Charlie
A piece Spence wrote for something on Scribd:
Of all the dogs who have shared my life, Charlie was the most handsome. A largish golden retriever with erect and dignified bearing and a big, magnificent head, Charlie was like some bygone courtier. Not the kind of courtier you wanted to help hatch plots, like Richelieu, say. Charlie was more the kind of courtier you wanted in the castle for decorative purposes.
I knew Charlie his entire life. He was born in a litterbox in our basement. Mother: Gansett, a small, active golden. Father: Dustin The Wind, a professional stud for hire. Charlie, just about all head at the time, stood out right away from the other puppies. I thought I was gazing down at a natural-born alpha male leader – he even sported a little Mohawk in those first few days. I was completely mistaken, as it turned out. Charlie was the actor you’d hire to play the alpha male leader.
Gansett, Charlie’s mother, was the real alpha male leader. She was a clever stalker and catcher – and therefore, let’s just say it – killer of creatures who dared enter our yard. Since we lived in a somewhat rural area at the time, her trophies included not just squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and the occasional daydreaming bird, but also more exotic invaders. Once there was a possum, for example. Charlie didn’t accompany Gansett on these hunts, but for some reason she always let him bring the corpse into the house, which he did very proudly, prancing around with that possum in his mouth like Hemingway after a kill. Okay, not Hemingway, but some prancing great white hunter. Maybe she wanted the humans in the family to believe Charlie really was what he looked to be.
My guess is Charlie was too content to hunt, too sweetly disposed. He loved treats, of course, but never demanded them. He liked swimming in the ocean and lying in the sun. What else? Being patted. He’d let himself be patted by the kids at any time, for as long as they wanted. Nothing upset him but the wind. On stormy days he’d hide in the pantry or wedge himself behind a couch until it was over. But I’d never question Charlie’s bravery.
Was he ever the smartest dog in the room? Probably not, but so what? Doesn’t anyone who gets involved with dogs come to believe that IQ is overrated, and I don’t just mean in the canine world? Charlie had only one area of expertise, which was digging up rocks that were hidden under beach sand. He was a genius at that, unerring in his knowledge of where rocks would be, deft and single-minded at unearthing them. What he was up to was never clear.
Charlie died at the age of ten. The fact that dog and human life spans match up so poorly proves to me there’s no intelligent design. On Charlie’s last day – he’d been sick for a few weeks and the vet had done what she could – he somehow made his way into a thick tangle of gorse and brambles and did that digging thing one last time, not for rocks, but to make his own grave. I’d never question Charlie’s bravery. It took me a while to find him. I carried him into the house so he’d have a little company. He was still beautiful.
Tags: Charlie
This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 9:25 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
4:42 am on November 3rd, 2010
Oh, my, I wish I could have met Charlie. What a gentleman, or in Spence's words "a courtier."
Mac is a Charlie. He could be an Alpha male, except he loves his naps and food a bit too much. Though when he was "intact" he certainly was an ALPHA MALE when a lady was in heat. He'd lose ten pounds because he was so single minded he wouldn't eat.
Maybe he's just catching up on all the sleep he lost then.
No sign or sound of beavers so far this morning. When I go for my walk, I will keep my eye out.
4:48 am on November 3rd, 2010
That's a beautiful piece. Thank you Spence.
4:55 am on November 3rd, 2010
I looked up Scribd. It looks pretty cool.
Here's their statement . . .
"Welcome to Scribd – Where the world comes to read, discover, and share…
We’re using Facebook to give you reading recommendations based on what your friends are sharing and the things you like. We've also made it easy to connect with your friends: you are now following your Facebook friends who are on Scribd, and they are following you! In the future you can access your account using your Facebook login and password."
4:56 am on November 3rd, 2010
Beautiful prose. Thank you for sharing.
5:18 am on November 3rd, 2010
Beautiful, Spence, and way to bring tears to our eyes.
5:20 am on November 3rd, 2010
Sad!…So the guy in the story just died one day? …sniffle! ….Scary too!
5:21 am on November 3rd, 2010
Crap!… I see Mike Baker has been working hard…snort!… Or should I say, hardly working…grump!
5:21 am on November 3rd, 2010
Barb is feeling a little better, but now she has to go to a funeral this morning.
Kirby came up with some good titles last night, too. Looks like everyone quit early last night, guess cause there was no baseball! BBL
5:27 am on November 3rd, 2010
Thank you for sharing Charlie's story, it was verry moving. I'm happy for Charlie that he had a person who loved him.
5:37 am on November 3rd, 2010
Test
5:55 am on November 3rd, 2010
The crane cam is live this morning and they have a pumpkin right in front of the camera and are playing with it.
http://www.operationmigration.org/crane-cam.html
the crane who is slowly moving back and forth is a dummy, so don't worry about it.
5:59 am on November 3rd, 2010
Hi Mike! Glad you are on the job. My post at 10:55 worked fine!
Alice Johnson and AbbietheKitty
6:09 am on November 3rd, 2010
Heh heh, Someone carved a face on that pumpkin and it wasn't a crane.
6:38 am on November 3rd, 2010
We loved reading Charlie's story. Those stories are always sad, but dogs bring so much happiness to our lives that we somehow endure the pain of losing them and begin again. No dog can replace the one that has been lost. It is new adventure and journey every time. I've never had a Charlie, but I sure have had some adventures with the nation within a nation. Every single dog is different, just like us.
Siber-H's mom
6:38 am on November 3rd, 2010
WOO WOO!!! Mike fixed the blog bug!
6:46 am on November 3rd, 2010
Grunt!…It's about damned time he fixed it!…snort!
6:54 am on November 3rd, 2010
The cranes are now resting.
6:55 am on November 3rd, 2010
Cool, now I don't have to go into contortions to post anything.
7:14 am on November 3rd, 2010
Spence. Thank you for such an eloquent and poignant remembrance. I have to say there is a lot of Charlie in Wookie, especially the contentedness and humbleness. We didn't have him from the very beginning, because he was already 8 months old when he bounded into our lives, changing them forever (for the good). What little we know about his back story is that he was one day from being put down in a shelter on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, when he was rescued by GRREAT, and then he went through a succession of foster care placings until we were able to adopt him. Apparently his original name was Caesar and he was also known for a while as Twister, before his last foster renamed him Wookie, which both fits him like a glove and just stuck. Your comment about intelligent design nails it just right; it is so unfair that man's best friend (apologies to the female sector of the Plunderers) or members of the nation within a nation, as Bernie would say, have a life span that is so out of kilter with ours. But dogs are definitely a true gift from God, as even their name implies (in reverse), and those of us who are blessed by their presence in our lives are just incredibly fortunate. As Wookie grows older, the thought of losing him some day makes both his mom and I very sad, but hopefully we have a few more years of the perpetual joy he provides daily before having to face that sad time. Thanks again for a smile and wisp of optimism in this otherwise crazy world of ours, especially one day post-election.
Wookie's dad
7:24 am on November 3rd, 2010
Dear All,
I totally agree with Spencer and Wöökie's dad. It does not make it any easier to lose a loved one when you have a lot of best friends.
8:04 am on November 3rd, 2010
Design! … My friend says that Loss, Heartache and Suffering are all part of the intelligent grand design. For, if we never have to suffer, or feel the loss of a loved one, we will never know how huge the capacity for love is within us. … sniffle!
“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief. But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love.”
8:22 am on November 3rd, 2010
Rio. Your friend is very wise. Wookie
9:15 am on November 3rd, 2010
Titles!…Speaking of Titles for C&B 4….snort!… How about this one A Nose For Trouble ?? …sniff!sniff! … Or this one, The Pug Who Knew Way Too Much…snort!
9:59 am on November 3rd, 2010
From TFAT, Chet says about lipstick that he knew that taste from having chewed up one of Leda's lipsticks, or possibly more than one, even lots.
This email had the subject "No, I haven't seen your lipstick."
[img ]http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/1288810694-havent seen your lipstick.jpg[/img]
10:10 am on November 3rd, 2010
Molly!… Has Sammie ever looked that way?…snort!…She likes to eat that stuff, doesn’t she?…heh!
10:15 am on November 3rd, 2010
That is Sam isn't it?
10:23 am on November 3rd, 2010
Stover!…No.
10:27 am on November 3rd, 2010
I'm happy to say that's not Sam, but little Sammie dives into Mom's purse the minute it is left unattended. Sam has gotten chapstick and loves it.
10:48 am on November 3rd, 2010
Molly!…Too bad you can’t teach her to go for the credit card instead!…heh!
10:57 am on November 3rd, 2010
That's wonderful (sort of) MollyPop!
Glad it wasn't Sam.
10:59 am on November 3rd, 2010
Virus!… I just learned from my friend that there may be a virus spreading around just in time for Christmas….sniff!…Be aware of an email from UPS/Fed Ex saying they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date. It will ask you to print out the invoice copy….snort!…Do Not print the invoice, this will launch the virus…. Grunt!…Call UPS or Fed EX instead….damn hackers!…Barb and MagPie be on the watch!…snort!
11:04 am on November 3rd, 2010
Melanie will be able to identify with this one. Yesterday Kelly, Barb's daughter, came downstairs after making the beds, etc and found Naughty Gus had gotten into Chad's gym bag in the mud room. He had a bottle of some sort of over-the-counter stuff for boosting your energy level and speeding up the metobolism (probably lots of caffine in it.) Gus got the child-proof cap off and there were gel cap pills all over the mud room, kitchen and eating area. Both dogs were lying on the floor with the pills surrounding them.
Kelly flipped into panic mode, made both dogs throw up, and then dug through their puke (fresh dog food), trying to find any pills. Vet said to wath them and bring them in if they started acting hyper. Evidently he only scattered the pills and did not ingest any. She said he is shaving years off her life!
11:10 am on November 3rd, 2010
Thank you for sharing the story of Charlie. Besides me, Mom's favorite dog was Ginger, who was 1/2 black lab and 1/2 golden retriever and 1/2 human. Even now, if mom thinks about her too much she shed a tear or two. Ginger was the goodest dog that ever lived. She never had a bad thought about anyone. Ever. Just like me. I am soooo good but sometimes I help myself to whatever is on the counter. I do not see that as being a Bad thing at all though. I see it as being practical.
11:16 am on November 3rd, 2010
We want to aplogize for the sour grapes of yesterday. Mom really, really wanted to enter the contest. We feel that Spence opened his arms to embrace us plunderers, and then said, nope, sorry, we don't want your stinking suggestions. We can name this book all by ourselves, thank you very much. No contest, no nuthin. That's why we feel cheated.
But mostly she's in a bad mood because of my boys, whose names will no longer be mentioned.
11:16 am on November 3rd, 2010
Thanks for the warning Rio.
11:19 am on November 3rd, 2010
Wolfie: Spence may have been told by the publisher–who would have paid expenses I assume–that he couldn't leave the title up to us. Perhaps we can have a different contest–prize to be book four. What were your suggested titles?
11:44 am on November 3rd, 2010
Good afternoon. We never made it on yesterday. We must say that we are not thrilled with the title either. The first three titles we witty, this one just…ehhh. Doesn't seem Chetish. Doesn't mean we won't read the book, just that Spence should consider staying with the style that has brought him this far.
We think our favorite might be "Pup Fiction". Mom had a whole list of titles, and just threw them away over the weekend, because she figured she would never need them. If she had not thrown them at out, we could have at least contributed to the fun. grumblesnort
11:45 am on November 3rd, 2010
WERE witty
11:46 am on November 3rd, 2010
Wolfie!… I think Stover is right. Most likely Spencer’s publisher is a bonehead and decided against the whole thing… grunt!… I think ole pointy had good intentions and really wanted the contest…sniff!…So let’s hear your Title ideas pal!… wheeze!…Nobody has liked mine so far…cough!
12:27 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Min Pin!… I love it!…snort!snort!… Pug Fiction …This is the Title! I can just know it!…wheeze!
12:31 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Wölfie: In the post from yesterday there is "the business of America is business" and right now business doesn't want to spend any money. I don't think it's Spence.
12:35 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Rio! Honestly. Macy didn't say Pug Fiction. She said Pub Fiction–the movie Pulp Fiction leaving out the l.
I want to go to one of Spence's book signings and take him out to dinner. What fun!
12:41 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Personally I like "Techno-Poodles From Outer Space."
12:56 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Remember guys, he had a title picked out for Book 3 and that got changed. We think that the publisher just tricked all of you into posting your ideas! How crafty of the publisher or maybe Admin did it! Now he will pick the best one that y'all posted and possibly send that plunderer a signed copy!
Are we right, Chet??
12:58 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Blast…I mean Pup fiction….
12:58 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Huh?… Well, I like Pug Fiction better than Pub Fiction…snort!
1:04 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Stover!…heh!snort!heh!
1:13 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Maybe in Spence's acknowledgements he could mention some of our book ideas, just so the reading public knows what a talented and creative bunch we are!
1:14 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Rio, Surprised YOU didn't think of Pup (or Pug) Fiction.
1:18 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Puss N’ Boots! Barb N’ MagPie!…. You guys are getting swirly stars in your eyes imagining all kinds of prizes and acknowledgements… heh!heh!… We ain’t getting Crap! Get over it! … snort!… Heck, we’ll be lucky to get another installment of the Astrid Case… grunt!
1:20 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Mom likes Pub Fiction and she is willing to hit a few "pubs" to do research! If it was Pug Fiction she is willing to hit a few pugs.
1:22 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Min Pin!… snort!… You finally made me laugh…snicker!
1:24 pm on November 3rd, 2010
WoooooooHoooooo, puggiggle
1:26 pm on November 3rd, 2010
On the news just now they said "Good pitching beats good hitting" It must be true.
1:27 pm on November 3rd, 2010
There is a big rally at the Ballpark this afternoon to show the Rangers how much we appreciated a great season.
1:29 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Right!..How long has it taken the media to figure it out??…geeze!…I bet they stole that line from Spencer …grunt!
1:32 pm on November 3rd, 2010
As snug as a pug in a rug.
The Good, the Bad and the Poodle.
1:34 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Macy: Am I not picking up the irony in your comment? Of course it's true. It's common sense isn't it? Besides the fact that it takes more skill to pitch well than it does to hit well, if you can't hit a ball because of good pitching you can't get anywhere. (Sorry if I'm being dense.)
1:39 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Seriously, Rio. We smell a name change coming. Alot of the titles you guys posted are WAY more creative. Bet SQ talks the powers of business into changing it. SQ, we are okay with no prize or dinner, but think about some of these suggestions!
1:56 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Irony and sarcasm are our tools of choice. Of course, many people don't get our sense of humor (our lack thereof)
Jerry Bock has passed away. And who is Jerry Bock you ask? "sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset…." Composer of Fiddler on the Roof, some of the best music anywhere, ioho.
2:15 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Barb loved Fiddler on the Roof! Great music, great story.
2:53 pm on November 3rd, 2010
When I stop crying I'll say something intelligent besides "that was just so poignant and heartfelt." Thank you Spence/Peter/Admin/Chet/etc.
3:07 pm on November 3rd, 2010
"Hit a few pugs", indeed! Laughing here.
MagPie: Tell Barb to tell her daughter, I do understand. (story coming up here)
When the ladies are in heat, and we are not going to breed them, we sometimes give them melatonin to take the edge off, so they can sleep and we can sleep. (Jeez, the hooting and a hollering and woo, wooing).
That time it was my job to give out the melatonin. We give it out in peanut butter.
Unfortunately, I was going through a bad spell right then and was very tired and confused.
I had to give four of the ladies melatonin. I put two of the melatonin tablets in the peanut butter on the spoon, about to give it to Patsy when Rose comes through with a flying leap and eats the peanut butter while still in flight. Well, that was a bit of a surprise.
So I did it again, and there came Rose flying by again eats the peanut butter again.
(Did I tell you I was a bit confused?)
So I did it again, and she DID IT AGAIN. That was SIX tablets of melatonin!!
I woke up Zoë told her what happened. We gave her lots of bread and milk. She was in seventh heaven. Zoë finished the pills. Rose slept great.
There are times I would really like to have a brain.
3:22 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Melanie!….I finally have a nickname for YOU!…snort!snort!… Scarecrow …heh! ….If I only had a brain…wooooo!woooo!
3:39 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Thanks, Melanie, for sharing the story. Gus and Joe are fine. Evidently neither scarfed up any pills, but Kelly had a great time smushing thru their regurgitated breakfasts!
3:50 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Gag!… On now, Barb, that’s just disgusting for the sake of being disgusting… grunt!…We got it the first time you relayed the puke story…gah! Sneeze!
3:52 pm on November 3rd, 2010
CrumpCake!… I can't spell today no matter what I do…dagnabit!!…growl!
4:09 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Riö, you're not trying to tell us that Pugs, especially one in particular, never puke?
4:12 pm on November 3rd, 2010
How about "The Maltese Feels Cross"
or this other one that would be a sure-fire big hit:
The Maltese Falcon.
4:13 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Scarecrow!…heh!… I’m telling Barb that I don’t like hearing about someone swishing around in it over and over again…gag!… I puke all the time, but I klean up after myself. No ones needs to fiddle around with it after that…snort!
4:17 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Sammie!… I actually like your cousin Molly’s title better…snort!… Techno-Poodles From Outer Space….Catchie!…sniff!
4:20 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Sam, I like "The Maltese Feels Cross"
Well, it's after nine, the blog becomes alive again, just in time for me to hit the sack.
Move over Patsy (she's snoring like mad). Going to be in the 20's tonight, Might get a bit of snow in the morning. If so, it's not going to stay.
TTFN
4:30 pm on November 3rd, 2010
What's TTFN?
4:42 pm on November 3rd, 2010
G’Night Mel!…The blog may or may-not come alive after 9:00 tonight… snort!… No one seems too energetic today after the Sad, Depressing send off we had in the initial post…dammit! …What the hell? Reading about yet another guy dying is not going to inspire us to talk about anything interesting….grump!… Face it, we are all gonna die, but lets have fun before that, OKAY?….wheeze!…. Down with Guys Dying! No more Death for us Guys on the Blog… yeep!yeep! …Lets become an “interesting blog”, not a Depressing blog….yeep!…What do we all say????… if anything?…sniff!
Stover!…Because I love you, TTFN = Ta Ta For Now….snort!
4:46 pm on November 3rd, 2010
By way of Winnie the Pooh—Ta Ta For Now
4:48 pm on November 3rd, 2010
I think I will take the Barbie car for a min-spin
4:49 pm on November 3rd, 2010
We all learn so much from B, but look at what we teach her. I can't wait for the first time she tells her students that they're SOL. Ha ha.
4:54 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Sammie!….I do await the day when Stover finally gets to tell one of her under achieving student they are SOL…heh!… All I hope is she shares every detail with us…snort!snort! …I bet that person’s eyes will be big as saucers when she says it!…heh!
4:56 pm on November 3rd, 2010
LOL….Thank you all!
4:57 pm on November 3rd, 2010
OK Rio, We will not mention any Yucky stuff again. Even tho you talk about this stuff all the time. We thought it was a funny story. Promise to mention it again! Good night, all.
4:57 pm on November 3rd, 2010
That excuse makes me LOL, but sorry, you are still SOL, IMHO, so TTFN!
5:15 pm on November 3rd, 2010
BARB!…GEEZE!… Do you read or NOT?… MagPie tell Barb I am not against Gross Stories, just don’t drill it for a second time or more, please….grunt!…Good grief!
Min Pin!…Who the hell knows what post she is referencing with her flippant rhetoric…snort! …Who cares?… One thing is true, we are all SOL in the Title Contest, so get over it….sniff!…Unless Spencer has a soft heart and has something else in mind…grunt!…This is probably NOT an option, but one can never truly know what goes on in another’s pointy head…wheeze!
5:27 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Stover!…Are you still Up?….snuffle?
5:29 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Yes, Rio, I am.
5:36 pm on November 3rd, 2010
I think Macy was saying what B. would say, giving some poor student the full blast. That was funny.
5:37 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Stover…I need a really big hug tonight…snuffle!…I feel like I'm losing the battle…sniff!…Don't ask what battle, please. Just let me know you are my good friend. If indeed you are.
5:42 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Rio: I send you a hug and a kiss. You aren't losing anything. From your good friend B.
5:52 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Thanks B…. For some reason today has been a difficult day and of course I do not have Baseball as a crutch to disappear into….sigh…I’m okay. I really am. Thank you for giving me that hug. You are a true friend. Sorry if I love to tease you too much…heh!…It’s all part of my nature. …snorkel!…I only pick on the ones I love the most…heh!
5:56 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Rio: Remember that you can read The Fan now that baseball is over.
Mollypop and Macy are funny! For my students, I have the power of the grade.
6:14 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Night all. Wonder if we'll get anything on the Astrid case tomorrow….
6:30 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Mollypop, you figured it out. You are ok in my book even if you are a fan of the team whose name we dare not speak.
Nite all, mini pin hugs Rio.
7:49 pm on November 3rd, 2010
Big fluffy hugs for Rio from AbbietheKitty and a fluffy tail wave from Alice Johnson. We are your friends too Rio. We have all had those tough days and know what it is like to go through them.
Keep your tail curled and don't fall over while napping
A+A
12:05 pm on June 10th, 2013
由于我完全不同观测，一些专业词汇就看的似懂非懂的。所以想请教一下下面这句话的正确的翻译：”Mass loss from cool giants and snegrpiauts is evidenced by P Cygni profiles in optical spectra, by the 10 μm silicate feature in IR spectra, and by maser line emission from OH and other molecules in radio-frequency spectra.“
11:51 pm on June 10th, 2013
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