This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Amy Daniels: Kitten and Clucky are two best friends. Trying to make sense of the world around them. Adventures and discoveries around every bend. Come along and explore with them.

[0:22] Amy Daniels: Episode 2 Geronimo.

[0:27] Clucky: Hup. Hup. Up right. Made it up here. Kitten. Kitten. Huh? That's weird. We planned on meeting here yesterday. Well, I might as well get my stretches in while I wait.

[0:45] Clucky: Breathe in. Breathe out. Have your wings. Touch your toes. Maybe I should go check on her.

[1:06] Clucky: Climb. Hup. Climb. Jump. Spread the wings. And he sticks a landing. Let's see. This is Kitten's shed door. Cock-a-doodle-doo. Kitten, where are you? What's going on? Is there an emergency?

[1:28] Kitten: Good morning, Kitten. Rise and shine. It's time to give you a tour of your new home. Oh, Clucky. It's you. Why are you up so early?

[1:45] Clucky: What are you talking about? It's already 30 minutes past sunrise. I've already checked the perimeter and did my stretches. Gotta be loose and ready for anything. You never know when danger could strike. Well, at least that's what Xander always says.

[2:09] Kitten: Who is Xander? You've not met Xander yet? Why, he's just the most awesome dude you'll ever meet. He's Maddox's brother. I expect he'll be out soon to feed me and the hens. We belong to him. He raised us. It's Xander who taught me Taekwondo and named my wings Karate and Chep. He and I are part of a super special club. It's the ADHD club.

[2:34] Clucky: What's the ADHD club?

[2:34] Kitten: It's the Amazingly Determined Helpful Dudes Club. We go on missions to protect the property and help others.

[2:55] Clucky: Is it only for boys?

[2:55] Kitten: No, a dude can be a boy or a girl. We're not picky. You just have to be up for adventure. Do you have to be up so early?

[3:12] Clucky: Come on, kitten, it's time to explore.

[3:19] Kitten: But this bed Maddox made for me is so comfortable. Feel it. It's soft and cozy and I had the best night's sleep of my whole life.

[3:27] Clucky: Catnap? What's a catnap?

[3:31] Kitten: We cats invented napping. We curl up or sprawl out in a nice patch of sunshine and drift off for a little snooze.

[3:43] Clucky: That's great. Now you should be ready to jump into the day. Come on, I got so much to show you.

[3:43] Clucky: What? Why?

[3:45] Kitten: Because it's relaxing.

[3:48] Clucky: Relaxing? Huh. I don't think I'd like that.

[3:53] Kitten: Oh, Clucky, you should really try it sometime. It's the best.

[3:58] Kitten: All right, all right. Goodbye, soft bed. I shall return for a catnap.

[3:58] Clucky: Maybe. But now we explore. Come on, up to the perch.

[4:03] Kitten: Fine.

[4:05] Clucky: I thought this would be a good place to start because you can see most things from up here.

[4:10] Kitten: Yeah. All right.

[4:13] Clucky: Okay. You see that black fence? This is our yard. We can go anywhere in here safely.

[4:21] Clucky: Over to the right is that big black screen around the pool and the lanai.

[4:25] Kitten: It's kind of an outdoor spot for the family.

[4:28] Clucky: Be careful. There are two beasts that live inside the house with the family.

[4:33] Kitten: Beasts? Should we warn them?

[4:36] Clucky: Oh, they know. They don't see them for the terrors they are.

[4:41] Clucky: There is a big beast they call Captain Jack and a small one they call Little Jack.

[4:48] Clucky: There is a big beast they call Captain Jack and a small one they call Rosebud or Rosie.

[4:57] Clucky: That's the one you really need to watch out for. She's small but fierce.

[5:04] Clucky: The other yard on the other side of the lanai has two sets of fences.

[5:10] Clucky: A black fence like ours and a smaller inside fence. That's to keep the little one in.

[5:16] Kitten: Wow. Two fences. Are they that dangerous?

[5:22] Clucky: Wait. Why do they live in the house if they are so fierce?

[5:27] Clucky: Xander told me they are not dangerous. Just loud when they bark.

[5:32] Clucky: He claims they are quite cuddly. But I have my doubts.

[5:37] Clucky: They both have very large teeth and very loud barks.

[5:40] Clucky: The little one came into our yard once and chased my hen Brigitte.

[5:46] Clucky: She was so frightened she couldn't lay eggs for a week.

[5:50] Clucky: Luckily Xander and I were able to intervene and save Brigitte.

[5:54] Kitten: What happened? How did you save her?

[5:57] Clucky: Well, it happened very fast.

[6:00] Clucky: Someone had forgotten to latch the screen door and the hens and I were out in the yard finding bugs for breakfast.

[6:07] Clucky: All of a sudden there was loud barking and a brown and black ball of teeth and fury headed straight for Brigitte.

[6:17] Clucky: She squawked and started to run, flapping her wings.

[6:21] Clucky: Xander came flying out the door after her, yelling, Rosie, no!

[6:27] Clucky: I saw my hen in trouble and although I was scared, I knew I had to do something.

[6:32] Kitten: Oh my, what did you do?

[6:34] Clucky: I took a deep breath and I let out the loudest cock-a-doodle-doo of my life.

[6:42] Clucky: Then I charged in, wings a-flappin' and beak at the ready.

[6:47] Clucky: I think I surprised her and she stopped chasing Brigitte.

[6:52] Clucky: Then she turned her attention on me.

[6:56] Kitten: Oh my!

[6:58] Clucky: However, Xander had my back.

[7:00] Clucky: He swooped in and grabbed her before she could catch one of us.

[7:04] Clucky: He took her in the house.

[7:06] Clucky: Now every time she comes out of the house, she's always checking to see if the door is unlatched.

[7:14] Clucky: She's waiting for her next chance to get us.

[7:18] Kitten: So, Captain Jack and Rosie are dogs.

[7:23] Clucky: Yes, but calling them dogs doesn't instill the proper fear.

[7:27] Clucky: They are beasts.

[7:29] Kitten: Clucky, do you think you might be overreacting a bit?

[7:34] Clucky: Overreacting? Me?

[7:36] Kitten: Clucky, maybe you just got off on the wrong paw with him, like with me.

[7:43] Clucky: Oh, I don't think so, kitten.

[7:46] Clucky: You will see.

[7:48] Kitten: Well, I think I'm going to keep an open mind about this.

[7:54] Clucky: Beware, don't let your guard down, kitten.

[7:58] Clucky: Constant vigilance.

[8:00] Kitten: Yeah, what?

[8:02] Clucky: It means always be on the lookout.

[8:06] Kitten: Oh, Clucky, I think your imagination may have taken over a little here.

[8:12] Clucky: What about the pond on the other side of the fence? Is there...

[8:15] Kitten: The pond is more dangerous than the beast!

[8:18] Clucky: Can we call them dogs and not the beast?

[8:21] Kitten: Oh, kitten, I don't think you realize how dangerous the beasts are.

[8:26] Clucky: Clucky, if they live in the house with Maddox and Zander, they can't be that bad.

[8:32] Kitten: Maybe.

[8:34] Clucky: But the pond is not a place you want to mess around with.

[8:38] Clucky: Trust me on this one.

[8:40] Clucky: I have seen many things from this perch.

[8:45] Kitten: What makes the pond so dangerous?

[8:47] Clucky: I'm not a big fan of water, so I don't plan on swimming in it.

[8:51] Kitten: But I want to know why you're so afraid of it.

[8:54] Kitten: I wonder if there are fish in it. I could maybe catch one.

[8:59] Clucky: But then I'd have to get wet.

[9:02] Kitten: Clucky, we live in Florida.

[9:06] Kitten: Don't you know what lurks in the waters?

[9:10] Clucky: Clucky, it's a pond in a nature reserve. What could be so dangerous?

[9:16] Clucky: Oh, kitten, all water in Florida is dangerous.

[9:21] Clucky: Two words. Alligators and snakes.

[9:26] Kitten: What? In that pond?

[9:29] Clucky: No.

[9:31] Kitten: No, water in Florida is safe.

[9:34] Clucky: I have heard if you can see the bottom, it's probably okay.

[9:39] Kitten: But my thought is that you'll just see the predator coming.

[9:43] Clucky: Wow.

[9:45] Kitten: Your imagination is working overtime.

[9:48] Clucky: No, kitten. Just last week the mom person had to call the gator hotline.

[9:54] Kitten: What's the gator hotline?

[9:57] Clucky: It's a number you call to get a gator trapper to come out.

[10:01] Kitten: Was there really an alligator in the pond?

[10:04] Clucky: Was there really an alligator in the pond? Bark, bark, yeah. A big one.

[10:12] Clucky: Maybe six or seven chickens long.

[10:16] Kitten: What happened?

[10:18] Clucky: Well, we first spotted it when the family was home on spring break.

[10:23] Clucky: They were all playing in the pool and Xander noticed it swimming.

[10:27] Clucky: He yelled out, mom, mom, gator, gator.

[10:30] Clucky: I shot up to the perch to see what all the fuss is about.

[10:32] Clucky: Sure enough, there was what appeared to be a large log floating in the middle of the pond.

[10:40] Kitten: How do you know it wasn't a log?

[10:42] Clucky: Bark, look around. What do you see?

[10:45] Kitten: I see the pond, the backyards of the neighborhood houses that back up to the pond, the palm trees, the lawns.

[10:51] Kitten: Across the pond I see the front gate of the neighborhood.

[10:56] Clucky: Exactly. Lawns, yards, palm trees. Where would a log come from?

[11:04] Kitten: Oh, you are right. We're not in the wilderness.

[11:09] Clucky: Exactly. Also, it was a slightly breezy day and there were small waves on the pond.

[11:16] Clucky: The log was staying in one spot.

[11:20] Kitten: If it was really a log, it would have been pushed by the breeze to the shore.

[11:24] Clucky: You are right.

[11:26] Kitten: Oh, oh, there are really gators in the pond?

[11:32] Clucky: But that's just outside the fence. Are we safe? I don't want to get eaten.

[11:38] Clucky: Now you're getting it. But don't worry, that guy's gone.

[11:42] Kitten: How do you know? How did it get in there? Where is he now?

[11:47] Clucky: Well, I heard Xander talking to the mom person and she said that all the ponds in the area were connected by big tubes underground.

[11:56] Kitten: Why?

[11:58] Clucky: That's what Xander asked.

[12:01] Kitten: So?

[12:03] Clucky: Oh, because here in Florida we get lots of rain and sometimes we get a lot of rain really fast and the ponds get kind of full.

[12:11] Clucky: If they're connected, the water can easily travel to another pond.

[12:18] Clucky: This keeps the ponds from getting too full and overflowing and flooding homes on the banks.

[12:25] Kitten: Okay, well that makes sense.

[12:28] Clucky: But it also means that gators can travel through the tubes like the water.

[12:33] Kitten: Yes, it does. That's why we must stay away from the pond.

[12:40] Clucky: Meow. Well, as a cat I don't like water, but you have certainly given me more reasons to stay away.

[12:49] Kitten: So what happened with the gator that was out there? Is he or she still there?

[12:54] Clucky: We don't know if it was male or female, but it's gone now.

[12:59] Clucky: I like to think it was a boy. I named him Geronimo.

[13:03] Kitten: How do you know Geronimo is gone?

[13:05] Clucky: Well, I told you. The mom person called the gator hotline. She got scared when she saw the gator floating really close to her.

[13:16] Clucky: I mean the dog's fenced yard. She was worried it might eat Rosie.

[13:23] Kitten: Glad it focused on that side and not our side. I may be a chicken, but I'm nobody's lunch.

[13:30] Clucky: Did a trapper come? Yes he did. He set a trap for the gator.

[13:36] Kitten: How do you set a trap for a gator? Well, the first trap.

[13:42] Clucky: The first trap? There was more than one trap.

[13:46] Kitten: Yup. Hold your horses, I'm getting there.

[13:50] Clucky: Well, the first trap was a hook wrapped in meat with a long rope attached to it.

[13:57] Kitten: The rope was staked to the yard and the meat and the hook were thrown in the water.

[14:04] Clucky: You could see the oils from the bait drifting through the water like a scent trail.

[14:11] Kitten: Old Geronimo was sunning himself on the lawn across the pond.

[14:17] Clucky: You mean he was just lying there taking a nap on someone's lawn?

[14:22] Kitten: Yep. Not like anyone was gonna tell him to move.

[14:26] Clucky: I guess not. So anyway, Geronimo catches the scent of the meat.

[14:33] Kitten: We see him slide off the bank into the water. He swims to the middle of the pond and just floats there.

[14:41] Clucky: Then just as it's getting dark, he sinks under the water.

[14:46] Kitten: Yes? And then what? Don't know. It got dark and I could not see.

[14:52] Clucky: And Xander came out and put me in my coop. What? You don't know what happens?

[14:57] Kitten: Of course I know what happens. Clucky, tell me the suspense is killing me.

[15:04] Clucky: Well, I got up the next morning and the rope was all pulled out.

[15:09] Kitten: You could only see a small amount of it coming out of the water that was connected to the stake in the yard.

[15:16] Clucky: Then I heard footsteps. The trapper was back and he reached down and started pulling in the rope.

[15:24] Kitten: He just started pulling in the rope? Was he wearing special protective gear?

[15:29] Clucky: Did he have gator fighting equipment? Nope.

[15:33] Kitten: He was dressed like any other human. He had boots on his feet so his feet wouldn't get wet when he stood in the water.

[15:41] Clucky: Wait, you're telling me that he stood in the water and just started pulling in the rope?

[15:49] Kitten: Did he realize there could be a gator on the other end?

[15:54] Clucky: That's what I'm telling you. Oh my, does he get eaten?

[15:59] Kitten: Of course not. This is a kid's show.

[16:03] Clucky: So he pulls in the line and the whole time I'm biting my feathers waiting to see what's going to happen.

[16:10] Kitten: The rope is really long and he keeps pulling and pulling and pulling and suddenly, yes, nothing, an empty hook.

[16:22] Clucky: What? So you mean Geronimo ate the bait and got away?

[16:26] Kitten: Nah, the trapper told the mom person that the turtles probably ate the bait.

[16:32] Clucky: There are turtles in the pond? Oh yeah, you see them pop their heads up once in a while.

[16:37] Kitten: Sometimes they even crawl out and walk on the shore.

[16:40] Clucky: One time Xander told me they were out walking the beasts, meow, dogs, and there was a turtle crossing the road.

[16:49] Kitten: The mom person was worried that it might get hit by a car.

[16:52] Clucky: So Xander, with his ADHD power, amazingly determined helpful dudes.

[16:58] Kitten: Thanks, I forgot what that meant.

[17:00] Clucky: Well, Xander slowly approached the turtle, gently picked him up by the shell and carried it the rest of the way across the road.

[17:09] Kitten: How helpful. I'm sure the turtle was very grateful.

[17:13] Clucky: Your Xander sounds just as awesome as my Maddox.

[17:17] Kitten: So wait, what happened to Geronimo? Did he get away?

[17:21] Clucky: You said he was gone. Could he still be lurking at the bottom of the pond?

[17:26] Kitten: Oh no, the trapper had another idea.

[17:31] Clucky: He rebaited the hook and this time he placed a big white pole in the water, about a chicken's width from the shore.

[17:38] Kitten: Then he hung the baited hook off the pole so it was dangling about a wingspan above the water.

[17:45] Clucky: So you're telling me that there was a big pole with meat on a hook dangling over the water?

[17:53] Kitten: Yeah, that way. It was too high for the turtles to get it.

[17:57] Clucky: Where was Geronimo when the new trap was being set? Was he watching?

[18:03] Kitten: I'm not really sure. After he went underwater the night before, no one had seen him.

[18:09] Clucky: What happened?

[18:11] Kitten: Well, the meat hung there all day.

[18:15] Clucky: A few times I saw a turtle swim over and stretch and try and reach the meat, but with no luck.

[18:21] Kitten: The trapper had hung it well out of their reach.

[18:24] Clucky: Then, just before dusk, we saw Geronimo emerge from the middle of the pond.

[18:31] Kitten: He swam slowly back and forth across the pond, but with every pass he got closer and closer to the bait.

[18:41] Clucky: Then, when he was about three chickens away from the trap, he went completely under again.

[18:47] Kitten: All was still. There was not even wind.

[18:52] Clucky: It was like everything was holding their breath to see what was going to happen.

[18:57] Kitten: Yeah, and?

[19:00] Clucky: And nothing.

[19:02] Kitten: Nothing?

[19:03] Clucky: Well, there was a really pretty sunset over the water.

[19:07] Kitten: Glecky, are you telling me that nothing happened? Geronimo got away?

[19:13] Clucky: No, just nothing happened immediately.

[19:17] Kitten: Glecky, I need to know what happened.

[19:20] Clucky: Bark, bark, bark. Calm down, kitten.

[19:23] Clucky: So, the hens and I enjoyed watching the sky change from blue to pink to orange.

[19:29] Kitten: And then, just at the point when the sun was about to dip below the horizon, Geronimo appeared right under the bait.

[19:40] Clucky: He lay there, not moving.

[19:43] Kitten: Then his tail began to lift out of the water.

[19:46] Clucky: His tail? Not his head? Was he going to try and hit the bait with his tail?

[19:53] Kitten: No, his head was right under the bait.

[19:55] Clucky: So, I really thought it was strange that his tail began to lift out of the water.

[20:00] Kitten: Until, in a flash of movement, he launched himself out of the water, his jaws open, and he took the bait and the hook in his mouth and swallowed it down and swam away.

[20:11] Clucky: If I'd have blinked, I would have missed it. It was so fast.

[20:15] Kitten: No! You say he swam away. How? Did the rope break?

[20:20] Clucky: No, the rope didn't break.

[20:23] Kitten: He started swimming away, and the rope, which was coiled on the shore, began to let out.

[20:28] Clucky: He got about to the middle of the pond when the rope ran out, and all of a sudden, he stopped swimming and did a barrel roll.

[20:36] Kitten: You mean, he rolled all the way around in the water?

[20:39] Clucky: Yeah, and he tried to swim further and rolled again.

[20:43] Kitten: Then he tried to change directions and got to the end and rolled again.

[20:47] Clucky: The trapper must have used a really good stake, because no matter how Geronimo rolled, he couldn't seem to get it loose.

[20:54] Kitten: He was stuck.

[20:55] Clucky: How long did he keep trying?

[20:57] Kitten: Not very long. After a few more rolls, he gave up and sunk out of sight.

[21:03] Clucky: How long until the trapper came back?

[21:05] Kitten: Well, I heard the mom person call.

[21:07] Clucky: She and the family ate dinner out on the patio and had seen the whole thing.

[21:11] Kitten: A few hours later, the trapper showed up with another man even bigger than him.

[21:17] Clucky: I am glad to hear he brought help this time.

[21:20] Kitten: Do they have a bunch of gear with them, too?

[21:22] Clucky: Nope, just a long pole with a loop on the end and a roll of duct tape.

[21:27] Kitten: Duct tape? Are you joking?

[21:30] Clucky: No, I'm totally serious.

[21:33] Kitten: What good is a roll of duct tape?

[21:36] Clucky: Actually, duct tape has many uses. It's waterproof and you can use it to repair...

[21:41] Kitten: Lucky! Focus!

[21:43] Clucky: I am sure duct tape is very useful.

[21:46] Kitten: But please, tell me what happened. I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't know.

[21:52] Clucky: Okay, so the trapper and the big guy, they both entered the water until they were ankle deep.

[22:00] Kitten: The trapper starts to pull in the line while the big guy stands about six chickens from him, holding the pole with the loop on the end.

[22:08] Clucky: On the other end of the pole, there is a lever which you can make the loop bigger or smaller.

[22:13] Kitten: At first, the trapper starts to pull in the rope and you can see there's no resistance.

[22:18] Clucky: He's easily pulling in large sections, but then there's a sudden jerk and it pulls him forward.

[22:26] Kitten: Ah! Geronimo!

[22:29] Clucky: The trapper steps back and changes his stance.

[22:32] Kitten: He plants his feet and slowly, with effort, begins to pull in the line again.

[22:38] Clucky: You can see the small ripples in the water.

[22:41] Kitten: The big guy scans the water and stands ready with his pole.

[22:45] Clucky: The ripples in the water get bigger the more the trapper pulls on the line.

[22:50] Kitten: He is really grunting with effort now.

[22:53] Clucky: Suddenly, Geronimo splashes to the surface.

[22:56] Kitten: He is thrashing and pulling.

[22:58] Clucky: The trapper is doing all he can to hold on to the rope and not be pulled in the water.

[23:03] Kitten: This keeps on for several minutes, but every so often the trapper can pull in a little bit more line.

[23:09] Clucky: Soon, Geronimo is getting closer to the shore.

[23:13] Kitten: When Geronimo is about five chickens away from the trapper, the big guy who has been watching from the shore sneaks up behind Geronimo with his pole outstretched.

[23:24] Clucky: Geronimo is totally focused on the trapper who has been pulling the rope, but does not seem to notice the loop from the pole getting closer overhead.

[23:32] Kitten: Then, with a flash, the big guy drops the loop on Geronimo's head and pulls it tight.

[23:37] Clucky: Geronimo tries to roll, but he can't, and the big guy and the trapper both begin to slowly walk backwards to the shore, dragging Geronimo with them.

[23:47] Kitten: I can tell Geronimo is getting tired.

[23:49] Clucky: He was putting up less of a fight now.

[23:52] Kitten: When they got to the shore, the big guy handed the pole to the trapper, and then he jumped on the back of Geronimo.

[23:59] Clucky: Then he reached out his tree-trunk-sized arms and held his mouth shut.

[24:04] Kitten: Now, not many people know this, but alligators don't have a lot of muscles for opening their jaw.

[24:10] Clucky: Most of their muscles are for biting and holding on.

[24:14] Kitten: Once the big guy got his hands around his mouth to hold it shut, Geronimo couldn't open it.

[24:19] Clucky: The trapper ran over and wrapped duct tape around his mouth.

[24:23] Kitten: As soon as he did, both men jumped back to their feet, faster than I thought a big guy could move.

[24:29] Clucky: The big guy grabbed the pole and the trapper grabbed the rope, and they pulled Geronimo onto a large canvas that was laid out by their truck.

[24:37] Kitten: When Geronimo was in the center of the tarp, the trapper dropped the rope he was holding and picked up the side of the tarp, threw it over Geronimo, and ran around to the other side.

[24:47] Clucky: The trapper quickly tied up both sides together.

[24:50] Kitten: They were sure to stay well clear of his tail.

[24:53] Clucky: Clucky, it sounds like the trapper and the big guy basically made a hot dog by wrapping Geronimo in a tarp with his head and tail sticking out at either end.

[25:02] Kitten: Yeah, that's what it was like.

[25:05] Clucky: The tarp was super thick, so Geronimo's scales and claws couldn't cut through.

[25:09] Kitten: Once they had him secured, they picked up the Geronimo burrito and loaded him in the back of the truck.

[25:15] Clucky: Where did they take him?

[25:17] Kitten: They told us they were going to relocate him to Gatorland, Orlando.

[25:21] Clucky: Oh, my! I hope he'll be happy there.

[25:25] Kitten: Well, Clucky, thank you for telling me the most exciting story.

[25:30] Clucky: I'll be sure to keep well away from the pond shore.

[25:34] Kitten: Now, I think I'm going to go find a nice patch of sunshine and curl up for a little catnap.

[25:40] Clucky: A nap? Already?

[25:43] Kitten: Silly kitten, you're wasting prime exploring time.

[25:47] Clucky: Thank you for listening to today's episode.

[25:51] Kitten: Please be sure to subscribe to the Kitten and Clucky podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

[25:56] Clucky: Today's voices of Kitten and Clucky were performed by Amy Daniels and the voice of Xander was performed by Corbin Daniels.

[26:06] Clucky: A special thank you to our 12-year-old theme song composer, Henry Johnson.

[26:10] Clucky: And now...

[26:12] Clucky: It's the Kitten and Clucky Joke of the Day!

[26:19] Clucky: Clucky, what do you call an alligator in a vest?

[26:23] Kitten: I don't know.

[26:25] Clucky: An investigator.

[26:27] Kitten: Oh, Clucky.