BUCK’S STORY
The forest resounded with the sounds of sawing, chopping, and pounding, as Buck E. Beaver hastily put together a new deck for Benny Beaver. A ball of coarse brown fur moved about the waters until a structure rose out and up from Benny’s dome hut.
“So Buck, what’s the E in your name stand for anyways?” asked Benny.
“Eugene, but I like to think it stands for Engineer, I mean just look at this deck I designed for you, look at the great view you have of the forest, and just look at this grand stairway,” replied Buck as he leaned onto the deck, causing a railing to fall off into the water. “Just needs a bit more polishing, that’s all.”
“Yes, I can tell,” replied Benny rolling his brown eyes.
“I’ll have it ready for your Fourth of July party, complete with the Mega 2000 fifteen burner grill so we can cook some steaks and --”
“Don’t worry about it, Buck. I’ll just install it myself,” Benny replied as he picked up the loose board. “And don’t expect the second half of the money either.”
Head hanging low, Buck E. Beaver walked off the work site and went home. The very next day he was at Brenda beaver’s house, putting in a pool for her and her three babies to play in.
“Watch your kids on this diving board. It has a lot of spring to it,” explained Buck just as one of Brenda’s babies blasted off like a rocket into space.
“Oh, I see!” Brenda exclaimed as she ran frantically to catch her baby.
Maybe I should stay out of the pool business, Buck thought to himself.
Buck was soon on to his next project for little Billy Beaver: a 1/10 scale replica of Columbus’ Santa Maria ship.
“1492, you’ll be sailing the ocean blue! Actually you will be sailing downstream on this here ship, Billy – the Kidd!”
“Was Billy the Kidd a pirate?” quizzed Billy.
“Well, he was some kind of bad guy, I think. Here, let me show you the helm.”
“Oh, okay,” agreed Billy as he stepped up to the wheel that was just a bit taller than him.
“Why, I’ll let you know that I come from a long line of sailors. In fact, my great-great-great-grandfather, Long John Black, was a notorious scoundrel. And then there was my father—“
“I thought your father was a plumber?” Billy asked.
“Yes, by day he was a plumber and showed me how to weld PVC, but by night he was sailing the seven-seas, plundering, capturing vessels, hiding treasures – all by the light of his TV screen. “
“Where are the sails?” Billy asked as he turned the wheel back and forth.
“The sails? Oh yes… Well, I’m still working on those,” explained Buck, “but you can always float this baby downstream!”
“How will I get back home?” questioned Billy.
“I hadn’t thought of that yet. Hey, maybe you could just anchor and swim back upstream.”
“Okay,” Billy smiled and nodded as he steered his unfinished ship into imaginary lands far, far away.
The following week across the river you could hear Buck sawing through another tree, only this time it was for his very own Geodesic Dome home that he dreamed of building for years. The reason Buck preferred a saw over chewing down trees, like most beavers do, is all because of the one time he bit into a massive birch tree that made his teeth feel like they were scratching on a chalkboard.
Panting, sweating and tongue hanging from his mouth, Buck cut down tree after tree. He wondered why nobody was there to help him. After all the work he did for the other unthankful beavers, the major projects he so lovingly performed for his Castor Canadensis family. Of course, they were mostly unfinished projects, but he did plan on returning to them.
Wallowing in self-pity, exhausted, and determined to complete his home by his own clawed hand, Buck came to the end of himself when his saw broke as he tried to cut a hard oak. That was when a small face of a mouse appeared in a hole at the base of the tree. Buck stopped his cutting and asked the small rodent his name.
“My name is Morris, and what are you doing with my home?”
“Nothing,” replied Buck as he hid the saw behind his back.
“It sounded like an earthquake in here!” Morris exclaimed.
“Everything is okay now. I am just building my own house too.”
“Really? I’d like to help a fellow mammal like you. Could I join your construction team,” Morris declared, rubbing his tiny hands together.
“It’s a pretty large job. I don’t know if you’re big enough.”
“I have some friends that could join us,” explained Morris.
Soon Morris gathered a group of eager animals to help. They weren’t many – two to be exact. They were not the meekest of characters, but they did agree to work together and to refrain from any violence. The motley crew consisted of Timmy the Timber wolf, Crabby the hermit crab, and of course, Morris the mouse.
As Timmy dragged branches behind him with a willow twine that Morris carefully fastened around his neck, Crabby began to assemble the triangle shaped pieces that made up the dome. While Morris tied up each joint with a piece of twine, Crabby cut off the excess with his sharp claws. On and on they worked in this fashion for several days until finally they built large convex dome. All that was needed yet was a roof. Buck and his crew than went out and gathered up a large amount of field grass to cover the dome with a thatch roof thick enough to keep out the rains and the snow.
With all this work completed, Buck, Morris, Crabby, and Timmy, decided to have themselves a thanks-giving party. It wasn’t quite Thanksgiving Day yet, but the animals were very thankful to the Lord of all creation - mostly for having each other as friends – that they wanted to share a grand meal. Timmy went out and found some sweet potato roots. Crabby caught some fish that Buck placed into a fire pit and Morris gathered up some nuts and berries to complete a fish soup with a smoky flavor and appetizing color.
As they gathered in the cozy new house, fire crackling and warming them while the cold winds blew outside, Buck brewed up some Chamomile and rose hip tea that he saved just for this occasion. Delighted to share this meal with his newfound friends, and finding it in his heart to forgive his fellow beavers for not giving him a hand, Buck let out a great sigh and sipped on his hot tea from his acorn cup.

And so we have learned – as the ancient proverbs say – “A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate,” and “Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.” Most of all we learned the value of teamwork, perseverance, and the great benefit of forgiveness.

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