THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CCXXXVI

Stinky’s Anxiety

Stinky is anxious for Periwinkle to arrive. He’s been resting for two days since his seizure on Saturday. He wants to have enough energy so he won’t ruin his and Periwinkle’s time together. (If you missed yesterday’s post, “Sawyer’s Seizure Saturday,” click on the title.)

He sits quietly next to the teleportation tunnel ready to grab her the moment she comes tumbling out. When he sees the tunnel start to vibrate he runs to the portal he knows goes directly between his house and Periwinkle’s. Stinky catches her as she tumbles out. Periwinkle is giggling and tells him she had a ticklish ride, which makes Stinky giggle as well.

Periwinkle tells Stinky she is sorry he had a seizure then gives him a big paw hug and whisker kisses before she poses the inevitable question. “So, what’s on the agenda today? Are we staying at your house due to your seizure?”

Stinky replies, “Nope, but we are staying local. As Sunday was Mother’s Day, we are going to visit some mothers.”

Periwinkle gives Stinky a quizzical look as he takes her paw and leads her back into the tunnel. In less than the blink of an eye, they arrive at their destination. Breathless, Periwinkle exclaims, “The tunnel sure is fast today.” She then asks where they are.

Roanoke River Greenway

“We are on the Roanoke River Greenway in Salem, which is the city next to ours,” Stinky replies.

“Well, it certainly is lovely and green. So, where are these mothers you mentioned?” asks Periwinkle.

“Just follow me. My dad rides his bike along here, and he told me just where to find them.”

Geese

Stinky takes Periwinkle’s paw and leads her along the pathway being careful to watch out for the bikers, joggers and walkers. Periwinkle spots them first and jumps up and down while pointing at the river. “Oh look, Stinky, it’s a father and mother goose.” Periwinkle stops to giggle before continuing. “And they have their little goslings with them. Aren’t they adorable?”

 

 

Stinky doesn’t answer, and Periwinkle notices he is deep in thought. She asks, “Stinky what’s wrong? You look dumbfounded.”

“I am just trying to figure out why you started giggling after seeing the geese and their babies,” replies Stinky.

“Oh, it was because I realized I called her Mother Goose.”

“So, that’s what she is,” Stinky says, still wearing a confused look.

“You know, Mother Goose, like in the fairy tales. Mother Goose is a character from children’s fiction and is the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes.”

“Thanks for explaining that, Periwinkle. I guess I understand.” replies Stinky.

 

 

“Stinky, look they are coming up on shore to meet us. I wish we spoke goose so we could ask the mom the names of her babies. Did we bring anything we can feed them?”

“Yes, I was going to bring cat treats, but Mom said that was a bad idea. Geese eat a lot of insects, so we could feed them mealworms or freeze-dried crickets, but we didn’t have any of those. Some other good choices would be birdseed, kale, spinach, peas, lettuce, cracked corn or oats. I brought some oats, as they were light weight and easy to carry.” Stinky and Periwinkle each take a pawful from the bag Stinky has brought and toss them to the mom and her babies.

 

 

 

“I’m so happy they are not afraid of us Stinky,” exclaims Periwinkle, as she watches the goslings munch on the oats.

Turtles

After a short time, Stinky takes Periwinkle’s paw and tells her he wants to show her something else. They approach a log, and when Periwinkle sees what Stinky wants to show her, she squeals in delight and starts bouncing up and down.

 

 

“Stinky, this is amazing. I cannot believe there are so many turtles here. And look at the little ones. One or more of these turtles must be a mother,” says Periwinkle.

“You are probably right, Periwinkle.”

“Aren’t you going to come here with me and look at these turtles?” asks Periwinkle.

“Yes, of course. I’m just trying to keep from getting my sneakers or paws wet.” Periwinkle rolls her eyes at Stinky’s reply. She cannot believe her daredevil boyfriend is worried about getting his sneakers and paws a bit damp.

Finally Stinky joins her. “Periwinkle, look at how fat that one turtle is. I think it has grown out of its shell. That can’t be very comfortable.”

“Yeah, I think I feel sorry for it,” declares Periwinkle.

 

 

“Did we bring any turtle food, Stinky?”

“Yes, but like the geese, they cannot eat cat food or treats. I brought them some grapes from the fridge. They are supposed to like those.”

“Hey, Stinky, isn’t that interesting. They cannot eat our food, and if we eat grapes we could become ill and experience kidney failure.”

“Yep, all different species have different nutritional requirements, so it’s important to eat the foods that are okay for our digestive systems and health.”

After feeding the turtles, Stinky tells Periwinkle he has one more critter he wants to show her. They walk along the greenway path, as Stinky keeps his eyes on the river. Finally he spots what he’s been looking for and points it out to Periwinkle.

Heron

 

 

“Wow, that is one big bird. Do you think it might pick one of us up and try to fly away?”

“No, Periwinkle, I think we are safe. That is a heron, and they will eat voles and mice and the occasional chipmunk in areas where they are plentiful. But their main diet consists of small fish. They swallow their prey whole, so as I said, ‘I think we are safe’.” Stinky tells Periwinkle about a web-site with information about herons their readers might want to check out, Natural Resources Council of Maine. It has some cool videos.

“Stinky, are we going to have a picnic today?”

“Sort of, we are going back to my house to have snacks on the front porch.” Stinky takes Periwinkle’s paw and they head back to the teleportation tunnel.

Snack Time

 

 

“It’s always so nice here on your porch, Stinky. I’m happy we came back here today. After we have our snack, can I visit with your fursibs?”

Stinky tells her, “Of course.”

The tabbies enjoy their snack and talk about today’s adventure. Then they head to the catio to visit with the other Kitties Blue.

Finally it is time for Periwinkle to head home. After several minutes of paw hugging and whisker kissing, she enters the teleportation tunnel and with a wave and blown kiss is gone.

Stinky heads back to the catio for a nap and to dream about Periwinkle.

The End

Stinky and Periwinkle will be participating in the Happy Tuesday blog hop at Comedy Plus. To do the same click on the badge below.

 

All photos except the final photo of Periwinkle & Stinky, which is by the author, Janet Blue, are by the author’s husband, Tom Blue, and used with permission. Information about what geese eat is from Geese Relief. Information about what turtles eat from VCA Animal Hospitals. Stinky provided the link to National Resource Council of Maine where information about herons was found.