Once again-Rainbow Bridge is all a buzz......Halloween is right around the corner and with that---Mr. Cuddles Sullivans birthday! Now back on Earth--his mom, Vicki--always saw to it that he had a special day on Halloween and it has been the same since Cuddles arrival at the Bridge and even more so since his sister Lil Misty Rose joined him with her Cuz-2 of a kind, Maddie. The girls have seen to it that Halloween/Cuddles B-day is a T-Total blow out.

This year Rainbow Bridge is sponsoring a Mask contest and the usual Pumpkin-carving contest and lets not forget the scarcrow making contest---always a big event at the Bridge among all the Critters-large and small. Last year Sammy won the contest with his unusual 2 headed Pit-B. scarcrow-each wearing a straw Mexican hat! Puck seems to take the prize most years for best costume and it has been a tie many years for best mask....with Maddie in the tie last year as the GRINCH. Now Milo has been winning pumpkin carving contest as often as not.

As much as the Bridge Proper area is a buzz......Maddie and Cuddles and Misty Rose have been off to a much more isolated part of the Bridge. An Island. No Not Pucks special island......something much, m-u-ch more isolated...........

VERY SPOOKY.................................................................................................

it just so happened that Puck decided to get the ole row boat out from the basement of Two Malts And A Poodle and see if the ole girl was STILL seaworthy......Now Dale, fantastic sea captain that he --was willing to see if she was SEA WORTHY...but he had stuff to do and could not do it 'till the day b4 Halloween and well...Cuddles and Misty and Maddie had something in mind.............You see, while out and about over the summer Cuddles discovered a very special place......it was at the far side of the 

Bridge--way-way out upon the lake. Just a tiny little island with a log cabin built there......but totally abandoned.........

"Misty-Maddie.....Guess what I just discovered?" said Cuddles in his most excited voice.......

"It is a SPECIAL place --far, far away---clear on the OTHER side of Rainbow Bridge and it is across a lake and it is abandoned!" Misty and Maddie got that interested look on their faces and as fast as their little

feet could take then they were outdoors hooking the boat up to one of the little red cars. "VAROOoooooooooMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"in a cloud of dust they were out of there and onto a VERY big adventure

Cuddles got the girls out of the car and backed the boat down off an old ramp and "SPLASH" into the water it went. "A-hoy!" yelled Maddie---"shiver me Timbers" yelled Misty..........

Cuddles paddled the little boat right up to the abandoned island and as the sun was past setting--it was just a tad spooky......but afterall.....adventures are NOT supposed to be calm-right??? The kids scrambled out of the boat and the girls tied up while Cuddles took a look around. There was a LOT of underbrush to cut down......but Cuddles came prepared to cut down the brush and begin work......

Suddenly the girls noticed the sky getting dark.......they decided to hurry cuddles along.......

"maddie---I am SOOOOoooooo scared of the dark" wines Misty. Maddie puts her arm around her little Cuz-2 of a Kind--"It is ok, Misty...I am here for ya girl" says Maddie in her calm Misty down voice........

Suddenly Cuddles is out from behind the cabin like a shot! " lets get outa here girls-I am scared---this place is NO good---too scarry--way too scarry---the angles would NOT want us here." With that the girls were off and yet more adventure to come....

In a sudden gush the boat began to fill with water and the kids started bailing with one of Misty's famous saddle shoes...."good thing you are wearing them Misty" says Cuddles Laughingly....."those things are as big as boats!---Tee-Hee, IF it had been Maddie's tiny shoes we would be bailing into NEXT week!" Misty Furrowed her brow and snaped "stop it Cuddles!--you REALLY did NOT miss your calling in Comedy!" Cuddles just grinned--but continued bail as Maddie paddled."I told you there was grass growing in the boat!" said Misty in an anoyed tone.

The kids got back to the condo just in time to see a rolling fog coming in with the impending darkness. The Guardian-Angels were sure on duty. Another adventure-down.

As October 31 approached-Cuddles decided on an easier, less scarry aproach to his Big halloween B-day celebration. Rainbow Bridge Proper-after all seemed like the perfect SAFE choice and who can resist big ole red barns and crunchy fall leaves?

Haybales went up and cornstalks and buckets of apples for bobbing and Benny and Max delivered plenty of pumpkins for the carving contest and Garcia and Dougal draped everything in fake cobwebs while Saada provided the pumpkin lights strung through the trees with the help of Baci. Buster&Dollie gathered firewood for the bon fine(well, Dollie gathered kindling ;) ) Princess and Mollie draped all the tables in orange tablecloths while Luna swept everything down in the barn with Puck checking to see that all the Kitty-Cats of rainbow Bridge had scared all the field mice out....

Dale and Cindy lit candles on all the tables--taking PLENTY of time to do it(ok--so are Dale & Cidy an "item"?) Peaches #1 and Peaches#2 cooked up a storm with the help of Sparkman in his long, white cooking apron. Sweep and Morgan drove Suzie Wong to the Asian take out place..... Suzie knwe JUST what to get....Mongolian beef with snow peas....brown and white rice, crab ragoons, wanton soup by the gallon, noodles, Peeking Duck...you name it and Suzie brought it-INCLUDING the most important-Fortune cookies!

Chica and Brandy looked spiffy in their car parking uniforms "Valet parking is the WAY to "Maddie had . "The ONLY way." Lukes band and the boxers down by the lake tuned up.....

The moon was full as Gretel and Baily and Gretchen arrived with Pin the tail on the Puppy and a bag full of prizes. Moochie brought the blindfold and a spinner to find out WHO would go first.... Buster won by getting the tail pinned to the RIGHT place EACH time!

All in all it was a wonderful evening and by the time the orange and black cake--iced by Dollie was brought in---glowing with 30 plus candles(no one counted them.....but more than 3 boxes of ten candles each were used) Each little fur-kid was yawning and had Visions of sugar plums about to dance in their ...OOPS! WRONG story. Sorry!

Anyway, each little furkid had a full tummy, plenty of prizes--a pocket full of Fortune cookies(THANK you! Suzie Wong.......) and as they made their way back home under the light of a full moon--giggling at the display of Rainbow Bridge Kittys dressed up as tiny witches on moterized brooms --zooming across the sky with the moon glowing bright behind them , they all stoped and surveyed the scene of barn and scarecrows from the contest lined up against the fence(of course Maddie won--with her Angel scarecrow in feathered wings) and the pumpkins lining the walkway--each with a different face-Dale the winner with his pirate pumpkin...Shiver Me Timbers!

All is well at Rainbow Bridge. Happy Fall and Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday, Cuddles!

Many Hugs, Sherri & ♥Maddie.

Ps. sorry for the delay....

Any complaints can be mailed to Nat. grid Power Co!