I have to tell you that this sort of story is really my favorite kind of Kootie and Koobert adventure. It’s simple, yet to hear them tell it, I get such vivid pictures of the event, it makes me wish I could have been along for the ride.

It seems that one fine morning not too long ago, Koobert and his big sister Kootie were having a pleasant hop along a wide, smooth path, and wondering what delights they would find for exploring, when they spied a crowd a long way off.

“Whaddayah s’pose they’re all doing over there, Koobie?” Kootie posed in her most curious tone of voice. 

Koobert peered down the broad smooth path to where the crowd stood, silent and still. “I think they’re looking into that big cave.”

“They’re being awfully quiet,” observed Kootie thoughtfully. “We should be quiet too, so whatever is in the cave isn’t scared away”.

Well, the two brave adventurers had a lot of ground to cover before joining the group, but they shared a mutual determination to be as polite as possible. What a struggle, especially for Koobert, who was more and more struck by the peculiar crowd as they approached.

“These guys are all dressed alike,” whispered Koobert conspiratorially. “You don’t suppose they’re a team or something.”

“Maybe the army,” Kootie replied. “Look at how they stand, almost like a formation.”

It was true. As they drew closer, it was apparent that the crowd was definitely standing in straight rows, all lined up like, well, like soldiers.

“I think they all have one leg, like us!” Kootie whispered very softly indeed - there was no telling how far sound would carry, and they were getting very close indeed. Experience had taught Kootie to explore very carefully, and take nothing for granted.

“But, look, Kootie! They’re all bald as billiard balls!”

“Shhhh!” Kootie giggled, but was also a little surprised that no one in the group had overheard Koobert and turned around to look. Kootie risked playfully slapping Koobert’s shoulder. “You silly doof, they just have fancy helmets!”

“This is gonna be great,” Koobert whispered. “I get exactly what’s going on here. These army guys are waiting to get medals from somebody in the cave…”

“I hope it’s the queen!” interrupted Kootie, almost forgetting to be quiet.

“Yeah, the queen! That’s why they’re wearing fancy white uniforms! They all have to look straight ahead, and if they get caught not lookin’ where they’re s’posed to, they won’t get any medals at all!”

“Let’s get closer so we can see the queen!”

Confident now that they could go right up to the group, Kootie and Koobert hopped the last little ways until they were just behind the soldiers standing still in their straight rows. In fine military style, nobody in the group turned or even flinched. First Koobert, then Kootie boldly slipped in between the soldiers, straining to see the queen in the big dark cave.

Suddenly, from way back down the path there was a boom, and the sound of thunder. Louder and louder the thunder roared as a gigantic bowling ball plowed down the smooth path at the formation! Somewhere in the distance, there was hollering and clapping!

X!

Next time: Kootie and Koobert in the gutter.

A young boy recently asked me a question that, I have to confess had never even really occurred to me to wonder about. “Since Kootie and Koobert only have one leg, how do they, you know, go to the bathroom?”

Pardon me while I let that sink in for a minute.

Sherlock Holmes was very observant and keenly logical all throughout his adventure entitled “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, and though the story spanned several days, he never once made a recorded trip to the loo. If it would have been me, I would not have been thinking very clearly after even one day omitting that activity. Yet, somehow we manage to enjoy the tale without having to even think about such mundanities.

And of course, since Sherlock Holmes walks around on two legs, no little boys ever ask, “Mister Doyle, sir, did Sherlock Holmes even have a bottom?” This despite the fact that the only real evidence that he actually has one is that he sits down every now and again. I guess novel readers willingly give themselves to certain routine presumptions, freeing most storytellers to more interesting imagination.

I can tell you, my dears, that Kootie and Koobert are every bit as comfortable in their one-legged frame as you and I are in our two-legged construction. And I’m delighted to say that they have managed to do any number of things that you and I might think of as requiring two legs.

I remember a time not so long ago when Kootie and Koobert were enjoying a pleasant amble around a popular city park when they encountered a fascinating contraption, just lying by itself in the grass.

“Ooooh, a bicycle!” said Kootie admiring its clean utilitarian lines.

“Let’s ride it!” said Koobert with enthusiasm. Obviously Koobert was undaunted by the prospect of managing two pedals with only one leg.

The pair of adventurers stood the bike up on its two wheels, one on either side next to one of the pedals. Without even thinking too hard, they simultaneously realized that this task was going to be complicated and require cooperation. Instinct guided their movements as first Kootie, then Koobert, grasped the upper crossbar of the frame with both hands, and on three, hopped up onto the pedal on their side. It was amazing to see them in action, eyes locked on each other as they first struggled and wobbled, then settled into an amazing balance that would have made a circus acrobat blush.

With a barely perceptible nod from Kootie that she was ready, Koobert used his grip on the frame as leverage to push down on his pedal, and gave a satisfied sigh as the pedal gave way. Kootie was relaxed as she rode up on the pedal on her side of the bike, then took her own turn to push down as her pedal wheeled past its apex.

“Wheeeee” cried Kootie as the gentle morning breeze began whipping past the team in meaningful earnest. It felt good to go fast!

“This is better than a teeter-totter!” hollered Koobert as the pedals pumped up and down, speeding the bike forward. This was so much fun!

“Turn right, Koobie” Kootie called out to her little brother as she pushed especially hard on her pedal.

“I can’t reach the handlebars, Kootie”, replied Koobert, getting ready to push with both hands firmly clutching the frame. “You do it!”.

“I can’t reach the handlebars either,” Kootie said thoughtfully. “I wonder how we’re supposed to steer…”

Just then, the bike gave a jolt as it jumped over a curb, into the street, and right in front of the oncoming number 206 city bus. At that moment, I don’t know whether Kootie and Koobert did or not, but I can tell you that the amazed bus driver certainly proved quite able to go to the bathroom.

So did the bicycle.

Next time, Kootie and Koobert’s pancake adventure…

Kootie and Koobert were out late one night not so long ago, and quite happily amusing themselves with a cash register that some thoughtful clerk had left on after the little store had closed. Though it was dark outside, and also in the store, the blue-ish light from the electronic display provided exciting illumination to the buttons, and the two adventurers hopped from one button to the next in a joyful dance of number patterns and little beeping sounds. One, One, Two, Three, Five, Eight … Kootie and Koobert took turns hopping around the keypad in one of their favorite patterns, then Koobert would hop to the big “Enter” button to be rewarded with a rattle as their newest creation was forever committed to an ever lengthening ribbon of paper. It was glorious, and their laughter echoed in the darkened room.

Ka-Ching! The drawer popped open with a happy jolt as though the cash register was enjoying the game too. This set off a whole new game as the pair hopped on more buttons trying to figure out what had caused the drawer to open, and what would close it again. The paper tape rattled in delight.

“Koobie, we gotta figure out how to close this drawer,” Kootie observed matter-of-factly.

“Somebody’s coming! Let’s hide and surprise them!” Koobert replied. I think it’s fair to say that Koobert has never been one to let coherency interfere with his conversational style, but in this case his timely change of subject was followed almost immediately by the sounds of a key being fitted uncertainly in the front door lock.

Koobert wasted no time diving into a bin of scripture gum on the counter and knocking it over as well as a nearby rack of keyrings with inspirational slogans on them. Kootie, lacking a better idea, or Koobert’s appetite for chewing gum, decided to stand very still right where she was and pretend to be a collectable figurine. Neither had time to worry about the cash register drawer, or the yards of paper tape, or the mess on the counter before the front door pushed open.

In walked a pretty young lady. Or maybe staggered is a better word.

“More like drifted,” said Kootie, correcting me in a rare verbal rescue that both compromised her clever disguise, and utterly disregarded the rule that characters never talk to the narrator.

“Is she sleepwalking?” Koobert whispered.

Apparently she was.

The young woman was dressed very casually in a sweatshirt with a hood drawn loosely over her flowing blue hair. She swayed a little as she moved about the darkened store tidying up a little here and there as she went. If she noticed Kootie or Koobert she gave no sign, but when her directionless wander brought her near the cash register, she pushed the drawer closed with a practiced flip, tore off the paper tape, and set Kootie down onto the shelf next to the bookmarks. Kootie held very still, confident that her disguise was working perfectly.

Then the young woman opened a drawer under the counter and withdrew a large binder labeled “Schedule”. Though her eyes were closed, she flipped the book open and her head gently rolled like she was studying the pages carefully. “I love my job,” she half mumbled-half snored. Then she wrote the name “Christine” in wobbly script in the center of the page, dropped the pen noisily on the counter and drifted out of the door. Kootie relaxed and sighed as the lock on the door shot home.

Koobert emerged from his hiding place with a mouth full of gum and a fresh, minty grin. “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Kootie hopped back down to the counter and examined the book carefully. “Maybe we can help the lady with her job. If we do her work, maybe she can stay home and sleep at night.”

“Yippee! Just like the cobblers elves!” cried Koobert. “I’ll go first!” Koobert picked up the pen, flipped a page in the book, and wrote “Christine” on it, right in the middle.

Kootie and Koobert spent the rest of the night taking turns helping the lady with her work. I’m sure the lady was blessed to know that Christine was scheduled for every shift for the rest of the millennium, and could therefore relax and have a good night’s sleep.

One fine spring day Kootie and Koobert were having a terrific time exploring near the town of Beaver, a famous rural outpost in the narrow western panhandle of Oklahoma. The air was pleasantly warm, and no hint of lingering winter snow remained on even the tallest peaks emerging majestically from the grassy plain. It was a perfect day for mountain climbing, and the intrepid explorers threw themselves into their endeavor with joy and enthusiasm.

 Of course, these Oklahoma mountains are not at all like the steep jagged pinnacles of the continental divide further west. Here, a gentle slope of crusty broken earth replaces the flat prairie grass and gradually builds toward a central summit with a breathtaking view. Literally thousands of these monuments dot the flatlands, and most of them have never been disturbed by human feet. Kootie and Koobert were surrounded with opportunity to discover, and they were quick to avail themselves.

Koobert paused after surmounting a particularly difficult incline. The challenge hadn’t been the gentle slope so much as the fact that the ground had been mushy and a little steamy as though heated by an underground spring, or maybe a geyser. Slogging through the muck was much more effort than hopping, and the adventurous duo paused partly to catch their breath, and partly to survey their progress.

“The air up here sure is good, huh Kootie,” Koobert observed with an exaggerated deep inhalation.

“I think I smell a stable,” giggled Kootie, wrinkling her nose in mock disgust.

They stayed for a short while appreciating the view and gathering their strength for a final hop to the summit, now tantalizingly close. Like any experienced mountaineers, they were careful to plan a route that would follow natural contours to reach the top without making dangerous steep vertical climbs. It was a bit longer, but they judged a route that spiraled around the summit would bring them safely to the peak before lunchtime - provided there were no surprises around the bend. Another deep breath of fresh mountain air, with a tiny hint of invigorating ammonia, and they were off.

Suddenly, their ascent was interrupted by a cataclysm that dwarfed their mountain quest. An immense farmhand reached down and scooped up the whole mountain with one swipe of a pitchfork.

“Whoa doggies,” thundered the farmhand. “This one’s ripe, but I betcha someone tosses it ten miles!” With a practiced flip, Kootie, Koobert, and their cow chip mountain sailed onto the wagon, destined for the annual world championship cow chip throwing competition.

Next time, Kootie and Koobert take an unexpected ride on a UFO…

One day, Kootie and her little brother Koobert were hopping down a spacious city street on a beautiful sunny day in Atlanta, Georgia. The air was warm and moist, the sounds and smells dominated by rushing automobile traffic. Our fine adventurers deftly hopped and dodged largely unnoticed among the bustling ankles and swinging purses of the busy sidewalk.

“Whew. It sure is hot out here Koobie,” observed Kootie, mopping her brow and ducking under a briefcase.

“Let’s cool off in here,” Koobert replied, pushing boldly through a nearby frosted glass door. It is precisely this sort of carefully planned and cautiously executed action that precipitates Kootie and Koobert’s best adventures. Koobert’s surprised yell faded immediately as though he had fallen into a deep well, and the glass door swung noiselessly shut behind him.

Kootie, never content to wallow in a quandary, quickly overcame nagging common sense and hurried over to the door to see what had happened to her beloved sibling. After waiting a moment in vain for the telltale belch that would confirm that Koobert had indeed been eaten by the hungry building, Kootie decided it must be safe enough to look inside.

Cautiously she pushed the door open, and was confronted by an amazing sight. Inside, the spacious room looked like an ordinary modern office, with desks arranged in clusters and cubicles, glowing computer screens and stacks of paper everywhere, but what was amazing was the whole office seemed to be severely tilted. Up and to the right, the office seemed utterly empty, but when she looked down the steeply sloping floor to her left, she could see clusters of people scattered where gravity naturally took them, along the wall at the bottom.

Kootie only had a moment to consider this unusual arrangement before she was accidentally pushed into the room by a delivery man who was pushing a hand-truck load of fancy coffee supplies. Immediately both began the long slide on the richly waxed floor. Before she even had time to enjoy the sliding sensation, Kootie crashed up against the wall at the bottom. Ouch! There she found Koobert, not far off, munching a yummy doughnut and listening to a passionate conversation.

“It’s just not fair,” one young executive was saying as Kootie scrabbled over to join her brother. “People working for minimum wage work so hard and get almost no money for it, while CEO’s do almost no work and can afford to buy fancy cars!”.

“CEO’s should be paid minimum wage too; that would teach them a lesson!” agreed another nicely dressed employee. At that moment the floor dropped a little lower and the wall that everyone was leaning on seemed to move a few feet deeper to the left. At the same time everyone all up and down the wall slid down, crashed with a bump, and said ouch almost in unison. Then they all laughed.

“What is going on here Koobie?” Kootie demanded in a whisper. Koobert snickered stickily through a thick glaze of powdered sugar.

“Watch this, Kootie,” Koobert whispered back, then called aloud, “I think everyone should be paid the same!”

“Except more for school teachers,” someone else a little ways away answered back. There was a deep rumble in the wall they were leaning on.

“Living wage for teachers,” someone else agreed,

“And healthcare too!” Once again the floor sank, and the wall moved to the left. The chorus of ouches and laughter was a practiced unison. Some people seemed to be concerned that the fall had made them spill their coffee, but most everyone seemed too busy talking and making notes on little pads of paper to notice.

“Wow, Koobie, gimme a bite of your doughnut so I can try too?”

For what seemed long time, the hubbub of many discussions about how bad the president was and how much various groups of Americans wanted higher taxes levied on anyone wealthier than themselves was punctuated by sudden movements of the left wall, always deeper and lefter. The laughter was frequent and infectious.

“Koobie,” Kootie lowered her voice and wiped away doughnut crumbs. “How are we ever going to get out of here? It’s a very long way up.”

Koobert thought for a second, and replied, “We need the floor to tilt the other way. I have an idea!” Koobert hopped up on the shoulders of a very surprised wiry man in bellbottom jeans and a rainbow tee-shirt. “I think global warming is an over-hyped myth!!” Koobert announced to the crowd.

The room went silent - the kind of heavy pregnant silence that precedes catastrophic violence. Suffice to say, mayhem followed, and Koobert learned that doughnuts and coffee can be used as weapons but not as shields.

Here’s the rest of the story: part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

As they hiked through the forested undergrowth of Yellowstone National Park, Kootie and Koobert carried the souvenirs of their adventure on their back, and just about everywhere else. Their most obvious new possession was the thick coating of mottled black and gray ashes that made them difficult to see in the underbrush. Even if you couldn’t see them, you would still know they were around, however, because of the other souvenir they had gotten from a friendly skunk; an aroma that had diminished only a little with the passage of time.

By and by they came upon a picnic area, with wooden tables and benches, a campstove, several coolers and baskets, tableclothes, and signs of a recent feast. Funny that no one seemed to be around right then. It seemed strange to Koobert that all of this good stuff would be left behind, but he was hungry, and God always saw to it that there was something to eat.

“Are you hungry too?” Koobert asked his big sister Kootie, and she nodded.

“Very Hungry! Let’s eat!”

Kootie and Koobert thanked God for the food and then dug right in. There was potato salad, and chips, and sandwiches galore - some laying out on the table with bites missing out of them, and some still in stacks with their plastic wrappers in place. It wasn’t long before Koobert found his favorite.

“Ballooony Samwich! Yipee!” Cried Koobert.

“I found Peanie Buster and Jam,” replied Kootie with a sticky grin. “And Pickles too!” she added…

Of course, Kootie and Koobert both had to get up onto the tables to reach the best food, and they had a ball chasing from one delight to another. No matter how big a hurry they got into, though, they were very polite - no pushing each other into the pickle relish, and each was careful to make sure that they stayed on the table - no sense in spoiling someone’s clean plate by getting sooty footprints on it.

“Oh boy, This basket has Grapes!” Yelled Kootie, and stuck her head deep into one large basket at the end of a table. Koobert, who especially loved grapes, hurried over to see.

“Can’t reach. Can you help me Koobie?” Kootie said, as she leaned further into the basket. Koobert reached down and grabbed Kootie’s foot, to give her a boost. But the ashes on Kooberts hands were a little slippery, now that they were also mixed with mayonnaise from his sandwich, and he lost his grip almost as soon as he had it.

“Oopsie”, said Koobert, as Kootie flipped over the edge and into the basket. Koobert peered over the edge of the basket that had eaten his big sister, and giggled.

Just then, a rustling in the trees at the edge of the picnic area startled Koobert, and he hopped up into the basket without even thinking. Down came the lid, and the two adventures were trapped, with nothing but napkins, catsup, plastic containers of salad, and luscious grapes to keep them company. They didn’t really mind.

Meanwhile, two bears had emerged from the undergrowth, and began pawing through the picnic area. They were not being nearly so polite as Kootie and Koobert, though - putting their big furry paws right on the plates, and pushing pickle relish on everything. The larger of the two was wearing a funny green hat, and seemed to take particular interest in the picnic baskets.

“Shhh”, Koobert warned his sister, who was wiping grape juice from her chin. “I think we gonna have some company”.

From outside the basket, Koobert and Kootie could hear the bears discussing the picnic area and its contents.

“I don’t think Mr. Ranger’s gonna like this”

“Nonsense, Booboo boy, We’re just, yah know, cleaning up the park and taking care of these old pic-i-nic baskets. Eh? Ooooooeee, This one is spoiled!”

The basket containing Kootie and Koobert lurched, then seemed to sail through the air. For a brief moment everything in the basket seemed to float in midair, then suddenly crash with a metallic thud. Kootie and Koobert bounced playfully around among the food, then collapsed on a puffy pile of napkins.

Now it was dark outside the basket, and Kootie and Koobert lapsed into contented slumber. With full bellies and tired feet, the pair slept soundly, and only a little disturbed when the dumpster they were in was upended into the park service garbage truck. Yes, they were leaving Yellowstone National Park in style, and their next adventure was bound to be just over the horizon, and just as much fun.

Click to read part 1, part 2, or part 3.

Kootie and Koobert’s adventures in Yellowstone National Park had become somewhat less eventful since they encountered a friendly skunk. Sure, the scenery was breathtaking, but so was the odor that seemed to stick to the intrepid pair like glue. They encountered no more friendly animals, the pleasant chirping of tiny birds was vague and far away, and even the cool ferns and ivy undergrowth seemed to withdraw in front of them, clearing their path to speed them on their way. You could almost sense the sigh of satisfaction from the forest as Koobert and Kootie passed, or maybe it was relief.

Still, Kootie and Koobert had fun chasing each other through the beautiful forest landscape, playing tag and singing songs. In their peaceful journey, they barely noticed when they wandered into a public camping area. The stately pines and undergrowth abruptly gave way to manicured lawns, sidewalks, camper hookups, and firepits. Funny that this area seemed to be as deserted as the forest they left behind.

“Where is everybody?” Koobert wondered aloud.

“I’ll bet there’s gonna be a surprise party for someone”, mused Kootie.

“That sounds like fun! Let’s hide too”.

So Kootie and Koobert started searching for a great place to hide.

Koobert tried jumping into a firepit, now full of cold black ashes from the previous nights’ campfire. Around and around he rolled, until he was covered in soot from his toes to the ends of his floppy ears. Then he crouched down next to the ring of stones that lined the pit, and held still.

“That’s a good hiding place, Koobie!,” gushed Kootie. “I can barely see you!” Koobert giggled and crouched even lower.

Kootie hurried over to a camping trailer and crawled under the front steps. She was pretty sure she was out of sight, and when she held really still, she could hear some whispering from inside the trailer. Now normally, Kootie was polite, and would never dream of eavesdropping, but she did so want to find out about the surprise party, after all. So, she listened as hard as she could…

“What do you mean, ‘the door doesn’t have a lock on it?. I suppose you want those skunks outside to just come waltzing in here like they own the place”.

“The way things smell right now, we may as well invite them in. Peeeeuwie.”

Well, Kootie really didn’t need much more of an invitation than that. If these nice people would allow skunks in their trailer, then certainly she and Koobie would be OK. She raced back to the firepit with the good news, but accidently caught her foot on a twig and tumbled in, right on top of Koobert.

“Koobie, Koobie, Koobie. I gots a great place for us to hide”, and she briefly described the nice people in the trailer.

“Yipee,” yelled Koobert, “I’ll race you there”.

The two adventurers dashed over to the trailer, and this time, Koobert won the race owing partly to a sizable head start, and partly because he didn’t even try to stop until he crashed into a pile of stones under the trailer hitch, knocking it over.

“You OK, Koobie?” asked Kootie, hopping up to her brother.

Koobert was fine, of course, but the trailer was another matter. It had been jolted forward pretty hard as the tongue fell to the ground, and swiveled sideways as the weight inside shifted. The trailer tongue scraped noisily across the toppled rocks as it rolled backward down the campsite driveway. From inside the slowly accelerating trailer, there was a surprised yell.

Kootie said, “Hurry Koobie, we must be missing the party.”

Kootie and Koobert hopped with all of their might, but just couldn’t quite catch up with the front door of the trailer as it careened wildly down the steep hill. From inside the trailer, the shouting only got louder as it opened up a sizeable lead in the race for the bottom of the slope.

Exhausted, Koobert puffed, “I think we’re too late for the party”.

Kootie agreed, then added, “Oh well, at least somebody got to enjoy a surprise!”

Click here to start over with part 1
Click here to catch up with part 2

Nightfall found Kootie and her younger brother Koobert bouncing down the side of a long slope at the end of another adventurous flight. They giggled and rolled through mountain ferns and mosses, until they came at last to rest in a narrow ravine. There they slept under sparkling mountain stars that seemed to dance and sing a joyous concert for their Creator. The night air was cool and crisp, and brought a refreshment that can be found in very few other ways.

Early the next morning, Koobert awoke first, covered with frost and ravenously hungry. Wonderful exciting adventures will have that effect on almost anyone, and Koobert was simply being unusually normal. It was just then that Koobie’s wandering eyes caught movement in a nearby bush; a rustling down low, and a very faint grunting sound.

“Kootie, I think I hear breakfast”, called Koobert.

Kootie sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Oh goody, let’s eat!” Kootie responded in a cheerful, early-morning way.

Koobert led Kootie in the direction he had seen the rustling bush, and before long, they encountered its source. There they saw a small black animal with a distinctive white stripe from just behind its head, all along the center of its back, and ending just before the tip of its fluffy black tail. The creature paused briefly, and glanced in a friendly way at the two wanderers before turning its attention back to the bushes it was pawing through.

“Koobie,” said Kootie, sounding just a little disappointed. “Koobie, I don’t wanna eat a cute little kitty for breakfast.”

Koobert chuckled, “‘Course not, Kootie, but lookie the berries!”

The black and white kitty almost seemed to welcome the company of our adventurous duo in pawing through the brambly bush and munching yummy berries. Ever polite, when Kootie or Koobert discovered a particularly large bunch of the berries, they would invite the kitty to have the first taste, and then they all would join in a juicy berry feast. The kitty used dainty little hands to push away the thorns, and by watching, Kootie and Koobert learned to enjoy their breakfast without getting poked. God had certainly provided a bountiful breakfast with enough for all, and the three new friends gratefully thanked Him through sticky, juice-covered lips.

“Koobie, you’re all messy”, giggled Kootie in a thick, well-fed voice.

“Let’s get all Koobie-clean”, replied Koobert.

The kitty seemed to know the area, and led the way to a gentle little brook splashing noisily over a rock outcropping before settling in a clear, deep pool. There, at the edge of the pool, was an enormous furry brown animal playing in the cool water.

“This looks like a good place,” said Koobert, and boldly hopped right down to the water’s edge. Kootie followed almost immediately, but the kitty stayed behind in the bushes.

Well, the animal across the pool certainly did seem surprised at the arrival of the wanderers. It stood up tall on large back feet, peering across the water as the intrepid pair washed their faces and splashed each other happily. Then suddenly, it leapt into the water and began a splashy trip to the spot where Kootie and Koobert stood, now soaked but much cleaner.

“That’s the biggest doggy I’ve ever seen”, said Koobert.

“We better warn the Kitty,” agreed Kootie, knowing full well that doggies and kitties sometimes don’t play too nicely together. They hopped right back up to the bush where the shy kitty was waiting, and were about to explain about the Doggy, when suddenly the eager Doggy was right there next to them.

What happened next is probably better left to your imagination, but suffice it to say that the doggie’s aggressive roar turned into an extremely offended howl - he turned right around, and threw himself back in the cool little pool.  Kootie and Koobert were somewhat more polite, but they also bade the kitty a fond but hasty farewell, and excused themselves to continue their exploration. Under the bush, the spent kitty lay down and rested in perfect solitude.

“We better not feed berries to kitties any more”, said Kootie.

Koobert agreed, “It seems to make them explode!”

Click here to see Part 1

One fine day, Kootie and Koobert were sailing across the afternoon sky at Yellowstone National Park, and urgently looking for a nice soft place to land. Not that flying was their preferred mode of travel, or even that they had intended to be flying in this area, but it was just another part of the adventure they were having.

I suppose Koobert would have liked flying more if he were better at making soft landings. The simple fact was that his adventures with Kootie often resulted in flying at some point, and he resolved that if he was to become good at nothing else, he really wanted to master the graceful landing. Meanwhile, his attention was somewhat divided between planning his descent and appreciating the majestic view that he was sailing past.

Kootie had almost as much practice at flying as Koobert, but sometimes she wished she could do it in an airplane, or at least with some wings, or at the very least, on purpose.

“See that hole in the ground over there?” called Koobert to his older sister. “That looks about as soft as anything”.

Kootie had to agree. The ground did look pretty hard, and there didn’t seem to be many options - especially since their sailing trajectory had taken a decidedly downward trend, and would have looked to anyone watching much more like falling then sailing. Kootie and Koobert clasped hands, and began to twist in midair to angle toward the hole.

“Maybe it’s a cool cave that we can explore,” observed Kootie hopefully.

A small number of tourists gathered around the hole were busy talking to each other and taking pictures of cute little squirrels. No one noticed when Kootie and Koobert scored a bullseye, right in the hole, disappearing from sight. It was one of their better landings.

The air was warm and moist in the comforting, dimly lit chamber where Kootie and Koobert finally came to a stop. The walls glistened with tiny rainbows of reflected light from the opening, now some distance above. Kootie was the first to hop to her foot and begin to inspect the chamber walls.

“Oooo, it’s very pretty,” exclaimed Kootie, becoming quite lost in the crystalline beauty before her. God is indeed an artist, she thought, as she lightly brushed the surface with her hands, causing shimmers of color to dance at the edge of the floor where she stood.

Koobert had experienced a slightly less desirable landing - only a few feet away, but also up to his knee in soggy, slimy mud. It was soft, but not nearly so warm and cozy as the air, which seemed to be flowing from deeper in the cave, to an escape through the opening above. He hopped out of the mud, and began to peel great handfuls of the muck from his leg. It felt squishy, and kinda fun.

“Here Kootie, try some of THIS on your leg,” Koobert said, as he playfully tossed a handful of mud right on his sisters back. As the mud oozed down to Kootie’s leg and foot, Koobert giggled, “Now we BOTH need a shower to be Koobie-clean!”.

Remarkably, Kootie giggled too, and replied, “Oh Koobie, where are we s’posed to find hot water down here in the dark?”

As if God was just waiting for Kootie to ask, there was suddenly a torrent of steaming water exploding from the floor of the little chamber. Up, up, up went Koobert in the billows of steam and moisture. Up, too, was Kootie, propelled back through the hole by the jets of water.

The crowd of people had gotten somewhat larger, and was applauding wildly as Kootie and Koobert blasted up out of the hole in a shower of vapor. “There she blows!” someone yelled, and the applause increased.

Kootie grinned, and said to Koobert (who was sailing through the twilight just ahead of her) “we get a bath AND a blow-dry!”

Koobert returned her smile, and said, “Let’s find a different soft place to land”. Laughing out loud, they traced a gentle rainbow against the setting sun.

One day, Koobert, and his big sister Kootie found themselves exploring one of the most majestic recreation areas in the United States - Yellowstone National Park. Nestled high in the Rocky Mountains, they were surrounded by breathtaking views of high vistas, shimmering pools, deep and rugged canyons, and other signs of God’s splendor.

“Look at this big thing!” cried Koobert excitedly, “have you ever seen anything so big in your life?”

“I think that’s a tree,” explained Kootie, craning her neck to try and see the top. “It sure is big, Koobie!”

“And sticky”, added Koobert, touching the rough bark of the tree trunk, and coming back with a handful of the tree’s fragrant resin.

Well, of course, this is how many of Kootie and Koobert’s best adventures start out. Barely another word was said before both brave adventurers were hopping up through the lowest branches of the stately pine to see where the very top would lead them. The tree seemed to shake in eager anticipation of Kootie’s next discovery.

“Koobie!, I don’t think we’re alone in this tree”, Kootie called out to her brother, who was sprinting ahead to higher branches. Sure enough, two curious brown eyes, followed by a little fuzzy body and a long fluffy tail moved down the branch toward the eager explorers. It was a squirrel!

Now normally, Kootie would have stopped to make friends, but today the top of the tree seemed to be a more important goal, so she continued steadily upward. In her haste to catch up with Koobert, she did not notice that the first squirrel was soon joined by a second, third, and even a fourth. In fact, a whole community of squirrels seemed mysteriously drawn to Kootie and Koobert as they climbed higher and higher in the tree. What could possibly be attracting the squirrels like that?

Well, after almost an hour of steady climbing, the tree branches thinned out, and there before Koobert and Kootie opened up a vast panorama of tree-covered slopes, giving way to snow-capped peaks.

“Ooooo!”

But the tree was very unsteady at this height, and seemed to be swaying even more than you might think was normal. Sure enough, more than 50 of the curious squirrels were immediately below Kootie, and following them both up to the very thinnest part of the tree trunk at the tippy-top.

“Look Koobie,” said Kootie, “The squirrels want to see Gods handiwork too! Scoot up to make room for them…”

As the squirrels got closer, the tree swayed even more violently, and finally the top began to bend down under the weight of Kootie, Koobert, and the curious company. Some of the very closest squirrels began to loose their grip as the sagging top suspended them upside-down, suddenly above their quarry.

“Good thing God made this tree so sticky”, said Koobert, hanging upside down from the tree top, “It’s getting hard to hang on.”

A sudden gust of wind whipped the heavy-laden top in one mighty final swing, casting squirrels off to lower branches. The sudden absence of the troup of hungry squirrels allowed the tree-top to snap back upright, and no amount of pine tar would have kept Kootie and Koobert from getting flipped into the air.

As they sailed across the afternoon sky, Kootie said, “Let’s find a soft place to land”, and Koobert heartily agreed.