Warding off the Chilblains___A Stone Soup Adventure

Stu the Pig was primary in organizing the semi-annual, all species, soup dinner......As tradition demanded,the whole magilla was built around the "Wonderful Soupstones" (a sack of creek rocks) .....as guests would arrive,they`d add to the huge stock pot,obligatory offerings of a few root vegetables,maybe a tuft of fur,a mystery bone or two,some unconfirmed roadkill or whatever else they had scratched up in the forest.

....this year`s batch promised to be extra spicy and chock-full of an as yet undisclosed ingredient....the bunnies were singled out for the special honor of "Attendee Non-Contributous"......all they were expected to do was simply to show up.

......as the little fluff balls made their way into the clearing,they were directed to the parsley wagon AND the pepper truck and encouraged to eat their fill....which the bunnies did,owing to their proclivity for aromatic vegetables and a good capsaicin buzz

.....the bears in attendance this year showed a newly-found sense of responsibility in that all of their donated vegetables seemed to have been freshly washed.....not quite so endearing, was their contribution of an elevatedly incensed kitty cat .....Fluffy managed to claw-swipe anyone who came within ten yards of him before he was unceremoniously released back into the forest 

......recognizing the opportunity for beverage sales and merchandising,the Co-Cola people send out a community wagon and even arraigned a celebrity visit from the Coca Cola Bear.....the Bear got stuck in the Cleveland airline terminal and,ultimately,was unable to attend..

...Shrek was called in,last minute,to cover for Coca Cola Bear......Shrek had been located by bike messengers on the alt 14 bypass....whisked away from his all-night bash with several of the Pig Overlord Board members ...He was NOT at his best

........  despite the fact that he polished off three bowls of soup,Shrek didn`t seem to enjoy the gathering any more that it enjoyed him

 ......later,when news of the MARVELOUS soup fest took front page in the early afternoon post,a few more celebrities made appearances.....also,by now,there were MANY more bunnies.....and more soup to go around