Are you ready to meditate with Kari?
Make sure that you're in your bed and you're snuggly and warm and all is right in your room.
The lights are just right.
You've got your comfortable pajamas on and you're ready to snuggle down and hopefully fall fast asleep.
Idy,
Cherry and Vare were nowhere near fast asleep.
They were actually on vacation.
They had gone to Canada.
They'd been wanting to go to Canada for the longest,
Longest,
Longest time and they got so many friends and people that they'd met online in Canada.
They wanted to visit everyone which was pretty much impossible but they did have quite a few friends that they were definitely going to meet on the way there and when they were there.
The being in Canada,
Four days,
They were staying for seven days in total and on this particular day they were on one of the many lakes in Canada.
Heidi said,
Did you know that there's over three million lakes in Canada?
Heidi had been reading lots of books about Canada.
She wanted to know as much as she could possibly know so that it could soak in all the sights and take advantage of everything that she'd read about.
Did you know that the capital of Canada is Ottawa?
Ottawa,
Said Cherry,
That's a funny name.
You know what,
I've always wanted to meet an otter.
I think they're just so cute and they look so soft.
Have you not noticed that like when you see them and they're playing and they're like swimming around on the back,
They're so soft looking,
Their fur looks so fluffy and soft.
I just want to stroke an otter.
The Canada capital is not called Otter,
Cherry,
Said Heidi.
It's called Ottawa.
Oh,
Said Cherry.
My problem.
Misunderstood you.
I thought you were talking about otters.
Anyway,
What were you saying?
And did you know,
Said Cherry,
That they talk French here?
Everyone,
Absolutely everyone.
Bonjour Madame.
Bonjour.
Bonjour.
Bonjour.
Bonjour.
Cherry was shouting bonjour as loud as she could on the boat that they were on,
On the river.
They'd gone on a river boat ride.
It was a big boat and it had quite a few people on it.
Everyone kept turning around and shouting back bonjour,
Bonjour.
She thought that was wonderful.
Told you,
Everyone here speaks French.
Heidi said,
Not everyone speaks French here.
Some people speak English as well.
But you're right.
The main languages in Canada are English and French.
They said,
Oh,
I love French.
I love,
I love it.
I love how they talk.
I love how it sounds.
It sounds so romantic.
It's just very soft to listen to,
Don't you think?
Very loving.
Heidi said,
I'd never really thought of it like that before,
Vea,
But you know,
You're right compared to some languages.
Some languages,
When you speak them,
Sound quite hard and abrupt.
But French definitely does not.
I think,
Said Vea,
I would really like to go to France one day and just explore and eat lots of grapes and baguettes and cheese.
It just looks so romantic.
The French countryside on a nice warm day with a glass of lemonade and the best cheese and bread just sounds so nice.
Oh,
Yeah,
That does.
That sounds delicious.
Anyway,
What else were you talking about?
We're having like a tourist class.
If anybody wants to listen in,
Guys.
She was talking to everyone else on the riverboat.
You can listen in because my sister,
Heidi,
Knows so much about Canada.
She knows like absolutely every single fact in the entire world about Canada.
Heidi got a little bit embarrassed because that wasn't true.
She didn't know everything about Canada,
But she did know a couple of things.
She coughed,
First of all,
To clear her throat.
And then she said,
Well,
Apparently Canada is the second largest country in the world.
Oh,
Said Cherry,
I know which one's the biggest.
I know which one's the biggest.
It's America,
Isn't it?
I bet it's America.
America's so big.
It's got so many different states,
So many different fields,
So many different oceans.
It's just so big.
Heidi said,
No,
It's not America.
They said,
Hmm,
Is it China?
China's very big,
Right?
I think it's China.
Heidi said,
No,
Someone on the boat shouted Russia.
Heidi said,
Yep,
That's it.
It's Russia.
Well,
I never,
Said Cherry.
I don't believe it.
I thought it was definitely America.
But then,
You know,
I've never been to Russia and I don't know how big Russia is.
Obviously,
Russia must be very,
Very big if it's the biggest,
Most biggest,
Most biggest country in the world.
It must be so big.
I wonder what they grow in Russia.
You know,
Because if the country is so big,
I bet they have lots and lots and lots of fields.
And if that's the case,
Then I wonder what they grow.
You know,
Like America grows lots of corn because a lot of things have that corn syrup stuff in,
Don't it?
Well,
You know,
They have to grow it somewhere,
Right?
And if they grew it in another country,
Then they'd have to like transport it all the way from another country into America and then make lots of corn syrup.
That doesn't make as much money,
Does it?
So I know for fact,
For a fact,
That America grows lots and lots of corn.
I wonder what Russia grows.
Heidi was put on the spot because Cherry was staring at her and quite a few people on the boat now were sat listening as if they were having some real tour guide on the boat.
This made Heidi very nervous.
I don't really know what Russia grows.
I'd have to look into it.
Oh,
So you don't really know everything,
Do you?
Oh my gosh,
Did you see that?
Cherry was distracted already.
And moved on the side of the lake.
It looked big and brown.
What is that?
It's an otter,
An otter in Ottawa.
It's an otter.
Everyone on the boat stared at where Cherry was pointing one of her paws and it wasn't an otter.
It was too fat for an otter.
Otters are quite sleek and thin.
It wasn't an otter.
Heidi said,
It's a beaver.
A beaver?
Said Cherry.
What's a beaver doing here in Canada?
Heidi said,
Apparently beavers are like the country's emblem kind of thing.
A beaver.
That and the maple leaf.
Oh,
Like maple syrup,
Said Cherry.
Oh my gosh.
Goodness gracious me.
I did not realize Canada was the place to have the bestest maple syrup.
Heidi said,
Yes,
There are many maple tree forests here in Canada.
Hence the maple leaf is one of their emblems along with the beaver.
Wow,
Said Freya.
That's so nice.
A beaver's nice or a beaver's kind of aggressive?
Because they do have very big teeth,
Don't they?
I've seen them.
Heidi said,
Yes,
Well.
They do a lot of biting and chewing on trees and logs and branches.
They make their own dams.
So they collect lots of branches and then they make dams in the rivers.
And then they kind of hang out in them.
Wow,
Said Cherry.
You do know so much.
You're like the bestest guide,
Heidi.
Don't you think,
Everyone?
Don't you think Heidi's like the bestest guide?
Everyone on the boat that was listening and paying attention clapped very loudly.
Heidi nearly died.
Heidi said,
Well,
I'm not sure about that,
Freya,
But it would be nice to get a closer look at the beavers.
I wonder if the guy that's riding this boat will take us closer so we can have a better look.
One of the people that was listening to Heidi went over and asked the guy that was steering the boat.
And he said,
That was fine.
They got closer and closer to the beavers,
But they didn't want to get too close.
They didn't want to upset the beavers in any way or make them scared.
But they got close enough where they could have a really good look.
Everyone went to that side of the boat to watch the beavers swimming and just playing and doing their thing.
Cherry said,
Oh,
They're so cute.
They're so cute.
I don't think they're as cute as otters.
I must admit,
Otters have a nice face.
Beavers have more of a beaver face.
It's not as cute as it,
But they are very cute,
Very,
Very sweet.
I wonder if you could swim with them.
I'd really like to just get in and go in over there and say,
Hello,
Billy Beaver.
Do you want to tell me about your life?
Tell me what you do during the day.
My sister,
Heidi,
Has been reading all about Canada and she'd probably really like to know what you do personally.
You know,
One on one,
Do you like to stop at tea time and have a cup of tea?
Do you like to just,
You know,
Laze around in the sun certain parts of the day?
Is there a particular branch that you like to chew or do you just like to chew all of them?
I'd like to do that.
You know,
Like be like an interviewer and go and interview one of those beavers.
It'd be so interesting.
So fascinating.
Heidi started laughing.
Bea said,
If you do that,
Cherry,
Could you check to see if beavers are angry and if they bite,
Please?
Cherry said,
Well,
Yeah,
I will,
Of course.
I think actually Bea,
That would be my first question.
Hello,
Billy Beaver.
Billy the Beaver.
Hello.
Um,
Yes,
First question.
Do you bite,
Especially kittens?
Do you like to chew on cats?
That's what I would say,
Bea.
And then the beaver,
Billy,
Would say,
No,
I just pretend that I look mean,
But I'm really not mean.
It's just my teeth.
My teeth are quite pointed and big and it makes me look like I'm going to eat you,
But I'm not going to eat you because I just like to eat trees.
That's what the beaver would say.
Cherry was killing herself.
Some of the people that were listening to Heidi talk earlier were now enthralled with what Cherry was saying.
And of course,
Cherry loves an audience.
She was hamming it up,
Making everyone laugh.
She was doing beaver impressions,
Sticking her front teeth out.
Look at me,
I'm a beaver.
She thought she was funny.
And some of the people on the boat thought she was funny.
But then eventually it was time to move along on the boat.
There were other things to see,
Other sights to see.
Do you know,
When we get off this boat,
Can I have some maple syrup?
I really like maple syrup.
So sweet and so nice.
I like maple syrup.
I like maple syrup in my drinks.
I like maple syrup on those fruity balls.
You know those frozen fruity balls that you make,
Heidi?
Heidi said,
I saw your balls.
Yeah,
Them with maple syrup.
OMG,
It's delicious.
I like maple syrup on my oatmeal.
I like maple syrup.
What else do I like?
Maple syrup on just like raspberries.
Oh gosh,
To die for.
I do.
I could eat maple syrup on everything.
So nice.
Has anyone on this boat ever had maple syrup butter?
OMG,
It's delicious.
A couple of people put their hand up and started laughing.
It's terrible.
You can't stop eating it once you start.
It's like candy in a jar.
It's so good.
The boat ride went on for about another 45 minutes and then eventually the cats got off.
They said goodbye to all of their new friends that they met on the boat.
Some of the people wanted to know if Heidi had a business card and if she did other tours too.
She thought that was really funny since she wasn't a tour guide at all.
Cherry enjoyed the fact that some people thought she was a comedian.
They went back to the hotel.
They cleaned off from their day and settled down to eat pancakes with butter and maple syrup on them for dinner because they could.
Because they were in Canada.
They were all full.
The tummies were stuffed.
They watched a little bit of telly and then they turned the lights out.
They snuggled down on their comfortable big hotel bed together and then it didn't take too long at all before all three cats were snoring away fast asleep dreaming about maple syrup and beavers.
The end.
