Furwaggle Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Water Wet

In the rest of the world it either snows or rains too little or too much. But there is a place where the weather is always just right, and that is in the fictitious dreamland, called Furwaggle.
It is just mid-day, the sun is high in the sky and most everyone is taking their mid-day siesta. That is everyone but Fluffy. He is out at the edge of the barnyard running in circles, chasing his tail and barking. This is not a normal practice for Fluffy, but nothing is ever normal for him. There is one thing for sure he isn’t exercising, Fluffy just doesn’t do that. But just as he was about to catch his tail there came a very loud “Squawk”, and this brought Fluffy to a sudden stop. Fluffy started to look around for the source of the interruption. While looking over his shoulder he sees Zorba walking off toward the shade of the barn. Fluffy yells out to Zorba, “Is that you Zorba making that squawking noise?”. Zorba stops, turns toward Fluffy and with one eye closed says, “I don’t ever squawk and I don’t talk when its my nap time”. With that Zorba continued toward the shady spot he had picked for his little snooze.
Fluffy thought that maybe a little nap might be just the thing to settle his nerves down, because chasing his tail is hard work. So he starts toward the shade of that big tree that he had been near to, while doing his little circle pursuit. Just as he got to the shade he turned his head and gave a final loud bark at his tail. And just as quick, came another very loud “Squawk” in reply. That was all Fluffy could take, he yelled out, “Ok, who is doing all that squawking”. From high in the big oak tree came a reply, “Up here dummy”. Fluffy jerked his head up to see a big bird sitting on a branch up near the top of the oak tree. Fluffy was never one for the social amenities so he yelled out, “Hay, big bird what is your problem”. “Harrumph,” answered back the bird. “First off, my name isn’t big bird. I go by the name of Jaybird. And second I wouldn’t be squawking if you wouldn’t be barking and keeping me from my noonday nap”. “Ok, Mr. Jaybird, I guess I can bark whenever I want to”. “Well, bark if you must, just do it some place else. I know I’m going to be sorry, but I just have to ask, why are you barking anyway? Fluffy shot back, “At lunch a little while ago someone spilled a glass of water on the tip of my tail and got it all wet”. “So what”, snapped Jaybird. Fluffy straighten himself up to his full height and with all the self-confidence he could muster said, “Well Mr. Know it all Jaybird, you don’t know much about water. Water in a river is bad, water in a lake is bad, water on Fluffy is bad, and just any water wet is bad in general. So there….”. “Hmm, Mr. Whippersnapper, you are full of malarkey. Water wet isn’t bad. It’s good to drink, its good to play in and it’s good to clean”, snapped back Jaybird.
Just then Wiggles walked up and said, “Shush, you two. You’re making so much noise no one can get a decent daytime nap. I could hear you all the way to my nest in the barn”. Fluffy started with, “Well he started it….”. But was interrupted by Jaybird with, “No, he was barking and….”. With a stamp of his foot Wiggles snapped, “Both of you are in for big trouble if you can’t settle down and be quit making so much noise”. With a soft sniffle Fluffy whispered, “He wants me to get all water wet”. Then Jaybird whispered back, “He was saying water wet is bad”. “Ok Jaybird you go back to sleep and Fluffy you go to the chuck hall porch and wait for dinner, and I’m going back to my nest for a few winks of sleep”.
This seemed to satisfy everyone. Jaybird closed his eyes and right away started to snore. Fluffy wagged his tail as he started off toward the chuck house.

My tiny mind thinks that water is ok if used in the right way.
Continued… (maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you
9 Number Sudoku

Furwaggle Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Bug Day

The rest of the world celebrates many different holidays and events but in this fictitious dreamland, called Furwaggle, there are also some special ones. Today is one of those out of the ordinary events, it’s Bug Day.
We find Wiggles and Fluffy standing on the chuck house porch after finishing lunch. Fluffy is going thru his normal after meal routine of rubbing his belly. He then remarks, “You know, I haven’t seen Zorba lately. Any idea where he has gone off to?”. “Oh, didn’t you know, he is off on one of his circus tours. He will be traveling around for the next couple of weeks doing his act for different charity functions”, answers Wiggles. With a far off look, Fluffy says, “I would like to do something like that”. Wiggles smiles and says, “I don’t think there is much interest in a act where spectators sit around and watching someone eat”.
With that the two friends step down off the porch and walk out into the barnyard. Fluffy stops for a moment to scratch behind his ear and asked, “Have you noticed that there are a lot more creepy bugs around lately”. “Sure”, replied Wiggles, “It’s a special event day, all the insects are meeting here to celebrate Bug Day”. “Well I sure hope they don't get on me, they make me itch. Those crawly little critters seem to like me too much ”, remarked Fluffy. “Well Fluffy, they aren’t all crawly, some of them fly too”, added Wiggles. With that Fluffy jerked his head up and started looking around in the air. Wiggles saw this and said, “You won’t see many around here, they are mainly out in the north forty where the celebrations are being held. Come on let's go watch the festivities”. With a sorrowful look Fluffy asked, “Do we have too?”.
With a quick waddle, Wiggles starts off across the fields toward the north forty with Flurry reluctantly tagging along behind. Before long they could hear many little high-pitched sounds coming from up ahead. After a few more steps there came a very deep voice, “And just where do you two think you’re going?”. This brought Wiggles and Fluffy to a sudden stop. Looking around Fluffy sees an ant standing in the pathway and tells Wiggles, “There seems to be a road block ahead”. Wiggles looks down at the ant and said, “We are going to the celebration to watch the fun”. The little ant barked back, “Well you can’t go in, so beat it”. Just then two flying bugs swooped down from the sky and hovered in front of the little ant. He took one look at them and said, “It’s ok you two can pass”. And with that the two flyers took off toward the celebration. With a puzzled look Fluffy asked, “How come they get to go see the fun but we can’t?” With a somber look the ant explained, “It’s ok for you to pass. Cats, dogs, and any thing with hair or fur are welcome. But your friend there has to stay out. We don’t let birds or anything with beaks or feathers to mess things up”. “How come”, quizzed Wiggles. With a sigh the little ant explained, “Last year when the celebration was held at Never, Never Land, two Penguin got in and nearly wiped out a whole tribe of beetles before we chased them away”. With a huff Wiggles strighten himself up to his full height and said, “Look mister ant, border guard or what ever you are, I will have you know that I was the chief specimen at the Harvard School of Medical for two years running. And besides that, I was awarded the Silver Star for my flight training above and beyond the call of duty. Also….”. Before he could continue the ant interrupted him with, “Say, you must be Wiggles, that quacky friend of Zorba who performed here this morning. He told us all about you and there can’t be two whackos waddling around like that. Just put on this muzzle and go on in”. “Muzzle, MUZZLE”, yelled Wiggles. “I’m not wearing any muzzle”. “Me either”, barked Fluffy. “Look feathers, either muzzle up, or shut up. You’re not getting in without it”, barked back the ant. With that Wiggles turned on his heels and in a huff started stomping off, with Fluffy right behind him.
“Harrumph”, exclaimed Wiggles. “I have never been so insulted in my life. I’m going to the water pond and wash off all this verbal abuse”. Hearing the words, water and wash, brought Fluffy to a sudden stop. “Now wait a minute, I’m not doing any water washing”, exclaimed Fluffy. Without stopping his stomping waddle Wiggles called back to Fluffy, “Well you do what you want, but I’m off to the pond”. “Well, I think I will just go over to the barnyard and roll around in the dirt until dinner”, replied Fluffy.With that the two friends part, one stomping and the other skipping.
My tiny mind thinks that muzzles are not right to stop ideas or talking.
Continued… (maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you
Maze

Furwaggle Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Little Red Wagon

Now that it’s a New Year, things will surly change in the real world. But not here, it is always the same in this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle.
The weather is nice and warm, the sky is clear and blue and we find Wiggles and Zorba lazing around in the rays of the sun. “This is the life, just laying, here with no troubles, no hassles, just peace and quiet” Remarks Wiggles.
“I know what you mean, but you may have over looked something”, replies Zorba. “I don’t know what you mean, there are no taxes, no little tin gods”, answered Wiggles. “You are right, we don’t have any politicians here in Furwaggle, so there are no taxes, but there is something that you forgot”, added Zorba. “And just what did I forget”, asked Wiggles. With just one word Zorba answered, “Fluffy”. Wiggles mumbled to himself, “I must be getting old”. At that point Fluffy walked up with a big grin, patted his belly and with a twinkle in his eye said, “Boy oh boy was breakfast good this morning. They had three helpings for everyone and I sure got my fair share”. Zorba couldn’t help himself, he blurted out, “We had no doubt that when it comes to food you would get your fair share and maybe just a little bit more”.
At about that time they all heard something coming up the road, “Beep, Beep, squeak”. It was Squeaky Mouse pulling something. Everyone stopped talking and all eyes were on Squeaky. Especially Fluffy, he had that, deer in the headlights stare. After a few moments Zorba broke the silence, “Hi Squeaky, what is that you are pulling” ? With pride Squeaky answered, “It’s my brand new, one of a kind little red wagon. There is not another one like it in all of Furwaggle”. Squeaky then looked from one to the other for that look of envy, but when he came to Fluffy, he was baffled. “What is wrong with Fluffy”, asked Squeaky? “He looks like he’s turned to stone“. Wiggles turned to give Fluffy the once over and concluded, “I think he’s ok, he blinked and now his lips are beginning to quiver. I think he is trying to say something”. “Hummm a hum, it’s a beautiful red wagon”, finally came out of Fluffy. Then with a jerk, Fluffy began to jump up and down. After 5 or 6 jumps, he began running circles around Squeaky and his red wagon, all the while chanting, “It’s a red wagon, it’s a red wagon”. Wiggles turned to Zorba and with a cough said, “I think you had better flag him down before he starts a major dust storm”. So Zorba steped into the path of Fluffy, held up his hand and in a very loud commanding voice shouted, “HALT”. This brought Fluffy to a screeching stop, but he was still babbling, “It’s a red wagon, it’s a red wagon”. Wiggles said, “Yes, we know it’s a red wagon. I may have very poor eyesight but I can see it, so what”? “I wan, I wanna, drive it”, stuttered Fluffy. “Whoa there, hang on a minute. Do you have a red wagon driving license”? “A what”, asked Fluffy? Squeaky explained, “Yes, you have to have a license from the RWDMV before you can drive my red wagon”. With a puzzled look Fluffy asked, “What is a RWDMV”? With a wink, Wiggles said, “Everyone knows RWDMV stands for Red Wagon Dept of Motor Vehicles”. With a sheepish look Fluffy asked, “Okay, I'm not above begging, couldn’t I just take it for a little spin around the barnyard and….”. Squeaky interrupted with, “No license, no driving”. “Ok, how do I get me one of those license things”, asked Fluffy. Wiggles cleared his throat and begin, “You have go to the RWDMV, take an eye test, a written test and beings you’re a first time driver, you may have to take a driving test, too”.
“Wow”, exclaimed Fluffy. “I’m going off to the RWDMV and get tested so I can drive a little Red Wagon”. All the rest nodded their heads while hiding their smiles and chuckles as they started off toward the barnyard.
My tiny mind thinks we all should be on the lookout for little Red Wagons.
Continued… (maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you.
5 Numbers Sudoku Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Christmas

The air is getting colder and the leaves are falling off the trees. It's a sure sign that winter is coming to the rest of the world. But it is always warm here in this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle.
Today we find Wiggles and Slithering Sam chewing the fat over how bad it will be if the weather turns chilly. “Whenever it gets cold my beak locks up and I can’t talk, let alone eat. I just wna run away and hide from it all.” Remarks Wiggles. “I know what you mean”, replies Sam. “I'm speechless and can’t even hiss whenever the temperature drops below a normal slithering point”. At that point Fluffy walked up and said, “I'm not sure what's going on, but, I would like to join in on some important talk”. With sarcasm, Sam asked, “why, are you bilingual"? With confidence, Fluffy looks up at him and says, "Meow!" With a chuckle, Wiggles said to Fluffy, “we are discussing how good it is to have nice warm weather and what happens when it get cold in winter”.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but there is one good thing about winter”, said Fluffy. “Yea, and just what would that be” asked Sam? With a twinkle in his eye Fluffy said, “Well, Christmas of course”. With a shock both Sam and Wiggles said together, “Of course”. Then Fluffy continued with, “and the best part is when Santa comes with goodies for everyone”. Just then, Zorba walks up and asks, “for everyone”? With a surprise Fluffy said, “sure, why not”? Then Zorba explained, “Santa Claus listens all year to hear who has been naughty or nice, and you can guess who gets the goodies”. “Oh”, said Fluffy with a sad look. “I think I’m in trouble”. “Oh, Fluffy don’t worry”, said Wiggles. “You’re not naughty, youthfully naive maybe, but not naughty”. “You guys are confusing me. I don’t know much about Christmas, but is Santa Claus and Santa the same guy that is giving out all these Christmas presents”, asked Sam? “Sure”, said Zorba. “He is called many names besides Santa Claus and Santa, such as, Saint Nick, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and possible a few more depending where you come from or live”. Tell me more about this Santa guy that gives out gifts on Christmas”, asked Sam. It was Wiggles turn to answer, “Santa lives at the North Pole, where his Christmas-gift workshop is also located”. Then Zorba interrupts with, “Santa Claus has a white beard, and puts on his red jacket and pompom-topped cap, goes out on the night before Christmas in his sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, and climbs down chimneys to leave his gifts to those who have been nice”, and for Fluffys' benefit he added, “or naïve”. “Well, if you’re so smart, can you name all of Santa’s reindeer”, ask Wiggles? “Sure can”, replied Zorba. “The original eight reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. And if it is a snowy over-cast, zero visibility night, then Rudolph is added because he is a red-nosed reindeer that can light up the path for the rest”. With admiration Wiggles said to Zorba, “you sure do know your reindeer stuff, I’m impressed”.
“Well, if you really want to know about Santa and the night before Christmas, give a listen to this”, came a voice down at Fluffys' feet. It was Charlie Book Worm. He didn’t wait for an answer but began to read from one of his ever-present books. “This is a poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
By Clement Clarke Moore” started Charlie.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
“Wow”, exclaimed Fluffy. “I think I’m going off and start trying to be nice so that I can get some goodies come Christmas”. All the rest nodded their heads as they started off toward the barnyard.
My tiny mind wants to express to you all, “Merry Christmas”.
Continued… (maybe).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you.
Maze Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Dance

Today, there are happy feet in this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle. Everyone has polished up their dancing shoes and out in the barnyard showing off their snappy steps. That is, everyone except Fluffy. He is sitting on the chuck house porch munching on an apple. He had heard that vigorous dancing is a good way to blow off steam. Fluffy figured that it must be some kind of therapy but he already had his daily growl at the cook for serving him too small of a breakfast and that is all the healing power he needed for today. Anyway, dogs don’t dance when they can sit on the sidelines and laugh at others that try to shake a leg.
A good example of odd-looking dancers is Wiggles. Yes, even Wiggles is putting on a show for all to see. He is all dressed up in his hippie garb and doing a popular sixties fowl step. This kind of suggests that he may have had a much different kind of lifestyle when he was younger. In any case, he was pretty good for an old duck with arthritis and being half blind. But Fluffy knew, come tomorrow, Wiggles would be back to his old normal self. Maybe have a few stiff joints and a little bit of a limp, but none the less normal.
Over in the corral there is Old Joe Baker, kicking up his heels to show the others how it’s done. It could be that the one reason he is so active is that Busy Bee is performing a ballet over his head. He always did his boogieing inside the corral because if he got carried away and stepped on someone it was a really big ouch. Outside of the occasional visit of an elephant or dragon, he weights more than any ten other dancers put together. Horses aren’t light you know and also they have big feet.
There wasn’t much of a band for the dancers to dance to. As a matter of fact there wasn’t any band at all. It would be kind of hard to play music that would be good for all of the different kind of dance steps that was going on. For example, there was the triple ants doing their stick dance. It was kind of like western line dancing except they carried a long pole to help keep then in line. Then there was Zorba, doing his Greek soft shoe routine. There just wasn’t any music that would go with both, let alone all the other dancing styles that were going on at the same time.
All of a sudden the dinner bell rang, and it was a good thing too, because the dancers were just about wore out and couldn’t go on much longer. That is, all but Fluffy; he jumped up and was the first one in the chow line. You can’t keep a good dog down.
My tiny mind thinks that dancing is a good way to express yourself. Talking is good too.
Continued… (maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you.
Maze Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Practice, Practice

It is good to know your limitation even in a place like this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle. You never know when something will come up that will test your skill or knowledge, just like in the real world. One should always strive for improvement.
Wiggles is on one of his daily walks, when he comes upon the tree where Zorba hangs out. And sure enough, there is Zorba hanging by his tail. Wiggles calls out, “Hello Zorba. What are you up to?” Zorba calls back, “I’m up a tree, can’t you see?” Wiggles snaps back, “Ok, don’t be smart with me. I know you're up in that tree. The question is why?” “Sorry Wiggles, I’m trying to improve my act for the up coming festival”, replies Zorba. With a shock, Wiggles remembers that about this time each year there is a fair where everyone does something to entertain everyone else. Then Zorba asked, “What kind of an act are you planning to do Wiggles?” With a sad look Wiggles said, “Well, it’s not going to be like last year. With a sly grin Zorba asked, “And what was that”. Wiggles sleeplessly replied, “I took a long run, flapped my wings and flew upside down around the barnyard while whistling a snappy tune”. With awh Zorba said, “That sounds cool. How did it work out?” “You see my bent beak don’t you”, snapped Wiggles.
Just then a loud flaying of wings could be heard overhead and a large shadow was cast over the landscape. “What is that”, yelled Zorba, as he tried to climb even higher in the tree. Wiggles looks over his shoulder and saw a huge creature looking down at him. It was so tall, even Timmy the Giraffe would have had to look up to see the top of this thing. Then a booming voice came from this giant, “HELLO”. “Hello there, is that you Puff”, said Fluffy as he came walking up to this little gathering. “Do you know this…this gigantic err… Puff”, stuttered Wiggles. “Sure, Puff provided the fire at last months' BBQ. And it was a tasty affair too”, replied Fluffy. Then Fluffy turned to Puff and asked, “What you doing here Puff”? With a sheepish grin and a much lower voice Puff said, “Well you see I had a flameout coming over the mountains and had to make an emergency landing”. Fluffy asked, “Is there anything we can do to help you”? This time with a big grin Puff boomed, “Sure, my boiler is out and I need to get the flame started. Do you happen to have some gasoline or kerosene or even a lump of coal would do”. “Sure”, proclaimed Fluffy. “Come on over to the chuck house and we can fix you right up”. Then Puff said, “Come on jump on my back and I will give you a ride”. With a little hesitation Fluffy asked, “Can you fly without fire”? With pride Puff assured Fluffy by saying, “Sure, I’ve been practicing flameless low level stuff and there will be no problem. As a matter of fact, I’m getting pretty good at this stealth flying”. As the two took off Wiggles and Zorba could hear Fluffy yell, “Wheeee…”
As Zorba swung down from the tree he proclaimed, “Now wasn’t that something. You know I think I’ve had enough practice for one day. Let's go back to the barnyard”. “Sounds good to me”, replied Wiggles. “Who knows what we will run into next, a flying whale”?
My tiny mind thinks that it is good to understand what you know and what you don’t know. Then fix what you can.
Continued… (maybe).
-------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple little teaser for you.
Sudoku Letter Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Boat Trip

Because there are few roads, travel is not easy in this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle. There is the main mind road over the mountain that allows easy access, because the highway of imagination is needed against reality. But most of Furwaggle is farmland, just like in the real world, long ago.
All thru breakfast Wiggles and Zorba have had a heated conversation, and it continues on outside into the barnyard after eating. Although Fluffy was sitting nearby in the chuck house, he had been too busy eating to pay attention to what the tongue wagging was all about. But now that Fluffy had his number one priority taken care of, he joins his two friends just in time to hear Zorba proclaim, “…and what if it sinks? I can’t swim”. Fluffy blurts out, “So what, neither can I”. Zorba spins around and challenges Fluffy, “Ok, then you go with him”. Fluffy never wanting to be out done, replies with, “Ok, I will. With who and where are we going”? Fluffy had in his mind that they were talking about going down to the peach orchard and having a nice little snack. But when Zorba said, “Go with Wiggles on a boat trip down the river”, Fluffy was shocked. Going some where with Wiggles didn’t bother Fluffy, he was always doing that, but boat and river made his head spin. Then it came to him, “I get it. This is a joke, right? You guys are making fun of me”. Wiggles puffed his feathers up and proclaimed, “No. this is no joke. I want to travel and see all there is to see. I want to explore like Magellan or Columbus. They did it by boat, so how best for me to see the sights than by boat”. “But I can’t swim”, Fluffy blurts out. “So now you’re going to back out”, teased Zorba. Fluffy tried to reply but no words would come. He realized that it was hopeless. He had been out tricked into the most awful thing possible, water. With a wave Zorba turned and skipped off while saying, “You guys have a nice trip and I will see you when or if you ever get back”. With a stern look at Fluffy, Wiggles said, “I will meet you down by the river early tomorrow morning, and don’t be late”.
Wiggles is sitting on a log over looking the river, while he waits for Fluffy to join him. The morning is a little foggy which makes it even harder for Wiggles to see, but he can hear something like chomping coming his way. Out of the brush stumbles Fluffy eating on an apple and carrying a stuffed backpack. “Is that you Fluffy”, asked Wiggles? “Sho is”, answers Fluffy. “You’re late”, snaps Wiggles. “Well I had to stop off at the chuck house to get some supplies, and took a little detour thru the apple orchard for a snack to hold me over for the trucking down here to the river”, replies Fluffy. Then Fluffy looks around for a moment and then asked, “Ok, just where is this boat thing”? Wiggles pointing down the bank said, “That’s it. Tied up at the river bank, and it’s waiting for us”. With a shock Fluffy blurts out, “Where did you get that tiny thing”? “Wiggles sarcasticly replies, “What did you expect the Titanic? I had the beaver twins, Tooth and Nail, make it for me. Now come before we lose the tide”. With that Wiggles starts to scramble down the bank toward the boat. Fluffy follows him while trying to figure out what a tide is and should he be worried or not.
Wiggles scrambles into the boat and starts untieing the mooring rope. He looks around to see Fluffy pacing back and forth at the waters edge. Wiggles calls out to Fluffy, “Come on, get into the boat, we are burning daylight.” With that, Fluffy backs up a few steps and takes a running jump. He lands with a splat in the river about halfway to the boat. Fluffy starts trashing in the water and yelling, “Help me, help me. I’m drowning.” Wiggles replies with a chuckle, “Stand up, the water isn’t deep enough for you to drown.” Sheepishly Fluffy does what his friend said and sees that the water doesn’t even cover his paws. As he climbs into the boat Fluffy says, “How should I know, all water looks the same to me.”
Once Fluffy is in, he grabs the big pole in the middle of the boat and hangs on for dear life. They drift out toward the middle of the river where the current starts carrying them down stream. The boat begins to rock back and forth, that starts Fluffy to whimper, “We are going to sink !!” Wiggles snaps at Fluffy, “If you would sit down, the boat will be more stable.” With that Fluffy plops down and wraps all four legs around the pole, making him feel much better. Then with a little smile, Fluffy said to Wiggles, “Thanks for having this big pole put in for me to hang on to.” With a wise old smile Wiggles said, “We seafarers call that a mast not a pole.” Fluffy said, “Ok, I will do that, my seafaring captain.” Then Fluffy began to point toward the far bank of the river and shout, “Look over there.” “Where?”, asked Wiggles. “Over here, this side of the boat.”, shouted Fluffy. With a huff, Wiggles said, “That’s the starboard side of the boat”. “Sun side, star side, who cares. Look at the river bank”, barked Fluffy. What Wiggles saw, was a large group yelling and waving at them. With a smile Wiggles said, “That’s our friends, they have come down to see us off”. With a huff, Fluffy said, “ Looks more like a wake to me”.
Almost as if in slow motion, the boat with Fluffy and Wiggles on board graceful floated on down the river. Then all of a sudden there is a bump, as something hits the boat. Fluffy lets out a squeal and stutters, “We have been hit, and it’s not the wind”. Wiggles looks around just in time to see the beaver twins, Tooth and Nail, float by on a great big log. Wiggles calls out to them, “Where are you going with that big log”? Tooth calls back, “We are going to join the rest of our tribe at the dam”. With bewilderment Wiggles yells, “Dam, there’s no dam shown on the map”. This time Nail calls back, “That’s right. We have just finished building it, and it’s a brute”. Just then as they round a bend in the river, Wiggles can see a gigantic structure. It is higher than Fluffy’s mask and goes all across the river. Wiggles stammers, “But…, but, how are we going to get past that? I want to travel down the river and see things”. This time the beaver twins answer together, “This is it. The river stops here. There isn’t any more”.
Zorba is hanging by his tail from the big tree in the barnyard when he sees Fluffy and Wiggles walk into the barnyard. He calls out, “Hi there. I thought you two was sailing down the river to far off exotic places”. “Well, we kinda ran into a little problem”, answers Fluffy. Zorba turns to Wiggles and asked, “What kind of problem? Did you sink? I told you so”. Wiggles doesn’t stop, he just keeps on walking to the barn and the only thing from him is some grumbling and a hiss or two. Fluffy interrupts the silence with, “Hay, Am I in time for lunch”?
My tiny mind thinks that good planning on land or sea is a must for success in life.
Continued… (maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you.
Maze Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 20

Chapter 20
A talking stick

The air is alive with the sounds of chatter in this fictitious dreamland, called, Furwaggle. Because everyone can talk and understand each other regardless of whom or what they are, there is always a lot of banter going on, just like in the real world, today is no exception.
There is a small group over by the watering trough talking about the wind, rain and other such stuff. Little Squeaky Mouse is going on and on, “yadda, yadda, yadda”. Zorba jumps in with, “I've traveled a lot and….”. But before he can say more he is interrupted by Hopper the Cricket, “Let me tell you, even a little dew is no good for any jumping”. This goes on and on. Everyone is talking but no one is saying anything for long.
Standing off to one side is Isaac the Owl, Fluffy and Wiggles. Isaac remarks, "What we need is a talking stick". With a puzzled look Fluffy asked, "You got a stick that talks like a parrot"? Wiggles thinks to himself, “You’re going to be sorry Isaac”. With a sigh Isaac said, “No, it’s a stick that you hold when speaking”. “Oh, I see, it’s a puppet”, replied Fluffy. Isaac is now beginning to feel that it was a mistake to bring this up. So, very carefully he begins to explain, “A talking stick is a Native American tradition used to make possible an orderly discussion”. At about that time Zorba comes walking up and asked, “Hi guys. What’s going on”? Before Isaac could say anything, Fluffy blurts out, “We are talking about a stick that you beat others with, so you can talk”. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea”, replies Zorba. Isaac is thinking that this is getting more and more hopeless, and he is beginning to lose control of himself. He starts jumping up and down and shouts, “No, No! The Talking Stick is a stick that is passed around and only the one holding the stick is allowed to talk without interruption. It’s best used when holding a Pow-Wow gathering, or having a storytelling circle”.
Fluffy thinks for a moment and then says, “Don’t sound like much fun to me”. “Maybe instead of a stick, we should use a burning candle for those long winded talkers”, remarks Zorba. “A burning match might be even better”, adds Fluffy. Isaac just shakes his head and without saying a hoot, waddles off toward the sanity of the forest. “What do you think Wiggles”, asked Fluffy? “I think, where is that dinner bell when you need it”, Wiggles replies with a quiet chuckle.
My tiny mind thinks that there are times when a Talking Stick could be a good thing. When all else fails, Fluffy's idea of how to use it, could be right.
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Here is a simple little teaser for you.
Sudoku Word Puzzle

Furwaggle Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Story Time

It’s one of those special days in this magnificent fictitious dreamland, called Furwaggle. Today is story-telling day. It is like a contest of tales, except there is no winner nor is a prize given; the reward is in the telling. Each resident is encouraged to tell a tall story to everyone else, like what happens in the real world of politics.
All over Furwaggle there are small groups, with each member taking turns narrating their fable.
When all in a group have had a turn, then they will breakup and join another round table of storytellers. In one group, Al the Gater is relating how he had added some color to Fluffy by giving him a red nose. In another, Mrs. Frog is describing with much fan fair how she defeated the fox in the henhouse. Even Wiggles has joined in the fun by telling of his encounter with a mysterious little green man.
After having his say, Wiggles moved on to another group where Fluffy and Zorba are preparing to tell their story. Zorba starts off first, “A few years ago I was giving a command performance for the heads of state of North Dakota”. Fluffy just had to butt in, “What do you mean, heads of state”? Zorba snaps back with, “It was the King and Queen of North Dakota. Now don’t interrupt me”. Wiggles whispered with a quiet chuckle, “There isn’t any King or Queen of North Dakota”. Zorba pretended not to hear Wiggles and continued on with his tale, “As I was saying, at the conclusion of my performance there was a rousing round of applause. After the clapping and whistling had died down, the King invited me to join him and his royal family for dinner and the celebration of his son, Prince Toad, latest achievement. It was a festive party, with fine food and lively entertainment”. At that, Fluffy just couldn’t hold back, “Now that sounds like my kind of party”. Zorba gave Fluffy a dirty look but went on with his story, “Near the end of the party the King stood and raised his arms for attention. He then made a toast to his son and praised him for his founding of South Dakota. Again there was a rousing round of applause and cheering. Later as the party wound down, I was able to talk to Prince Toad. I asked him about the founding of South Dakota, and told him that I thought others had found it a long time ago. He agreed, and said that he didn’t claim to be the first to find South Dakota. He had just discovered it while on one of his explorations. And in pursuit of being a great explorer, he plans to found Wisconsin but may have to found Minnesota first, because it’s kinda in the way”. With that Zorba concluded his fable.
Fluffy said, “Well, I’m glad that’s over, I think next year there should be a time limit”. Zorba snapped, “Ok Fluffy, lets see what you can do”. With that Fluffy started his story, “I don't have much to say so I will keep it short and besides it’s near dinner time. You know the expression, “Glad pigs can’t fly”, well they can’t but horses can. Just the other day while I was out in the cornfield I heard a great buzzing in the air. When I looked up there it was, a flying horse. He circled me twice and then did a dive down and just missed my nose. Then with a great flapping of his wings he climbed high in the sky and flew off toward the mountains”. Zorba said, “I never heard such nonsense”. Just then there was the call to dinner. Wiggles said, “Saved by the bell”. As they all walked off toward the chuck house, you could hear Zorba and Fluffy exchanging comments about each other’s story.
My tiny mind thinks that one should keep their story short and not drag it out to exhaustion.
Continued… (maybe).
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Here is a simple little teaser for you:
Maze