Adventures of Charles the Bear Cub Olde Sandwich Towne, Windsor, ON

It's Christmas Morning!

2012-01-30T18:12:00.001-05:00

First we have to eat breakfast. Breakfast is special on Christmas morning. We get to eat pancakes with Smarties in them. I l-o-v-e Smarties. I l-o-v-e pancakes, too! I like to put peanut butter and maple syrup on my pancakes. What do you like to put on yours?

Now we get to open our presents. Santa put lots of presents under the tree. Know what? He at the cookies we left for him last night.

Know what Chance and me got? We got Snakes and Ladders! It's the funnest game, you know. It's a really big game. The board is a metre square! We play it on the floor.

Okay, this is how you play Snakes and Ladders. You roll the dice and move your marker that many spaces. You go up the ladders and slide down the snakes. The first cub to get to square 100 is the winner. Chance can't count, so I help him. Sometimes he wins! He makes little squeaky noises when he wins. That means he's happy. He's a good little brother. When we play in French, we play Serpentes et Echelles. C'est bien le fun!

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 good all year long.Then you can have Christmas with us. You can eat Smarties pancakes with us. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play Snakes & Ladders together! Okay! Over and out!"

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. Sparkle Road is next to Sandwich Street. That's in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. It's in O tario and that's in O Canada.

James is really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know. He needs me.

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 have any teeth. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk. I look after Chance, too. Is he ever a handful!

Know what? Chance and me and James are wearing our Christmas toques. We always wear them when we decorate the tree. We put up the Christmas tree every December. We have to put it up so we have somewehre to put presents. I know where Christmas trees come from. they come from Canadian Tire.

Our tree is not too tall and not too small. It's just right. James says our tree is a genuine 60-centimetre Canadian Tire spruce. We hang garlands and pretty, shiny ornaments on the branches. We have a beaver with antlers to hang. Chance licks the ornaments and makes them all sticky. He can't eat ornaments 'cuz they're not in Canada's Food Guide. Chance can be a very silly little cub, sometimes. When it's all finished, our tree is the most beautifulest tree in the world!

We sing special songs when we decorate the tree. We sing Silent Night and Il Est Ne Le Devin Enfant and O Christmas Tree and lots of other songs, too. Chance is too little to sing but he makes little squeaky noises. That's 'cuz he's happy. We get to eat the Christmas cookies we made. We get to drink the sorel punch we made. I l-o-v-e sorel punch, don't you?

Oh! No! Look at Chance! Chance climbed way high on top of the tree! He's not supposed to do that! I say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" Of course, he's stuck up there. He's scared and he makes little squawky noises. Good think I'm five and can help him get down.

Chance is such a wee little thing he doesn't know that Santa's job is to sit on top of our tree so he can make a list and check it twice so he can see who's naughty and who's nice.

Cubs who do naughty things get a stocking full of coal on Christmas morning. Cubs who are on their bestest behaviour get yummy things like Smarties and gummy worms.

We put presents under the tree for our loved ones and our friends and our neighbours.

I l-o-v-e Merry Christmas. I can't wait for her to come. Our house will be full of special friends. Merry Christmas will bring Santa and Rudolph the Nasally Challenged Reindeer and the newborn Baby Jesus, the Little Drummer Boy and the angels.

Oh! Wait! I forgot the sheep and the Three Wise Guys who followed the OnStar to our house. We'll have lots of good things to eat and we can go outside and play. I hope we have snow for Christmas. Snowflakes are pretty.

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 on your best behaviour. Be nice to everyone. Then Santa will know that you're nice and not naughty. Nice citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! It's only 15 days 'til Christmas! We can play and wait for Merry Christmas to come. Okay! Over and out!"

Eating at Mr. Greek

2011-11-20T22:34:00.000-05:00

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

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep last year. He's a wee little thing. He doesn't have any teeth. doesn't even have a tail, yet!

I look after Chance, too. He's always in trouble. He climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" But he can't 'cuz he's afraid. Chance makes little squawky noises when he's afraid. I have to help him get down. Looking after Chance is a full time job. Chance is a handful!

Guess what! Chance and me are dining out on the Danforth. We're in Greektown. We l-o-v-e to eat Greek food. When we're in Toronto our favouritest Greek restaurant is Mr Greek. It's a nice place to eat.

We get to share a lime margeurita. They're very tasty. It's a virgin margeurita. That means there's no alcohol in it. Bear cubs don't drink alcohol.

We're hungry as bears. James says we'll eat like pigs. That's not funny. We're NOT pigs. We're bear cubs. James can be very silly sometimes.The nice server brings us a menu. That's a list of all the good foods we can eat. I want to eat them all.

I know the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. They're yummy, sweet, sticky and nasty. I don't like nasty foods. I try not to eat them.

There are lots of yummy things in the menu but I have a favouritest food at Mr Greek. I'm going to order moussaka. I l-o-v-e moussaka. It's full of eggplant. It's kind of like shepherd's pie. Know what? There really aren't any shepherds in shepherd's pie. That's good 'cuz we shouldn't eat people. People aren't in Canada's Food Guide, you know.

Oh, wait! Know what? Before I eat my moussaka, I want something else. I want to eat the flaming cheese. I l-o-v-e flaming cheese. It's almost as exciting as Canada Day fireworks. The nice server shouts 'Opa!' and sets the cheese on fire! The cheese goes "WHOOSH!" Then she stops the fire with a lemon. I'm pretty sure she is a fire fighter, too.

Then we're going to have baklava for dessert. I l-o-v-e baklava. It's the yummiest dessert. I pour honey on top of it and I say, "Over the lips and past the gums, Look out, tummy, here it comes!" The baklava slides right down to my tummy. It's yummy and sweet and sticky! Good thing we're wearing our serviettes around our necks so we don't get all sticky and have to take a bath!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can come with us to the Danforth and eat Greek food in Greektown with us.

Come over to our house and play with us! We can walk up to the Danforth to Mr. Greek. We can holler "Opa!" and eat moussaka together! Okay! Over and out!"

Remembrance Day

2011-11-13T16:03:00.002-05:00

I know the poem for today. It's In Flanders Fields. We learned it at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. It goes like this.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

We remember our soldiers in the Canadian forces and all the hard work they do to keep Canada safe.
Some of the soldiers are in the Royal Canadian Navy. Some of the soldiers are in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Some of the soldiers are in the Royal Canadian Army.

Our soldiers have big jobs. Some of the soldiers are peacekeepers. Peacekeepers go to work when neighbours don't play nice. The peacekeepers call 'Time Out' and separate everybody so no one gets hurt. Some of the peacekeepers went to Cyprus and Rwanda and Bosnia. Some of our soldiers belong to DART. The DART Team helps people when disasters strike, like in the United States after Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti and the cyclone in Mayanmar.

Some of our soldiers fight in wars, like World War One and Two and Korea and Afghanistan. Sometimes soldiers die. That's very sad. I sure hope that there aren't any more wars. Wars are not nice.

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. Remember our soldiers. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can remember our soldiers together! Okay! Over and out!"

Happy Hallowe'en!

2011-10-31T22:30:00.001-04:00

Hallowe'en is a good holiday. We get to dress up and be very s-c-a-r-y. At the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre we're very, very scary. We shout "Boo!" and scare each other. That's a fun thing to do. At home, James helped us to carve a pumpkin. We made a very scary jack-o'-lantern. Then we put a candle inside. See?

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. Good citizens get to go trick-or-treating. Then you can get Smarties and gummy bats and chocolate bars. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can trick-or-treat together! Okay! Over and out!"

Baking Cookies for Hallowe'en

2011-10-27T14:50:00.001-04:00

300 ml all-purpose flour
5 ml baking powder
5 ml baking soda
5 ml ground cinnamon
2 ml ground nutmeg
3 ml salt
100 ml melted butter
300 ml sugar
250 ml cooked pumpkin puree
1 egg
5 ml vanilla extract

Then we stir them up. James says I'm the Minister of Stirring. I l-o-v-e to stir. Chance is the Deputy Mini-Stir. That's a pun, you know. Then we put the dough on a cookie sheet. Then we put them in the oven.

We are very careful not to get too close 'cuz the oven is very hot. I have to hang on to Chance. He wants to go in the oven with the cookies! He can't do that! He'd get all crispy! Bear cubs shouldn't get burnt. Bear cubs have to be safe. If we got burnt, we'd have to go to Hotel-Dieu and see the doctor.

Now the cookies are in the oven. We set the timer and we watch them bake. The cookies have to bake for 12 minutes. That's a long time. I only have to sit on the Time Out Chair for five minutes and think about what I did. Five minutes is a long time. Twelve minutes is really long! I wonder what the cookies are thinking about while they bake. I know what they should think. They should think about me. I'm as hungry as a bear and I'm gonna eat those cookies all up! While we wait, we sing The Prune Song and laugh.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? The timer is ringing! I know what that means. It means the cookies are done. We have to turn off the oven and the cookies have to come out of the oven. James takes them out but we can't eat them, yet. They're too hot. When they cool off, we get to eat one. Cookies are yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. We want to eat more but James says we can have another one after we eat supper. We're gonna have pumpkin soup for supper and pumpkin cookies for dessert!

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. Good citizens get to help bake pumpkin cookies for Hallowe'en. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can bake pumpkin cookies together! Okay! Over and out!"

Thanksgiving Day

2011-10-10T11:33:00.002-04:00

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. He must be more than a hundred years old!

We live in Olde Sandwich Towne. That's in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. It's in O Canada. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. I learned that at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Know what? We can look out the window and see Detroit.

Detroit is next door but it isn't in O Canada. It's in the Knighted States. They are nice neighbours but they have a different boss. Queen Elizabeth is our boss.

She's a very good queen, you know. I'll share my Smarties with her when she comes to our house. We'll climb the sugar maple in the back yard and I'll say, "Your Majesty, hold out your hand and say 'Please' and I'll share my Smarties with you. Oh. Wait! Your Majesty, don't forget to eat the red ones last!" It's a rule, 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. Know what? Chance doesn't have any teeth, yet. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk in a bottle. Chance takes off his diaper and climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!. He makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's scared. I have to help him get down. He's a handful!

Know what today is? Today is super special 'cuz it's Thanksgiving Day. We get to eat Thanksgiving dinner. It's a special dinner for a special day. Thanksgiving is everywhere! Juanita and Glen have Thanksgiving in Newfoundland. Margaret and Reid have Thanksgiving in Nova Scotia. Andres has Thanksgiving in Prince Edward Island. Francois and Maria have Jour de l'Action de Grace in Quebec. Elizabeth has Thanksgiving up in Tranna. Lois has Thanksgiving in Alberta, too! Bonnie and Terry have Thanksgiving in British Columbia. We're all thankful. Thanksgiving is everywhere! It's really big! This is the day we are thankful. James says we should be thankful every day. Before we eat James asks us to say what we're thankful for.

Okay. I'm thinking about all the things I can be thankful for. I'm thankful we get to eat pumpkin pie today.I l-o-v-e pumpkin pie. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. Chance and I helped make the pie. We get to stir. James says I'm the Minister of Stirring. Chance is the Deputy Mini-Stir. We get to lick the spoons. I like to stir things, don't you?

I gotta lotta things to be thankful for. I'm thankful for our family. I'm thankful for James and Chance and Uncle D and Auntie A and Lily and Lulu. Some bear cubs don't have any family at all. I'm thankful for all my friends and buddies. I'm thankful for porridge and Smarties and gummy worms and all the good foods except broccolis and saurkrauts. I hate them. They're nasty and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide, you know.

I'm thankful for the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre and Miss Jackie who used to be my teacher but she sailed away to Halifax and my new teacher Miss Sephorah. I think Miss Sephorah is a princess. I'm thankful for my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and my Ninja Turtle toothbrush and my Cat-in-the-Hat sox that make me run faster than anyone. I'm thankful for the sugar maple tree and my space ray gun. That fills up the whole paper. That's a lot of thankful!

Know what else I'm thankful for? Turkey. We got turkey with stuffing. I l-o-v-e turkey and stuffing. The stuffing has Smarties in it. It's really, really yummy.

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 thankful today 'cuz it's Thanksgiving Day. Be thankful every day! Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! We can eat pumpkin pie, too! Come over to our house and play with us! We can be thankful together! Okay! Over and out!"

Visiting Dr. Greg

2011-09-14T12:43:00.000-04:00

Thinking

2011-09-08T20:37:00.000-04:00

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 doesn't even have any teeth. He just drinks chocolate owls' milk in his bottle. He doesn't have a tail, yet. I look after Chance, too. He climbs way high on things and then he can't get down. I have to help him. He's a handful!

Know what? I'm thinking. Sometimes I just lie on the carpet and look up at the ceiling and I think. Thinking takes a lot of work, you know. I have to line up ALL my thoughts inside my head. That's what thinking is.

I think about lots of things, you know. I think about Miss Sephorah, my teacher at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. I think she might be a princess. I think about Smarties and gummy worms and root beer. I think about Chance. I think I'd better be a good example so he grows up to be a nice cub, like me.

I think about Thanksgiving. I think about being thankful. I'm thankful for lots of things. I'm thankful we climb on board VIA Rail and go to see Lulu and Lily and Uncle Darryl and Auntie Alexandria. I'm thankful for them. I'm thankful we get to eat yummy food like turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie, too!

Sometimes I think about Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas comes to our house every year. She comes on the 24th of December. That's Silent Night, you know. She brings Santa and the elves and the newborn Baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the sheep and the shepherds and the little drummer boy and the wise guys who followed the OnStar from Bethlehem to our house. Know what? It's only 108 days until Merry Christmas. I think I'd better be good so I can get presents. I need to think about what to get Chance and James and our buddies and friends, too.

James has a saying about thinking. He says--

If the thought you thought you thought
Was not the thought you thought you thought,
Then the thought you thought you thought you thought
Was not the thought you thought at all!

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 and think. Thinking is good. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We lie on the carpet and think together! Okay! Over and out!"

Windsor Pride 2011

2011-08-08T14:06:00.000-04:00

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!

Chance and me are wearing rainbows. That's 'cuz we're proud bear cubs and we're at Pride. Our buddies Jay and Heather are proud, too.

I know what Pride is. It's how we feel when we're nice to ourselves. We feel good. We're kind to others, too. Chance and me are proud. We're proud every day.

It's a hot day, even on the river front. Know what? James says we can get ice cream. We get to go to Busker's Ice Cream Parlour. That's on Tecumseh Road. I LOVE ice cream, don't you? I don't know what kind of ice cream I want. It's hard to choose. They're all yummy and yummy is one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. I know! I want every flavour! I will eat them all! Chance can help me. He's good at licking things. Know what? He tried to lick the Christmas tree ornaments. That's 'cuz he's a wee little thing an doesn't know any better. We're gonna eat orange sherbet. That's very yummy. Chance will help me lick it ALL 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 yourself and kind to others. Then you can be proud. You can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can eat orange sherbet and be proud together! Okay! Over and out!"

Ahoy! We're Off to Pelee Island!

2011-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

We go to Pelee Island on the boat. The boat has a name. It's the Pelee Islander. It's a nice boat. James says it can hold 86 passengers and 14 cars. Wow! That's a lot! Know what? Boats have birthdays. The Pelee Islander was born in 1960. That's really old, you know. I'm wearing my life jacket in case the captain hollers, "All hands abandon ship!" I don't think he'll say that today but I'm ready. Chance is too little to wear a life jacket but he can float with me. He isn't heavy. I won't let go. Promise.

When we get to the island we go to the Pelee Island Winery. That's where they turn grape juice into wind. They have picnic tables. We bring out the cooler and set the table. Then we say grace and we get to eat lunch. Know what? All that sailing made me as hungry as a bear. I get to eat egg salad sandwiches and drink Canada Dry. I get to drink out of the can but I don't have thumbs so I have to hold it like a sippy cup. I hope I grow thumbs one day.

Chance gets chocolate owls' milk. Oh! We get chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We made them yesterday. They're yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide.

We went on a tour. We learned all about baby grapes. Did you know that when they grow up they turn into wine? It's true. It's a good story. We met Steven and Joey. They're the bestest story tellers. They are lots of fun to hang out with. Joey tickled my nose. I love having my nose ticked, don't you?

I'm pretty sleepy. I'll tell you 'bout the rest of our adventure the next time, okay?

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 and true. Help neighbours and friends. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Pelee Island together! We can play with Joey and Steven! All aboard! Okay! Over and out!"

Happy Birthday O Canada! Happy Birthday to Me, Too!

2011-07-01T14:41:00.000-04:00

Know what I got for my birthday? I got presents! I got Legos and a Spiderman cap and an O Canada puzzle and a big toy dump truck and five new story books--My Bible Friends. I can read, you know. That's because I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre on Sandwich Street. I learn lots of things there. Chance likes it when I read to him. He sits really still and he doesn't even try to eat the pages.

Oh! Wait! Did you hear that? That's James hollering, "Where's my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor and 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 he can tickle our ears and kiss our noses!

This is me, Charles the bear cub, saying Happy Birthday O Canada! Happy Birthday to Me, too! Come over to our house and we can eat chocolate cake and ice cream, too! Over and out!

My Trip to Hospital

2011-06-27T18:11:00.000-04:00

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 only drinks owls' milk in his bottle 'cuz he doesn't have any teeth! Chance takes off his diaper when we're not watching him and climbs way high on things. Then he can't get down and he makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's stuck. I say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" I have to rescue him. He's a handful!

Chance and me are at Hotel-Dieu Grace. That's a hospital. I know what hospitals are. Hospitals are places for sick people. Know what? I had an accident this morning. I fell off my blue bike, the one with the Canada flag on it. I got hurt. I tried to be brave but I cried 'cuz I really hurted.

Good thing I was wearing my brain bucket. That's what James calls my safety helmet. I had to see the doctor and have a CAT Scan. I thought it was a kitten. I like kittens. Cats make nice friends. A CAT Scan isn't a kitten at all! A CAT Scan is a machine that looks inside of me to see what's wrong.

I had to drink a whole bottle of a banana-flavoured shake before the CAT Scan. The CAT Scan can see the shake inside of me. I'd like to look inside my buddies and friends! Wow! That's a super power I'd like to have! It's better than being invisible!

Chance and me are sitting on the CAT Scan. It's like a big bed with a doughnut on top! I l-o-v-e doughnuts, don't you? If it was a real doughnut I'd eat it all up!

I have to lie down and be really, really still 'cuz the doughnut is going to look inside of me and see if I'm okay. Chance wants to ride with me but he can't. It's just one cub at a time. He can have his turn later.

Look at me! I'm flat on my back. I'm holding still. The bed is moving! I'm riding right into the doughnut hole! The CAT Scan can talk! A nice voice says, "Take a deep breath and hold it." I can do that! I'm five, you know. I can follow instructions. Ask Miss Jackie. She's my teacher at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. She puts lots of red stars and Canada flags and yellow happy faces on my work 'cuz I'm smart.

Then the voice says, "Breathe." I can do that, too! This is easy. I'm not afraid at all. The nice lady put a band on my head so it doesn't wiggle while I'm inside the CAT Scan. "Look out! Good citizens! Charles the Bear Cub comin' through!

We wait until the nice lady says I'm gonna be fine. We can go home, now. That's the bestest news, you know. Hotel-Dieu Grace is a nice hospital but it's more fun to be at home on Sparkle Road in Olde Sandwich Towne. That's in Windsor. I know where Windsor is. It's in O Canada.

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. Ride your bike carefully. Always wear your brain bucket. If you get hurt, go to Hotel-Dieu Grace and the nice doctors, nurses and all the other kind people will help you get well. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride bikes together! If we get hurt we'll go to Hotel-Dieu Grace and ride in the CAT Scan! Okay! Over and out!"

Eating Yummy Food at Wah Kee

2011-06-20T09:37:00.000-04:00

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 takes off his diaper and climbs way high on things. Then he can't get down and he makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's scared. I have to say, "My son! Come down from there this instant." Then I have to go get him 'cuz he's scared. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? This is a picture of Chance and me with our buddy, Sue. Sue has a very important job, you know. She makes everyone happy with Chinese food at Wah Kee. That's a restaurant. It's by our house. It's down the street. I can ride there on my blue bike with the Canada flag on it. I l-o-v-e- Chinese food, don't you? I even eat the broccolis without holding my nose. Sue makes the bestest food!

Today we can order anything we want. I'm hungry. I'm really hungry. I'm as hungry as a bear. I want hot and sour soup. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide. It's the bestest soup in the whole wide world! I know how to get food. We read the menu and pick out the ones we want to eat.

I will tell you a secret. Wah Kee is the favourite restaurant of all the other Chinese restaurant owners in Windsor.

I can read, you know. That's 'cuz I'm five and I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre on Sandwich Street. Miss Jackie is my teacher. I think she's a princess. I think Sue is a princess, too. Look at Chance. He's sitting right on the plate! Chance is silly. He's so little, he doesn't know any better. I'm not going to eat him! Chance thinks the soup is to splash in. He's all sticky. He' making a real mess. Chance has to have a bath when we get home.

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 neighbours and friends. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house! We can go see our buddy Sue at Wah Kee and eat fortune cookies! Okay! Over and out!"

Walkin' the Picket Line With Our Buddies at Canada Post

2011-06-13T14:05:00.000-04:00

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. He's so old he remembers when you had to lick your own stamps!

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 doesn't have any teeth. He just drinks condensed owls' milk out of his bottle. He climbs way high on things and he can't get down. I say, "My son! Come down from there this instant!" He makes little squawky noises 'cuz he's afraid. I have to help him. He's a handful!

Know what? Our buddies at Canada Post can't go inside the building and work. That's too bad.

I know what postal workers do. They work very hard. They have a very important job. The are the nice people who bring us letters and packages. They bring them right to our door! I l-o-v-e letters and packages, don't you?

I share my Smarties and gummy worms with the nice Postal Lady who comes to our house. I think she's a princess, you know. I get mail, you know. I cards and presents on my birthday. They come by Canada Post. My birthday is on July 1st, you know. That's the same day that O Canada has a birthday, too!

James says CUPW stands for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. It's a family. Chance and James and me are family. Our family is pretty small. There are 550 people in the CUPW family in Windsor. That's a lot of porridge to cook! They must have a really big kitchen table! Wow!

CUPW is on strike. I know what strike means. My teacher, Miss Jackie told us. I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre on Sandwich Street.

Strike means nobody can go inside the Post Office. The door is locked.

Our buddies are in front of our Post Office. Our buddies are picketing. That means they carry signs and blow whistles. Sometimes good citizens have to walk the picket line until somebody will listen.

Know what? Chance and me can help! We're good citizens! We can help our friends and neighbours. We can help our buddies! We can carry signs and blow whistles. That's a good idea! Then the big boss in Ottawa will hear them and they can go back to work! I hope it's soon. Canada Post is one of my favouritest places.

People drive past the Post Office and honk their car horns and wave. They give us thumbs up.

Strike is what happens when the two sides stop talking. One side is the labour union and the other side is management. The big bosses sit down and talk to the workers. The workers have leaders. The leaders talk to the bosses. When they agree and shake hands everyone can go inside and we can get letters and packages, again.

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! Help your friends and neighbours. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to Canada Post and walk the picket line with us! We can help! Okay! Over and out!"

Hangin' Out at Petwise

2011-06-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

We met some new friends at Petwise. This is Carrie. She's a dog. She's very friendly. She took Chance for a piggy back ride--even though Carrie's not a pig. We just say piggyback. Chance doesn't talk, 'cuz he's a newborn cubby. Chance makes lots of little squeaky noises when he's happy. He squeaked a lot when Carrie took him for a ride. I didn't go for a ride 'cuz I'm way too big. I'm five, you know. I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. That's on Sandwich Street. I have lots of friends and buddies there.

See, our friends have four feet and our buddies have two feet. Snakes don't have any feet at all. Know what? Snakes don't have to wear shoes. Chance and me don't have to wear shoes, either. After our bath, we get to run around bare naked. That's a pun, you know.

We're playing Hide-and-Seek with Onyx the cat. Chance is supposed to be hiding. He climbs way up high on things. See him? He's at the tippy-top of the Cat Hotel.

When Chance closes his eyes, he thinks he's invisible but he's not. Onyx the cat and I know where to find him. We just look and there he is! Oh, oh! Chance is stuck. He can't get down. I say, "My son! Come down from there before you fall!" Bless his little cotton sox, he can't get down. I have to help him. Chance is a handful, 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 buddies. Be polite to your neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can all hang out at Petwise! Okay! Over and out!"

Recycling is Fun!

2011-06-04T12:04:00.001-04:00

Know where we are today? We're at Windsor's recycling centre with our buddy Peter. I know what recycling is. It's when we put empty root beer cans in the red box and old papers in the blue box. When they're full we take them to the recycling centre. Peter has things to recycle and we get to help. Helping is fun. Good citizens help each other, you know.

At the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre, Miss Jackie teaches us about recycling. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, she always says. Miss Jackie is very smart. She's pretty. I think she might be a princess.

We take our own cloth bags to Westside Foods when we go shopping so we don't use plastic bags. Know what? Chance likes to ride in the bag. That's 'cuz he's so little. He's a newborn cubby. He doesn't have any teeth, yet. He doesn't even have a tail!

Good citizens recycle. Recycling is a good thing to do. It's good for Mother Earth, James says. Know what? They have big boxes for everything at the recycling centre.

This is our buddy, Ed. He's lucky. Ed works at the recycling centre. He tells people where to put things. Ed has an important job, you know. I could be a recycle bear when I grow up. I would get to wear an orange shirt. I would say, "Good citizen, place your cardboard in the Number Two bin, please."

I would thank everybody who came to the centre with their stuff. If they were very, very good I might give them root beer and Smarties, too. Good citizens do good deeds and they get to drink root beer and eat Smarties.

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. Pick up trash and garbage. Put them in the blue boxes and the red boxes. Then you can go to the recycling centre. You can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can fill up the blue box together! Okay! Over and out!"

Surprise Visitors

2011-05-20T09:20:00.000-04:00

Know what? We got surprise visitors. I love surprises! Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Terry came to our house! They live in British Columbia. That's pretty far from our house. I know where British Columbia is. It's in O Canada. I can show you on the map. It's the first province on the left. We had fun with Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Terry. They kissed our noses and tickled our ears. We went out to eat. Chance got apple juice. I got chocolate milk and a bendy straw. We played games and we shared a box of Smarties, too.

When Grandpa Terry and Grandma Bonnie left our house, they got on a plane to fly to Newfoundland and Labrador. That's in O Canada, too. I know where Newfoundland and Labrador is. It's the first province on the right. Miss Jackie taught us all about in jogfree class at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre.

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 friends and neighbours. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink chocolate milk with a bendy straw. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can have fun together! Okay! Over and out!"

I Can Hear You Loud and Clear!

2011-05-18T18:59:00.000-04:00

Chance can hear really good. He's got really little ears 'cuz he's a newborn cubby. Chance sat very still while he got his ears tested. Chance's ears work fine.

My ears are bigger. That's 'cuz I'm five. I'm a growing bear cub. Know what? My ears need helpers. I got fitted with hearing aids by Deena and Heather. One for each ear! I can hear! Loud and clear! I didn't know the dryer makes a noise when it goes 'round and 'round. I didn't know Chance makes really loud snory noises when he naps. Water makes noise when it comes out of the tap, too! There are lots and lots and lots of noises I didn't know about! I like my new hearing aids. Know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna listen to everything and see what kind of noises there are! I l-o-v-e noises!

I will tell you a secret. I think Deena and Heather are princesses.

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 friends and neighbours.

Oh! Get your ears checked. You can hear a lot of things if your ears need helpers. I can hear Smarties crunch when I chew on them and I can hear root beer make fizzy noises in the can!

Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We climb up high in the sugar maple and eat peanut butter and licorice sandwiches. I will show you my hearing aids! Okay! Over and out!"

Eating Rotis at Coconut Grove

2011-05-17T10:19:00.000-04:00

We get to drink pop with our rotis. I got pineapple pop. Chance got ginger beer. It's not really beer, you know. It's made from ginger. Pop and roti. James says it's a party for your mouth. It's true!

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 eat rotis and drink ginger beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Coconut Grove and visit Miss Sandra. We can eat rotis! Okay! Over and out!"

Toronto Police: To Serve & Protect

2011-05-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

I know what police do. They serve and protect. They have an important job. Their job is to make Toronto a safe for boys and girls to live. Grownups, too. Oh, wait! Police constables make Toronto safe for bear cubs, too. The constables stop bad people from doing bad things. People who do bad things get arrested. They go to the Don Jail. They have to go to court. The judge decides if they're guilty or innocent. People who do bad things aren't good citizens, you know. Good citizens obey the rules.

I could be a constable when I grow up, you know. I could help make Toronto a safe place to live. People who live in Toronto are called Torontonians. Toronto is pretty big. Six million people live in T.O. It's Canada's biggest city. It's way bigger than Windsor. That's where me and Chance live. Windsor is the centre of the universe and the nicest part of Detroit. That's what James says.

We have police in Windsor. Know what? There weren't any murders in Windsor last year. That's 'cuz the police serve and protect.

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 friends and neighbours. Good citizens get to eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can play police. We can serve and protect! Okay! Over and out!"

Mexican Grill

2011-05-02T09:40:00.000-04:00

There's lots and lots of good things to eat on the menu. I can read the menu all by myself, you know. That's 'cuz I'm five and I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. That's on Sandwich Street. I want to eat everything. James says, "Charles! Calm down, my son. You must be as hungry as a bear!" I am, you know. I'm a growing bear cub.

Chance is too little to eat Mexican food. He doesn't have any teeth, yet. He just drinks owls' milk out of his bottle. Chance thinks my enchiladas are pretty. He licks them and makes little squeaky noises. When he makes squeaky noises, that means he's happy.

It's hard to choose what to eat. They got lots of vegetabletarian foods. That's good for vegetabletarians. Bunny rabbits don't eat meat. They're vegetabletarians, you know. Finally I decide. I'm gonna eat the red and green enchiladas. They look yummy. There's salad and rice and refried beans, too.

Next time I think I'm gonna eat tacos. No. Wait! I think I want fajitas. Maybe I'm gonna have tortillas. I'm just going to eat everything. Yeah. Then I'll be stuffed. Really stuffed.

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 neighbours and friends. Do good deeds. Then you can go to the Mexican Grill and eat Mexican food. You can have Smarties and drink root beer, too. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and we can go to the Mexican Grill with us! Okay! Over and out!" Ole!

Our Trip on VIA Rail

2011-04-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

Know what I'm doing? I'm at VIA Rail. I'm helping James buy a ticket. We're going to Toronto. James says six million people live in T.O. That's a lot of people, you know. I wonder why they live so far away from Windsor. Windsor is the bestest city. It's the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. I know that Toronto is the capital of Ontario. I know where Ontario is. It's in O Canada, our home and native land.

I'm hanging around, waiting to get on board. When we ride on the train, we are on our best behaviour. We use our inside voices and we say 'please' and 'thank you' to the nice people with the beverage and food cart. Know what? We always get chocolate milk to drink. I know where chocolate milk comes from. It comes from the dairy case at Sobey's. James says it comes from chocolate cows but sometimes he makes up stuff, you know.

I l-o-v-e to ride on VIA Rail. Trains are lots of fun to ride.We can look out the windows and see everything. Trains go fast, you know. Chance likes to ride on the train, too. Chance doesn't talk 'cuz he's so little but he makes squeaky noises when he's happy. Whenever I say, "Train!" Chance makes squeaky noises and runs to get his suitcase.

The seats on the train are very comfy. They have little dinner tables that pop out. Chance is so little he has to sit on the table to drink his chocolate milk. Know what? We get bendy straws for our chocolate milk. Bendy straws are special. I think they make chocolate milk taste even better!

Sometimes we climb up high and look at the other people on the train. James says it's not polite to stare at them. Chance stares at me. I stare right back at him. We stare and stare and stare. I make faces at him. If he laughs first, I win. If I laugh first, he wins. I almost always win that game. Oh. Chance thinks he's invisible when he closes his eyes. He's not. I can still see him. Newborn baby cubs don't know any better.

When the train stops at Union Station we're in Toronto. James says all roads lead to Toronto. Even railroads. I know when we're in Toronto 'cuz we can see the CN Tower. It's really tall. I bet Chance would try to climb up to the top of it if he could. I don't know how I would get him down. It's so tall it touches the sky! That's way taller than me, you know.

We learned about the CN Tower at the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre. Miss Jackie is my teacher. I will tell you a secret. I think Miss Jackie is a princess. She's pretty. The CN Tower has a restaurant at the top. We can ride up to the top on the glass elevator. It goes really fast and makes my tummy feel funny. The top is 533 metres up in the air. Miss Jackie says it has 181 storeys and is the third tallest building in the whole wide world! When we get to the top I would ask the nice people for chocolate milk with a bendy straw.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be on your best behaviour when you ride VIA Rail. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer on the way to Toronto. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride on VIA Rail together! Okay! Over and out!"

Chance and Me Find the End of the Rainbow and the Pot o' Gold

2011-03-19T18:17:00.001-04:00

One of the things we do when St. Patrick comes is to follow the green cubcake trail. Cubakes grow on the cubcake tree at the end of Mill Street, right next to the Detroit River. James says if we follow the cubcake trail all the way to the end we'll find the Pot o' Gold at the end of the rainbow. I l-o-v-e cubcakes. They're pretty to look at and yummy to eat, too! I know what a cubcake is. It's an eensy, weensy, teeny, tiny little baby cake that's just the right size for a bear cub to eat. That's why they're called cubcakes.

This cubcake trail is pretty long. It goes all the way up Mill Street to Sandwich Street. Following the cubcake trail is a really big job! Chance is supposed to help. His job is to be on the lookout for the end of the rainbow. He's supposed to point and make squeaky noises when he sees it. Chance makes squeaky noises 'cuz he can't talk, yet. That's because he's just a newborn cubby.

We walked and walked and walked and then we walked some more. Today we came to the end of the cubcake trail. We found the end of the rainbow and the Pot o' Gold, too! Look! There's shiny shamrocks and cubcakes and lots and lots of money! Oh, my! We did it!

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. Follow the cubcake trail. Then you will come to the end of the rainbow and the Pot o' Gold. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can wear green hats and follow the cubcake trail together! Okay! Over and out!"