One of the downsides of the mayhem at the Casa del Whackos is that the temperament of the more forceful personalities overshadows than that of the more introspective inmates. Charlie, Titus and Ajax are extroverted forces of nature, while Claire, Mia, and Marco provide the introverted yin to the yang., and sometimes their voices get muted by the background noise. Which leads me to Claire; the Claire Bear came to us as a foster. Something…

The raiding season was swiftly approaching, and the sound of hammers and saws constructing the necessary ships to cross the channel rang out in the distance. The grizzled old warrior, Gimli Ironpen, stirred beneath his quilts made of tanned caribou skins and attempted to rise to face the chill wind blowing in off the fjord, but was oppressed with a sense of great foreboding, a heaviness if you will, that hindered his efforts. Was it…

God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform... Do you feel like there's no hope in sight? That you're in a loop of continuous bad news, and there's no good to be found in anyone anymore? I think we all do to a certain extent, but this post is testimony to the fact that there is always hope. So here we go... it starts bad, but the payoff is phenomenal. 9/4/2012 911 dispatch, what's…

For those of you who think that I might exaggerate a bit when describing Charlie as a passive-aggressive sleeper, I would offer the attached picture as proof that this in fact an actively-aggressive sleeper. This was taken when camping in the mountains above Moab, Utah, where, when the sun goes down, the temperature goes with it. The sleeping bag in question is a Big Agnes mummy bag, built for one average sized camper. One. Averaged…

Dad here; years ago, I started donating blood. To give you an idea as to how long ago it was, there was a bulletin board at the Red Cross donation center covered with Polaroid photographs of people who has reached particular milestones of giving; one gallon, five gallons, ten gallons, and so on. I remember thinking, wow, those guys are old! Now, almost fifteen gallons later, I'm glad that that the old bulletin board is…

Charlie Bravo in the house! With all the drama outside, it's easy to forget that there are others facing their own private crises every day. An example: Dad and I were heading out eatly yesterday to help a buddy move; the air was crisp and clean, and traffic was light. All was well with the world until we were passed by not one but three lifted pickup trucks, each carrying a brand new ATV. You…

Charlie and I took a whirlwind trip out west last week in preparation of a busy season soon to be upon us. We shouldn't have went at all, as much has changed recently and sometimes it's best to not return too often to the scene of so many awesome memories. Charlie is a very sensitive dog, very quick to pick up on my moods, and was not her usual spry self on the trip. It…