For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
“Talk about a dream,” I said, “though I suppose it might work. But how will they know if I will follow through with it at the end?” “Because the guard will give you the word you have been programmed with, so you will follow through with it no matter what,” he said, “unfortunately we don’t know what that word is that he will use. It might be a very ordinary word, we just don’t know, so there’s no way you can be ready for it.” “Then it’s best to stay away,” I said. “Except that would put everyone around you at risk of being killed,” he reminded me. “Right, I wasn’t thinking about that,” I said quietly. Right then Baldwin got a phone call so he went into another room. This is just so fantastic, in a bad sort of way, I really don’t know what to think. I start thinking about Muffin again. I seem to remember more about her now, but nothing else.
“That could mean you are starting to remember,” said Calanthe, “and soon you will remember other things too.” “I sure hope so,” I said, “because this is really starting to weigh me down. But what your brother has been saying about Pete, something just doesn’t make sense. Why doesn’t the President say something about it then?” “Yes, I was thinking the same thing,” she said, “it doesn’t seem like something the President would keep quiet about. Unless they have threatened him in some way.” “You seem to be very quiet Mr. Cat,” I said, “worried about Muffin?” Meow.=Yes, I very worried, she not look good when we see her at animal hospital. But I also thinking.
I start to remember some things too, about time taken by bad people, where they take us when they take away your remembering. We there before, in old case. “What?”, said Calanthe, “you know the place?” Meow.=Yep, we there when looking for Katharina, when she fake her kidnapping and she tie us up, then burn the place on us. Except we get away. We in cellar of that house. They mention it good hideout, burned house on top mean no one think of looking for them there. And it close to forest, maybe same forest where they leave us. “Do you remember exactly where that place is?”, I asked him excitedly. Meow.=No, not house, except it place that up for sale, but only pretend. I remember some towns we drive through going there.
Calanthe went and got a map of the area where they found us and spread it on the huge library table. Mr. Cat jumped up and started looking at names of towns near where we were found. Meow!=There one town! And here another! And he remembered where we started from initially and the hotel we stayed at one night. Calanthe checked the hotel and a restaurant we stopped at just to get an idea which way we were driving on that one highway. The house was between two towns that were about 30 km apart. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find a burned house in that short section,” I said.
Just then Baldwin came back with more news. Apparently Pete is up to something far worse. He has really moved into buying and selling of military weapons on the black market and he wants to increase now that a void was created by our last case. He wants to buy a small group of four islands belonging to France in the south Pacific, only one island is really worth anything, the others are just bare rocks. The French territory that they are part of is wanting the President to okay the sale, there’s a lot of money involved, but the President has heard things, which unfortunately can’t be proved, and so he doesn’t want to sell.
If Pete can get these islands he will declare his own little country and have a safe haven for his organization. So, with the President out of the way, he hopes the deal can be done. Sounds like a far fetched idea, but it could work I guess, at least Pete thinks so. And he would get his money back soon enough, so he’s not afraid to spend a large amount. Then we tell Baldwin what Mr. Cat remembered, that got him excited too. If they are using that old house for a current base to hide in, then they might still be there, and we could trap them. But the only thing certain right now is…that I’m still nowhere.
To Be Continued.
Previous chapters of this story and other stories can be found on my home page under “The Investigators, Inc.” and “20/20 Investigations, Inc.”
©2021 Steve McLeod.
This is a challenging event ! For everyone ! Trust Muffin is getting better ! She is a valuable cat needed by Mr.Cat and yourself ! ☕️☕️🕵️♂️😼🤔
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Yes that is true. It will likely be a slow recovery for Muffin, but she’ll make it. Now to figure out what to do.🤔😾🕵️♂️
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So awesome pictures 👌🌷
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Thank you!😃😸
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🌹🙏🌹
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Every second is moving towards a resolution!! You keep trying to remember!!😁😉😊
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Yes, some things sort of come back, but they still feel more like a dream than reality.🤔🙄 Now if I can start to tell which is dream and which is real, then I will remember.😁 I hope.🙄🙀🙀😳
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I deal with that everyday!😂😂😂😂 Just enjoy which ever you’re in!🤣🤣
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I do too, why do you think I can write about it?🤔😂😂😹😹 But I need the reality right now! Hope you had a good trip!✈🛫🛸
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Excellent point 👉😂😂
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I thought so, even though it’s impolite to point, though I never understood why, it’s the easiest way to show a direction.🤔😂
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Someone once told me to pount at my head and abbreviate mountain ⛰ Why do you think that was🤔🤔🙄🙄
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You have a large brain?😂😂🤣🤣🤯🤯
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Hey!! That must be it!!🤔🤔🤭🤭🤭🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Told you!
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Good thing they didn’t say point to my mouth!!😬😬😲😳
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WOW!!!😲😲😲
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I know!!😳😳
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Now, I’ve got to take quick inventory ang get some food.
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Always thinking of food.🙄😂
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Only when I’m hungry🤔🤔🙄🙄 well sometimes when I’m not.. 🤔🤔
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I agree totally!😁😁
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It feels so good to back here! There were actually snow flurries at the airport in MN this afternoon as I was waiting to go through security!! It’s nearly May!! What’s up with this goofy weather??🤪🤪🤪
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Wow, that’s worse than up here! However, they are calling for flurries tonight and tomorrow morning before it switches to rain.🙄🙄 I know, we had such an early spring, then suddenly it stopped and we’re waiting for it to come back again.😳🤯🤯
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I know! Seems like when I go back there it get’s cold and when I leave it warms up! What’s with that??🙄🙄😏😏
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See? You should have stayed there and missed all that cold weather.🤔🙄
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I wish I could stay all the time.. but that would require a new source of income to support myself. This needing to be in the office is not what I want.😔😔
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Makes sense. Keep looking, something might turn up down there. Or you could write a book, become a best seller in 20 years or so and retire.
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Huh??😳😳 did you eat the wrong mushrooms again??😬😬🤭🤭🤭🤭
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How did you know I was eating mushrooms?
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Eh.. you know… 😉😉 🤭🤭🤭🤭
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I know I know, but how did you know?
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Well… you take lot’s and lots of pictures of them. And put them on your posts, so I put two and together and got 5 so had to be mushtooms!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Hey, that’s not bad,😃 it was a long time ago I did that. Okay, that odd one recently, but I hardly found any mushrooms last year.🍄 Too dry.
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That shod be different this year with all the rain so far
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Yes, if it stays raining. But our mushrooms don’t usually start showing up until July, except for those ones that look like brains.🙄
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Cauliflower?? Yum!😋
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That’s a weird mushroom. And all this time I thought it was a veggie.🙄
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Learn something new everyday!😁😁
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What is this, school?🤨🤨
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Could be..🙄🙄 don’t you enjoy learning??🤔🤔
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Sometimes, if I don’t have to learn too hard.🤔
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Learning is easy.. remembering is the tough part!!😉😂😂
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See? All that hard work. And I’ll forget it anyway.🙄😳
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🤭🤭🤭 did you really learn it then??🤔🤔
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Of course, just shows I’m making room to learn more that I can forget.😂😹
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Ah… I like that! A unique perspective😁😉😊
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Unique make it steek!😁😂😹
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Knitting?? Really?🤔🤔🤭🤭😉😁
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How do you get knitting out of that?🤔🤔
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Look up the definition of steek😂😂😂 I thought you knew how to knit 🤔🤔🤭🤭
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I looked it up, it’s from an old Scottish word meaning to shut or close.😛😛😂😂 No, I don’t know how to knit, whatever gave you that idea?🤔🙄
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It’s also used in knitting to create an opening in a tube to attach a sleeve😛😛🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
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I should never use those crazy online dictionaries, they never give a full definition for words. From now on I will stick with my real dictionary.😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛
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LOL 😂 I have to admit… I had to look it up to.🙄🙄
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HA! As they say in the old country, “Sticks come from trees but rocks make better bridges.”
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A solid foundation is the only thing to build on!😉🤔
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Precisely. As they say in the old country, “Sticks make a good fire, but rocks make a terrible boat.”
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Exacly!!😂😂
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Do you want to know what my landlord just told me??? Them squirrels have been living in my truck when I was gone!!!🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 He chased them out of there several times!! How dare they?? 😤
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Oh my, talk about a good laugh!!!!!!!!😂😂🤣🤣😹😹 Maybe they came with you from up north!😛😛 Better stock up on peanuts🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜 before they start chewing on some wires or something!😬
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That’s what my landlord said! I went and looked it over, but who can tell if they chewed on the wires or not!😖😤
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Yep, that’s a problem, hard to see all of them, squirrels can get in tiny spots, even those big gray squirrels. Like I say, feed em peanuts and they won’t go near your truck.😁🥜🥜
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NO!😤
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But then they would love you and help you.😁
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Ah huh! They would still dig holes in my yard!
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No they wouldn’t, honest. Mine never do.😁
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You don’t have grass!!🤨
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Always concerned with details.🙄
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Proffesional hazard!🙄🙄😔
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But if I had grass they wouldn’t dig it up.
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They would make holes in it try to find acorns..🙄
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We don’t have acorns, we have pine cones, they grow on trees and don’t fall down until squirrels cut them down.😁
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Really?? I didn’t know that they didn’t fall on their own.🤔🤔 cool!
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They don’t like to leave home.😁
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Did you go to the store today?
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Yep, sure did. Couldn’t get my bird seed though. They had them available last week, this week that area is closed off. They were told that bird seed is not essential. My birds think so. I have to order them online and pick them up at the store.😳🙄
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That’s crazy!! I went shopping this afternoon after work. I brought my bags in my truck… and guess where they were when I went thru the register!!?? Still in my truck!! Ugh…
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Wow, two good laughs in one day! I have left mine at home, even when I put them right beside the door so I won’t forget. I have gotten used to it now though. And since store bags will be disappearing, forgetting won’t be an option!
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Oh no!! Then what will I do? Home delivery!! That’s it!
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Are you losing store bags too?
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No… I have extra now! Would you like 4 new ones??😂😂😂😂
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I have about 50 of them due to the fact I kept forgetting them so I would buy more rather then paying for those plastic bags that would always rip before I got home.🙄🙄🙄😂😹
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I know.. it’s so easy to just buy more than to park the cart and go get them..lol
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That’s what I say too.😁 I remembered to bring in the bird feeders while it’s still daylight. Although I’m not sure it makes a difference now.🙄🐻
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Of course it matters now! What’s up with that? Did Bert show up again today? Oh ooo… I need to go read a few posts very quickly😬😬🙄🙄 I’ll be right back😬😬
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Bert hasn’t been here yet, both bears were here yesterday.🙄🐻 Sigh. Okay.😁
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Good!😁
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I like it that way.😀😺
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What? You like it when im gone?😮😯😲😞😞
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Not you bonehead, the bears.🙄
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Oh… that’s a relief! Whew!😰
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I finally had to turn my heater on, I was freezing in here.🥶 First time I have felt warm all day.🌞 Except my hands,✋✋ they have been burning today again.🔥 Sigh.🙄
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Oh I’m so qsorry hear that it’s bothering you again😞 You must be very uncomfortable!
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I just don’t know what to do with my hands sometimes, nothing helps.🙀😳
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Does cool water help at all?
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It does while my hands are in the water, but afterward it seems to always get worse.
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Oh man.. I can’t imagine how miserable that must be!😖
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It’s no fun and the pain is just getting worse and worse this evening.
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Is there anything that helps at all when it get’s that uncomfortable?
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I used to have some tension gloves that helped a bit but lost them in one of my moves and haven’t been able to find anything like them since. Massaging sometimes works too, but then my other hand gets so sore and when I switch then that hand gets worse again.
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I’m sure you must have looked on line already?
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Yep, I have tried a couple but they were not the same and didn’t help.
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I have been looking and put in a few applications. My age is working against me though. Even though they dont ask, I’ve been with the company for over 22 years so that’s a give away.
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Yep, they always want these young guys who have no experience.
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I know… I would take less money just to be able to stay here. I’ll keep at it.
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What? They actually pay you to stay there?
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Don’t I wish!!🤣🤣🤣
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Think of all the people that would move south?😁
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Yep… so I hope they don’t do that!! I was here first… well kinda🙄🙄
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Yeah, but just think how cheap it would be to live up north! Businesses would double pay just to keep people.
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I doubt it! They’re too cheap!
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That’s what I just said, it would be cheap.🙄
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Did I say that?🤔
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Those were almost your exact same words that you just said a little differently. Well, time for us northerners to get some shuteye, sometimes called sleep if it gets that far. Good night Dusty!😁🌙😴
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Good Night Steve! Sleep Well! TTYT 😁
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Groceries tomorrow! I’m goid for now
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As long as you have cereal, what else is necessary?😁😁
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Just landed in the warm and the sun 🌞
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Right, probably raining and cool.🙄
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Yeah it’s terrible!!🥶🥶🥶🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭
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HA! I knew it! Beautiful day here. Taking pictures. Running from bears. Adding another broken feeder to my collection. Has gotten cloudy now. Feeders are in, they were empty anyway since the bear was just here. Just not sure what to do.🤔
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Put some honey in the neighbors feeder and problem solved!🤭🤭🤭🤭
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None of my neighbors are feeding birds right now.🙄
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Put the honey on there deck. I’m sure they’d like to him to..😁🤭🤭
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Sure, with all their security cameras in place.🙄
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Ask Bert to bring it over there!😂😂
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We’re not talking. He just goes growl, growl, grump, grump. And I go mumble, mumble, grump, grump.😳🐻
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I don’t understand the problem then..🤔🤔🤔 you two are speaking the same language!
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Not really, he’s speaking bear grump and I’m speaking human grump.😂😹
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It woukd seem… he should go back into the woods soon, when the berries start growing.
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That could be two or three weeks the rate things are going, nothing is growing right now, just been too cold. Right now I’m nervous to just go out on the deck because he could come up behind me while I’m taking pics. Sigh.
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That’s true..
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That’s true.
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Stop that🤨🤨
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Stop that.😄😄
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😛😛😛😛😛😛😛
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😛🤯😛🤯😛🤯😛🤯😛
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Are you making fun of me??🤨🤨
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Em fo nuf gnikam uoy era??🤣🤣
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Sey I ma😛😛😂😂
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I think so!
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LOL 😂😆🤣😹😂😆🤣
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I tweeked my back today putting luggage in the overhead bin on the plane and it’s telling how silly I was not to check the bag. I hate waiting at the carousel to pick it though.
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I can understand that. You probably have jet leg now.
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Jet leg?? I think you’re right!! No wonder my foot fell asleep 😴😐😂😂😂😂
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Happens all the time. One of the main causes of accidents on planes.😁😳
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Is that right??😏😏huh! I wouldn’t have guessed that!😂😂
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Next only to tripping on the extra thick plush carpets and falling off the couch comfortable seats.
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😛
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Mr Cat may have something but getting there and back will be difficult
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Laughter Beats Pneunomia!! I now have proof positive!
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It might not be too bad, we can do anything…almost.🙄
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Yea Almost
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