Hello everyone, this is Ria with a quick note.
This is a preview of an episode exclusive to Little Stories Premium.
Little Stories Premium gives you more of the stories you love, an ad -free listening experience, and access to Little Stories for Sleep, an exclusive bedtime podcast featuring brand new sleepy stories perfect for that last track on a bedtime playlist. Subscribe or purchase a gift subscription by visiting littlestoriespremium .com.
Now, on to the show.
this is Rhea welcome to little stories for tiny people I'm a fairly organized person I plan ahead I have binders two binders to be exact I have a documents binder where I keep important papers, and I have a recipe binder where I keep all sorts of recipes for things like cricket stew and snail pasta.
Our story today is about a squirrel who is much more organized than I am and who has many more binders.
Let's hear it. It's called Anderson Weathertail Plans Ahead.
Take it away, Autumn.
Remember, there are no pictures.
You have to imagine the pictures in your mind.
You can imagine them however you want.
Okay, here we go. Anderson P.
Weathertail was an organized squirrel.
The treehouse he'd built himself two years ago on the branch of a large maple tree held ample evidence of this.
His tiny kitchen nook had a single cabinet that held precisely one mug, one plate, and one bowl.
As soon as he finished his acorn stew or took the last sip of chicory tea, he'd wash the vessel and return it to its proper place.
These tendencies extended to the rest of Anderson's life.
Unlike most squirrels, Anderson had never misplaced an acorn he'd stored for winter because, understanding the limitations of his own nose and memory, he took a paw -drawn map of the forest along with his basket of nuts.
Each time he'd bury a stash, He marked the exact spot on his map with a quill pen.
There we go! Anderson had binders on many different topics that he kept on a shelf near his fireplace.
Not too near, he didn't want them to dry out.
He had binders on birdwatching, cooking, spelunking, fishing.
He did not eat the fish he caught.
He traded them for walnuts from a local raccoon who owned a nut shop.
He had binders on each of the four seasons, on tree species, on hikes he'd taken.
He filled binders with interesting news clippings.
He also had a binder for upcoming events, because in addition to being extremely organized, Anderson was a planner.
He preferred things to go as expected, so he made a very strong effort to brainstorm all the what -ifs to any situation and deal with them well in advance.
He avoided events he learned about on short notice.
So when a wide -eyed, smiling squirrel came to his treehouse door at noontime on a Wednesday in spring to invite him to a neighborhood party, Anderson was skeptical.
He had never understood why, but many squirrels waited until mere days before such such events to extend invitations.
I'm Tiffany Squirrel Wilder, the squirrel said, twitching with excitement.
Just moved on to the lower branch. In my last forest, I organized quarterly parties.
It's a great way to meet the neighbors.
Right, yes, Anderson said, his mind wandering to the crossword he had left half -finished on his end table.
It'll be a potluck.
I'll provide lemonade, and everyone can bring a dish to share.
At this, Anderson's foot began to tap.
Of course it'll be on short notice.
He felt silly about it, but in that moment, Anderson's heart sank slightly and he felt a familiar pang of...
What, precisely? He was not sure.
Anderson knew few of his neighbors.
There was Esther, an elder squirrel who lived close by, and there was Ed, whose booming voice echoed off the trees, recognizable to everyone whether they liked it or not but mostly Anderson kept to himself he was rarely invited to parties he never understood why at parties planned well in advance he loved telling squirrels about his binder system so basically it's color -coded blue corresponds with my weather binder green goes with my tree species binder of course okay but when he did receive invitations they were almost always last minute and he was forced to decline anderson sighed he would like
to attend a potluck party maybe just maybe it could be an opportunity for him to meet more squirrels.
But, I'm thinking the second Saturday in July, Tiffany said with a dreamy look in her eye.
Anderson blinked. I'm sorry, did you say July?
I know it's a little far out.
My sister always said I should be more spontaneous, but she lives in Alaska now.
Anyway, this is more of a save the date than a formal invitation.
A save the date? Anderson had never heard of such a thing.
Yes, that was how squirrels should do it.
Tell you far in advance, let you save the...
Anyway, hope you can make it.
Anderson was too astonished to reply.
He waved mutely, then shut the door and blinked in wonder.
Finally, a party invitation he could accept.
He went back to his crossword. If he left it incomplete, it gave him an itchy feeling.
But once he filled in the last letter, he got right to work selecting what to bring to the potluck in July.
lie. He got out his clipboard, a very sharp pencil, and a binder from the shelf with a yellow sticker on the spine.
First, he made a bulleted list of possibilities, taken from recipe clippings from the newspaper that he had neatly tucked inside his recipe binder.
Then he narrowed it down to three options, carrot spice mousse, strawberry tarts, and acorn pasta.
But one of Anderson's strengths was knowing his own limitations.
He had never attended a potluck before.
He decided to consult his neighbor, Esther.
Esther was a baker and everything she she made was flawless.
Baking, Anderson knew, was a type of chemistry.
One had to be organized to be a proficient baker, and not long after they'd met, Anderson discovered Esther was, indeed, a kindred spirit.
What do you think? Esther had said, giving him a peek at her pantry when he'd He'd stopped by to thank her for leaving muffins by his door.
He'd nearly gasped.
Esther's pantry was, well, it was a dream.
Every item was labeled with a tag written in Esther's elegant hand.
She'd segmented the pantry into regions for different categories of food.
Ever since seeing that pantry, Anderson had considered her one of his most trustworthy were the associates, which is what drew him to her treehouse door on that lovely spring day.
Carrot spice mousse, she said now, putting a paw on her hip and the other leaning on her cane.
That's a bit fussy for a picnic, don't you think?
Anderson crossed the item off his list. Of course he'd brought his clipboard. Esther pushed up her glasses and eyed Anderson.
Acorn pasta, eh? She said with a sniff.
You know, achieving an al dente texture is no small feat, even for a seasoned cook.
Anderson swiftly crossed out the item on his list. And that leaves...
Anderson glanced at the sole remaining entry.
tree. Strawberry tarts.
That's your winner, Andy.
Every squirrel likes strawberries.
You can't go wrong.
Anderson's tail twitched.
He did not prefer the nickname Andy, but he made a special exception for Esther.
Thanks, Esther. I had no idea how to narrow down my choices.
Of course, dear. Anderson Anderson always thought through all the what -ifs before settling on a plan, so he sat at his little desk and got to work.
What if strawberries are sold out at the market?
He wrote in careful script.
Anderson went to the market every week from April to October, and he had seen plenty of items go missing for weeks at a time due to June bugs or theft by rabbits.
What if, Anderson added to his paper, there are strawberries, but they are poor quality?
Anderson would need ripe strawberries for his tarts.
What if all that was available were bland, pale pink strawberries?
Of course, he could have added more what ifs, like, what if there is a tornado and the party has to be canceled?
Or, what if Tiffany Squirrel Wilder moves away and the party never happens, but he liked to stick to the most preventable issues.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized he needed to take matters into his own paws.
Anderson decided then and there, on an evening in early spring, to grow his own strawberries.
There is so much more to this story.
You can hear the full episode by becoming a Little Stories Premium subscriber.
Visit littlestoriespremium .com to join.
And thank you, as always, for listening in.
Let's pray.
