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.

We Visit Dr. Happy Feet

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 at the Sandwich Community Health Centre. We're visiting Allistair. He is a chiropodist. I know what a chiropodist is. It's a person who looks after our feet and makes them happy. If our feet hurt we can be pretty grumpy you know.

Allistair is very gentle. He says, "Hop up there on the chair, Charles and show me your feet." Chance shows Allistair his feet, too. Allistair is Dr. Happy Feet. I'm glad he's looking after my feet. Know what? I have two feet. I use my feet to run real fast, you know. I can run faster than anybody, especially when I wear my Cat-in-the-Hat sox that my friend Tanner gave me. Allistair says my feet are pretty good feet. That's good 'cuz I don't know where I'd get new ones!

I know a poem about sox and feet. Ready?

I like sox
Upon my feet,
They keep me warm,
 I think they're neat.
THE END.

Maybe I will be an Internet Poem Star when I grow up.

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 nice to your feet. Let Allistair look after them for you. Then we can race together. We can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can race up and down Sandwich Street together! Okay! Over and out!"

Our One-year Anniversary Blog

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? James is going to write something today.

Hi. This is James. You don't see me very often because this is really Charles' blog. I help by typing, he doesn't have opposable thumbs, you know. Today we mark our second year of blogging about Charles and Chance, their escapades around the neighbourhood and their take on daily life.

Many of you have taken the time to write to us in response to blogs that touched you. Folks loved the episodes where Charles was busted for stealing gummy worms at Mac's Milk and his prayer to God to made clean--baptized in the Inglis--on a cold-water wash cycle, no doubt. That by far was the most popular blog but there were others that were close to your hearts.

Christmas was special at our house because Chance joined the family in October. Someone left him on our doorstep in a wicker basket.  He's a wee little thing and can only drink condensed owls' milk from a bottle. Charles loves having a little brother and does his best to set a good example.

Charles knows that whole milk comes from whole cows and condensed owls' milk comes from--well--condensed owls. Chance got into the Christmas spirit in his own way. He did try to eat the Christmas ornaments and climbed to the top of the Canadian Tire spruce. That prompted Charles to say, "My son! Come down from there, this instant!"

The difference between the Christmas tree and the family tree, according to Charles, is that on the family tree we hang relatives.

Charles' shared the Christmas story with us. He knows that the three Wise Guys followed the OnStar to Mary and Joseph's barn in Ottawa where they had to go and pay their taxes.

Many of you wrote to share your sympathies when Tanner--Charles' best friend--died of cancer. Charles says that Tanner will always be his firstest, bestest friend.

When the cubs came down with Austrian measles you were with us all the way through the eleven-days of sickness.

Thank you for being the bears' bestest buddies.  and I hope you continue to enjoy smile and chuckle at the adventures of Charles and Chance as we start our second year.

It's time for me to say, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario?"

Then Charles will holler, "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.  Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Snakes and Ladders! Okay! Over and out!"

Gold Medals

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's forgetful and really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.  I have to look after him. 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 sitting on the Canada Post truck. I know what the sign means. It tells about the Lympic Games in Vancouver. Lots of people came from all over the world. They wanted gold medals. O Canada got 14 gold medals. That's good, eh. I could win a gold medal. I'm the fastest bear cub on Sandwich Street. James says I can run like the wind!That's 'cuz I got Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They were a gift from Tanner, a big 'ole yeller dog and his friend Cassidy the bunny rabbit.

Oh! No! I've lost Chance! I have to find him. He's so tiny he could get run over by a car and the driver wouldn't eve see him! This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be a good citizen. Look after your little brother so he doesn't get smushed by a car! Over and out!"

GO! CANADA! GO!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's old and forgetful, so I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? We watched the Lympics on CTV. The Lympics are for athletes. They win gold medals. O Canada won lots of gold medals. Chance and me play Lympic Games. I won a gold medal for running. I can run fast 'cuz I got Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They were a present from Tanner. Tanner was a big 'ole yeller dog. He was my firstest bestest friend but he got sick with cancer and died. When I wear my Cat-in-the-Hat sox I remember him. Chance won a gold medal for climbing really high but he tried to eat it. I said, "My son! Take that out of your mouth this instant!" We can't eat gold. It's not in the Canada Food Guide. I have to watch him you know, he's a real handful.

We're having porridge for breakfast. We're not eating gummy worms, though. Today we have chocolate toonies and loonies wrapped in gold and silver foil. We take off the foil and put the chocolate coins in our porridge. It's a Lympic breakfast!

Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs? Who's gonna help me eat a Lympic breakfast?" That's me! Charles. I'm a handsome bear cub! That's Charles, too! I'm gonna sit down at the table and my breakfast a-l-l u-p! Chance is too little to eat porridge. He drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle.

Okay! We gotta go! This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens! Eat all your food so you can be strong and win lots of gold medals today. Good citizens get to drink root beer and eat Smarties. Over and out!"

Dreaming of Tanner

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's old and forgetful, so I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? When James tucks us into bed he always says, "Good night  my handsome bear cubs,  sweet dreams you Princes of Windsor." I had a dream last night. I dreamt that Chance and me were playing Hide & Go Seek with Tanner. Tanner's a big 'ole yeller dog who lives with his buddies Shaun and Jay. I didn't know I could have dreams about Tanner. Tanner was my bestest friend but he died of cancer at Christmas. I sure do miss him a lot. I'm glad I had the dream about Tanner. I wonder of Chance has dreams. Probably not 'cuz he's too little. He's so little he doesn't have a tail. He doesn't even have teeth!

Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs?" That's me! Charles. That's Chance. We're gonna find James so he can tickle our ears and kiss our noses. I can smell porridge. I l-o-v-e porridge. Today I'm gonna put red gummy worms in my porridge. Gummy worms are yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.  Chance can't eat gummy worms. He drinks condensed owls' milk in his bottle. I don't have a bottle. I'm five, you know. I have a sippy cup with Spiderman on it. Okay! We gotta go! This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "When you got to sleep tonight, "Good night to all my buddies and friends and sweet dreams! Over and out!"

Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Special Ed James. He rides to school on a short bus, so I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? Today is a double double special day. It's Saint Valentine's Day AND it is Chinese New Year, too. I know who St. Valentine is. He's the boss in charge of friends. His little brother is St. Cupid. I think lions ate them. I hope they had ketchup. We give our friends valentines today.

Special Ed James says this is the Year of the Tiger. Chance and me have space ray guns we got at the Dollar Store. We can hunt for tigers and give them valentines. Tigers are like lions but tigers have stripes. Oh! Wait! I have red-and-white striped Cat-in-the-Hat sox. My friend Tanner gave them to me. Tanner was my first bestest friend but he died of cancer. Cancer is not nice. I miss Tanner. I know! I will get out my pencil crayons and draw a picture of Tanner. I can draw a big red heart around his picture. That's a nice way to remember my friend. I will make a valentine for Special Ed James and for Chance and for you, too.

Did you hear that? Special Ed James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs?" That's me, Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs! We'll run and get our ears tickled and our noses kissed and we'll get great big hugs, too! This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying-

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Be my valentine
And my tiger, too!

Be good citizens and give your friends valentines. Don't forget to give some to the tigers, too. I gotta go! Over and out!

Suitcase Fun

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

Know what? We're playing suitcase. We put things inside the suitcase. I put Smarties and gummy worms in my suitcase. Oh! I put in my red and white sox that my friend Tanner gave me. Chance took all his diapers out of the suitcase and filled it up with condensed owls' milk. We get inside the suitcase and pretend we're going on VIA Rail. I make really good train noises. Chance makes little squeaky noises. That means he's happy. It's fun to play suitcase!

James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs?" We'll hide in the suitcase and see if he can find us. When he does, he'll tickle our ears and kiss our noses. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "All aboard! Over and out!"

My Dream about Tanner

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy James. He is forgetful and really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark. I think he must 20 years old. That's really old!  I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? We're really sick. We got Austrian measles. We are burning up with fever. I fell asleep and I had a dream. I dreamt that my friend Tanner came to our house to play with Chance and me. We had fun. We dug holes in the backyard and we played Hide & Seek, too. We had Smarties and root beer for lunch. Tanner is a big 'ole yeller dog. He is my first bestest friend. When I woke up Tanner was gone. It was a dream 'cuz Tanner died before Christmas. He was sick. He had cancer. I miss my friend a lot. Chance and me are sick but  James says we won't die from Austrian measles. That's good to know.

James has Canada Dry for us. Know what? He holds us tight and hugs us. We get to drink Canada Dry right out of the can. We get to drink it with bendy straws. Chance drinks out of a bottle. He's too little for a bendy straw. It hurts to swallow. James puts a cool washcloth on our faces. It feels good. He's singing some songs. I'm sleepy. I'm going to fall asleep. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, drink Canada Dry with a bendy straw when you're sick. Over and out!"

The Green Chair

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He forgets where he puts his glasses. He's old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark.   I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? We're sitting in the green chair. James calls it the comfy old man's chair. Chance and me have our own chairs but they're not as much fun as the green chair. We like to sit here on  James' lap. He tells us stories and we sing songs when we sit here. We eat popcorn and gummy worms and Smarties in the green chair. It's my favouritest place to sit in the whole house. Sometimes we watch movies like Old Yeller. That movie reminds us of Tanner. He was my bestest friend but he died of cancer. We all miss him. A lot. The green chair is fun to ride in 'cuz it goes 'round and 'round real fast and we sing-

Sally Go 'round the sun,
Sally go 'round the moon,
Sally go 'round at six o'clock,
And every day at noon!
12.30 in Newfoundland!

We laugh right out loud. Then we make the green chair go the other way. We go so fast, sometimes we get dizzy. One time Chance throwed up condensed owls' milk all over the carpet. Nasty.

James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs? Where my Sons of Windsor? What happened to the Princes of Ontario?" That's us! Charles and Chance. He's coming into the living room. He's gonna scoop us up and sit us on his lap and he will tell us a story. I l-o-v-e stories. Know what? I like the story about Noah and all the animals. James says all the animals went into Noah's boat in pairs--except the worms. They went in apples. That's a pun. I know what a pun is. I'm five, you know.

Okay, we're gonna go, now. I sure hope you have a green chair at your house. If you don't you can come and sit with us in our big green chair.  We know how to share. Good citizens share, you know. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Over and out!"

Tanner and Chance Play Piggy Back

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy,  James. He's old and forgetful. Sometimes he wears sox that are two different colours. I have to look after him. 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.

This is Chance and Tanner. Tanner was my firstest, bestest friend. He was a big 'ole yeller dog who lived with his friend Cassidy the bunny rabbit. Tanner got real sick with cancer. He died yesterday. He was five, just like me. He was my very bestest friend.

I'm gonna miss Tanner a whole lot. Know what? Cancer is not our friend. Cancer is even meaner than hornets! I remember when  James got cancer inside his head. He was real sick too, but he didn't die. I'm glad he's still here. I love all my friends and buddies. I don't like death. Death is mean.

Now that Tanner is gone it's my job to take Chance piggyback riding. I can do that! It's fun. Chance can't talk but he makes little squeaky noises when he's happy. I have to watch out when he makes squawky noises. That means he's hungry or he made poo in his diaper. That's yucky.

This is me, Charles the bear cub...Oh! Wait! When I take Chance piggyback riding, am I a pig? If I'm a pig will I get swine flu? I gotta go ask James! "Over and out!"

Saying 'Good-bye' to Tanner

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy,  James. He is forgetful and old. He goes outside without his shoes, sometimes.   I have to look after him. 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.

This is Chance and me with Tanner. He's a big 'ole yeller dog who lives with his friend Cassidy the bunny rabbit. They live with their buddies Jay and Shaun. Tanner is five, just like me. He's my very bestest friend.

Tanner was really sick. He went to sleep yesterday and stopped breathing. His life is finished. Grownups call it death.

Know what? I don't like death very much. Death is mean. It makes me hurt really bad inside. I wanted Tanner to get well and he couldn't. I cried. Chance cried.  James scooped us up on his lap for big hugs. We all rocked in the big rocking chair and cried together. We used up a whole box of tissues.

James says Tanner is at rest and the cancer can't hurt him anymore. I'm glad for that 'cuz he was real sick. I'm going to miss Tanner a lot. We can't play together but  James says as long as I live I will always remember the fun Tanner and me had digging holes or climbing maple trees, eating Smarties, marching proud down the avenue in our rainbow colours or racing our bikes up and down Sandwich Street. I will tell new friends and buddies about Tanner.

When spring comes we're gonna plant some flowers in his honour. Tanner would like that. Know what? I'm gonna plant a box of Smarties for him, too.

This is me, Charles the very saddest bear cub on Sparkle Road. Tanner will always be my first bestest friend. Good-bye, Tanner. I'm glad you were my friend. I won't ever forget you, honest!

Nap Time with Tanner

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy,  James. He's old and forgetful. Sometimes he puts dirty dishes in the fridge! I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? We're playing with my friend Tanner. He's a big 'ole yeller dog who lives with his friend Cassidy the bunny rabbit. They live with their buddies Jay and Shaun. Tanner is five, just like me. He's my very bestest friend.

Tanner is sick. He gets tired real fast, so we take naps together. He has to lay down a lot. Know what? We don't have to do anything to have fun. It's fun to be together, even if we're not digging holes or climbing maple trees or racing our bikes up and down Sandwich Street. Taking a nap is just as much fun. I'm glad Tanner is my friend.

Talk to you when we wake up. Tanner will feel better when we wake up. We're having peanut butter and licorice sandwiches later. They're yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Take a nap and you'll feel better. Over and out!"

Playing with Tanner

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, Special Ed James. He rides to school on a short bus, so I have to look after him. 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.

Know what? I'm playing with my friend Tanner. He's a big 'ole yeller dog who lives with his friend Cassidy the bunny rabbit. They live with their buddies Jay and Shaun. We play games like Roll Over. We play Hide & Seek, too. Tanner is five, just like me. He's my very bestest friend.

Tanner is sick. He takes lots of meds. He has to lay down a lot. He has trouble breathing sometimes. Special Ed James says Tanner has cancer and he can't get well. That makes me sad. I want Tanner to feel good so we can dig holes in the back yard. I know! We can play Doctor and I will give Tanner Smarties to eat. Then he will get well and we can play! That's helping! Okay! I'm gonna get Special Ed James and Chance. We can go to Mac's Milk right now and get some Smarties! We'll get a really big box!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Help your friends. That's what good citizens do. Over and out!"

The Big Fire

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He is old and forgetful. Today he went out in the snow without any shoes!   I have to look after him. 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.

Look. Chance is asleep and I'm still sleepy. We heard lots of sirens in the night. They're really loud and they woke us up. There was a big fire downtown, right by Tanner and Cassidy's house. They're my friends. Tanner is a big 'ole yeller dog and Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. Lots of firetrucks and firefighters came. They put out the fire but our phone and our internet didn't work for a whole day. I couldn't even write my blog. I wish I had been there to see it. Know what? When there's a fire you can roast marshmallows or hot dogs. I put them on a stick and hold them over the fire.  James watches us so we don't get hurt. Fires can burn. I l-o-v-e marshmallows and hot dogs. They're yummy and that's one of the four food groups in The Canada Food Guide. I hate brocollis. I wouldn't roast brocollis. They're nasty.

Oh! Did you hear that?  James is hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs? Where are the Sons of Windsor? What happened to the Princes of Ontario?" That's us! Charles and Chance! We're gonna run find James so he can kiss our noses and tickle our ears and make us laugh right out loud. We got porridge with gummy worms for breakfast. Chance doesn't eat porridge. He doesn't have any teeth. He gets condensed owls' milk in his bottle. I'm too big for a bottle. I'm five. I have a sippy cup with Spiderman on it. Okay. We gotta go. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be careful around fires, good citizens! Over and out!"

Nighty Night!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. I'm five. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy,  James. I look after him 'cuz he's old and forgetful. He lost his mitts today.  Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby. I found him in a basket one morning, right in front of the door!

I wanted a little brother for a long time but every time I would ask,  James would laugh, kiss my nose and say, "Fat chance, Charles. You're a handful already." That's how cubby got the name Chance. Chance and me and  James have lots of fun together.

After supper we're sleepy. We have our baths. Then  James tucks us into bed and reads stories to us. Then we say our prayers. Chance can't talk but he makes squeaky noises when he's happy. He likes to crawl under the covers cuz he thinks he's hiding. He can't hide from me.

Prayer time is nice. Know why? That is when I tell God what I did today. He's my friend even if I can't see him. Know what I say? I say, "Hello, God. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with Chance and James. Thank you for all the fun we had today. Thank you for my little brother and for James. Oh, wait. Thank you for Cassidy and Tanner, my friends. Thank you for porridge and gummy worms and licorice and my blue bike with the Canada flag and for Smarties, too. Thank you for trees to climb and for a a big back yard so I can dig holes. God, I know you climb way up high so you can watch over us. Thanks for watching. Okay, God. I'm sleepy. Amen."

Amen means I'm finished, God. This is me, Charles the sleepy bear cub saying 'over and out!" Then James kisses our noses and says, "Good night handsome bear cubs. Good night you Sons of Windsor. Good night you Princes of Ontario. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!" I don't know what bedbugs are but if I ever see one I'll make it sit on the Time Out Chair. No one should bite, you know. I sleep all night. So does Chance. Well, sometimes he poos in his diaper and makes squawky noises, so we have to change them but then we go right back to sleep. Bye for now?

Olde Sandwich Towne Festival

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. I live with my buddy James on Sparkle Road. That's near Sandwich Street. I look after him 'cuz he's old and forgetful.

Look at me! I'm reading the Windsor Star. That's a newspaper. Newspapers tell us what's going on.

I know what's going on. There's going to be a BIG festival on Sandwich Street. Festivals are like parties. It starts on Friday. The party will last all weekend. I l-o-v-e parties. There will be singing and dancing and all kinds of contests. I hope there is a running contest. I can run real fast. That's cuz I have Cat-in-the-Hat sox. Tanner and Cassidy gave them to me.

Tanner is a big 'ole yeller dog and Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. We're gonna have a yard sale. We got really good junk to sell. I hope you come and see us. It would be fun to play together. If I had a little brother, I'd play with him. I'd be nice, too.

I asked  James if I could have a little brother and he said, "Fat chance, Charles. You're a handful." I don't know what that means but hands aren't very big, you know. My birthday is on Canada Day. Did you hear that?  James is hollering, "Who's a handsome bear cub? Who's a Son of Windsor? Who's a Prince of Ontario?" That's me! Charles! I'm a handsome bear cub. I'm a Son of Windsor. I'm a Prince of Ontario! I'm gonna run find James so he can tickle my ears, kiss my nose and make me laugh out loud. I l-o-v-e having my ears tickled, don't you? Okay. This is me, Charles, saying, "Over and out!"

Laundry

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. Our house is right by Sandwich Street in Olde Sandwich Towne. I look after him 'cuz he's forgetful. He forgot where we live!

Look at me! I'm riding in a laundry cart at the Mill Coin Laundry. Is it ever fun. James pushes the cart and I make the fire engine siren noise. Oh. I forgot. This is where we come to get clean clothes. I don't need clean clothes. Bear cubs don't wear clothes. We get to run around bare naked. That's a pun.

James has to wear clothes. He's not a bear cub even if he acts like one sometimes. Know what? I wear sox. I have Cat-in-the-Hat sox. They were a birthday present from Tanner and Cassidy. Tanner is a big 'ole yeller dog and Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. My birthday is on Canada Day. My sox are in the washing machine. I can run real fast in Cat-in-the-Hat sox. I bet I can run even faster when they're nice and clean.

I couldn't run fast when I was just a little cubby. James says I was a fast crawler and he used to call me Super Cub. Oh. Wait. I hear him hollering, "Who's a handsome bear cub? Who's a Son of Windsor? Who's a Prince of Ontario?" That's me, Charles! I'm a handsome bear cub. I'm a Son of Windsor! I'm a Prince of Ontario! Okay! I gotta get out of here and find James so he can tickle my ears, kiss my nose and make me laugh right out loud. Maybe he will give me some licorice. Okay! Bye for now! This is me, Charles saying, "Over and out!"

Rainbow on Sandwich Street

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. I'm five. My birthday is on Canada Day. I live with my buddy, James, on Sparkle Road. That's near Sandwich Street. I look after him 'cuz he's really old. He says he was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark!

We're getting rain every day. I like to go out and splash in the puddles. Know what? After it rains we get a rainbow. Rainbows are pretty. I wonder if they taste good. I took a picture of the rainbow. See it? James says that the first rainbow came at the time of Noah's Ark. I know what rainbows mean. They are promises.

Wow! I wish I could ride on Noah's Ark. I'd have lots of friends to play with. I wanna play Hide & Seek with zebras and giraffes. Oh. Wait. I'd play with Tanner and Cassidy, too. Tanner is a big 'ole yeller dog and Cassidy is a bunny rabbit. They're my friends. I could be the lookout, you know, 'cuz I can climb real high. I'm the bestest climber. "Ahoy! Rainbow on the starboard!" That's what I'd holler.

Okay. I gotta go 'cuz James and me are gonna ride our bikes up and down Sandwich Street and make fire engine noises. We'll eat licorice and splash in puddles, too. Maybe we'll see Noah and hop on his Ark for a ride! Yeah. Hope you see a rainbow today. They're good luck, you know. This me, Charles the Bear Cub. Over and out!

The Telephone

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live with my buddy James on Sparkle Road.That's in Olde Sandwich Towne in the City of Windsor.  I look after James 'cuz he's old and forgetful. He lost the phone. I found it--James put it in the fridge!

Look at me. I know how to use the telephone. I can call my friends Tanner--he's a big 'ole yeller dog--and my friend Cassidy--he's a bunny rabbit. If my buddy,  James, gets sick I can call 911 and the ambulance will take him to hospital. Phones are good things even though we can't eat them and they don't make good pets.

Do you hear that?  James is shouting, "Who's a handsome bear cub? Who's a Son of Windsor? Who's a Prince of Ontario?" That's me! Charles! I gotta go. I'm gonna get my ears tickled and I'm gonna laugh right out loud. This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Learn how to use the phone so you can talk to your friends and call 911 for emergencies. Bye for now."