"The role of the artist is not to tell people what to think but rather to encourage them to think for themselves." Charlie here; things have been so loco around the Casa del Whackos that it has crowded the ability to chronicle those changes. Dad's dad is rapidly declining , (uh, I'll be having the Parkinson Special with a side of Alzheimer's, hold the shake), and the sight sometimes takes a bit of the zip…

Sunday morning at the Casa del Whackos; last night's rain has continued it's march eastward, taking the pollen with it, but no one is willing be the first to acknowledge that the sun has risen. Even the hummingbirds are subdued, limiting their usual attempts to deplete the sugar distribution depots out back to occasional strafing runs, in a halfhearted attempt to probe the Casa's defenses. We all continue feigning slumber until a screech shreds the…

Once upon a midnight dreary, I tossed and turned, all weak and weary Banished from the bed onto the hardwood floor When deep beneath the quilts I heard a yarking A heaving sound,  a silent barking Is it a false alarm, or cause to flee these shores? Thus quoth the Charlie; Nevermore.  I dared not peek beneath the covers As odors abiding there are known to hover The ghosts of Alpo past, a foul vapour…

Dad here; I just saw a post this morning that posed the question: "what would you do if you woke up this morning with a billion dollars?" That's an easy one for me: I wouldn't have time to even consider the change in my bank account or the endless tax liabilities it would produce. My new uber-rich status wouldn't matter a whit to Ajax, as the instant my breathing changed as I emerged from REM,…

OMIDOGOMIDOGOMIDOG!!CLAIRECOMEQUICKTHIS ISTERRIBLEOHNOWHATAREWEGONNADO? whuuuut? MOMJUSTLETUSINFROMOUTSIDEANDDAD'SGONEOMIGODWHATTAWEGONNADOWHATIFHEGOTCAUGHTUPIN THERUPTURE? whuuut? Charlie's in there on the bed where dad usually is, why don't you go ask her? OMIGODTHAT'STRUEMAYBESHEATE HIMNOWHE'SALLGONEANDWE'REALL ALONEWITHMOMANDSHELIKES MARCOBESTANYWAYNOWHE'LLGET ALLTHEGOODSNACKS!!!WHATTAWEGONNADO? Ajax! Chill out already! Do you need to go find some of Bull Taco's hidden stash to calm your nerves? I'm sure that Charlie didn't eat dad, and if she did, we need to go check it out; he had some stocky legs, so I'm sure she left…

Dad here; 0500 at the Casa del Whackos and Charlie is taking full advantage of her name day,refusing to do her own post this morning. The rest of the dogs are outside flexing their plumbing, but actually soaking up more moisture on this dewy morning than they are depositing therein, moisture that I know is destined for the bed when they stampede back inside. Since Charlie is obviously on some sort of strike or something,…

Betsy Robb is not a good person. If you will remember, she's the president of the Friends of the Little Rock Animal Village who originally tuned up and played dad like a Stradivarius. This particular song ended with the relocation of Marco Polo de la Horndog to the Casa del Whackos, and life has never been the same. Then dad saw on her FB page that the Sonic now has hot pretzels; they'll be good,…