “I didn’t know flowers could talk”, he is followed by Wiggles who is helping the limping Zorba.
My tiny mind thinks that it is a good thing to look but don’t touch, most of the time.

Continued… (Maybe).
------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Block Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 30

Chapter 30
Game Day

Through-out the real world sports is a treasured pastime. Depending where you are, the national sport may be baseball, football, soccer, or even car racing. In the fictitious dreamland, called Furwaggle, most of the commonly known sports are played. Today is soccer day and tomorrow it may well be something else.
It is the semifinals match of Dog River High school versus Cat Fur High. It will be an interesting match up, speed against agility, a real fur raising game. This will surely bring out a crowd, instead of the normal 5 or 6 spectators there will be at least 11 or 12, this includes the relatives of both teams.
Wiggles doesn’t attend any of these games due to his poor eyesight. He never can tell who has the ball or even where the playing field is. Zorba did play one game early in the season, but was banned from playing because he would pick up the ball and run with it. Seems that the idea of how to make a score was somewhat different than the official rules of soccer. But Fluffy on the other hand was an avid sports fan.
Fluffy never really played the game; in fact he didn’t even go onto the playing field. He would run up and down the sidelines and bark at the ball. But if the ball did go out of the playing field then he considered it to be fair for him to chase it and do his best to bite or otherwise render it out of action. Tearing the ball into little pieces was Fluffy’s favorite part of the game. This was one of the reasons many spare balls were on hand. Another oddity was that the umpire had lost his whistle and would use a duck call to officiate the game. This worked pretty well but from time to time the playing field had to be cleared of the wild ducks that responded and used the field for a landing place.
The game was about half over when someone kicked the soccer ball out of bounds. To Fluffy that was a call for action. He took off after the ball as it bounced off into the tall grass. After a few bounces Fluffy had almost caught up to it and he lowered his nose for a final leap upon his victim. There was a mighty leap but not at the ball, it was straight up into the air and was punctuated with a howl that could be heard for miles. When Fluffy landed he began to run in a small circle and the howl got even louder. This of course brought the spectators to see what all the ruckus was about. One of these spectators was Doctor Chicken and he knew Fluffy well enough to know that that howling was his normal hurting yowl. When the good Doctor got to where the hubbub was at, he noticed Porgy Porcupine was in the center of the circle that Fluffy was making. Porgy’s cried out, “Get that crazy pup away from me”. “What happened”, asked Doctor Chicken. Timidly Porgy replied, “I was just setting there minding my own business watching the game and all of a sudden I felt this cool nose run into me”. Doctor Chicken said, “Ok I get the picture. Now we have to see if we can put a stop to all this howling”. After a little coaxing and the help of 5 others holding on to Fluffy he was penned down. There was Fluffy lying on his back with 4 porcupine quills sticking in his nose. With the help of pliers the doctor was able to pull out each quill one at a time. As each quill was removed Fluffy let out another ear splitting yelp. When the last quill was extracted everyone let go of Fluffy and jumped back so as not to be within biting range. Fluffy jumped up and put both paws to his nose and let out another yap as tears ran from his eyes. He turned to Doctor Chicken and said with a cry, “Doc my nose still hurts”. With a very professional tone Doctor Chicken said, “Well Fluffy I suggest you put something cold on that runny nose of yours. And I will be sending you my bill tomorrow”. With a little whimper Fluffy started off toward the chuck house.
Wiggles was sitting on the chuck house porch as Fluffy arrived. With a little chuckle Wiggles called out, “Seems that you have a little problem. Have you been sticking you nose into other peoples business”? Fluffy didn’t stop to chat, he just went on into the chuck house and as the door closed behind him Wiggles said to himself, “Yep, been putting his nose where it doesn’t belong”.
My tiny mind thinks that it is OK to be curious but not to be nosey
Continued… (Maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Spider Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Blue Snow

There are many wonders in the world, some man made and some made by nature. There are Pyramids, Grand Canyons, and deserts; there is even a Stonehenge. These and many more are found in special places in the real world. Even in the fictitious dreamland, called Furwaggle, there are the Boarder Mountains that bounds this amazing paradise. These majestic mountain peaks are covered with snow the year around and are a sight to behold.
It is early morning, right after breakfast and Fluffy is standing engrossed on the porch of the chuck house staring far off into the rising sun as it comes over the snow covered peaks. He is soon joined by a few others to watch the coming of the morning sun. One of the new arrivals is Wiggles; he has a toothpick in his beak to clean the breakfast corn out of his teeth.
After standing and looking at the view for a while and picking his teeth, Wiggles removed the toothpick from his beak and turning to Fluffy said, “What do you see Fluffy”? Fluffy knew that all Wiggles most likely could see was a fuzzy haze. A bright fuzzy haze, but a fuzzy haze none the less because of his poor eyesight. Fluffy answered,” Well it is a wonderful morning, the sun is coming up over the blue snow on the peaks of the Boarder Mountains and….”. Wiggles interrupted with, “Woe, hold your flapping tong there a minute, snow is white not blue. I thing you are in the need of some glasses?”. Fluffy snapped back with, “What do you know Wiggles, you can't see past the end of your beak. I guess I know what I see, and I see blue snow”. Again Wiggles said, “Snow is white not blue”. With a sigh Fluffy added, “Well if you’re so smart, where does the white go when snow melts?”.
Just then, there came a booming voice, “You two don’t know what you’re talking about”. Both Fluffy and Wiggles looked down at their feet and saw Mr. Gabby Snail. Wiggles was always amazed at the resonant sound that came from such a small creature as Mr. Gabby Snail. Fluffy spoke first, “Ok, Mr. Snail know it all. Don’t you see the blue snow on the peaks of the Boarder Mountains or are you the one that needs glasses?”. Wiggles then joined in with, “Are you trying to tell me that Snow isn’t white?”. With that, Gabby started in with, “Ok, you two listen up. Snow can be white, blue, green, or most any color. It all depends on the sunlight and the reflection, refraction and absorption of the snow. Also…. Blab, blab, and then there is the effect of…. Blab, blab… and so on. So now do you understand?”. Fluffy couldn’t take it anymore and he shouts out, “Ok, Ok, already. That’s enough. You are raining on my parade and my mind is soaked”. Wiggles whispered to him-self, “You’re not the only one Fluffy, my mind is over loaded and about to pop”. With a humph and a grump Mr. Snail said,” Well, if you two don’t want the facts of the matter then I will just go on my way”. “Well you don’t have to be so grumpy about it”, replied Wiggles. But the Snail didn’t hear, he had already slid off into the grass and didn’t even look back.
Wiggles turned to Fluffy and said,” I’m going to the water trough and soak my head to see if I can wash my mind clear”. With a shocked look Fluffy said,” Well I’m not going to do anything as radical as that, but all this has made my stomach hungry. I’m going to see if there are any leftovers from breakfast”. With that he turned and went back into the chuck house. Wiggles wattled off toward the nearest water while shaking his head from side to side.
My tiny mind thinks that too much of anything is not necessarily a good thing.
Continued… (Maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Diamond Maze