The Rubber Chicken talks to the Love Pig

Before we check in with the Rubber Chicken, I have to thank my buddy Jen.



She sent me these great sussies from her vacation: a fabulous shell necklace, tasty chocolates and delicious-smelling lip gloss.

Thanks so much Jen! It was so sweet of you to think of me.



Though it may be awhile until I can wear the necklace.

And now, we find out what the Love Pig can offer the Rubber Chicken...

For the previous edition, go here.

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"I am the Love Pig!" the pink pig exclaimed with a snort. His white wings fluttered and he spread his red hooves wide. "And I hear you're looking for your love."




"Yes!" the Rubber Chicken shouted. "I've been searching everywhere for her! I checked with the ducks, the silver banker pig and the Taco Dog. No one knows where she's gone! Can you help me?"



His voice was filled with desperation. As his eyes pleaded with the Love Pig, he felt his heart twist. If he could only talk to the Fuzzy Duck. What if she was trapped in the attic? What if she had been captured by a French chef? What if....He gulped, wincing at his raw throat from the emotion bubbling in his chest. His feathers heaving, he gaped at the Love Pig.





"Don't worry my feathered chicken friend!" the Love Pig shouted. "We'll find her quite easily. What's the last thing you heard?"



"Her friend the mermaid found a note that said she'd gone to save her mother from the Skull Face," the Rubber Chicken informed him. "But why would she just leave without saying anything? We had a date last night."

The Love Pig gulped. "Skull Face? In the attic?"



"Yes," the Rubber Chicken replied.


"Oh dear, oh dear," the Love Pig stuttered. He paced back and forth, his white wings fluttering wildly against his hot pink back. "This is bad. This is very bad."



"What do you mean, bad?" the Rubber Chicken shrieked. "I can't let anything bad happen to her!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this," the Love Pig said gravely. "But no one finds Skull Face. He finds them."

The Rubber Chicken's beak dangled open. "So you think--"

The Love Pig nodded. "Yes. She was kidnapped to be part of his captured Holiday Creatures."

The Rubber Chicken howled and fell to his orange feet. Burying his head in his feathers, he sobbed into his wings.


"Don't be worried, my feathered fowl pal!" the Noble Pig bellowed, pulling the Rubber Chicken to his feet. "I am the Love Pig! The cupid of pork! The Love Doctor of the Pond! The protector of critter hearts! The guardian of animal emotions"--

"That's all lovely," the Rubber Chicken interrupted. "But how does that help me?"

The pig snorted and fluttered his wings. "Because I know the Lady in Pink. And she is the only one in the whole Pond who has ever defeated the Skull Face."

"Really?" The Rubber Chicken jumped up and down. "How did she do that?"

"I don't know," the Love Pig replied. "We'll have to ask her."

To be continued....

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have a special edition of Twirl, just as you requested. Then Sunday, a special announcement about a celebration in the Pond! And we have a whole new week of whimsical goodness coming up! Stay tuned!

The Rubber Chicken begins the Search for the Fuzzy Duck

To read the previous edition of our feathered friend's love drama, go here.



After discovering the Fuzzy Duck had gone to rescue her mother from the evil Skull Face in the attic, the Rubber Chicken set out in the dark of night to rescue his feathered love.



At first, he simply ran around the streets in a fit of panic.


"What should I do?" he fretted, flapping his wings frantically. "Where should I go? There's a million places she could be!"


Terrible images raced through his mind. What if the Fuzzy Duck was hurt? What if she had been captured by the Skull Face's evil hooligans? What if....the last thought was so horrifying he couldn't bear to finish it. Gnashing his beak together, he threw himself down in front of the restaurant they went to on their first date.



"It's useless," he whispered to himself, his wings dangling by his sides. "I'm just a rubber chicken. How can I rescue her?"

"First, you have to stop sniveling!" a voice snapped.

"It's not romantic," a second voice scolded him.

"Buck up, chin up!" a third voice cheered.

"Do you have any pie?" a fourth voice answered.

The Rubber Chicken looked up in astonishment. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.



"Hello," he said uncertainly.

"Hello," the first duck said.

"How do you do?" the second duck asked.

"Why are you still wuffling on the ground?" the third duck asked.

"Do you like chicken nuggets or are you morally opposed to them?" the fourth duck asked.

The Rubber Chicken blinked. He had never been asked so many questions at once. "Actually, I'm looking for a girl," he said. "The Fuzzy Duck. Have you seen her?"

"The one with frizzy feathers?" the first duck asked.

"She was here yesterday," the second duck said.

"With the Yellow Chicken," the third duck confirmed.

"You might want to check with her," the fourth duck advised. "She's at the late night cafe down the street."

"Thanks!" the Rubber Chicken cried. Cheered, he hurried down the road towards the late night cafe. When he got there, only a few patrons were sprinkled about the booths. The Yellow Chicken was munching on apple pie and a entire carton of ice cream when he burst through the door.



"Excuse me, ma'am!" he cried. "I'm in desperate need of your aid!"

"Not my pie, I hope," the hen clucked, pulling her plate closer to her feathered breast.

"Oh no," the Rubber Chicken assured her. "I'm looking for the Fuzzy Duck. Do you know where she is?"

"We had a lovely lunch yesterday,"the Yellow Chicken chortled, waving her spoon in the air. "Corn salad with tomato and grasshopper soup and honey macaroons! Delicious!"

"Yes," the Rubber Chicken agreed. "It sounds lovely. Did the Fuzzy Duck mention any plans?"

The Yellow Chicken chewed on her pie for a moment. "She was going to the Mr. B, the banker," she said finally. "You might check with him. He comes to the bank at 7 a.m., so you might meet him then."


"Thanks!" the Rubber Chicken shouted. Enthused, he hurried home. The next morning, he bolted out of bed and raced to the bank. He was there by 6:30 a.m. Burying into his rubber feathers, he had almost fallen asleep when he saw the silver banker ascending the bank steps.



"Excuse me!" he shouted. "May I ask you a question?"

"What?" the silver pig snapped. "Time is money, money is time! Unless your question revolves around quarters or dimes, that's no concern of mine!"

The Rubber Chicken blinked, then shook his head. "I'm looking for the Fuzzy Duck," he said. "Do you know where she went?"

"Foolish duck!" the silver pig cried. "She took all her money and drained her account! There's not a quarter, a dime or even a penny left to count!"

"But where did she go?" the Rubber Chicken pressed. "Did she say?"

"The Taco Dog," the silver pig snapped, pulling keys out of the slot on his back to open the door. "Time is money, money is time! Unless you have bank business, this is goodbye!" The silver pig hurried into the bank and slammed the door. Shacking his feathered head, the pig hurried to the Taco Dog. By this late in the morning, it was crowded with customers wanting tasty breakfast tacos. The Rubber Chicken shoved his way to the front.


"Taco, burrito or tamale?" the Taco Dog inquired.

"None of the above," the Rubber Chicken replied. "I'm looking for the Fuzzy Duck."

"She likes burritos," the Taco Dog assured him. "Eggs, bacon and cheese. With a splash of beans."

"Where is she?" the Rubber Chicken asked, his patience fading.

"I don't know," the Taco Dog shrugged. "She hasn't been in for breakfast in two days. Next customer!" he called, looking over the Rubber Chicken's shoulder.



Pushing through the crowd, the Rubber Chicken plopped down on a bench and buried his head in his feathers. "It's hopeless," he muttered to himself. "She's so far gone I'll never catch her."

"Not necessarily."

The Rubber Chicken jerked his head up and gasped. "Who are you?"



"I can help," a pink cupid snorted, his snout twitching as his wings fluttered. "Let me introduce myself..."

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have all sorts of whimsical fun this week. Tomorrow, we have a new Gift! Then we've got a new Twirl, a new addition to the Pond and a family recipe that will have you drooling into your keyboards. Get ready for a whimsical week at the Pond!

Tag

Jen at the lovely Tater Tots and Jello tagged me a few days ago. When I realized what picture I would have to reveal, I giggled. So instead of the story I was going to give you today, you get another story instead.

Admit it. You're curious what story you missed. Don't worry--it will be revealed soon!


The rules are:


1) I choose the 4th folder where I store my pictures on the computer.
2. Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.
5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

Here's the fourth picture in my fourth folder:




When Ben and I went to Baylor, we didn't usually go to football games. The whole point of football games is to enjoy a rousing competition, and there was nothing to compete with Baylor. We lost almost every game. By halftime, you were either freezing with purple toes during a cold spell, or more likely sweating with your underwear stuck to your butt. And the Blond Duck doesn't do purple toes or sweaty underwear stuck to her butt. There were very few games in my college experience.



My senior year, my friend Val and her fiance David came up for the Baylor-UT game. I thought they were insane. Not only did they drive an hour and a half to go watch a game where we all knew what was going to happen, but they paid $80 per ticket.



But I'm not a Longhorn, so I suppose I don't understand.

Val and David had just gotten engaged. The plan was to stay until halftime, then Val and I would go shop for wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses. The boys would watch television and scratch themselves until we returned to pour over more wedding magazines and discuss more wedding details.

As I've said before, I'm not really into weddings.



But, I was Val's maid of honor, so I bucked up and prepared for a day of football and weddings, my two most favorite things ever. It's what a good buddy does.

The game was in November, so I only put a light coating of sunscreen on my face.



When the ladies began to giggle at David's Bridal a few hours later, I couldn't understand why. I thought perhaps my bra was showing or a boob had escaped my corset or maybe my underwear was showing.


It was only when a saleswoman touched my arm to turn me to pin the dress that I realized everything, and I do mean everything, was burned to a crisp.

Blow up the picture if you don't believe me.



Several dresses and wedding magazines later, the bride's fears of a lobster maid of honor had been calmed.

After all, her wedding wasn't until next September.

So Invisible Friends, it's like that old Baz Luhrman song says: "If I could offer you any tip for the future, wear sunscreen."

Tag.

You're it!:

1. Amanda at Amanda's Cooking
   
2. Debbie at Friday Friends
   
3. Pearl at Fresh and Pure
4. Pam at For the Love of Cooking

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow, the Rubber Chicken finally searches for his long lost love....And we have a week full of whimsical goodness coming up!

Lunch Date

It's my favorite time of the week.


For days before, giddy possibilities fill my mind. It could be fish, a sandwich, a hamburger or even barbecue. It could be ice cream or pizza, or even soup and salad.



It could be on a Friday or a Saturday, a Monday or a Sunday. It could be at eleven or one, twelve or two.



It could be downtown or a few blocks from the house. It could be out of town or at the drive through around the corner.



Sometimes I'm in dance pants, sometimes I'm in a fancy dress. Sometimes I've taken a shower, sometimes I smell like a sewer.


But it's ok.





Because even if I talk too much about myself, smear icing or barbecue sauce all over my face or wear a cracker on my head, you just smile.



And even when I demand dessert at every occasion and steal bites of your leftover hamburger, you think it's cute.

And even when I pick yuppie sandwich places because I was fooled by the cute pink tables and fall into a wallowing funk, you buy me a cupcake to cheer me up.






Because at lunch, it's just us. It's not about the puppies, it's not about work, it's not about family or friends or the people sitting at the table next to us.



And even now, my favorite time of the week is a lunch date.



With you.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a week full of whimsical fun! We've got a new gift tomorrow and the promised wedding post Tuesday. In addition, we've got a new Twirl, classic Pond recipe of one of the Blond Duck's favorite foods and the Babies' Birthday (will they get their peanut butter puppy pie?) Stay tuned to find out!

We All Need a Cookie

**Remember- Blond Duck Confessions Friday! Want to know who Ben is and why I got married at 21? Want to know why I'm obsessed with pie? Are you curious about the cookie stealing bunny? Leave a question in the comments and I'll answer them!

And now, for our post:





There are times in life when we all need a little something.




For the days when mooses won't even murmur a comforting word,



When everyone's trying to get in your space and shatter your dreams,



And the cinnamon rolls are all gone from the freezer and the oven is cold and dark,



You need one of these.







When you chew off your favorite toy's arm,



Fall a bit in the race against time that replays day after day after day,




And spend your days fighting corporate foes,



You need one of these.





And when the skies shine down on you,




When every step is a twirl,




And when you're finally being treated like the prince or princess you deserve,






Then you need one of these. Maybe two or three.




For no matter what size, shape, age or gender,




Critter, person, or baked-goods stealer,

There is one thing on which we can all agree:




Even the mashed cookies in the corner are a tasty treat.





So critters, friends and loved ones all,

Join me for a cookie won't you?




After all, it is the perfect day for one.

Or two.

Or three.



Back off, cookie-stealing bunny.


Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have a new Twirl with awards for some dear Invisible Friends! Will we find out what's in the envelope? What is Vivi's evil Dad and Mrs. Angelson up to? Who knows?!?

Well, I do.

Anyway, Thursday we have low-fat (and TASTY) chicken pot pies and Friday, the Blond Duck confessions! Stay tuned!