This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Kitten: Meow, Meow, and Clucky, Bork, Bork, are two best friends.

[0:07] Clucky: Trying to make sense of the world around them.

[0:11] Kitten: Adventures and discoveries around every bend.

[0:16] Clucky: Come along and explore with them.

[0:21] Kitten: Season 6, Episode 2, Awe Nuts!.

[0:27] Hazel: How have you been since the mom person massaged your crap, Brigitte?

[0:36] Brigitte: Much better. I'm glad the mom person knew what to do. I thought it might be permanent.

[0:42] Hazel: Well, now you know to eat your grits, Brigitte. You can't just eat worms and bugs all day.

[0:47] Brigitte: We all know that worms and bugs are much tastier than grit, Brigitte.

[0:54] Hazel: Especially worms. Oh, here comes Kitten. Howdy.

[0:59] Kitten: Hi, everyone. I came to say goodbye because I'm going to visit Ashley at her house.

[1:05] Clucky: Oh, that sounds fun. When are you going?

[1:09] Kitten: Maddox is taking me with her when she goes to Elizabeth's.

[1:12] Hazel: I look forward to seeing her treehouse. I'll tell you all about it when I return.

[1:17] Kitten: Hopefully, Ashley and I can get the girls to leave their screens behind for our treehouse adventure.

[1:23] Clucky: I do love a good adventure. I don't get it.

[1:26] Hazel: I can't imagine staring at a screen when you've got the whole wide world at your feather tips.

[1:31] Clucky: I agree, Clucky. There's so much to learn and see and do.

[1:37] Hazel: I remember where I used to live. Humans were especially attached to their screens.

[1:42] Clucky: Sometimes they would be looking at their screens while they were walking between buildings.

[1:47] Hazel: I just thought you always lived here in our forest.

[1:51] Clucky: Where did you used to live, Hazel?

[1:53] Hazel: I was born on the Washington State University campus.

[1:57] Clucky: I loved it there because I could listen to many lectures from my Douglas fir tree, Sudatsugamon zizii.

[2:05] Hazel: They have a biology program full of information and I learned many Latin terms for flora and fauna.

[2:13] Clucky: That sounds like a great place to live. Why did you leave, Hazel? How did you end up here?

[2:19] Hazel: Well, it was quite an adventure because I was not planning to leave.

[2:26] Clucky: I did not know that I was going anywhere.

[2:29] Hazel: Oh, a surprise adventure! What happened, Hazel?

[2:33] Hazel: One morning, a backpack was left under my Sudatsugamon zizii.

[2:40] Clucky: The students often carried knapsacks containing their books around campus.

[2:46] Hazel: I love books! That would be a great find! What did you do?

[2:50] Hazel: Well, I wanted to see what was inside the knapsack, but I wasn't sure if it would be safe.

[2:57] Clucky: Who left it there, and where were they?

[3:00] Hazel: I waited for some time, keeping a lookout, to see if anyone would approach.

[3:05] Clucky: But no one was around, so I decided to take a closer look.

[3:10] Hazel: As I climbed down and approached the bag, I could smell nuts.

[3:16] Clucky: Oh my, there was food inside!

[3:19] Hazel: It sure smelled like it. And not just any food. It smelled like my favorite, nuts.

[3:26] Clucky: Hazelnuts like Pharrell brought us for Halloween.

[3:29] Hazel: Yes, Bella. Corillus amelanus. I was excited since I don't get to eat them very often.

[3:37] Hazel: I scampered over to the bag and began pawing at it to find a way in.

[3:41] Hazel: I found an opening, went inside, and was immediately overcome by a strong, spicy smell of Cinnamomum therum.

[3:50] Clucky: You may know that cinnamon is just too powerful for delicate noses.

[3:55] Hazel: I had to get out. I turned to leave, but my feet couldn't find purchase.

[3:59] Clucky: Because every time I started to climb out, whatever was underneath me would fold and scrunch.

[4:06] Hazel: Just as I started making progress, something grabbed my foot.

[4:09] Clucky: Oh my, was there a creature in the bag?

[4:12] Hazel: Did it growl or make noise?

[4:14] Clucky: Did you have to fight it?

[4:16] Hazel: I couldn't hear anything over the sounds of my scrambling. I panicked.

[4:21] Clucky: Oh no, panicking solves nothing.

[4:24] Hazel: You need to stay calm in these situations.

[4:27] Clucky: However, I know that super hard. I always panic.

[4:30] Hazel: Thank goodness for Kitten. She usually is the voice of reason.

[4:34] Clucky: I have Kitten. What did you do?

[4:37] Hazel: I wish you had been there, Kitten.

[4:40] Clucky: Me too, but we did not even know you then, Hazel.

[4:43] Hazel: How did you escape that bag monster?

[4:46] Hazel: Well, I completely lost it, and in my frenzied movement, I broke a nail.

[4:52] Clucky: Oh, the horror!

[4:54] Hazel: Really? A nail? You broke a nail?

[4:58] Clucky: Bridget, that is very serious and sometimes painful.

[5:02] Hazel: Don't you remember when I broke my nail on the edge of the coop?

[5:05] Clucky: Yes, but you dramatize everything.

[5:09] Hazel: Well, what happened, Hazel? How did you break your nail?

[5:12] Clucky: Was there a monster? Is that what grabbed your foot?

[5:16] Hazel: Oh, Bella, it's like you were there.

[5:19] Hazel: Once I managed to disentangle my foot from what turned out to be a coil of wire.

[5:24] Clucky: Who keeps wire in a knapsack?

[5:27] Hazel: I ran straight out of the bag and into the monster.

[5:35] Clucky: A real live monster?

[5:37] Hazel: Did he have sharp teeth and big claws?

[5:39] Clucky: Was it a wolf?

[5:41] Hazel: Lupus.

[5:42] Clucky: Or was it a bobcat?

[5:43] Hazel: Lynx Rufus.

[5:45] Clucky: No, it had huge, unblinking eyes,

[5:49] Hazel: and it did have sharp teeth that stretched all across its face, Pucky.

[5:54] Clucky: I tried to push it off me, but the monster just kept coming at me over and over.

[6:00] Hazel: But I noticed that it was attached to the bag.

[6:00] Clucky: It was attached to the bag? What do you mean?

[6:07] Hazel: There was a leash coming out of its head with a metal ring connecting it to the zipper of another compartment.

[6:14] Clucky: I just had to get away far enough that the leash kept it off me.

[6:18] Hazel: But I was trapped.

[6:20] Hazel: I finally managed to shove the monster away from me hard enough that the zipper opened,

[6:25] Hazel: and it pulled the monster backwards with it.

[6:28] Clucky: Wow, that is some awesome security to have a creature guarding the snacks.

[6:34] Hazel: I wish I had a snack guardian.

[6:36] Clucky: Who would you have it guard snacks from? You share a coop with us.

[6:40] Hazel: Well, I guess I don't need one, but it sounds cool.

[6:44] Clucky: So the snack guardian just let you pass after you pushed him back?

[6:48] Hazel: Not much of a guardian.

[6:49] Hazel: Well, I darted back up toward my lookout spot.

[6:52] Hazel: I checked behind me to see how close the monster was getting,

[6:56] Hazel: and it was just sitting back there where I left it.

[7:00] Hazel: I was so relieved that it had a leash.

[7:03] Hazel: And then I saw that the open zipper revealed a bag inside that was overflowing with Corolla savillanus.

[7:12] Clucky: I took a moment to fan myself.

[7:15] Hazel: I decided the nuts were too tempting, so I snuck back down.

[7:19] Hazel: I paused and eyed that snack guardian.

[7:23] Hazel: He just stared back at me with those unblinking eyes and a big toothy grin.

[7:29] Clucky: He was like a statue.

[7:31] Hazel: I didn't understand how he could be so still.

[7:34] Clucky: I blinked.

[7:36] Hazel: Then a downy woodpecker, Dryobiteeth pubescens, flew in and landed on him.

[7:43] Clucky: Did the snack guardian launch into attack mode?

[7:46] Hazel: Oh, the poor helpless bird.

[7:49] Clucky: Was it hurt?

[7:50] Hazel: That's just it.

[7:52] Hazel: No, the snack guardian just sat there.

[7:55] Hazel: Unmoving.

[7:57] Hazel: The Dryobiteeth pubescens snatched the Corolla savillanus and flew off.

[8:03] Clucky: Are you sure this snack guardian was alive?

[8:07] Hazel: Well, at first I thought it was.

[8:10] Hazel: But after it flew away, I realized it was probably a stuffy latch to the bag.

[8:17] Clucky: Oh, was it a labubu?

[8:20] Hazel: I remember those being a big craze.

[8:22] Clucky: All of Maddox's friends wanted one.

[8:25] Hazel: They do have really scary wide smiles.

[8:28] Clucky: And they wear rabbit suits?

[8:31] Hazel: Lepus?

[8:32] Clucky: Yes, I can see why you were scared of running into one,

[8:36] Hazel: especially if you thought it was alive at first.

[8:39] Hazel: Yes, I think that it was rebounding into me like a punching bag whenever I pushed it back.

[8:45] Hazel: But the Corolla savillanus were now visible and free for the taking.

[8:49] Hazel: I glanced around, and still no one was about.

[8:53] Hazel: So I decided to go for it.

[8:56] Hazel: I thought that maybe I could take some home for later.

[8:59] Hazel: That many Corolla savillanus would last most of the winter.

[9:03] Hazel: I cautiously approached the bag, keeping an eye on that guardian just in case,

[9:09] Hazel: and tasted one for good measure.

[9:12] Clucky: It did not disappoint.

[9:14] Hazel: It was as crunchy and flavorful as anticipated.

[9:18] Clucky: Who else participated in eating these nuts?

[9:21] Hazel: Anticipated, Clucky, not participated.

[9:25] Hazel: Anticipated means to imagine or expect something.

[9:28] Clucky: So Hazel meant that they tasted like she expected them to.

[9:32] Hazel: That's great that you found your favorite nuts, but how did you end up here, Hazel?

[9:36] Hazel: That's just it.

[9:38] Hazel: I was distracted and enjoying the great flavor when all of a sudden,

[9:43] Hazel: the bag lifted into the air and I tumbled into the bottom.

[9:48] Clucky: How frightening! Were you hurt?

[9:51] Hazel: Not really.

[9:53] Hazel: Thank goodness those books were in a lower compartment of the bag.

[9:57] Clucky: What did you do? Were you trapped?

[10:00] Hazel: Just as I was regaining my footing, someone closed the zipper with me inside.

[10:06] Clucky: Oh no! What happened?

[10:09] Hazel: There was a lot of jostling around and I was scrambling back and forth to remain upright.

[10:15] Hazel: And just as unexpectedly, everything went still.

[10:22] Hazel: Then I heard a rumble in the fountain and it seemed like the world began to vibrate and move again.

[10:29] Hazel: I was rolling around in the big pile of Coryllis Avalonis.

[10:34] Clucky: I started to get a little woozy.

[10:37] Hazel: Wow, that sounds like you were in a car.

[10:40] Clucky: It was like when we moved from Florida. The world was rolling under us.

[10:44] Hazel: Yes, Clucky, that's just what it was like.

[10:48] Hazel: I tried to open the zipper, but I couldn't reach the pole from inside the bag since it was on the outside.

[10:55] Hazel: The zipper was closed tight, so I couldn't get anything between it and the edge to leverage it open.

[11:03] Clucky: There didn't seem to be any other way out.

[11:06] Hazel: Oh, this is just so terrible!

[11:09] Clucky: What do you mean by leverage?

[11:12] Hazel: Hmm, yeah, that's a good question, Bridget.

[11:15] Hazel: I mean that I couldn't use my position or power to force it open.

[11:20] Clucky: Honestly, being inside the bag wasn't too bad.

[11:23] Hazel: It was warm, I had food, and I found a little box of tissue in there to curl up in.

[11:29] Clucky: The drone of the car was hypnotic.

[11:32] Hazel: Your experience sounds very chaotic.

[11:35] Clucky: I think she said hypnotic, which means tending to cause sleep.

[11:39] Hazel: You fell asleep?

[11:41] Hazel: I must have, because the next thing I knew, it was silent.

[11:47] Hazel: Then there were slamming and crunching sounds, and my stomach dropped as the bag was lifted into the air again.

[11:56] Hazel: I didn't roll around as much now because the tissues in the box kept me buffered from the Corillus Avalanches.

[12:03] Clucky: Gravity kept pulling me this way and that.

[12:06] Hazel: I got air a couple times inside the tissue box.

[12:10] Clucky: Oh, I remember that feeling of getting air when Xander took me sledding.

[12:14] Hazel: It feels great at first, but then you come back down with force.

[12:18] Clucky: Did the tissues help at all?

[12:21] Hazel: I think so, Bella, because I don't remember getting hurt during this part of the trip.

[12:27] Hazel: There was a bit of bouncing around and jostling before the bag landed on something firm and soft.

[12:34] Hazel: Everything went quiet-ish.

[12:36] Hazel: I remained very still inside the darkness and listened.

[12:41] Hazel: I couldn't hear the rustling of trees.

[12:43] Hazel: It was eerily quiet, except I could make out a slight humming sound and something like water bubbles. And then there was a squeaking sound. It went for a bit, stopped, and then began again. I crept out of the tissue box, being careful not to disrupt the Corylus avellanas. And I pushed my nose into a crack of light in the upper corner of the bag, taking a deep breath. It smelled like flora and fresh rain with a little bit of musk. There were smells that I couldn't identify. There were definitely others here. I needed to get the zipper open, but I didn't want to alert anyone to my presence in case of danger. So I forced my nose further into the loosened zipper crack and felt it give a bit. I managed to push a front paw in and began working the opening wider.

I was careful to be as quiet as possible. Suddenly, everything happened at once. I was falling and grasping for something to hold on to. I reached out and grabbed the first thing I could. I managed to grip something soft. As I closed my eyes and tumbled out of the bag, I fell until the line went taut and I was dangling in the air. I opened my eyes face to face with the snack guardian. He was grinning at me with his large teeth and wide eyes. We slid down towards the floor and all of the Corylus avellanas poured out of the bag onto my head. Goodness gracious! Oh no! Buried alive in food! Did you have to eat your way out? I guess there could be worse ways to be buried. Did anyone hear all the noise of you falling out of the bag? Were you in danger? I just started laughing and once I started I couldn't stop. I laughed the hardest I've ever laughed until I heard others laughing as well.

[14:58] Kim: I looked up and there I saw them. Two white mice, Moosmooculus, with beady red eyes looking down laughing at me from their cage. Greetings stranger. We are Kim and Tim. Kim stands for cryptic y-menace because I like to be mysterious and sometimes I also speak in coded messages that only Tim understands. And Tim is tryptic y-menace because I only have three paws. We don't talk about what happened to the other one but we just go by Kim and Tim.

[15:49] Hazel: Who are you furry stranger? Why did you tackle our friend Pete?

[15:49] Tim: Pete? Who's Pete? He is there with you. Under the knots. You held him as you fell. Onto your butt. Oh he did not introduce himself. I didn't know he was Pete. So sorry Pete.

[16:08] Kim: He does not talk. Nor do the others. Not ever a squawk. Just like his brothers.

[16:19] Hazel: He has brothers?

[16:19] Tim: Yes. Look around. On the wall. They can be found. Even on the ground. Hanging from the ceiling. Don't you love the feeling of being watched?

[16:39] Hazel: Oh now that you mention it I see there are many wide-eyed greening stuffies all around this room. It does make me feel like I'm being watched.

[16:49] Kim: The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence. J. Krishnamurti.

[16:59] Hazel: Um hi there Mr. Betta Fish.

[17:07] Mr. Betta Fish: Betasplendens. I didn't see you floating there. Nice to meet you. But I think I've had enough observation for now. The art of observing without absorbing. I'll be going. Just gonna take a few Corylus avellanas for my journey and go. Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say good night till it be morrow. William Shakespeare.

[17:36] Tim: Sweet sorrow until tomorrow.

[17:45] Hazel: I don't think I'll be here tomorrow. Is that an open window?

[17:45] Kim: Wherever there is danger there lurks opportunity. Wherever there is opportunity there lurks danger. Two are inseparable.

[18:00] Hazel: Oh I think I know. Inseparable. I don't know about the rest of you but Kim and Tim are giving me the heebie-jeebies. And what's with the fish? How did you get out of there?

[18:07] Hazel: I hastily grabbed a few Corylus avellanas. Hopped onto the windowsill. There was a branch hanging near the window. I leapt to it and kept losing my footing because of my broken nail. But my adrenaline propelled me forward. I wanted to take more Corylus avellanas with me but I just couldn't bring myself to go back in. It was just too strange. All the smiling stuffies and the creepy rhyming mice. There's no way I could go back twice. Oh now I'm rhyming.

[18:44] Clucky: I think you did the right thing. So you just kept running until you found your tree?

[18:52] Hazel: Well hmm yes I don't know how far I ran but eventually I got tired and needed to stop. I knew I must be really far from my home because there were no big buildings, no cars or anything. There were just trees and more trees. Arboles and more arboles. Once in a while I would pass a house or a barn. They were very far apart. After the third house I passed, which seemed to take forever, I needed to rest. With so many lovely Pseudotsuga menziesii around, I needed to choose one and set up camp. I found one with an abandoned hole that was perfect for me. After I built a nice midden for my Corylus avellanas, I went into my new home, curled up, and took a long nap.

[19:47] Clucky: What's a midden? Is that a nut house?

[19:55] Hazel: Clucky! That is a little house for my food. Not all squirrels have a midden but as a Douglas squirrel, Tammy is sure a Douglasie, I like to make a big stash of food so that way I have it all through the winter.

[20:09] Clucky: Don't you hibernate or go to sleep all winter?

[20:09] Hazel: Nope I'm active all winter so it's important for me to store up food for the fall so that way I don't get hungry in the long winter months. You know Hazel, if you are ever hungry all you need to do is stop by here and we will happily share our food with you.

[20:28] Bella: Oh that's so kind of you Bella. Of course we'd share. We wouldn't let you go hungry. Um you don't like worms do you?

[20:36] Hazel: No Clucky, I eat flora and fungi.

[20:36] Clucky: You eat fun guys?

[20:48] Hazel: Oh Clucky, fungi is the Latin term for mushrooms. You see I have collected several fungi and hung them to dry in my tree. Once they dry I will put them in my midden for later. Fungi is my favorite.

[21:04] Clucky: So mushrooms and fun guys are the same thing? No offense Hazel but fungi sounds kind of gross to me.

[21:12] Hazel: It's okay Clinton, I love its earthy taste but it's certainly not for everyone. Well you enjoy your fungi and I'll keep enjoying my earthy worms. On that note I'd better be off. My sleepover awaits.

[21:32] Amy Daniels: Thank you for joining us for today's adventure. Character voices were performed by Janae Frank as Hazel. I'll be going just gonna take a few Corylus avellanas for my journey and go. Christine Rosem as Tim. I only have three paws. We don't talk about what happened to the other one. Corbin Daniels as Mr. Betta Fish. Wherever there is danger there lurks opportunity. Parker Daniels as Bridget. Oh that sounds fun. Bella. Did it growl or make noise? And Brigitte. Oh the horror. And Amy Daniels as Kim. Because I like to be mysterious. Kitten. They do have really scary wide smiles. And Plucky. Oh no panicking solves nothing. This episode was written by humans Janae Frank, Amy Daniels, and Christine Rosem.

Special thanks to our theme song composer Henry Johnson. You know he wrote that when he was only 12 years old. I do. There's a bio of him on our website. We have a website? Yes kittenandclucky.com. Sound editing and mix done by Brian Bonifacio. Some music and sound effects provided by Epidemic Sound. No generative AI was used in the creation of this podcast. The Kitten and Clucky podcast was created and produced by Amy Daniels, all rights reserved. We do not give permission to use this podcast for AI training.

[23:05] Amy Daniels: And now. What are you bawking about? In this segment you get to tell us what's on your mind. Tell us a joke. Share a fun fact. Or ask us your burning questions.

[23:11] Clucky: Clucky no one has burning questions.

[23:18] Amy Daniels: You never know. Oh my that was a lot of noises. Wow what is going on? It appears that our barker Maisy from Glasgow, Scotland in the United Kingdom has sent us four messages.

[23:30] Clucky: Wow she must have had a lot to say.

[23:40] Amy Daniels: She does. Let's start here. She writes I love your podcast. Please say hi to Rubix and Brownie for me. Hello Maisy.

[23:47] Clucky: Hello Maisy.

[23:47] Amy Daniels: Oh she also wants to tell us a joke. How do bees get to school?

[23:54] Clucky: I don't know. How do bees get to school?

[23:54] Amy Daniels: By the buzz. Oh buzz buzz. I get it. Oh there's more. She says I love to read books just as Kitten does and I play fight with my brother Jack on the couch with the cushions.

[24:09] Clucky: Oh that sounds like a lot of fun.

[24:09] Amy Daniels: Oh and Maisy also would like to say hi to Pharrell. Salut Maisy.

[24:16] Bridget: Hi Maisy.

[24:16] Bella: Hi Maisy.

[24:24] Brigitte: Hello Maisy. Thanks so much Maisy for all your messages.

[24:31] Ronan: Hello my name is Ronan and I'm six years old. I'm from the Philippines and Canada.

[24:31] Amy Daniels: Hi Ronan.

[24:40] Clucky: Howdy Ronan. Wow I'd love to visit the Philippines and Canada. I have a question. Do Kitten and Clucky like to listen to songs?

[24:48] Amy Daniels: What a great question and yes we love to listen to songs. I find that a song can change my mood anytime. If I'm feeling down I put on some music and it just makes me feel so much better. Thanks so much Ronan for the call. Calling all balkers. We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to be part of this segment please visit our website at kittenandclucky.com or call our balking line at 321-345-1544.