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Da wagons woll on thwough a cwould uf dust. St. Louie fawr behind dem now. Da weafur has been dood. Dey fowwow along a riffur dat wuns awong da trail. Capt. Larry cawlls a hawlt, peerin off into da distance. "Om my gosh! " he meows. "Circul da wagons! Huwwy! Effery wooks up. "Oh no!" dey yell an speedily form a circul. "Kwick, kwick owt uf da wagons ! On Da Gwound! Huwwy!" Da wind picks up an der ish a loud roaring noise. Effery fwattens dem selfs ash low as dey can go. Rooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! In da distance da huge funnel cloud races akwoss da pwain....da wagons awr bwasted wit dirt an debris as it races along its track. In minits it ish offur. Da furs get up an stare awound derownselfs. Den dey begin to gaffur togeffur. "Head cownt," Capt Larry cawls. "Ish anyfur injured?" Awll pwesent, awll safe an shound. Den dey begin to xsamine da wagons. Some wips an tears fwum da bwasting sands, but no major pwoblems. "Awrite," Larry meows. "We sthop here fur da day an make wat wepairs ish needed." While sum pwepare fur da nite, uffurs stwart makin any nessesary wepairs an cweaning wat needs to be done.

Larry walks offur to Paloma. "Paloma, I fink a tweat ish in order. Can yu pwull somefing speshull fwum yur bag uf twicks?"
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

:::::Riley hopes that none of the wagon wheels got flat this time cuz his lungs won't stand for no more blowin' up dem things. :::::
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Luff,
The Catnip Crew....Riley, Ashley, Harley, Mushka and Nicky
In Loving Memory of our precious Bridge Angels:
Munchkin 8/95-6/09(mom's heart).....
Casey 8/93-2/11(mom's soul)......
Meadow 11/99-9/10 and Maddie 4/94-4/10

MOL Riley. I was able to buy a cupple spare wheels just in case. So yu not need to worry about dat, otay?
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

Was der any cows in da funnel cwowd like in da moovies?

I jus lub dees eggsiting stowies.

Sparkle
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Tammy
& Sparkle
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)
(Pookey 8/91 - 11/10)

I don't know about cows, Sparkle, but I coulda sworn I saw a cupple boffawos!
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

::Capn Larry sits down with his plate of food, and contemplates the group's next move. The tomato has made him a bit nerbus, but the sun is shinin now, and he feels it on his face. His nose twitches towards the norf, and he remembers a letter he got from a cuzzin last year, about a place called Minnesnowta in the norf. The cuzzin sed it was a beeyooteeful place, with lotsa lakes and trees and wildlife, and some new tradin towns on the ribbers.

::Cap'n Larry finks this may be a good place to go to restock supplies, and trade fur some other necessities. He finishes up his meal, and then calls a meetin of the group of travelers::

"Attenshun! Attenshun, effurrykit! What does you all fink of headin norf fur awhile, and visitin a place where my cuzzin Clarence lives? It called Minnesnowta, and along with its beeyooty, cuzzinClare tells me of many small tradin towns where loggers and faux-fur traders stop ... we can do some of our own tradin and restock, and see some sites as we travel thru.

"Now, does we have anyfing that we can trade? While we doin our repairs and restin here, purrhaps some of us can make a few fings to trade in the towns when we get there. Lynsi, can you make some fine neklaces from the shells we got from Meowsourri? Paloma, how about some speshul treets to trade? Franci, do we have any of that dried fish left? Is there anyfing else we can do to trade fur fresh meet and milk and fings?"

::Larry sits back down, and contentedly listens to the groop discussin iffen this is a good plan while he leans back with his cuppa good joe and feels the sun begin to set ...::

dis shounds wike a dood pwan to me. wat yu guys fink? Tita, Oreo, Willow, maybe we can make shum baskits fwum da gwasses by da riffur an fwum da tumbulweeds...
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

The babykits put their heads together.
"I know! We cood pway dat game wiff da walnut shells dat da menkits was pwaying bak at da sawoon. Dat wood make us wots of gweenpapers!"

ooooooooooooh, now dat shounds wike a pwan!
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

"Caleb, you is in? Otay!"
"Now, da menkits had sumbuddy to cawl ebberybuddy ober to pway da walnut shell game. Is you dood at dat, Caleb?"

:: Cap'n Larry lifts his face to the sun, and feels for the norferly direkshun, while the Willow, Jordi, and Maddy clean up the remnants of brekfast, and pack some box lunches fur the day's trip. Riley, Unka John, and Tarrigo is packin the wagons and checkin to make sure effurry fing is tied down, and set to go.

::Lynsi, Franci, and Paloma carefully stores the joolry, baskets, treets, and other goodies and goods that the kits has made to trade in the back of the last wagon. She laffs at Cuddles and the lil kits playin shell games, and calls ober to them to save the shells, on accounta you can make some cool Kitmas ornaminks out of them to sell too! Zade and Cathy makes sure there is cool water and snax fur the ride, while Sly and Sparkle make sure the fire is out::

"WAGONS HOOO, Effurrykit! It's time to go! Effurry hopp in your wagon, and let's get on the trail to Minnesnowta! It isn't fur til we see the green fields and bloo waters of a most luvly place ... We'll stop furst in a town called Jackson, Minnesnowta, way on the bottom of the state. It don't have much tradin or commerce there, but we'll stop fur a rest. Then onward to a place called St. Pawl on the Missiiissssippppisppiisppi Ribber, which is a tradin town. We'll do our furst order of bizness there, and restock.

"Then we'll swing ober and follow the St. Croiks Ribber norfward to a place I hear tell called Taters Falls, which has more tradin, loggin, saloons, and shops, and the most magnificent dalles around ... we can go rock climbin, explore the ancient potholes, piknik on the shores, and lotsa fings. We can stay at my cuzzins farm there ... cuzzinClarence sez there is lots of room. Then after that ... who knows! Into the wild bloo and green yonder ..... away!"

::Cap'n Larry urges the horsey furward, and away the travelers go .....::

Da wagons moof awong at a dood pace. In da distance big hurds uf buffalopes can be seen, chewin on da gween gwass. Deer peeks owt uf da lush fowests watchin cwosely as da wagons pass by. Wiffin a week da wagoneers pwull into da town uf Jackson. Dey is weady fur a resht an sum fun. "I nose," meows Oreo. "Lets haff a barn dance!"

Wit fwesh pwofishuns fwum da General Store, da ladykits stwart to pwepare a feast. Offurs bweak owt der instwuments, tune dem up an pwactice pwaying lifely tunes fur dansing...da mood ish merry an shoon wesidents uf da shmall town wander in to join da fun...dosidoooooooooooooo an awound we go, yeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwww
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

The babykits and Caleb quickly gather the teenkits from the town and start moving the walnut shells around.
"Keep your eyebools on da one wiff da coin unner it!, " calls Caleb as the babykits move the shells faster and in more intricate patterns.
"Who wants to bet where the coin is?"
The teenkits put their heads together, discuss it, and then place their bets.
The babykits lift the shell that was chosen and under it is....nothing! Then they show the teenkits where the coin really is and gather all the moneys that the teenkits bet.
"Want to do it again and try to win back your monies?" asks Caleb.

The babykits gather up the pockets' full of coins that they have won, slip Caleb his share, and saunter off to join the grownups at the dance.
Meanwhile, the teenkits from the town slink back to their homes, their tails tucked down in embarrassment.

And so, wile we wate fur da story to continyoo, unka John haff organized a poker game wiff da men kits in da group. Caleb, Tare and Riley join in, hoping to win da pot.
Meenwile, Unka Larry is ober in da corner sound asweep, haffing consoomed 1 too many catnip beers. Hims snores softly and his legs twitch as he dreems ob catching mousies wike he used to do...
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

The babykits hang over the backs of the gwownups and watch this new game very carefully.

Francdi wanders offur to shee wat goin on. She watches fur a few minutes den asks iffun she can pway....
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

Da menkits steal gwances at eech ofur and den meow, "Yeah, why not?", finkin to demselves, 'boy is we gonna take hur fur a ride!'...
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

Oh, fanks, Franci meows. Dis wooks wike fun! Wat yu cawll dis game? Fife cawrd stud? Otay. Antee up, da dealer meows. Franci wooks wound, Antee? I no shee my Auntee? Ohhhhhhhhhhh, I sposed to put money in da middle. Otay. Franci cownts owt a dollar in coins an puts dem on da tabul. Da dealer deals. Franci piks up hur cawrds an wooks at dem. Oh deer. Now wat I do? Oh, I can pik sum diffwent ones? Otay, I wants one. Franci lays down one cawrd an takes anuffur. Oh, I gots to put in more gweenpapers. Lookin in purse, hmmmmm dont gots no more coins, lays down a ten gweenpaper bill. Da menkits twy to hide der gwins. Oh, now i show my cards, she meows affur da offurs show ders...otay, I gots a man, a lady, a boy , a ten , oh an a A, but dey awl bwack wit a wittul clofur leef on dem. Ish dat any dood?
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

Well, yu can see da menkits eyebolls awmost pop outta dere heds and dey just about pass out in shock! Hur gots a royal flush! We don't beleef it; meow about beginners luck!!
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

The babykits murmur to themselves, "Sumhow, I don't fink Anty Fwanci is a beginner here. We gots to watch what her does berry cawefully."

Paloma thinks about what supplies she has. Otay, Captn Larry, I can whip up sumfin that I think will lift da spirits ob effury after dat tormato scare!

Paloma takes da fresh chiggin she still had in her kooler an starts seasonink it while she waits for da coals to be purrfect an sets in in da bigg cast iron pot along wif sum taters n carrots an stuff. Den she starts wif da rest ob da fresh froots an prepares those an mixes up sum flour n oats n budder n cimmananon to put on top.

When da coals are reddy, she sets bof big pots at one end ob da coals an shovels coals evenly on da rimmed lids ob bof ob da cast iron pots.

Dere.. dinner reddy in an hour.

da awoma uf da woasting chiggun an fruit cobblur shoon has a cwoud, hangin wound Palomas cookfire. Cuddles bwings out his gitar an bambam gets hur fiddul. Dey begin to pway a lifely toon an shoon da twafulers ish dancin a merry jig while waitin fur da dinner bell to ring...
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Franci, Oreo, Caleb, Willow and Tita

Make it tum again, yell da babykits. "We didn't haff time to get our kites out!"

Ya gotta be careful wiff dem tomatoes, babykits, dere was a widdle gurlkit once dat ended up in a pwace cawwed OZ, by way ob a tomato!
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Unka John, Tita's daddy. Retired and liffing in Honolulu

I bet day almost made a moobie about da widdle gurlkit, but sum goggie who could sit and lay down on kommand (go figger) got da part.
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Tammy
& Sparkle
(Stanley 8/91 - 8/07)
(Pookey 8/91 - 11/10)

Just a soon as Vester can figur owt dis neew system, he gonna raise heck
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Ninga
Mom to Kadie