On Goat's Foot Soup

As always, dust eventually settled on everything in the grove, no matter how great or small. Albatross had been cured of his cold, Kit had been relieved of her nursing duties and Madger Badger was already beginning preparations for the colder autumn and winter months.
Summer was coming to an end and for Madger Badger, getting ready for a long winter started when October started. Plants would wither away soon and there would be little left to eat. Madger Badger began his preparations by cooking up some Goat's Foot Soup.
It all began with the gathering of the kindle-sticks to make the fire. Madger Badger fathered small sticks to start the fire, medium-sized twigs to keep the fire going, and thick branches to make the fire large enough to cook upon. He gathered the sticks into three separate piles then began to light the fire. He rubbed one stick against the other. He rubbed and rubbed until the two sticks smoldered and smoked. Then, there was a spark followed by fire. "Whew!" exclaimed Madger, as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
He rolled a large soup pot down the hill and placed it atop the fire. Bunches of kindle-sticks were piled around the bottom of the pot, waiting to catch fire.
Madger added water to the pot and stood there for a moment, looking at his accomplishment. He realized that if he didn’t gather up things to put into the soup pot, it would only be a water pot. He scampered about, looking for things to add to the water to change it into soup.
Goat’s foot soup was really an easy recipe. A helping of goat’s foot, a serving of cattail, some pinches of lamb’s quarter, some bergamot, and some dandelion greens for good measure.
Madger wondered if the best part of goat’s foot soup was the making or the eating. As he gathered up weeds and flowers and plants, he found himself getting hungrier and hungrier. "Eating goat’s foot soup is definitely the best part," he said to himself as he stopped to catch his breath. In fact, Madger Badger could find himself eating Goat's Foot Soup until he could roll down the hill, plop into the stream and float away.
Of course, all this activity was bound to attract the attention of Albatross Albatross. He never missed a thing that went on in the grove. Whenever anything happened, Albatross was sure to know about it and if he didn’t know about it, he would soon enough.
Albatross flew high above the grove, looking for field mice and worms to eat when he smelled something cooking far below.
He circled down through the treetops and landed on a high branch, far above the fire and smoke.
Albatross quietly sat there, watching Madger Badger run back and forth through the forest. Madger was carrying things towards the soup pot and tossing them into it. He then scurried back into the woods to gather more things to throw into the pot. Albatross watched as Madger Badger worked at a quick pace. Whatever Madger Badger was making, it smelled very good. So good that Albatross would have to get closer to get a better smell (and maybe even a chance to taste this wondrous thing Madger Badger was cooking up).
Albatross swooped down and landed on a pad of dirt next to Madger Badger and his soup.
"Squawk! What are we creating today, Madger?" he asked.
"Well, I am creating some soup."
"Can I have a taste?" asked Albatross.
"It’s not quite ready, but sure. Give it a try."
Albatross took a spoon from Madger and dipped into the soup pot. He blew on it to cool it off then took a sip.
"It’s simply extra-ordinary, Madger. What’s in it?"
"Right now, it’s just boiling water with some goat’s foot and wild asparagus, but I’m going to add some lamb's quarter and cattails."
Albatross choked on his spoonful of goat's foot soup as Madger read off his grocery list.
"How dreadful!" cried Albatross Albatross.
"I know what you're thinking..." interrupted Madger Badger as he laughed at the silly old bird, "goat's foot, cat tail, lamb's quarter."
Before Madger Badger could stop him, Albatross flew off to Kit Fox’s house to tell her of Madger Badger’s dreadful soup.
"Sqwuak! Sqwuak! Kit, it’s perfectly terrible what Madger Badger is doing."
"What’s going on?" asked Kit.
"He’s making Goat’s Foot soup!"
"Oh, that sounds delicious. I love goat’s foot soup," answered Kit.
"Delicious? How can that be delicious?"
"Albatross, goat’s foot is just the name of a weed. Don’t be so silly."
"A weed?"
Kit chuckled to herself as she nodded her head at the old bird. Albatross scratched his head and stood there for a moment. He suddenly realized that lamb’s quarter and cattails were names for plants, too. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, I’ll have to investigate this for myself," said Albatross. He turned about and went back to visit Madger Badger’s soup pot.
When Albatross arrived back at Madger Badger’s soup pot, another visitor had found Madger Badger’s soup It was little Nate Fox.
"Mmmm, it’s so yummy," said Nate. He slurped down a bowl full of the broth and dipped in for another. Albatross quickly made his way to the soup bowl and looked to Madger.
"What is it, Albatross?" barked Madger.
"Well…can I…?"
"You’re not going to throw a fit again, are you?"
"No, no. That was just a misunderstanding. I would like another try, please," asked Albatross.
"Go ahead," said Madger. He handed a bowl to Albatross, who dumped a ladle into the pot and filled up his bowl with goat’s foot soup.
"It smells good," said Albatross.
"Go on, give it a taste," said Madger.
"Mmmm," said Albatross.
"I think it needs something. What do you think?" asked Madger.
"Well, it does need something, but I’m not sure what."
"I was thinking of adding some foxtail."
"Hmmm. That’s a possibility."
"I don’t think so!" exclaimed Nate.
Madger reached down and grabbed a few stalks of yellow foxtail and broke them into tiny pieces. He threw the foxtail into the soup and stirred it up.
"Oh," said Nate as he sighed in relief. They all finished off the rest of their soup bowl before requesting another. Unfortunately, they were eating it faster than Madger Badger could make the soup.
"I'm sorry, I can't give you any more until we get more vegetables."
"Do you want us to help you?" asked Nate.
"That would be splendid if you both helped me."
Albatross didn't really want to help, but he was hungry and Nate Fox had already volunteered him for soup patrol. If he didn’t gather food, they wouldn’t have anything to make soup.
"First thing we need are some wild onions and goat’s foot."
"I know where to find the wild onions. There’s a patch of them behind my house," said Albatross.
"Terrific! I’ll take Nate down to Beaver Pond and show him where we can find the cattails."
So they went on their separate ways, Madger and Nate out into the swampy part of Beaver Pond. Albatross hiked out to the onion patch just behind his hickory tree in the deep part of the woods.
On their way to gather cattails, Madger Badger and Nate Fox found some sawgrass and spearmint and dandelion greens to add to the soup. As their arms filled with weeds and things, it was time to return to the soup pot and fill it with what they had gathered.
In no time at all, Albatross had also gathered a great supply of onion stalks. He plucked the green tops out of the ground and bundled them beneath his wings.
Booey and Gus came up on Albatross’ little onion gathering party.
"What 'cha doin'?" Booey asked Albatross.
"Madger Badger is making some soup and I’m gathering some wild onions."
"Omigosh! It stinks!" exclaimed Booey. The smell of all the onions being picked was terrible for Booey. Gus agreed, the stink was awful.
"What stinks? I think the smell of an onion patch is one of the best smells in the world. Next to azaleas, of course," he added.
Soon enough, they finished gathering wild onions from the onion patch behind the hickory tree and returned to the soup pot. Nate was stirring the pot while Madger was making sure the fire was blazing hot. Kit had also joined them, bringing along some asparagus and arrowroot to add to the soup.
"You’ll have to pile those onions over there. We don’t have any more room to add anything else to this soup," said Madger.
They dumped the wild onions in a pile next to the other vegetables that hadn’t made it into the pot. Nate began fixing bowls of soup and handing them out. Everyone ate to their stomach’s content and they made a second pot of soup and then a third.
They all ate so much soup they could roll down a hill. Instead of rolling down hills, they each went their own ways and slept a good sleep. As the moon crossed the nighttime sky, Booey and Gus dreamt about stinky onions. Madger and Nate dreamt of muddy swamps and collecting cattails. Kit dreamt of digging around in the stream to gather arrowroot bulbs. Albatross dreamt of goat’s foot and lamb’s quarter and how lovely Madger Badger’s soup had been. They all dreamt of tasty bowls of soup that now filled their stomach and kept them warm and happy throughout the long, cold night.