Jul 25th 2012 08:11 am Innocents aboard
Do you want to know more about the glamorous life of a syndicated comic strip artist? I’ve spent the past two days cleaning and reorganizing my old garage/barn/workshop/storage room. The task easily will stretch into a third day. It’s mostly a woodworking shop and garden shed, however I have tools and materials to keep ‘most any apartment complex functioning. Jack of all trades, master of none. That’s what a good cartoonist needs to be.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
133 Responses to “Innocents aboard”
Mat in Houston on 25 Jul 2012 at 8:19 am #
Specialization is for insects – RAH
Galliglo in Ohio on 25 Jul 2012 at 8:49 am #
You should have waited until it is cooler to have done that! It is just to dang hot for that type of work. But….. guess a guy has to do what a guy has to do…
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 25 Jul 2012 at 9:06 am #
Were this any other cartoonist, I would ask “Work… or procrastination?”. I know the siren call to clean my garage seems to beckon whenever I have real work to do.
Tom from the Front Range on 25 Jul 2012 at 9:35 am #
Garages can be cleaned out? Who’d a thunk it.
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 9:45 am #
John has an “office” which was supposed to be a bedroom and which is actually a storage room. Once a year he cleans it out and reorganizes things…whether they need it or not. The tools? Sounds like the standard homeowners’ conundrum.
And, no, Ghost and sandcastler in particular, that is neither an owned apartment nor the “other thing” that leaped into your minds.
sandcastler on 25 Jul 2012 at 10:10 am #
Ah Mindy? I have an office/library that was once a bedroom. Every man needs a space were he can hangout.
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 10:18 am #
Sandcastler, John already has that “space.” It’s called “The Dog House.” Women have that space also. It’s called “The Kitchen.”
Which isn’t really fair since John likes to cook and is a good cook. He just doesn’t do it often and I don’t complain about that because what he is not good at is cleaning up afterward.
Sit, John, sit!
John on 25 Jul 2012 at 11:23 am #
“Glamorous life of a syndicated comic strip artist?” Okay, Jimmy, here’s an idea. You just cleaned out the garage? Was there any “expense” involved in doing that? Anything such as boxes, bags, feeing the neighbor’s kid who helped, garbage hauling fees? If so, do a page on Arlo cleaning his garage, claim your efforts were done as “research,” and deduct any expenses so incurred. Same-same going to the beach…or out to a fancy restaurant…or buying shoes…The IRS is very understanding about these kind of deductions in the name of artistic development.
Not.
On second thought, CNX that idea. [Mindy thought it up; I'll have to give her the credit!]
TruckerRon on 25 Jul 2012 at 11:28 am #
I’m at the stage of life/health where I enjoy working in the kitchen much more than working in an office. For one thing, I can prepare a full meal for us and clean up afterwards in 2 hours flat without straining myself. Answering a phone and doing other light office work for 5 hours wipes me out.
And Mindy, I specialize in Japanese dishes — but I’m having to rework all my recipes now since I became gluten-intolerant. Bamboo is becoming a favorite ingredient!
dAVE. on 25 Jul 2012 at 11:45 am #
Ah, the glamorous life. . . wish I had one.
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 12:05 pm #
That gluten-intolerance is a major problem, I would think, TruckerRon. I have the same problem with MSG and John is deathly allergic to crab. He can eat any other kind of shellfish but crab would be fatal to him. Believe it or not, I tried to figure out how to harvest some of the Devil Bamboo for cooking and decided it was too much effort, monetarily a waste of time, and I refused to cook with anything I had such a hard time getting out of the ground in my own backyard. The only thing Japanese we will not touch is sushi. That’s…well, it defies words.
And I did NOT come up with the tax write-off idea!
Bill in Paducah on 25 Jul 2012 at 12:32 pm #
Love today’s strip – have you thought about releasing it on painted velvet?
Mark from Maine on 25 Jul 2012 at 1:23 pm #
B in P: I thought of velvet the moment I saw it!
Ginger in Auburn on 25 Jul 2012 at 1:23 pm #
Coincidentially, I just started my garage re-organization project this past Saturday, and my solution to organizing a garage is shelves. You can’t have too many shelves. Now, if anyone can help me with a good stud-finder I’ll be happy. (yes, pun intended.
)
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 3:05 pm #
Ginger in Auburn, Home Depot, Lowe’s, any of the big box hardware stores, Sears…even the neighborhood hardward should have stud finders, various types, various prices. Just hope you find one where the clerks don’t feel demeaned or offended if asked to help a female. When that happens to me, I’ve learned to loudly start saying, “I want a manager! I want a manager NOW!”
As for the other kind of stud-finder, well…stay away from the personals in the papers. I actually had good luck in book stores.
But that’s a story for yet another day.
Norm in Utah on 25 Jul 2012 at 3:22 pm #
How many “other days” do you owe us by now, Mindy? Certainly enough to take a vacation and accrue another batch of stories for another day.
Galliglo in Ohio on 25 Jul 2012 at 3:28 pm #
Hmmmmm… bookstores?
Boise Ed on 25 Jul 2012 at 3:46 pm #
TruckerRon, some while back, I mentioned my AppleScript to load comics in the morning, and for some reason I remember that you were one of those who took up my offer. Has it worked well for you? It often needs revision, of course, as comics change URLs and you want to add or delete some, but I’ve recently revised it to add a couple of bells and whistles. If you (or anyone else, for that matter) would like me to email it to you, let me know at ed at edrene.us
sandcastler on 25 Jul 2012 at 4:15 pm #
sandcastler heads off to the bookstore, need to catch-up on his reading.
JJ, how ever did you sneak Arlo’s straying hand past the comic police?
Nodak Wayne on 25 Jul 2012 at 4:34 pm #
sandcastler, I thought the same until I looked closer and saw his hand is on her upper arm.
sandcastler on 25 Jul 2012 at 4:58 pm #
Drat Nodak Wayne, you spoiled my innocent thoughts. But, thanks for clarifying what my eye thought it saw. Yes Mindy, I am one eyed.
Mindy from Indy on 25 Jul 2012 at 5:14 pm #
A quick story about studfinders. I lived with my cousins between semesters of college. They were remodeling their home at the time. One day, their son (a year younger than I) picked up the studfinder and ran it over his arm. He loudly bragged, “Yeah, it works.” when the darn thing “found” his ulna.
I commented on yesterday’s post about today’s real-time strip. I believe my dad still has that poker playing dogs tapestry. It would have looked so much cooler with Ludwig cleaning house.
That said, what was the kitschiest thing everyone’s family had back in the day? On a related topic, has anyone ever seen the video where an artist “draws” Elvis with Cheetos dust? Our velvet Elvis never looked that good.
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 6:18 pm #
Mindy from Indy, that was supposed to be Velveta, not velvet!
Hi, Norm in Utah. The way it works is Stories Fof Yet Another Day normally accrue at the rate of 1.5 per month, or 30 per year, and you can cache up to 60 but anything over that is lost. I know, I know, you’re going to say that I exceed the 1.5/month rate, and I do, but I only do so on days ending in “Y” which makes the difference for ladies named Mindy, whether from Indy or not. NOTE: Following the day/date/time of the abovenoted disclosure the rules will be closed to anyone new claiming the Mindy Exclusion, so don’t bother sneaking in and pretending.
And think about it, Galliglo in Ohio. Quite often the studs found in bookstores are looking for Jimmy’s book which means they’re often exceptionally good finds. The story for yet another day to which I referred [obliquely?] was before Jimmy published, however. And that’s still a story for yet another day.
Mindy on 25 Jul 2012 at 6:19 pm #
Dirty old men, zoning in on hand placement….you should be ashamed! [You, too, John!]
Galliglo in Ohio on 25 Jul 2012 at 7:20 pm #
Mindy – anyone looking for Jimmy’s book has to have good taste! And, hopefully, appreciative of another fan.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 25 Jul 2012 at 7:46 pm #
That first panel kiss on her deltoid is what’s really sensual. Dirty old men need love, too!
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 25 Jul 2012 at 7:51 pm #
And bookstores, college church, common interest, and probably political clubs are better choices than bars. I have evidence.
TruckerRon on 25 Jul 2012 at 10:44 pm #
Now that I reread the archived comic, I see that JJ was watching my wife and me many years ago when we went to Florida. That daughter (who barged into the scene) is about to turn 30 and we, like everyone else, have repented and turned to ever more potent sunscreen when outside.
Dave in MA on 26 Jul 2012 at 6:47 am #
Mindy, the hand in panel 2 is very clearly on her arm, nowhere else. I don’t think it’s the old men who are dirty.
The only thing suggestive is that in panel 3 Arlo’s left leg and Janis’s right leg are intertwined, but from the position of the other legs it is still obvious that they are lying next to each other, not in a compromising situation.
DOM indeed!
Anonymous on 26 Jul 2012 at 7:27 am #
Mindy, all we men are doing is reacting exactly the way you ladies want us to. The problem is, you ladies think that if you were ever to tell us explicitly what you wanted, then you then you would not be ladies. The truth is, that is exactly what we want our ladies to do.
Dave in MA on 26 Jul 2012 at 7:41 am #
Anyone else having problems with gocomics this morning?
Tom from the Front Range on 26 Jul 2012 at 9:04 am #
DinM,
It is a rare day that I don’t have trouble with gocomics but I saw nothing especially unusual today.
I follow about 15 or so comics daily on gocomics. Server timeouts are common, usually 20-50% of the time. I’m thinking they run the web site on an old 286 attached to a dial up ISP.
Mindy on 26 Jul 2012 at 9:51 am #
Anonymous [Ghost? Sandcastler?], I’m one of those rare people, female or male, who most often says exactly what she/he wants. I think that shocked John at first but he seems to like the fact that I rarely “hint.”
As for today’s real-time strip, Janis is such a naif. I am really glad that I’m not.
John on 26 Jul 2012 at 10:07 am #
Choke. Cough.
Dave in MA on 26 Jul 2012 at 10:19 am #
Tom from the Front Range,
I can’t get any comics on gocomics at all today.
For example, I type in this:
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis
and I get the page and comments about the strip, but the strip is not there. I click the link that usually will enlarge the strip, and it shows me a filename, but not the actual strip.
Dave in MA on 26 Jul 2012 at 11:05 am #
I’m finally able to see comics on gocomics.com
TruckerRon on 26 Jul 2012 at 11:09 am #
Of the 50+ comics I read online each day, at this time only “Hi and Lois” is MIA. Gocomics was missing until about 15 minutes ago. I consider 98% success to be almost acceptable but much better than 70%.
Tom from the Front Range on 26 Jul 2012 at 4:02 pm #
DinM,
I have had the same issues with gocomics as you have described over the last few weeks and as TruckerRon pointed out, he experienced similar issues today. It appears to be related to what time you try to access the site. Glad the site finally became available to you!
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jul 2012 at 5:29 pm #
‘Tweren’t moi. I cant even spel A-nonnie-mousse.
I looked up “naïf” and I think it said a “navie person.” But I’m not sure, because I don’t think Janis was ever in the Navy.
John, you need to get something for that cough. Or did Mindy give you something already?
Jerry in Fl on 26 Jul 2012 at 6:19 pm #
I’ve beeen under the weather the last couple of days, although I’m not a sailor (see previous definition).Speaking of airships, has anyone else heard the story of the small navy airship that took off with two men on board? Although late, it finally returned to the proper place and landed. The only problem was that no one was on board. The men were never found and the only clue was a rope hanging down which may indicate that they somehow fell out. Re Lud playing cards I see that this time he is only holding 5 cards. The last time he was holding six, but he apparently learned his lesson. It took me a couple of seconds to untangle the legs and figure out who was where on the beach, but then the same was probably true for them. I assume that Arlo is biting his tongue since he hasn’t taken a bite of his sandwich.
Jerry in Fl on 26 Jul 2012 at 6:22 pm #
NO Mindy no.
Jerry in Fl on 26 Jul 2012 at 6:28 pm #
Airship story-August 1942, San Francisco.
TruckerRon on 26 Jul 2012 at 7:06 pm #
The various puns have me thinking about a favorite old joke:
Randy, the painter, often thinned his paint to make it go further. The Baptist Church decided to restore its biggest building. Randy put in a low bid and got the job. He bought the paint, and, yes, thinned it with turpentine. Well, Randy was painting away, the job nearly completed, when suddenly there was a clap of thunder. The sky opened, and the rain poured down. It washed the thinned paint off the church. Randy fell from the scaffold, landing among the gravestones. He was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty. Randy raised his voice to the heavens, crying, “Oh, God, forgive me; what should I do?” And from above, a mighty voice roared: “Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!”
I got this from the clean jokes page at rogerknapp dot com.
Mindy on 26 Jul 2012 at 7:29 pm #
Repaint? Oh, God! TruckerRon, I love it! I just snorted Coke again…the liquid, comes in a red can soda pop kind.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 26 Jul 2012 at 9:46 pm #
TRon:
Our twice retired pastor, who still lives in town, is a notorious pun transmitter. Sent that to him and my theology group. Thanks.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 26 Jul 2012 at 9:51 pm #
He just sent this back. Not a pun, but worthy.
One day a minister decided to buy a parrot. He went to the pet store and the owner said he
only had one left but, he added, “you wouldn’t like it.” “Why?” said the minister. “Because it was owned by an old sea captain and it has the foulest mouth you’ve every heard. No one wants it.” “I’ll give it a try,” said the pastor. But, when he got home the parrot immediately started in cursing, swearing, and calling him names. Well, to make the story short, this went on day after day after day. The minister tried everything–even prayer. Nothing worked. Then on one particularly hot day when the parrot was really cranking out a steady stream of abuse the minister finally snapped. In a moment of rage, he grabbed the parrot and threw him in the freezer. At first, the silence that followed was a welcome relief. However, after a short time the minister started to get the “guilts.” “What have I done!” he exclaimed. So, he went over and opened the freezer. Inside the parrot was shaking and shivering and looking quite distraught. “Okay, okay,” said the parrot, “I’ll be good. I’m sorry. I’ll never talk like that again. Just don’t put me in the freezer.” “Agreed,” said the minister. “Wait,” said the parrot. “I just have just one question.” “What’s that?” “What did the chicken do wrong?” asked the trembling parrot.
TruckerRon on 26 Jul 2012 at 10:21 pm #
The poor parrot! I loved it. Now, how to use that for dealing with teenagers…
Eddie on 26 Jul 2012 at 11:35 pm #
I have always wondered, as much as Arlo loves Janis and likes to play around. How is it they never had any other kids?
Jerry in Fl on 27 Jul 2012 at 3:36 am #
As Mindy would say, that’s a story for another Day.
Steve the Rigger on 27 Jul 2012 at 6:47 am #
Jimmy, I think you meant to say that a bowline can be easily released after being under tension. It’s pretty much impossible to release one if it’s under a load.
But I don’t think that’s what Janis was thinking about anyway.
Anonymous on 27 Jul 2012 at 8:07 am #
Not Anon. Loving the jokes,keep up the stories.
sandcastler on 27 Jul 2012 at 8:54 am #
Great morning y’all!
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 9:49 am #
Anonymour is “Not Anon,” and I am confused. Good morning, sandcastler. I love those Southern greetings. I didn’t realize how great the drought is…until I saw a photograph of the Mississippi at Vicksburg this morning. We’ve had in excess of six inches of rain this month. Go figure.
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 9:50 am #
A N O N Y M O U S
Typer was asleep again.
Bob, near Mark on 27 Jul 2012 at 9:50 am #
One of my favorite books, The Ashley Book of Knots, by Clifford W. Ashley, copyright 1944. I finally got my own copy in 1982.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashley_Book_of_Knots
Bob, near Mark on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:00 am #
Mindy,
“Anonymour” – a secret French lover?
sandcastler on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:22 am #
Mindy,know what you mean regarding drought. We are over nine inches for the month and plus thirty on the year. Heat and humidity are killers.
John on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:27 am #
Bob, near Mark, I’ve actually had better luck using Google to find useful knots. What amazed me, when I went back to examine it for the fist time in X-number of years, was how few — and how poorly illustrated — the knots were in the Navy “Bluejackets Manual.” One of the best I’ve found, and it’s been around for years, was the Bowline on a Bight for a nonslip loop in the middle of a line. That’s made life a heck of a lot easier tying covers over truck beds and woodpiles. Taught it to a Boy Scout and he looked at me like I was…Captain Queeg?
Norm in Utah on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:34 am #
Of course you all know that the greatest Irish poet of all time was a woman –
Ann O’nymous.
Dave in MA on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:40 am #
I bet the “The Ashley Book of Knots” still can’t help me learn to tie a decent Windsor….
John on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:51 am #
Mindy told me the Windsor is a slip knot with thirteen {13} coils forming the knot. As I recall, she was a little perturbed with me at the time.
Dave in MA on 27 Jul 2012 at 11:14 am #
I see! Are you sure she wasn’t just making sure the knot didn’t come undone?
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 11:18 am #
Bob near Mark, I absolutely will not say the first thing that popped into my overactive brain at your “Secret French Lover” comment. And if John tells what got me snickering, I’ll make him wish I used the Windsor Knot rather than my preferred instrument of torture.
They’re already talking about food prices soaring, especially beef, and I have to wonder about that, at least at the beef part. We had our touch of drought here also and the farmers are selling off the cattle rather than go bankrupt feeding them. So, if so much beef is hitting the market at depressed prices, why would it cost more in the stores? I’m at a lost for an explanation to that economic conundrum.
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 11:19 am #
If you can explain, I’d appreciate it, but kindly refrain from lectures. I’m in no mood for lectures.
Dave in MA on 27 Jul 2012 at 11:42 am #
Only explanation I can think of is that the price of gas is still going up with oil going up the last few days, so it will cost more to get the meat to the stores…
That’s all that comes to mind, otherwise, like you said, more volume of meat should mean lower prices…..
Bob, near Mark on 27 Jul 2012 at 12:35 pm #
Dave in MA,
It IS in the book.
Bob, near Mark on 27 Jul 2012 at 12:38 pm #
John,
“Captain Queeg?” I hope you haven’t lost your strawberries! (Those mutinous little devils.)
Bob, near Mark on 27 Jul 2012 at 12:48 pm #
PS: Of course, Queeg never lost his “bearings.”
Ginger in Auburn on 27 Jul 2012 at 12:48 pm #
Bob, near Mark, I forgot about my copy of “The Ashley Book of Knots”. I got mine years ago (for when I realize my dream of crewing on a schooner) and tried to use it to explain to my husband the similarity of knots to disagreements in marriage. You know, marriage is like a knot, you can yank and yank but that will only make the disagreement that much tighter. But, if you relax your grip and gently work at it, the disagreement will slowly, but surely relax also. Ahh, now isn’t that better?!
David in Austin on 27 Jul 2012 at 1:04 pm #
John,
I guess Scouting has changed over the years. Back when I was a Scout, we were taught that a bowline on a bight as a rescue knot. It was sort of a poor-man’s bosun seat. Of course, times change. That was back when we were still allowed to cut small trees for poles for pioneering construction and there were no computer merit badges.
DiverRick on 27 Jul 2012 at 1:30 pm #
The explanation I read the other day for rising beef prices was that in the short term they should actually decrease or at least remain at current levels, due to the “dumping”, but longer term they would rise as supply began to dwindle, and what will be available will have cost more to feed, due to the poor corn crop. Cattle shouldn’t be fed corn anyway, as they can’t digest it properly,but that’s, as Mindy would say, a story for another day.
phil in Missoula, MT on 27 Jul 2012 at 1:53 pm #
Meat prices move in the direction the media thinks they should immediately.
Drought?
“OMG, the grain crop is going to fail and the price of meat will go up!”
So…everyone runs out and buys meat to stick in the freezer…running the demand/price up.
Cattle eat grass mostly and are taken to feed yards and fed grain to fatten them up before going to market. Maybe we’ll see leaner beef.
Last year, when Texas was getting the drought, the news was that cattle couldn’t be fed and were being sent to market early, but the price of beef didn’t drop in my vicinity.
Dave in MA on 27 Jul 2012 at 2:27 pm #
Bob, near Mark, good to know it’s really in there. That, however, is no guarantee that the book would be able to teach me how to tie one.
Mindy, I’ll defer to the explanations from DiverRick and phil in Missoula, MT as more likely than the scenario I brought up.
Boise Ed on 27 Jul 2012 at 3:36 pm #
Jerry in Fl: that “story for another Day”– would that be Doris or Dennis?
As for today’s A&J, poor Janis just doesn’t have a clew.
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 3:54 pm #
First Gold at the Olympics went to a Legally Blind archer from South Korea. I think that’s great, but I can’t seem to find out what “record” the man set! Records aside, I think it’s amazing that someone who couldn’t legally drive an automobile in the United States could win the Olympic archery event! Cudos to the man!
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 27 Jul 2012 at 4:16 pm #
Mindy:
K, not C. You are not using kudos necessarily as a plural, but many do. Kudos is a Greek singular meaning honor or glory, not honors or praises. I learned it is not plural from someone who corrected somebody else, but who easily could have been correcting me.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jul 2012 at 4:20 pm #
Mindy: The record for the most spectators killed or wounded while qualifying for the Olympics? (You’re sure this isn’t a Monty Python skit?)
Anonymousse: The Hair Care Product Without a Name
Anonymoose: The Large Herbivore Without a Name
Anonymouse: The Rodent Without a Name
Anonymuss: The Muddle Without a Name
Anonybruce: The Willis Without a Name
Anonyfuss: The Argument Without a Name
Anonypuss: the Feline Without a Name
Anonynoose: John’s tie
Jerry in Fl on 27 Jul 2012 at 5:48 pm #
Ed, that would be Arlo and Janis Day and aother child would be another Day.
Jerry in Fl on 27 Jul 2012 at 5:49 pm #
Insert “n” in aother.
Mindy on 27 Jul 2012 at 6:03 pm #
Ghost, I’m just saying what Fox and CNN both reported! I haven’t been able to like with either, though, to find out what the record was for. Somehow I doubt that it was for accidentally shooting the most spectators…although that does sound like Python and the Twit Olympics, doesn’t it?
Thanks for the correction, eMb. Since I issued a warning about lectures on this particular date in history, I’ll go with the presumption that that wasn’t.
Am I not a gracious Southern lady?
Mark in Boston on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:23 pm #
The legally blind archer could have tunnel vision. Some diseases cause that condition in which you lose more and more of your peripheral vision. Your field of view is a small circle. You can see whatever is in that small circle just perfectly, but you can’t drive because you see anything even slightly off to the side.
It seems to me that this would be an unfair advantage for an archer. Perfect view of the target and no distractions. Like a piano player with six fingers on each hand, or a swimmer with huge floppy feet.
Mark in Boston on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:24 pm #
Anonyhoss: A Horse with No Name
David in Austin on 27 Jul 2012 at 10:57 pm #
Mark in Boston,
Have you been in the desert with that horse?
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 5:30 am #
Best flash mob video:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/kgoapkOo4vg?rel=O
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 5:37 am #
Correction
http://www.youtube.com/embed/KgoapkOo4vg?rel=0
Ghost Rider 6 on 28 Jul 2012 at 7:50 am #
I never really understood that song…you’re in the desert, you’ve got plenty of time…give the %&$*!#@ horse a name!
Ruth Anne in Winter Park on 28 Jul 2012 at 8:17 am #
Just read that the archer is blind in only one eye.
Lost in A**2 on 28 Jul 2012 at 9:40 am #
“In the desert, you can’t remember your name.”
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 28 Jul 2012 at 10:15 am #
Jerry: Thank you. My daughter and wife learned to dance to that tune in a local dance studio. I’ve emailed the link to daughter and dance teacher; my theology is that wife gets cc. of everything she wants to.
Mindy on 28 Jul 2012 at 10:31 am #
What desert?
TruckerRon on 28 Jul 2012 at 10:34 am #
Perhaps if you give the horse a name it will be harder to eat it if you get desperate?
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 28 Jul 2012 at 11:56 am #
The big day has arrived! As of 3pm – and the following half-hour – the MBH and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary!! I don’t expect to see another similar situation for us ever again…duh.
Never one to procrastinate, I went out this very morning to find a suitable card. My local store has lots of anniversary cards and some 50th anniversary cards, but the latter are all written to send to a couple, not to give to a spouse. Cardmakers are missing a good bet there.
So, all who care to, pop a cork for us and face northern IL at 3 pm or shortly thereafter!
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 28 Jul 2012 at 12:00 pm #
Thanks Jimmy, for having a strip on having one’s power out. As I commented, except for the huge blackout in 2003, our power never went out in the nearly 16 years that we lived here….and then went out twice in 2 weeks. Arlo & Janis must be doing better than me as I only have a couple of appliances that set themselves. I realized that Arlo was talking with the microwave and went to go-comics and found this:
My Grandfather’s Clock…”
Ninety years without slumbering,
Its life seconds numbering,
But it stopped – -short—never to go again
When the old man died.
I enjoyed America as they had some great tunes that I could listen to with my parents. However, to explain the lyrics was impossible. A favorite was “Oz never did nothing to the Tin Man, that he didn’t already have.” I use the verse often, but really never understood the song.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 28 Jul 2012 at 12:10 pm #
Congratulations Curmudgeonly: My in-laws celebrated 50 years a few years ago and my father-in-law’s mother was still alive at 100 years old. We commented how rare and wonderful it was for that to happen.
My wife and I celebrate 30 years next Tuesday. Next month my brother and his wife celebrate 40. Here’s to long and happy marriages! Have fun.
Charlotte in NH on 28 Jul 2012 at 1:00 pm #
Congratulations to you both, Curmudgeonly ex-p. You had better watch out that no well-meaning family members have planned a “surprise” party for the occasion. This happened to us a few years ago and I must say it would have been an awful shock if it had indeed surprised us. FORTUNATELY it was accidentally made known to us, so that we were able to put on our best clothes, had not made any other plans for the day, and so on.
Sending good wishes your way and hoping that you have a peaceful and pleasant celebration.
Galliglo in Ohio on 28 Jul 2012 at 1:32 pm #
Congratulations, C-eP & Spouse! You truly have a blessing to celebrate. Enjoy – remember the good times and plan for future ones….
TruckerRon on 28 Jul 2012 at 2:15 pm #
Here are the full lyrics to “My Grandfather’s Clock” and the story behind as reported by that utterly reliable source, Wikipedia:
http://bit.ly/P0WPPD
Now as for the song, “Tin Man,” I interpret the line “Oz never did nothing to the Tin Man, that he didn’t already have” to mean that the Wizard didn’t give the Tin Man anything real (and certainly not a real heart) since the poor guy was already behaving the way he thought someone someone with a heart should act. The moral to that being that if you consistently act if you have a certain character aspect you may in fact develop it.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 28 Jul 2012 at 3:12 pm #
TruckerRon:
Yes, I interpet that verse that way as well. It is one of my favorite movie quotes. It just that the rest of the song goes “spinning round, round” or “And Cause never was the reason for the evening Or the tropic of Sir Galahad.” I saw several attempts at people trying to interpet the song, I just choose to remember that line and forget the rest.
sideburns on 28 Jul 2012 at 3:51 pm #
TruckerRon, I’d always thought that the reason the clock stopped was because the old man was the only person who wound it.
And, if you’ll read all of The Wizard of Oz (not a children’s edition, or abridged) you’ll see that the Tin Man had more heart than all of the rest put together. Not only that, the Scarecrow was the cleverest and the Cowardly Lion the bravest; they just never realized it.
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 4:41 pm #
Yep, they don’t write them like that anymore. Today’s songs, forty years from now, who will remember them? I tell my wife that we should plan on celebrating our 50th soon as we will be age 99 if we actually reach that point.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 28 Jul 2012 at 4:42 pm #
c x-p:
Congratulations! I hadn’t looked at this blog since posting the thank-you to Jerry, above. Got back just before 4 pm from a 1-4 pm pig roast out in the country to celebrate a friend’s 90th birthday, so I was eating pulled pork on a wheat roll with mustard* during your anniversary time. Also lots of fruit, a few fries, and a small piece of birthday cake. Good party, and a chance to visit not only with the honoree but with one of his sons who is now a dentist and with other former students and colleagues and people I know.
I know the birthday boy because he also works out at the hospital’s PT unit; maybe he is proof that it pays to take care of yourself. I get to work out there 24/7 because hospital volunteer badges will let us in any time. Usually also go M and Th mornings, when they are open for business. There are usually other volunteers, hospital employees, and on-staff MDs and such unsing the machines Sat. mornings. It’s better not to work out alone.
*I hate to admit to this group that I’ve not yet found BBQ sauce I really like.
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 4:50 pm #
My fav: Jack Daniels honey bbq.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 28 Jul 2012 at 4:56 pm #
Ages ago wife and I got in the habit of sending note cards that we write something in more often than we send or deliver store-bought greeting cards. His card was a neat painting of a timber wolf, giving me a chance to say what I wanted, and to thank him for the tangible results of his hobby. He has a couple of webcams on his property, and often emails me cc. of photos, sometimes with a request for ID: e.g., “Is this a timber wolf or a coyote?” He’s caught pictures of both, also lots of w-t deer, porcupines, raccoons, wild turkeys, red and gray fox, and such.
Gray fox are becoming more common in the northland, along with cardinals, opossums, and other critters commonly thought of as not winter-hardy species. I’ve watched that trend for 54 years. Mid 80s today, 95 predicted tomorrow, northern MN. “Yet people say / I know not why / that we shall have / a warm July.” [W.S. Gilbert, climatologist.]
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 5:49 pm #
Just tried to call my son, who works in St. Paul and lives just south of Minnieapolis, but didn’t reach him. They say that in Florida this has been the hottest July on record. Fortunately we get a little breeze in the afternoon since we live not that far from the coast.
TruckerRon on 28 Jul 2012 at 5:59 pm #
Congratulations, Curmudgeonly E.P.
I can’t imagine being married that long, though we are over half-way there with 32 years behind us. I wish you two as many more years as you want.
In my lifetime no one in my family has made it past 70 except my maternal grandmother and her mother. None of the men made it to 65. Most of them lived on farms and pretty much worked themselves to death.
Mindy on 28 Jul 2012 at 7:01 pm #
Jerry in Fl, actually, yes, I do think that 40 years from now today’s songs will be remembered. The cycles seem to overlap but musical “complaints” seem to have run in generational cycles, 30s-40s-50s to 50s-70s-80s to 90s-00s-present, and tomorrow to howsomever long… When Beethoven and Mozart dies, people said, “Music will never be the same.” It wasn’t. And it didn’t necessarily get worse, it just got different. After the Beatles, yeah, music would never be the same…I do really wonder if the Stones will one day be considered Classical…
I don’t say that music will get better. It will change. I probably won’t appreciate it [assuming I could witness the changes] and God knows I do not like today’s contemporary music very much although there are some great artists…
Ah, phooey. I hate change!
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 7:58 pm #
40 years from now people are saying, “Remember that? That’s Piff Diddy.” I can’t see it even being on the radio (or whatever they have then) much less anyone remembering it. Contrast that with many of today’s teenagers who like 50′s music. There are some today, like Adele, that I like, especially in country music, but not many in pop music.
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 8:03 pm #
BTW, I love Beethoven, and the Beatles, and my wife.
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jul 2012 at 8:11 pm #
And if you go to the link that I posted above you will see Russian teenagers having a ball dancing to a song from the 40′s.
Mark in Boston on 28 Jul 2012 at 9:33 pm #
If you’re going to have to eat the horse someday, name him Dinner. Maybe you can’t eat Trigger or Flicka or Mr. Ed but you can always eat Dinner.
TruckerRon on 28 Jul 2012 at 9:57 pm #
Here’s a quote I’ve not read before:
“The progress of science is strewn, like an ancient desert trail, with the bleached skeletons of discarded theories, which once seem to possess eternal life.” — Arthur Koestler
Perhaps some of you who are more than mere dilettantes in the sciences could give some examples of discarded theories that were dropped during your career? Or were there none?
Mindy from Indy on 29 Jul 2012 at 5:06 am #
@curmudgeonly ex-professor, Congratulations on your anniversary! I spent the day with my grandma at the zoo. Very hilly, frequently mulched trails, and me pushing her in her wheelchair. For three and a half hours. All worth it though. Hope you both had a wonderful day and many more years of happiness.
sandcastler on 29 Jul 2012 at 8:56 am #
Mindy, you mean some morning I will tune in to a classical broadcast and hear Kiss or Guns and Roses? Far too cool!
Bob, near Mark on 29 Jul 2012 at 9:24 am #
sandcastler, today’s “oldies” are what my kids listened to when they were teenagers. Perhaps broadcasters should start a “fogies” station? The station ID could include the sound of a “foge-horn”.
Mindy on 29 Jul 2012 at 9:40 am #
You’re giving me a headache, sandcastler, and it’s way too early for that! Kiss? Guns & Roses? Not ALL rock will become classical! Painted Black, Sympathy for the Devil, now those are classics.
Mindy on 29 Jul 2012 at 9:41 am #
Perhaps it will be folk music rather than classical, sandcastler!
Russell Way Out There on 29 Jul 2012 at 10:19 am #
Or New Age Elevator Music Classics…available only through this special television offer…plus you get twelve Slim Whitman albums free!
Tom in Southern Ohio on 29 Jul 2012 at 10:22 am #
Regarding songs by the group America, there’s speculation that the song was about Viet Nam and the soldiers returning from it talking about being afraid to sleep because they might be killed.
I’ve always thought that it would have made a great theme song for the movie “Logan’s Run.”
Cheers,
Tom
John on 29 Jul 2012 at 10:24 am #
First Prize in our contest is a free Slim Whitman album!
Second Prize is TWELVE Slim Whitman albums!
Actually, the man could sing. He made a fortune in Europe where is was appreciated far more than he ever was here. I would have thought that after he defeated the Martian invasion his popularity would have soared! Slim Whitman for President, maybe?
Tom in Southern Ohio on 29 Jul 2012 at 10:59 am #
Jeez… edited the name of the song right out. The song I’m referring to is “Sandman.”
sideburns on 29 Jul 2012 at 1:00 pm #
There’s an oldies station out here, KRTH. Back in the ’70s, it played music from the ’50s and ’60s for those of us who didn’t like current music. Now, it’s music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. No more from the ’50s, and for me, that was the best of all.
Mark in TTown on 29 Jul 2012 at 1:44 pm #
GR6, actually A.Nonny Moose is the poet in the Gasoline Alley strip.
Bob in Orland Park on 29 Jul 2012 at 1:45 pm #
Speaking of “oldies” the wife and I went to a Doobie Bros./Chicago concert last night under the stars in Chicago’s (the city) lakefront. The majority of the audience looked like us, silver hair and grey beards. As the say, “the joint was rocking!”
Jerry in Fl on 29 Jul 2012 at 2:58 pm #
I think that I’ve seen in person just about everyone that I wanted to see, Chicago, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Eagles, Cher, Tom Jones, Ronnie McDowell, Conway and Loretta, with one exception, Eric Clapton and I had the chance and muffed it.
Jerry in Fl on 29 Jul 2012 at 2:59 pm #
Also saw Sha-Na-Na.
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 29 Jul 2012 at 3:11 pm #
Thanks to all of you who posted anniversary greetings for us. We took an overnight at a resort about 50 miles N, and a good time was had by all. I learned that I can no longer eat enough to justify the cost of an all-you-can-eat buffet, though. That is probably good for me, although it is one less thing to which I can look forward!
Trucker Ron: For just about all of my chemistry training years, it was accepted as fact that the Inert Gases – helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon – formed zero compounds. Since that time, some compounds have been made, and for almost all of the gases. The observed reluctance to bond with anything else is why they were given the name “inert gases”. The name is no longer justified, but will likely stick for a while.
Charlotte in NH on 29 Jul 2012 at 3:42 pm #
Bless you, Mindy from Indy, for giving your grandmother such a wonderful treat. I bet she had a great time, and sounds like you did too. Pushing a wheelchair over such terrain as you describe is no joke ! Do you have sore muscles today? What is the zoo like that you went to?
Mindy from Indy on 29 Jul 2012 at 5:03 pm #
@Charlotte in NH, My muscles aren’t too bad, my bigger problem was lack of sleep. I didn’t get home until after 10p, and I had to be up a little after 5a. (In a quick aside, my apartment building blew a water main yesterday, so it was a great day to be at the zoo.)
We went to the Fort Wayne Zoo. Awesome zoo, IMHO. The animals were all showing off for the crowds, lots of movement. Grandma had a blast. She is legendary for her malapropisms and yesterday was no exception. We were standing on a platform overlooking the “African Savannah,” and grandma asks, “Where are the oscars?” “?” “Oscars, grandma?” “Yeah, big birds, long necks…” “You mean ostrich?” “Yeah, oscars. Where are the oscars?” At that moment, an ostrich popped his head up from under the platform and looked at us like, “Yes? You rang?” He then strutted slowly in front of grandma, much to her delight. “I’ve never seen one up close before; he’s beautiful!” After dinner, she reaffirmed, “The oysters were my favorite part.”
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 29 Jul 2012 at 5:26 pm #
Mindy from Indy.
Having grown up in Fort Wayne, I can remember when they built the zoo. We were pretty impressed with it even though it was just a “starter zoo”. Many years later, we took our kids down to stay with my Dad and made a return visit there. I was very surprised as it had really grown. However the best part was the chance for the kids to feed the farm animals, which they have doing since I was a kid. It is funny how things change over the years, but in your mind they stay the same.
John on 29 Jul 2012 at 5:52 pm #
I’ve had the good fortune to see the Lincoln Park, the National Zoo in Washington — not the House and the Senate, guys! — and I almost got into the zoos in San Diego and San Francisco. Gotta love ‘em! And then I went to Audobon Zoon in New Awhluns and had my first closeup encounter of the 3rd Kind with a camel. That evil beast was standing there looking, those big eyes, nothing like a pack of cigarettes, and it bobbed it’s head a couple of times and seemed to wink. I figured that was like Captain and Tenelle, come a little closer, you’re my kind of man, looking for a pat on the head or something. Then the terrorist devil hocked up one huge, gross, terrible, repulsive goober and splattered my nice, clean Brooks Brothers oxford cloth and the first Sulka tie I ever owned! I started to put 8 rounds in the 10-ring but my partner, who was female and who was laughing her buns off, managed to grab my arm before the Colt cleared leather. It was a mixture of NOPD and a couple of other agencies in the area — I wasn’t NOPD, just loved working with those guys pre-corruption scandals, etc. — plus one or two Federales who still demand anonynimity — and we were all sober, most with families and dates — this was pre-Mindy so gimme a break here. The zoo keepers came running to find out why everyone was laughing so hard while one truly distraught bozo was cussing like a sailor, which came naturally to me. Mindy from Indy, tell your Grandma I love the oysters, too! The bright side of the tale is that some brain donor decided to rip through the crowd snatching purses and, like I said, in the midst of more than several cops there were enough female cops with purses to really make him wonder why he’d been born. Sometimes Justice just appears right there on the Street!
Bob, near Mark on 29 Jul 2012 at 6:57 pm #
I took my oldest offspring to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra one night when she was 11 years old. We had a regularly reserved family table, about 8 feet from the stage, at a small jazz club. The band must have been playing in the area and took the gig to fill the night. The stage wasn’t really big enough to accommodate the band but they squeezed in. When we left, I asked my daughter how she liked it. She asked, “Did they have to play so loud?”
Other “name” performers I’ve been to see include Cozy Cole (in the ’50s, when his recording of “Topsy Part II” was popular), Frankie Laine, Patti Page, Ronnie Cox (the actor/folk singer, saw him before he made the movie “Deliverance”), and Sly & The Family Stone. I think the performance I’ve enjoyed the most was by Asleep At The Wheel, at Antone’s in Austin.
Mindy on 29 Jul 2012 at 9:01 pm #
I want those Slim Whitman albums! If they’re CDs because I don’t want to have to transform, alter, remake, convert, whatever the technical term is.
Charlotte in NH on 29 Jul 2012 at 10:19 pm #
Mindy from Indy, I’m glad your muscles are in good shape. I loved the story of your grandmother and the ostriches ! She must be really good company. John, that’s quite a story about you and the camel. They are quite well known for doing this — but who’s going to think of that when you are just out sight-seeing with your friends. Poetic justice, too, for the purse snatcher.