WINNIE the POOH and FRIENDS on Their Big Day!

The loud roar of a vacuum cleaner fills the Sanders’ home with deafening sound. It’s mid-morning and Edna is in a hurry to finish cleaning her house. She’s expecting Scoop, the Cub Reporter from The Shady Pines Gazette newspaper to show up any time now. He’s coming to interview her on one of her favorite topics – Winnie the Pooh. As a cartoon character herself, Edna is crazy about the adventures of this bear and his buddies. Their stories are filled with kindness, friendship, caring, and other positive themes. And, best of all, January 18th is the official Winnie the Pooh Day!

BOOMER and HALLEY

“Something about those Pooh stories reminds me of the books our local author, Mary Jane McKittrick, writes about our family. My husband, Harold and I think Boomerang, our Australian Shepherd dog, and our silver streak of a cat, Halley’s Comet, are very entertaining critters. I guess other people do, too! Honestly, when we first adopted those four legged “children” we had no idea how to be parents. But, just like the Pooh stories, The Boomer and Halley books inspire kids to be good, honest and decent people. Although, I must say, our Boomer and Halley often have us spinning and they tend to get the whole town of Shady Pines into the act!” (For Boomer and Halley books Go HERE)

As she puts the vacuum away in the utility closet, Edna sees Boomer and Halley are hanging out in the kitchen. She smiles. “You two act like you don’t like one another, but I know better!”

Boomer cocks his head. “Whaaat?”

Halley can’t believe what she’s hearing. “Mom thinks we get along?”

Edna sweeps up dog and cat food that has spilled onto the floor. “Listen you two, this is a big day. It’s National Winnie the Pooh Day. I am a big fan of the lovable bear and all his friends.”

Boomer is confused. “Halley, Winnie the Pooh is a bear? Does he live in Shady Pines?”

Halley shakes her head. “I don’t know. And who are his friends?”

Edna pulls a book down from the shelf. “Here it is. My very own Winnie the Pooh book.”

Ding Dong!

Boomer barks and gets ready to head to the front door. “That must be Scoop,” says Edna. “I’ll bet he ran here like always.”

When she opens the door, she sees a familiar young man with a shock of red hair. He has his camera equipment slung over his arm and a reporter’s notebook sticking out of his jacket pocket.

“Hi ya, Mrs. Sanders, hey Boomer, how are you?”

Edna motions for him to come in. “Good to see you Scoop. Let’s go into the kitchen.”

Scoop follows Edna while Boomer brings up the rear. “Here we go Scoop. You can have a seat right there at the table. Would you like something to drink?”

Scoop takes out his notebook and puts his camera bag down by his feet. “No, thank you. I’m OK for now.”

Edna sits beside him and puts her Winnie the Pooh book on the table. “One of my prized possessions.”

THE SANDERS CONNECTION

Scoop reaches for his camera. “Would you mind if I get a photo of you reading your book? And, maybe some shots of the pages?”

Edna is thrilled. “Of course.”

While Scoop gets set up, he asks, “Tell me why this means so much to you.”

Edna clears her throat. “Well, first, do you see the name above the entrance to Winnie the Pooh’s tree house? It’s Sanders!”

Scoop is shocked. “Really?”

Edna shows him a page with that very specific picture. Scoops snaps a photo. He can’t believe it. “Would you look at that. It does say Sanders.” Scoops looks through more pages.

“When I was working at the Community Center one day, a young boy asked me to read a Winnie the Pooh book to him. That’s when I got hooked. The youngster told me he liked all of the characters but related the most to Christopher Robin.”

Scoop looks up. “That’s the young boy in the story, right? I just wrote an article for the Gazette. Christopher Robin was based on the author’s real life son.” (Scoop’s article HERE)

SCOOP GETS the SCOOP!

Edna nods. “Exactly. Think of it. Humans and animals together telling wonderful stories. What does that remind you of, Scoop?”

Scoop is smiling. “Sounds to me a lot like what happens around here in Shady Pines Story Town! That’s why it’s cool being a reporter. Just like Pooh, we’ve got plenty of interesting characters around here.”

Now Edna is smiling. “That’s your story, Scoop. Now I’ve got to scoot you out of here. I’ve got some moms and their kids coming over for a Winnie the Pooh lunch.”

Scoop places his photo equipment into his camera bag. “Let me guess, you’re going to have some honey on the table.”

Edna gets up from the table. “In honor of the honey-loving bear, there may even be some honey baked ham.”

As Scoop heads back to the newspaper office, Edna gets ready to welcome her guests. It’s going to be another memorable gathering in Edna’s Kitchen and it’s happening, once again, in the small Southern town of Shady Pines.

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