Scraggy-tail's Missing Walnuts
It was a sunny morning on Puddle Brooke Farm, where it was almost time for the fall to begin. The leaves had all changed from their summer greens to red and oranges. It was now the start to harvest and collect fruit from the trees. Scraggy-tail squirrel lived with his mother on Puddle Brooke Farm. He was named Scraggy-tail because unlike his brothers and sisters who had now left home, he did not quiet develop enough. His tail was thinning of fur where it was scraggy looking, so his mother named him Scraggy tail.
Scraggy-tail's mother thought it would be best that he stayed at home until there would be a day his tail would grow back. As it was the beginning of the fall, Scraggy-tail's mother asked him to go and collect some nuts from farmer wife's walnut tree, so they could store some for the winter.
"I have already begun starting to collect some nuts yesterday mother," Scraggy said.
"That's a good little squirrel." Scraggy-tail's mother told him.
"Some of the nuts were ready to fall and some had fallen on the ground, so I collected them and stored them in a neat pile ready for me to collect later today." Scraggy-tail said, now feeling pleased with himself
"After breakfast you go out and collect them like a good squirrel, and I will make you a special cake." She told scraggy-tail.
Scraggy-tail finished eating his breakfast of pine kernels and other nuts, along with a glass of warm milk from Clarica the cow. So off went scraggy-tail to go and collect his pile of nuts for mother squirrel, so that his mother could bake a cake for him and then would store some of them for winter. When Scraggy-tail got to the place he stored his nuts, he sat there and shrieked as his pile of nuts had all gone. He looked around and could not see any walnuts anywhere on the floor underneath the tree; he was sure he had collected some yesterday and put them in his secret place. His secret place was underneath the walnut tree, and underneath the courting couple's seat which was wrapped around the tree.
Farmer John and his wife used to sit under the tree in the late spring, and early summer to have lunch. Quiet often they would leave scraps out for us country animals to feast upon; and as few times she would leave a bowl of nuts for the birds and us squirrels.
Scraggy-tail hunted high and low around the walnut tree, climbing up and down the tree and looking to see if he could spot them in the distance. Scraggy-tail could not find them anywhere, so he decided to go around and ask his friends on the farm; and see if they had seen his walnuts.
Scraggy-tail placed his empty bowl into the sink, as he had always been taught to do when he had finished eating; and he then gave his mother a kiss goodbye. He closed the door behind him, and then he had a casual stroll around the garden. Still feeling very proud of himself for thinking ahead with the nut situation, he was very excited at the thought of his mother baking him a cake for tea time. He now could not wait until he got back home, where he then could watch his mother as she prepared the nuts ready for baking.
Scraggy-tail firstly went over to see Gertrude the goat, who had been grazing in the field with Eunice the ewe.
"Hello Gertrude." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy-tail, how are you today? You seem very flustered today, is everything ok?" Gertrude asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones that I have been collecting ready for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked.
"Sorry, I have not seen them. I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Eunice the sheep?" Gertrude replied
"No I have not asked Eunice. I will go over there now." Scraggy-tail told her
Scraggy-tail left Gertrude, and skipped down the fence to speak to Eunice the ewe, looking for his pile of nuts on his way there.
"Hello Eunice." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy-tail, how are you today? You seem very flustered today, is everything ok?" Eunice asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked.
"Sorry, I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Henry the horse?" Eunice told him
"No I have not; I will go over there now." Scraggy-tail replied
Scraggy-tail left to Goat pen, and skipped over to the horse stable; to speak to Henry the horse, looking for his pile of nuts on the way.
"Hello Henry." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy-tail, how are you today? You seem very flustered today, is everything ok?" Henry asked him
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked.
"Sorry, I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Clarica the cow." Henry told him
"No I have not; I will go over there now." Replied Scraggy-tail
Scraggy-tail left the stables and skipped over to the cow shed, to see speak to Clarica the cow, looking for his pile of nuts on his way there.
"Hello Clarica." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy tail, how are you today? You seem very flustered today, is everything ok?" Clarica asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked.
"Sorry, I have not. I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Davina duck?" Clarica asked
"No I have not; I will go over there now." Replied Scraggy-tail
Scraggy-tail then left the cow shed and skipped over to the duck pond, to speak to Davina, looking for his pile of nuts on the way there.
"Hello Davina." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello scraggy-tail, how are you today? You seem very flustered today, is everything ok?" Davina asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting ready for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked."
"Sorry, I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Trotter the pig?" Davina told him
"No, I will go over there now." Scraggy-tail replied
Scraggy-tail left the duck pond, and skipped over to the pig sty to speak to Trotter the pig; looking for his pile of nuts on his way there.
"Hello Trotter." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy-tail, how are you today? You look very flustered Scraggy-tail, is everything ok?" Trotter asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting ready for winter?" Scraggy-tail replied.
"Sorry I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Rhonda the Rhode Island Red chicken?" Trotter asked him
"No, I will go over there now." Scraggy-tail replied
Scraggy tail left the pig sty and skipped over to the chicken coop to speak to Rhonda the Rhode Island Red; looking for his pile of nuts on the way there.
"Hello Rhonda." Scraggy tail said.
"Hello Scraggy tail, how are you today? You look very flustered, is everything ok?" Rhonda asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting ready for winter?" Scraggy tail replied.
"Sorry, I have not seen any walnuts today, have you asked Shepla the Old English sheepdog?" Rhonda asked
"No, I will go over there now."
Scraggy-tail left the pig sty, and skipped over to the chicken coop; to speak to Rhonda the Rhode Island Red, looking for his pile of nuts on the way.
By now Scraggy tail was very tired, as he had been around to see all of the farmyard animals, and all of them had told him that they had not seen his walnuts. He had spoken to Gertrude the goat, Eunice the ewe, Clarica the cow, Henry the horse, Davina the duck, Trotter the pig, and Rosemary the Rhode Island Red.
He thought he had no other choice but to go to the back of the farmhouse and speak to Shepla the Old English sheepdog. Scraggy-tail left the chicken coop and skipped over to the farmhouse, to speak to Shepla the Old English Sheepdog; looking for his pile of nuts on the way there.
"Hello Shepla." Scraggy-tail said.
"Hello Scraggy-tail, how are you today? You look very flustered, is everything ok?" Shepla asked
"Have you seen my pile of walnuts, the ones I have been collecting ready for winter?" Scraggy-tail asked.
"Sorry, I have not seen any walnuts today." Shepla replied
Shepla the Old English Sheepdog, was just about to suggest that Scraggy-tail goes to the farmhouse and visit farmer's wife; when a smell of something cooking came out of the kitchen window of the farmhouse.
"Oh that smells beautiful Shepla, who is cooking?" Scraggy-tail asked
"It is farmer's wife Scraggy-tail; she is baking a special cake for farmer John's tea." Shepla replied
"It smells absolutely wonderful Shepla, just like the smell I get from mother squirrel's cooking
Scraggy-tail rushed around the side of the house, to where the smell was coming from. Scraggy-tail brushed passed the window and looked into the kitchen, and to his horror he could see all of the nuts he had collected, and their empty shells in a bowl on the window ledge. He could not believe his eyes, as all of his hard work had ended up with the farmer's wife finding his secret supply of hidden nuts.
"Aaaargggggghhhhhh." Screamed Scraggy-tail.
"Farmer's wife has taken all of my nuts, what am I to do?" He shrieked
At that point farmer's wife turned round, where she saw scraggy looking all frantic.
"Oh Scraggy-tail, I am so sorry if I have taken your nuts. They were just lying on the floor and you seem to have gone home, so I decided to bake a cake for farmer John."
Scraggy-tail could only look in horror, as he saw farmer's wife take out the cake from the oven, full of his walnuts.
"My walnuts, oh my beautiful walnuts." Shrieked Scraggy-tail
Farmer's wife could see that scraggy was upset, so she looked at him and said.
"Tomorrow Scraggy-tail, I will make sure that I leave the nuts that fall on to your part of the ground. And I shall only pick the nuts that fall on my side of the ground."
"Thank you farmer's wife, and if I may say so; that walnut cake certainly does look mighty fine." Scraggy-tail replied.
"Would you like to have a small piece of cake Scraggy-tail? As it is the least I can do for taking your walnuts." She asked him.
"I would like that very much farmer's wife. Your baking smells just as lovely as Mrs Squirrel." Scraggy-tail told her.
Farmer's wife cut a small piece of walnut cake for scraggy-tail, and placed it on the window sill of her farmhouse. She too had a slice of cake, and sat down to a nice cup of tea as Scraggy-tail had a glass of milk; and they both chatted to one another.
Once they had finished eating their cake, and finished having a friendly chat; the farmer's wife went outside to the walnut tree. There in the yard, she found a few pieces of wood and some wire of Farmer John's; so she used it to make a fence. She put up the little fence around the inside of the walnut tree, which was to be scraggy-tails section. She then told scraggy-tail, that the outer side of the fence is what she would use, and she promised him that she would not enter his side at all.
Inside Scraggy-tail's section of the tree, farmer's wife placed a dozen walnuts which she did not use.
"There you go Scraggy-tail. I have some walnuts that I did not use. You can now take them home to your mother, and store some for winter." She told Scraggy-tail
Farmer's wife also told Scraggy-tail, that if for any reason she picks too many walnuts; and more than she can use, that she will put them in his part of the fence so that he can store a little extra for the winter months.
She again apologized, and told him that she would never take more than she needed.
Scraggy-tail was so pleased that he could actually take some nuts home for mother squirrel, because he knew that she too wanted some to bake as well as store for winter.
Scraggy-tail was also pleased that farmer's wife also gave him Scraggy-tail a big slice of her home-made walnut cake which he thoroughly enjoyed. He thanked farmer's wife for her kindness, and then he ran towards the walnut tree; and there he placed his nuts underneath some of the fallen leaves one by one.
Farmer's wife, never ever went into scraggy-tail's part of the tree to pick nuts again. And both scraggy-tail and farmer's wife; had enough walnuts to bake and store for the winter.
There was now peace and quiet back on Puddle Brook Farm.
Puddle Brooke Farmhouse
Farmer's wife made sure that if she ever picked any fruit again, she would always leave some for her farmyard friends.
She knew that they too also enjoyed the crops which her and her husband grew.
She also knew that it was important to leave some fruit on the trees, and on the ground; as this was essential for the animals to survive the long winter months that would follow the fall, and would see them through until springtime.
With some of the fruit that had fallen; that was just about to go off. Farmer's wife would cook them and make them into fat balls for the birds that stayed on the farm over winter.
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