Christmas Day!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? It's Christmas morning. We woke up real early.  Merry Christmas came to our house last night! She brought Santa with her. Santa ate the gingerbread persons we left him. Rudolph ate the carrots.

We had gummy worms in our porridge. Then James read us the Christmas story.  Mary and Joseph had to go to Ottawa and pay their taxes. They got there really late so they had to sleep in the barn on Sussex Drive.  The shepherds brought sheep and the little drummer boy and more sheep. The three wise guys followed the OnStar to the barn. They gave the newborn Baby Jesus gold and frankysense and Mir. I don't know why they gave him money 'cuz all the stores are closed on the Baby Jesus' birthday. I know what frankysense is. It smells good. I know what Mir is. It's dish soap. We find it in aisle four at the grocery store.

Then we opened our presents. I got Smarties. We got Spiderman spaghetti, too. We got paints and story books and I got a really BIG Canada flag to put on my blue bike. Chance got a soft blankie.

We gave James his presents. We gave him Merry Christmas sox.  I wrote a poem about the sox. Ready?

Sox
I like sox upon my feet,
They keep me warm,
I think they're neat.
The End!

I always say 'the end' so you know the poem is finished. James liked the poem and the sox, too.We gave James a bathrobe and chocolate from Belgium. Maybe we should have given some to all those poor starving children in Belgium. I bet they're really hungry. Belgium is pretty far away. It's not in O Canada. It's in YourUp.  We have to fly there. I don't know how to fly, yet. We don't learn to fly until Grade Four. I can't wait to learn to fly. Then I can be Charles, Supercub!

We visited our buddies Lulu and Lily. They're very special. They taught us new songs. They let us sing with their new microphones.

We got to sleep over with our friend Indy. That's short for Indiana Jones. She's a cat. She let us play with all her new toys. Indy is a calico cat. She likes to play Hide and Seek with us.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noel, good citizens! Peace on Earth. Mr. Tallyban has to sit on the Time Out Chair until he says 'sorry' for fighting. Sorry means he won't do it again. Enjoy Christmas. Eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can eat Spiderman spaghetti. I'll share! Okay! Over and out!"

Four Days 'Til Christmas!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what I'm doing? I'm wrapping a Christmas present. Wrapping presents is fun but it's hard work, you know. It would be easier if I had thumbs. Oh! Maybe Santa will bring me thumbs for Christmas! I'll write it down. I'll ask Santa if I can have thumbs for Christmas.  If I had thumbs I wouldn't need to use both paws when I drink out of my sippy cup.

Here's how to wrap presents. I have to have wrapping paper, scissors and tape, too. Thumbs are useful for wrapping presents. We fold the paper and cut it to fit the box. Then we tape the paper to the box. When I'm all done I put a bow and some ribbon. The last thing is to write the name of the friend or buddy who's going to receive the gift. Wrapping is hard work but it's fun, too.

I know why we wrap presents. It's a surprise. I like surprises, don't you? I like the shiny wrapping paper best.  Christmas is not just about getting presents, we give them, too. It's nice to give presents. Good citizens give presents. We don't expect one back. Giving presents is fun. I always try to give a gift that my friend or buddy would like to have. We wrapped presents for Lily Bug and Lulu. I'm wrapping a present for Angus and you, too.

Chance is trying to help me. He's really too little to be a good helper but he has to learn all about Christmas and that means wrapping presents for our friends and buddies.

Mostly Chance sits on top of the presents and licks the shiny wrapping paper.  Chance makes the packages all wet. I look at him and say, "My son! Don't lick the presents!" I give him Christmas tree balls to play with. Chance licks them, too.  Good thing he doesn't have any teeth, Chance might bite the gifts!

Oh! Look! Look at Chance! He's so silly. Chance put on his Santa toque and climbed into a gift bag. He thinks he's going to be a Christmas present! I don't know if newborn bear cubs make good gifts or not. If Chance was under our Canadian Tire Christmas tree I'd unwrap him and keep him, even though he's a handful to look after!

Someone left Chance on our doorstep in a basket one morning. There was a note that said, "Please look after me." I think it was angels who brought Chance to our house. He was so tiny. He just had a little green blankie and a baby bottle so he could drink condensed owls' milk.   Know what? Chance was the bestest gift ever and he wasn't even wrapped in pretty paper and it wasn't even Christmas!

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do nice things for your friends and buddies, too. Then you can eat bakeapple pie and drink egg nog. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can wrap presents together!

Okay! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. No, wait! Not good night!  It's not bedtime. I don't want to put on my Spiderman jammies. Not yet. I want to stay up. Please, James. Can I? Can we stay up a little longer?  I'm not sleepy. Chance isn't sleepy. I'll be as nice as pie. I'll be as good as bakeapple pie. I promise.  I want to wait for Merry Christmas and Santa, too. Please? Over and out!"

The Time Out Chair is NOT a Fun Place to Sit

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

This is me sitting on the Time Out Chair. I have to sit here because I did a naughty thing. I called Chance a 'chubby cubby.' I was just teasing him but it made him cry. I didn't mean to make Chance cry. Now, I feel really bad for what I did. I really am a very good bear cub. I just did a bad thing. I'm really sorry for what I did. I know what sorry means.  Sorry means I won't do it again.

I thought chubby cubby was  a funny name. It made me laugh 'cuz it rhymes, you know. Chubby Cubby! Chubby Cubby! We always call Chance 'cubby' 'cuz that's his nickname. Grandpa James says we don't say 'chubby cubby' because we don't make fun of the way our friends and buddies look. Chance can't help it if he's chubby. He's a newborn baby bear cub. He's supposed to be chubby. Grandpa James showed me my baby pictures. Know what? I was chubby, too. I said, "Sorry" to Chance and I hugged him but Grandpa James says I need to sit on the Time Out Chair and think. I have to sit here for five minutes. That's 'cuz I'm five years old. Five minutes is a long time.  I don't like to sit on the Time Out Chair. Thinking is hard. Thinking hurts.

Oh! No! I sure hope Santa Claus doesn't see me here! If he does, I might not get any presents. I don't want to be a naughty cub. Naughty cubs get lumps of coal for Christmas. I don't want coal for Christmas!  I want to be nice. Good citizens are nice. Good cubs get presents. I asked Santa for a Canada flag to put on my blue bicycle. I asked Santa for Smarties. Oh! Wait! I asked Santa for Spiderman, too.  It's only six days before Merry Christmas comes to our house. I'll have to be extra nice.

I know! I will be as nice as pie. I wonder what kind of pie is nicest? I could be as nice as apple pie. No! Wait! Banana cream pie!  No! Cherry pie is nicer. So is chocolate and peanut butter pie. Yeah. What about being as nice as lemon meringue pie?  Oh! Wait! Pumpkin? Raspberry? Strawberry? There are lots of different pies, aren't there?

 I'm thinking real hard. I know! I'll be as nice as bakeapple pie. Bakeapple pie is full of bakeapples. That's my favouritest pie in the whole wide world!  Bakeapples have a nickname, just like Chance has a nickname. Some folk call Chance 'Cubby' and some folks call bakeapples 'cloudberries.'

I l-o-v-e bakeapples. They're yummy and sweet. That's two of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. Okay, I'm done thinking, now. That was hard! You can see how hard it is to think when I have to sit on the Time Out Chair. When I get down I'll tell James I'm gonna be as nice as pie and ask him if we can make a bakeapple pie so I will share some with with Cubby. I hope my five minutes is up soon. Oh, wait! Chance doesn't have any teeth! He just drinks condensed owls' milk from his bottle but I can eat bakeapple pie for him! Yes, I can!

I know all about bakeapples. Miss Jackie taught us about them at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Bakeapples are good citizens who live in  Newfoundland and Labrador. I know where Newfoundland and Labrador is. It's the first province on the right. Newfoundland and Labrador are in O Canada, our home and favourite land. Bakeapples come to Windsor on the MV Clara and Joseph Smallwood. Cloudberries have to come here on the boat 'cuz they can't swim, you know. I don't think they have arms.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Five minutes is up! Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles!

That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Don't call your friends and buddies names that aren't nice. That's not what good citizens do. Good citizens get to pick bakeapples and eat bakeapple pie. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can bake a pie together. We can watch for Merry Christmas to come! Okay! Over and out!"

Seven Days 'Til Christmas!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Santa Claus is sitting on top of our Canadian Tire spruce tree. He's up there so he can see who's naughty and nice. Santa has another name, too. Some people call him Father Christmas. I just have one name. Charles. I can spell it. Look. C-h-a-r-l-e-s. It's the same name in French, too. That's good because I might get mixed up if I had a whole bunch of names. What if Santa got mixed up and gave my presents to somebody else? That would be awful!

Chance just has one name but sometimes I call him 'cubby.' That's his nickname. I call him cubby 'cuz he's an, eensy weensy teeny tiny little bear cub. Newborn baby bears are called cubs. Newborn baby cats are called kittens. Newborn baby dogs are called puppies. Newborn baby houses are called trailer homes, you know.

Know what? We're going to have company! In seven days Merry Christmas comes to our house. We're getting ready for her. She's bringing Santa and Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus and the wise guys who follow the onStar to Windsor and the little drummer boy and the shepherds and the sheep. The sheep have to stay outside on the balcony 'cuz they poo everywhere and don't clean up after themselves. We'll have lots of guests and lots of fun. We can all climb the sugar maple in the back yard and sing Christmas carols and eat Smarties. We get to drink egg nog. That's chicken milk. Chance drinks condensed owls' milk in his bottle. Oh! I can show the baby Jesus my baby pictures!

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

 This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Santa will bring you presents. Come over to our house and play with us! We can have fun together. Okay! Over and out!"

A Time to be Sad

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

This is a picture of me with my bestest friend, Cassidy. Today Chance and me don't feel like playing or making gingerbread beings or getting ready for Merry Christmas to come to our house. Chance and me are very sad. James is sad, too. Our friend Cassidy got sick and he stopped breathing. James says that Cassidy is at rest. Cassidy was our friend. He was a bunny rabbit who lived with his brother Tanner, the big 'ole yeller dog. Their buddies Jay and Shaun are very sad, too. Tanner got sick last Christmas. He had  cancer. He fell asleep and didn't wake up, either. We were sad then, too.

Know what? It hurts to be sad. It hurts way inside. Being sad is worse than being sick. We don't want to play hide and seek. We don't want to play Snakes and Ladders. We don't want to play I'm a Gonna Get You and race around the house. We just want to sit very still and think about Cassidy.

Cassidy and Chance and me always had fun together. We'd race and chase each other in the back yard and I could hop like a bunny rabbit. Sometimes Cassidy shared his carrots with us. Cassidy was a vegetabletarian, you know. He didn't eat meat. He didn't even eat Smarties! We'd rock together in the big rocking chair and sometimes we'd sit in Cassidy's window and watch the clouds and birds. Now, Cassidy is gone. We will always remember him. We have lots of pictures and we will always share our memories of him with our other friends and buddies.

James taught us a song to help us remember Cassidy.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal ... a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

So, when we sing this song we will always remember Cassidy and Tanner, too. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Good-bye Cassidy. Rest well. We will always love you and remember you.

We're really sad. We're gonna go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We are gonna sit on his lap in the big rocking chair and he can hold us tight. We will get out the picture album. The three of us will remember our bestest friends Cassidy and Tanner. We'll sing our special song.

Guardian Angel Kitties

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's so little he doesn't even have any teeth or a tail!  I look after Chance, too. He climbs way up high on thinks and then he can't get down. He makes little squawky noises, 'cuz he's afraid. Chance is a handful! 

Chance and me love to play games after lunch. Games are fun. Our favourite board game is Snakes and Ladders. I have to watch Chance. He tries to eat the markers.

 We play other games, too. We play Hide and Seek. That's the funnest game of all. I hide my eyes and count to 100 like this--one elephant, two elephant, three elephant. I count 100 elephants and then I holler, "Here I come! Ready or not!

Chance is supposed to hide while I count  the elephants and then I am supposed to go look for him. I found him right away. Chance climbed up high. He was hiding in the china cabinet. He thinks I can't see him through the glass.  Chance is a wee little thing and he's not a very good hider. Know what? He thinks if he closes his eyes, he's invisible but he's not. Chance also thinks the reason there's glass on the TV is to keep the little people from falling out  and landing on the floor.

We play Hide and Seek a lot. It makes us sleepy. When we get sleepy, we take naps. Naps are good. We take the pillows off the chesterfield and make a comfy little place to sleep on the living room floor, right in front of the TV fireplace. We get to nap in our Santa toques.


Chance makes little snory noises when he's asleep. He's a very noisy little cubby. Know what? When I fell asleep, I had a dream. I dreamt that guardian angel kitties came to talk to me. I didn't  know angels were kitty cats. I thought guardian angels were bear cubs, like us. The guardian angel kitties had wings. They were white and soft like newborn snow.

The guardian angel kitties told me to be good and kind so that Santa would leave me presents under the Christmas tree. I try to be good and kind everyday, even if Santa doesn't give me anything. That's what good citizens do and I am going to be the best citizen on Sandwich Street.

When I woke up, there were no guardian angel kitties anywhere. I wonder if they're real or just a dream. I'll ask James. He's smart. He knows everything. He's so old he remembers the first Christmas. He will know if guardian angels are kitties.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Then you can eat gingerbread beings and drink cocoa with little baby marshmallows.

 Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can nap and dream about guardian angel kitties and wait for Santa and Merry Christmas together! Okay! Over and out!"

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? We got a Christmas tree. It's in the living room by the fireplace. Christmas trees are special, you know. I know where Christmas trees come from. They come from Canadian Tire, Aisle 42. Our tree is nice. We decorated it with shiny bulbs. There's a beaver with antlers, too. James says that's a Canadian ornament. Santa sits on top of the tree. Santa sits on top of the tree so he can see everyone and see who's naughty and nice. That's good 'cuz Chance would try to climb up there if Santa wasn't already there!

We know a song about our Christmas tree. Miss Jackie taught it to us. She's my teacher at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Wanna know a secret? I think Miss Jackie is a princess. Here's the song.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou tree most fair and lovely!
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree!
Thou tree most fair and lovely!
The sight of thee at Christmastide
Spreads hope and gladness far and wide
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
Thou tree most fair and lovely.

Chance doesn't sing. He's too little. He doesn't even talk, yet. He just makes little squeaky noises when he's happy. He's really happy that it's Christmas. We get to bake gingerbread beings and the house will be full of guests! Merry Christmas is coming and Santa, too. Oh! Wait! The baby Jesus will be here and Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and the wise guys and the little drummer boy. The sheep will have to stay on the balcony. James says they're not very tidy. The little drummer boy will have to be very quiet when Chance and baby Jesus take their naps.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do good deeds for friends and neighbours. Get ready for Merry Christmas. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can pick up trash together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our Christmas Tree

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! He climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. He makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid. I have to get him down. I always say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" Then I have to go after him.

Know what? Merry Christmas is coming! We put stickers on the calendar every day. There are 20 days until Merry Christmas gets here. That's a lot of days but they go really fast. We saw Santa at the Santa Parade. He shouts, "Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas!" Chance and me got our picture tooken by a reporter from the Windsor Star.

Christmas is a special time of year. We get to drink cocoa with marshmallows and sing carols and put up the Christmas tree. Chance and me wear our Santa hats. We have a Canadian Tire spruce tree. It's a nice little tree. We put decorations on the tree. I have to watch Chance 'cuz he tries to eat the ornaments. They're not good to eat. They're not in the Canada Food Guide, you know.

Oh, no! Look at Chance! He climbed up in the tree and now he's stuck. I have to help him get down. Chance is not a Christmas ornament. Santa is supposed to sit on top of the tree, not Chance! Santa sits on top. We put presents underneath the tree. We're Santa's little helpers.

We know a song about Merry Christmas.
Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We've been good, but we can't last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.

\
Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do good deeds. Be nice to your friends and neighbours. Tell Santa you've been good. Then you can drink cocoa with marshmallows.  Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and sing carols. We can wait for Merry Christmas together. Okay! Over and out!"

Home, Home on the Train--VIA Rail Train 79

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. I look after James. James was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Sparkle Road is next to Sandwich Street. That's in Olde Sandwich Towne. I ride my blue bike up and down Sandwich Street and ring the bell. I holler, "Look out! Blue bike coming through!"

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He can't talk, yet. He doesn't even have any teeth or a tail. He  drinks condensed owls' milk. Chance makes little squeaky noises when he's happy and little squawky noises when he's hungry or his diaper is full of poo. Chance climbs way up high on things and can't get down. I have to get him down. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Chance and me are at Union Station. That's a really big building in TO. Trains live at Union Station.  Toronto is a really big city. James says it's the biggest city in the country!

There's a sign that says Union Station is 100 years old. Wow! That's older than me and Chance put together and I'm five! I bet James is older than Union Station. He is so old he remembers the invention of Saran Wrap. That is really old.

We had fun in Toronto. We did all kinds of fun things. We went to Chinatown. We went to Kensington Market. We went to Jane and Finch. Jane and Finch are streets, not people. James got some T-shirts. Bear cubs don't need T-shirts. We get to run around bear naked. That's a pun, you know.

We rode the Rocket in TO. That's the subway's name.  James says all good things must come to and end and now it's time for us to go home. We go home on the train. We get to ride on VIA Rail, today. Chance and me  l-o-v-e VIA Rail. know where VIA Rail goes. It goes all over Canada. VIA Rail goes to Windsor. That's where we live! Windsor is our home! Know what? Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit, you know.

We wait for the train in the Panorama Lounge. It's a very nice place to wait. It's for business class.  Miss Kim is the boss of the Panorama Lounge. We like her a lot. She always scoops us up and holds us. She kisses our noses and tickles our tummies and says, "Hello my handsome bear cubs! How are my sons of Windsor? How are my Princes of Ontario?" Miss Kim always gives us apple juice to drink. I drink mine right out of the box. I have to use both hands 'cuz I don't have thumbs--yet. Chance has to have his apple juice put in his bottle. We l-o-v-e Miss Kim. She has a very important job, you know. Miss Kim's job is to make travelling more fun, you know.

When I grow up I could work for VIA Rail. Chance would be my helper.  We are a good team. I  would stand at the counter. I know what to say to the travellers. I would use my best VIA Rail voice and I would smile and say, "Bonjour, Good morning. May I help you? Est-ce que je peut vous-aidez?" Then I would help passengers get to the right trains. I would give all the boys and girls apple juice. If they got too loud I would politely remind them to use their inside voices.

We get on the train when Miss Kim says, "All Aboard! Tout a bord!" We ride on Train 79. Train 79 stops in Oakville, Aldershot, Brantford, Woodstock, Ingersoll, London, Glencoe, Chatham and then we stop in Windsor. That's the end of the line. That's our house.

We put our suitcases away on the shelf and then we sit down in our seats. I like to sit by the window. When the nice conductor comes we give him our tickets. We play Snakes and Ladders while we wait for our dinner. Snakes and Ladders is my favouritest game in the whole wide world, you know.

When we're done playing Snakes and Ladders we get ready to eat. The food on Train 79 is yummy. We get hot towels for our faces and then we eat. We're getting pretty hungry, now. I'm as hungry as a bear! The food comes on real china and we eat with real silverware, too. After we eat our food we get Belgian chocolates for dessert. Then it's time for us to take a nap. I curl up on James' lap but Chance always climbs inside the paper bag for his nap. He's just a wee little cubby. He doesn't know any better.


Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Wake up my handsome bear cubs? Wake up my Sons of Windsor? Wake up my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. I'm a pretty tired bear cub. I'm all tuckered out. I want to get tucked into my own little bed with my Bob the Easter Moose sheets and sleep all night. I bet I dream about Miss Kim and riding on Train 79!


This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Pick up trash and garbage. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride on Train 79 together! Okay! Over and out!"

Sleepy Bear Cubs

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? This is Chance and me. We got business cards. They have my picture on them and our blog site address. We give them to people who want to read about us. They're are bestest buddies.

Today we're in in TO. That's Toronto. It's a very big city. James says six million people live in the GTA. That's a lot of noses to count! Wonder why they want to live so far away from Windsor. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit.

When we are in TO we get to ride the Rocket. That's the subway. It's fun! We go shopping.  We do all kinds of things. 
At the end of the day we're all tuckered out. We get to sleep in a hotel. Hotels are places full of nice rooms with comfy beds. We get the key from our buddy, Dhillon, who works at the front desk. When we get to our room, Chance and me climb right up onto our bed and take naps. I'm glad there are hotels to go to when we're not home.

I wouldn't want to sleep outside in the rain. I'd get wet. James says that bear cubs are waterproof. He's being silly. Of course I'm waterproof but I don't want to catch a cold. I'd have to take Buckley's Cough Syrup and it tastes awful.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Do good deeds for your friends, buddies and neighbours.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Toronto together!  Okay! Over and out!"

Shopping On Queen Street in TO

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He's so little he doesn't have a tail or any teeth, yet. He just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. Chance likes to take off his diaper and climb way up high on things. Then he's afraid and can't get down. He makes little squawky noises when he's afraid or hungry or sleepy or has to poo.    I look after Chance. He's a handful! 

Know what? We're on Queen Street in Toronto. James says it's a hip and trendy street. I don't know what that means but it's fun to shop on Queen Street.

We're here with our buddy Phil. Phil has lots of fun things to buy, like this  puppy toque.

The puppy toque is handmade. That means there isn't another one like it in the whole wide world. When I wear this toque it keeps my ears warm. We need to keep our ears warm in the wintertime, you know.

Now that I have this toque, I can play a new game. I can pretend to be a puppy. I can bark real good. Hmmmn. I need a puppy name. I think my puppy name will be Fred. Fred is a good name for a puppy. Oh. Wait! Maybe my puppy name should be Baxter. Yeah. I like Baxter. That's a good name for a puppy.

Know what? You could get a puppy toque, you know. You could get one and we could play puppies together. Yeah! That would be fun.

If you want a puppy toque you have to go to 208 Queen Street. That's right in the middle of Toronto between Soho and Beverley A nice man named Phil will sell you a puppy toque. He has lots of other animal toques, too. His stand is right next to the Aritzia store. I don't shop there 'cuz I'm a bear cub and  I don't have to wear clothes. I get to run around bear naked. That's a pun, you know.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go shopping on Queen Street together! Okay! Over and out!"

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Grandpa James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He doesn't talk, yet. He makes squeaky noises when he's happy and when he's afraid or hungry or has to poo, he makes little squawky noises. He likes to climb way up high but then he can't get down. I have to climb up after him and get him down. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Chance and me are hanging out with  our buddies Shaun and Grandpa James and Jay. We're wearing boas. I know what a boa is. A boa is a feather scarf. We're wearing boas because we're going to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert and we're supposed to dress up like the characters in the play.

Priscilla is a bus. People live in this bus. The bus changes colours.  It's not like a Transit Windsor bus. Nobody lives in Transit Windsor buses. We just ride in them. Our buses don't change colours.




The boys have to drive Priscilla to Alice Springs. That's in the middle of the desert. Oh! Wait! The desert is in Australia. James says Australia is down under. It's pretty far from our house on Sparkle Road. When they get to Alice Springs, they will go to work. They sing and dance. That's a good job. I can sing and dance. I could do that job, you know.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? Grandpa James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find Grandpa James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Be polite. Do good deeds.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can watch Priscilla Queen of the Desert together! Okay! Over and out!"

Visiting Hospital in T.O.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. Chance doesn't talk, yet. He makes little squeaky noises when he's happy.  I look after Chance, too. He climbs way high on things and can't get down. Then he makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid. I have to help him get down. Chance is a handful! 


Know what? We're in Toronto. We come here on the train. VIA Rail is a fast way to travel. It's fun to ride on the train. Toronto is pretty far from our house. It's four hours away by train. We sing songs on the train. We like to sing. I know a song about trains.

The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
Since the company bought the land.


The railroad comes through the middle of the house
In and out of the middle of the house
Right smack dab through the middle of the house
Where the parlour used to be.


The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The railroad comes through the middle of the house
The trains all come through the middle of the house
And here comes the Five-oh-Nine! Whoo! Whoo!

Chance and me and our buddy James live in Windsor. Chance and me are sons of Windsor, you know. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Detroit isn't in O Canada. It's in the Knighted States. Detroit is on the other side of the river. We can go there on the bridge or through the tunnel. We need a passport to go there.

James says  six million people live in Toronto. That's an awful lot of people. I don't know why they would want to live that far away from Windsor.

When we come to T.O. we visit the hospital. I know what a hospital is. It's the big building where sick people go to get well. I could work at a hospital, you know. I could be a doctor or a nurse or a dietician, you know.

James says, "Mind your manners in hospital, my sons. " We use our inside voices at hospital. We don't shout. We don't race in the hallways.  We're not racists! We walk slow and carefully and we look both ways. Lots of people use the hallways. Some of them are visitors. Some of them are sick. We are cautious. That's 'cuz we're polite bear cubs.

We visit with Denise and Christina and all the nice people at the bariatric clinic. They measure James and he stands on a machine that tells how many kilos he weighs. They ask him questions and write down his answers. I think it's a test.

James is doing pretty good, you know. He used to be sick but now he can ride bikes with us and swim and walk and run, too. He lost 75 kilos. I don't know where they went when he lost them, do you?

I know a poem about Toronto. It goes like this-

I don't wanna
Live in Tranna.
'THE END.

I always say, "The end, " so you know I'm done with my poem. I'm a pretty smart bear cub.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can have fun together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our Trip to Toronto

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? We're going to T.O. We have to get ready. We put things we will need in our suitcase. There are diapers for Chance and condensed owls' milk, too. I put my Cat-in-the-Hat sox in the suitcase.

Toronto is pretty far from our house. It takes a long time to get there. That's because O Canada is very big. Oh! I got an idea! One time James washed my favourite sweater in hot water and it shrank so much it only fit Chance. We could wash O Canada in the Inglis and then it would be smaller and then it wouldn't take so long to go places!

We go to Toronto on the train. I l-o-v-e VIA Rail. We use our best manners and we talk with our inside voices. There are lots of things to do on the train. We get to drink chocolate milk that the nice person has on the cart. I know where chocolate milk comes from. It comes from brown cows. Know what? Whole milk comes from whole cows. We play games on the train. We play  Snakes and Ladders. That's my favouritest game of all.

Oh! Look! Look at Chance! He climbed inside of a paper bag. I know what that means. It means he wants a bottle of warm, condensed owls' milk and then he will take a nap. Chance takes lots of naps. James says it's 'cuz he's just a wee little cubby and napping is good for him. Naps help make bear cubs bigger and stronger and healthier, too!

We get to eat a meal on the train. The food is yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

I will tell you more about our trip to Toronto the next time we blog. I'm sleepy and I need a nap.



Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. 

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to your friends and neighbours. Do good deeds.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house. We can go to Toronto together. We can ride on VIA Rail all day Okay! Over and out!"