Charlene’s Chair . . . Place

Chairs on the shelf display.

Welcome!  Yes, there are many types of chairs out there.  Why do so many people come in here surprised at that?  Anyway, we have a wide assortment for you to choose from, but we can also help you make a custom one.  I knew you would want to peruse our options, so here’s the catalogue.

First, we should decide on the style.  What are you going to be using the chair for? A relaxing chair does narrow it down somewhat.  There are the recliners, which are always popular.  Wingback, egg, and barrel styles are common as well.  Will these be outside or inside?  Both means you would need to move it. For that, I would recommend either a wheeled chair or a lightweight rocking chair.  There aren’t many additions to the latter, but that will make things a little streamlined.

I assume you want your rocking chair to be made of wood.  We have all of the usual types such as oak, maple, and cedar.  We have rarer ones too such as petrified, time travel obtained, and . . . There really isn’t anything special about the woods.  No powers or abilities to speak of.  Some are more durable and require less maintenance than others, which can be appealing.  Oh, the golden willow would does have a habit of attracting fairies.  There’s also a type of pine that absorbs your stress, but it will eventually release it all into a pocket dimension.  That sounds good, but we really don’t know what lives in that pocket dimension.  Only that the citizens have sent us several letters threatening war once they can figure out how to cross over.  Golden willow?  Good choice.

You don’t want to put paint on that wood because it will anger the fairies.  I would suggest a natural-looking wood stain.  Gold on gold would be repetitive, so maybe a clear or slightly tinted type.  Here’s one that would give it a reddish hue. Seems it also keeps the chair fairly warm at all times, which is good in the winter.  This is a darker yellow stain, which keeps termites, ants, flies, and other pests away.  Unfortunately, it smells like spicy mustard at all times.  It’s still our second best seller in terms of stains.  Our top one is a strawberry red that sprouts said fruit every week.  You have to pick it within an hour of it appearing though or it will rot.  Reddish hue for warmth it is.

Cushion patterns are numerous, but we do have various abilities.  Fart elimination, back pain eraser, calming scents, expanding into a wrap-around blanket, and a mild vibration mode are a few.  For a rocking chair, we have a cushion that does the rocking for you because its actually a mimic.  Not that the cushions have eaten anyone, but we don’t make them.  They simply appear and feed off any food that falls in their creases.  I think they might eat a few fairies too.  Still, the possible mimic also changes its shape to contour to your body and there is some evidence that it can protect your home from invaders of all species.  The only problem is they don’t get along with small house pets.  They’re scared of small children as well because you can’t get markers, gum, glitter, glue, and other things out of their hair.  You don’t have any of that, so you’re good for the mimic.  I’ll keep watch for the next one to arrive.

Anything else?  Thank you for doing business with us.  Just watch out when you leave because we got a shipment of steel chairs.  Those things have a habit of folding themselves and launching at the nearest person’s back. Ow!  Why do we sell these things to non-wrestling fans?

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Heroes of Windemere Profile: Luke Callindor

(Found a fun little collection of posts from 2016.  I did some profiles of the main heroes of Legends of Windemere.  Should be fun to see again.)

 

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Hair– Blonde
Eyes– Green; Later chocolate brown with gold flecks and black circles
Race– Half-Elf
Hometown– Haven
Career– Forest Tracker
Weapon(s) of Choice– Twin Sabers
Debut Book– Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero

Luke Callindor was born to be a hero.  At least that’s what he was told since he comes from the famous Callindor lineage.  Since childhood, he has been trained in combat, tracking, monster lore, and various wilderness.  By the time Luke turns eighteen, he has made up his mind to become an adventurer.  Running away from home with his loyal dog, Stiletto, he has no idea what he is getting himself into.  A famous name can only get him so far before experience and skills can finish the job.

Being the first hero who appears in the Legends of Windemere series, Luke is shown at the beginning of his adventurers.  He is cocky, stubborn, and still working with the idea that destiny is in his favor when he lies to get his first adventure.  Pitted against a demonic assassin and under the suspicious eye of a famous mercenary, Luke quickly realizes that he may have made a mistake. It doesn’t take long for him to learn that trustworthy friends are the key to his survival.  This is only his first lesson and he continues to grow as his story progresses alongside the other destined heroes.

Throughout the series, Luke Callindor relies on his courage and ability to think on his feet more than being tactical.  He is spontaneous and unpredictable to both his enemies and allies, which has managed to keep him alive even in the most challenging situations.  Luke is also a very quick at learning new skills and adapting, which is an ability that he is not entirely aware of.  He works off instinct when backed into a corner or he sees someone in danger.  Growing up with dreams of heroism, he will routinely risk his life to save his friends or even total strangers from danger.  As admirable as this is, his enemies know that this can be used against him.

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Questions 3: Setting Revisited

I’ve made many posts over the years about setting.  A reason for this is because I use a lot of descriptive exposition when writing.  I know many don’t like this method and start shouting ‘show don’t tell’.  Still, this works for my style and it isn’t like I’m selling books anyway.  Finding that it helps my son visual what’s going on as well since he started reading Beginning of a Hero.

A personal belief is that setting works as a hidden character.  The reason for that is because it evolves as you progress through the story.  It doesn’t stay the same because it grows with every added detail.  The setting also influences the characters and can force them to develop.  So, it can’t be taken for granted or ignored since it influences almost every aspect of the story.  This is why I want to get the thoughts of others:

  1. What is an important ‘rule of setting’ that you follow?
  2. How much has your setting usage or preferences changed over the years?
  3. What is an aspect of setting that most people don’t seem to acknowledge?  (Examples: time, various sense stimuli, stars, cultures, etc.)
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Kind of a Plan For 2026

So, what are the 2026 plans, goals, whatever, I don’t know:

  1. Finish writing Darwin & the Joy Path.
  2. Maybe start writing Darwin & the Hejinn Queen.
  3. Really should finish the ‘Phi Beta Files’ outlines.
  4. Support son passing 11th grade.
  5. Help son prepare and start 12th grade.
  6. Help son plan for college even though he already has a plan.
  7. Take one trip with son.
  8. Work during the summer as usual.
  9. Catch plenty of Pokemon while getting exercise.
  10. Bike more.
  11. Sleep better.
  12. Finish some puzzles and maybe Lego sets.
  13. Ignore the people who keep suggesting I try dating.
  14. Read more manga since it’s easier to take long breaks from that than novels.
  15. You know, maybe I can even start Darwin & the Nightmare Lord if I finish the other two.
  16. Stop getting my heart set on making amazing progress when my life is still borderline shambles.
  17. Continue blogging.
  18. Dream of publishing since it still makes no financial sense, which sucks because I really miss doing it.  No cover art money and no marketing money, but that first one is the real killer.
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Goal Post: A Chilly Break And 2025 Finale

It was cold!

I know it’s not a good idea to start with the weather, but that was a heavy influence on how the week went.  Temps were primarily in maybe the 20’s, but dropped into single digits a few times.  The reason is the wind coming down from the arctic, which is making my face and new scar hurting.  We had some flurries to start 2026, but that happened after my son and I got home.  Still, not being able to go outside for very long really limited what we were able to do.  Not that we planned much, but it means physical activity wasn’t happening, especially since I got a full thumbs up on Monday in regards to my recovery.  Shame I couldn’t celebrate with a walk in around the park.

Writing happened, but I came a single chapter section short when it came to Darwin & the Joy Path.  Last weekend saw me come close, but the cold and some stressors tired me out too fast to finish chapter 12.  I thought I would have a chance to do so during the week, but things happened.  Basically, I had my son for the day I thought he would be busy, so we did our usual Pokemon Go, anime with lunch, and video games, which meant no writing.  To be fair, we were both exhausted from being up late, so I used my energy to get cleaning done instead.

Thankfully, the chapter section is an easy one to get back into since it’s the wrap up action after a big event.  My notes were a mess for the big challenge too, which added to me not getting more done last Sunday.  It didn’t help that I focused on a character who wasn’t the one to solve the problem.  I had been focusing on him for the entire chapter, so I wanted to keep that going.  This meant, I had to figure out how have the problem get solved by someone else through his perspective.  Couldn’t have it come out of nowhere, so I had to repeatedly get up to pace and think.  Overall, I believe I got it to work.

‘Phi Beta Files’ are still an outline challenge that I haven’t been able to touch much.  I’m really going to bed soon after my son does.  This gives me about 15 minutes to look over the notes while listening to music.  The plus side is that I have this book mostly set up in terms of stories, but I don’t have them in order.  This might be an issue with writing books where its short stories, which both stand alone and carry the main plot.  No idea why I had no issues with this when I outlined the first book a year ago.  Was it because it was the start, so I had no pre-existing threads?

This weekend is a little cluttered with getting things ready for school and work starting up again on Monday.  Haircuts, lunch food, making sure all homework is done, laundry, and getting back on sleep schedules are important.  Time with my son is really important too because February is going to be rough.  With the way Winter Break is split, there is always a high chance of me only getting 1 of the 4 weekends instead of it being even.  This is one of those years, so I want to cherish the time I get.  Guess I’ll add this to another reason I’m stressed and not enjoying my existence.  Really drives home that I’ll have effectively missed half of my son’s life for a decade once this is over.  Probably more given how this agreement operates in real life, but nothing can be done there.

Next week will be a little warmer with high 30’s on Tuesday and maybe getting into the low 50’s by the weekend.  Doubt I can do a park walk until Wednesday, but you never know since I have my cold weather clothes.  As I said, the scar I have is still sensitive, so the low temps make it itchy and ache a bit.  The location prevents me from wearing one of my cold weather clothes, but I might try it this week.  I really need fresh air and exercise to help with my stress, which has returned to levels where I get 2 am panic attacks.  Though, a lot of crap getting thrown my way isn’t helping.  2026 really isn’t feeling any different than 2025.  Such is my life for a while.

Not as down as I sound.  Just tired and not hiding the fact that I have to deal with a lot of emotional battering.  It comes from certain entities who are more interested in causing pain and winning faux battles than making things easy.  I mean, knowing I was in the hospital didn’t even stop some of them from continuing their stress-inducing antics from afar.  That really taught me how these people will never change and I simply have to endure them until the leopards come for their faces.  Just wish those spotted karma deliverers would work faster, but it’ll have to happen some day.

Goals of the week?

  1. Time with son.  (Trying to watch older movies if time allows.)
  2. Haircuts.
  3. Return to work.
  4. Put together vodka sauce lasagna to cook tomorrow.
  5. Write more Darwin & the Joy Path if possible this week.
  6. Exercise with Pokemon Go when weather good.
  7. Work on ‘Phi Beta Files’.
  8. Puzzle time to relax before bed.
  9. Get extra sleep on Sunday to prepare for the week.
  10. Continue dealing with unrepented narcissists who I can’t be rid of.
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#5 Post of 2025: National Bird Day- The Condor

(Originally posted on January 5, 2025)

Today (January 5th) is National Bird Day, so I thought I’d highlight one of the biggest conservation success stories: The Condor.

Specifically, it was the California Condor that was pulled from the brink of extinction.  We also have the Andean Condor.  Now, California Condors had a slight boom in the late 1700’s because of human settlements having livestock, which gave them an ample food supply.  Eventually, the people started moving to other areas and hunters began taking the game that would naturally feed the condors.  Land was being taken over and eggs were being collected by people, which was decimating the condor population.

Condors were first protected in 1966 when 60 were in the wild, but it didn’t help and they dropped to 22. A recovery program began in 1979, which was controversial because people didn’t like the plan.  It was that wild condors would be captured and used in a controlled breeding program.  This could be difficult even though condors can live to 60 and are sexually mature at 6.  They are monogamous and lay only one egg at a time, which is why the egg collecting was so destructive.  Yet, there was a habit that conservationists could take advantage of.

While condors only lay one egg, they can have a second in the same breeding season if they lose the first one.  So, people would take the first chick to hand feed and have an unpaired adult to raise, which prompted the mating pair to have a second chick.  In 2021, it was also discovered that female California condors could have chicks without mating, which is called parthenogenesis.

It took a long time for the release part of the program to work, but it eventually took hold enough for the wild ones to breed.  As of this year, there are 343 free-flying condors and 217 in captivity.  The breeding program continues and is seen as a great success.

Here are some condor facts:

  • They are actually vultures, which means they are scavengers.
  • Condors are the largest land birds with California ones having a wingspan of 9.5 feet and Andean at 10.5.
  • Condors prefer to fly in windy areas in order to glide since they are so big.
  • Andean males have brown eyes and females have red.

Let’s get some pictures and videos too.

Andean Condor

Andean Condor

California Condor

California Condor

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Happy 2026!

Pretty sure we’re all trying to wake up and some of us are hungover.  Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year!

The title says it all.  Thought, I’d have more to say, but I just hope everyone is happy and healthy.  See you in 2026!

Google Image Search

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The Life & Times Of Ichabod Brooks for 99 Cents!

 

 

Enter the world of Windemere with 11 action adventure short stories featuring a man who is out to make an honest living. Some heroes seek fame. Some seek fortune. Others simply want to save the world. Ichabod Brooks only wants to put food on the table for his family. Known and respected as the man who can get any job done, Ichabod has seen his share of adventure. Most of which have been highly exaggerated by bards. Still, the man has his famous reputation for a reason. Whether it be climbing a temperamental mountain for eggs or escorting orphans to their new homes, Ichabod takes every job seriously and makes sure he is as prepared as he can be. Not that it helps since things always take a turn for the worse.

Start 2026 with multiple adventures for 99 cents!

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Review of 2025

Well, here we are at the end of the year.  Can’t say this was a stellar year since a lot of things went wrong.  Some of the stuff I can’t get into on a public forum.  I was hoping those situations would be over, but they’re continuing and getting worse.  Can’t be sure how to bring them to an end either because nobody in a position to help is willing to do so since it’s a risk or something.

A positive was that I finished editing all of the previous Slumberlord Chronicles first drafts, which helped me dive into Darwin & the Joy Path.  I’m making decent progress there, but it’s going to be slow going for a while.  I came up with a few new ideas that never made it beyond the scribbled on random paper stages.  Not because they aren’t good, but I had very little time for writing since staying indoors was kind of depressing.  At least for a full day.  An added issue is that my writing endurance sucks, so I can’t churn out a whole chapter in a day.  I’m lucky to get 2 done in a day because I need to rest as the brain fog comes back.

My son graduated 10th grade with Honor Roll and he started 11th grade.  Things are going as smoothly as they can there.  I’m trying to give him more responsibility and independence unless he asks for the help.  It’s kind of running smoothly, but he forgets things at times.  Nothing has been late, but we’ve had to scramble for a few assignments and studying.  He still isn’t a strong test-taker and has trouble focusing when he’s in certain locations, but we’re sort of pulling through.  I know the difficulty is going to increase, especially in Algebra II.  He has his chorus Disney trip coming up too, so there’s a lot to juggle.

Healthwise, I’m not doing any better than I was in 2024.  Sleep apnea is under control and my stress levels cause constant stomach issues.  Can’t seem to get the weight down unless I get sick to the point where I can’t eat for a few days.  It comes back.  Food is getting pretty expensive though, so forced intermittent fasting might force the issue.  Even the unhealthy frozen stuff I used to buy when I had a decent metabolism are eye-raising high.  So, I might be eating less as time goes forward solely to save money.  Biking might be done more often too, but I walk so much for Pokemon that it’s usually only on rainy, snowy, or freezing days.

Probably the biggest part of this year is realizing that certain situations are skewed against certain groups.  I can’t go into details here.  I just ran into so many people who shrugged and gave excuses for horrible behavior because they didn’t see it.  That or the person was in a certain position where ‘they were trying their best’.  Emotional abuse is still emotional abuse though.  Not that it’s easy to prove unless the victim cuts themselves, breaks down completely, or attempts/succeeds at suicide.  It’s always after things have gone so far that the pain is erupting from their pores that people go ‘this is a problem’.  Well, no fucking shit.  If only someone was screaming and pointing at the situation in order to get help and put an end before it became too late.

I’m seeing that this passing off of mental anguish as drama is really big when the victim is a teenager.  Society really does see teenagers as overly emotional, highly dramatic, and too immature to be taken seriously.  I know older people who talk about how they dealt with the same stuff when they were teens, but they came out fine.  Newsflash!  They aren’t actually fine.  They are any combo of narcissistic, emotionally numb, anxious, depressed, and many other mental illnesses.  The other thing here is that a teenager crying about these things might be exaggerating, but the core emotion is still there.  They are still in pain and looking for help.  Adding autism into the mix and you have a horrifying mix when emotional abuse is unleashed.  They don’t have any blockers to process what is being thrown at them.

Yeah, so my 2025 wasn’t that great.  Feel like I’ve pulled further away from other people as well because I’m struggling with so much.  Guess I’ll give the year a 4 out of 10 solely due to editing completion, my son getting Honor Roll, and the One Piece Lego sets.

Add-on: I write this paragraph from my hospital bed. A bad issue turned into a nightmare around Thanksgiving. Writing was delayed. Pokemon was ignored. Money spent. Work lost. It was a horrible situation. It drops 2025 to a 2 out of 10.

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