A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Dutiful Dreamer

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
Here’s another Sunday from 10 years ago. So, “Little Nemo in Slumberland” would be 110 years old this year. Winsor McCay was one of the greatest comic strip artists of all time, not to mention one of the first. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s been downhill ever since, but no one has ever surpassed McCay in drawing, scripting, dialog, creativeness, pacing… the list goes on. “Little Nemo” only ran on Sundays, beginning in The New York Herald in 1905. In the day, Sunday funnies were the new technological marvel. Seriously. Many cartoonists then were little more than overworked and underpaid cogs in a giant newspaper machine, but the popular ones such as McCay and Rudolph Dirks and Richard Outcault became wealthy celebrities. Outcault pretty much invented the art form in 1895 with “Down in Hogan’s Alley” and later invented the modern comic strip with “Buster Brown.”

Recent Posts

Ghost of Christmas Past

This holiday Arlo & Janis comic strip from 2022 is similar in concept to the new strip that ran yesterday. I thought the latter ...

Spearhead

I have produced a number of comic strips related to Veteran’s Day. Especially in latter years, I have tried to emphasize the universal experience ...

Dark Passage

Remember: it’s that weekend. The return to standard time can be a bit of a shock in the late afternoon, but I rather enjoy ...

What’s old is old, again

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to build a web site, but there are similarities. Everything needs to be just right, or ...

Back to the ol’ drawing board

I don’t have a lot of time this morning. I wasn’t going to post anything, but I’m tired of looking at that old photograph ...

Thursday’s Child

On Sunday, I teased you with the suggestion there are more changes coming here. There are. They will appear soon, and I think you’ll ...

78 responses to “Dutiful Dreamer”

  1. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Frank Sinatra and Queen Latifah. Close enough.

  2. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    New A and J is so “right” and hilarious. I usually ask for a take out water for the 10# Rottweiler in car and he checks out what I DIDN’t bring him any of. And when it is a true doggy box I pick through the food to only bring him steak or meat. He will not touch french fries anyway, so I can’t feed him unhealthy, he is smarter than a human.

  3. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    In honor of our artist’s nod to Winsor McCay, here he is, with another of his creations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGXC8gXOPoU

  4. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Debbe

    I would send a couple of my hooks – but I can’t think of a safe way.
    Unless your P.O. is small enough like ours. best order on line or make.
    Commercial drop ceiling wire is good size just don’t get caught above the tiles
    at the local.

    GR6

    A tendon in the palm of my hand got nicked (another story long ago)
    Every morning for a while I had to bend that finger with the other hand.
    I used a medium soft ball – could use one of those stress relievers – to squeeze
    used it after a broken wrist also.
    Another alternative is milk cows.

  5. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Old Bear, in case you missed my cow milking story (not me, I am awful!) one of my roommates was in the Miss Louisiana pageant and was worried about her talent act. I told her to just take one of her family cows and milk it to music (she milked each day before school for their family of 12 children) I told her that when she went on Ed Sullivan show it would be most unique talent act ever done live on television.

    When Sandra Bullock did Miss Congeniality I could not help thinking of my friend. The playing of the glasses in a Swiss milk maid uniform.

  6. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Ophiucus is the name of a 13th astrological sign, according to my late astronomer friend & office mate. Perhaps that’s what eMb means.

    I’m Taurus, married to Leo (maybe “Leona?).

  7. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Close the quotation marks: “Leona”.

  8. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Jackie

    I missed the story – or don’t remember I saw it.
    Every once in awhile a NEWS program tries to get a celebrity to milk a cow at
    The State Fair – it is usually a “hoot”.

    Off to Bedfordshire as Vera Lynn sang

  9. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers….

    Old Bear and Mark….thanks for the ideas. as I’ve said my husband has suggested clothes hangers. I think we will make that a project, he is pretty clever. I lost a hen to the pit yesterday morning. I hate that. So it’s time to make a hen hoop! I wonder if I could get the boss to buy the one that Mark posted. My problem would be the teenagers….they would wind up tearing it up. I would need to keep it my Izuzu.

    Jackie…so glad to hear positive news from your doctor…keep it up. You have too many Bucket Lists to fulfill…remember you’re coming to Indiana…and bring me some of those Buffett T-shirts…please.

    The inspection list was what I expected…nothing major, little things…and I mean little things to correct. He has to put something down…nothing is perfect.

    Ya’ll have a blessed day.

    GR 😉

  10. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Re the Thursday daily offering. Is the young lady a former employee of Gus’?

  11. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    And Debbe, a new reality show challenge, chicken chasing and snagging, as well as juggling.

    Reality shows don’t know what reality is.

    I talked to my only surviving aunt, who is having some serious health issues and told her I was heading her way when the grass emerged from under its’ snow cover in Indiana. She said Farmersburg hardly got enough to cover the grass. She is OK but I try to check on her and touch base, few if any did that for my mom. She has family who stayed to be close to her long ago and that is good too.

    Told her about the chicken ranch I was planning to visit and Debbe. She thought you were a remarkable woman too. For those who do not remember, The Chicken Ranch was probably Texas’ most famous livestock farm/ranch once upon a time.

    I have a tenuous connection, and no Ghost, not that one! One of my church’s members were the parents of the star (not Dolly Parton) and in laws of the producer of the Broadway musical. Coincidentally also the grandparents of Mary Mathieson (spelling?) Anyway, further coincidentally all became floral customers, along with all their movie actors, when they decided to become movie producers and directors. This was long, long, long ago. All really nice people and most dead by now no doubt.

    So, the wig/toupee wearing “evil television” do gooder investigative reporter was also a social acquaintance but somewhat of a pariah, for same reasons as in the musical. I always felt sorry for him because he tried so hard and was so ridiculously sincere. He once “investigated” me, my business and the local PBS station, all at the same time. Never say I have had a dull life.

    The movie isn’t all that good, think Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, but the Aggie Stomp is worth watching by itself. Google “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and try youtube for the Aggie Stomp. And it isn’t that bad a movie if you aren’t a Broadway fan of live theater.

    Good morning all, thought we’d begin with an interesting anecdote about chickens and this is my favorite but others seem to involve why you don’t walk barefoot in the yard with free range chickens.

    Love, Jackie

  12. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Jackie, La Grange, Texas. Bistro 108 on Main Street has the best chicken fried steak.

  13. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Thanks, Bear. I was thinking that some kind of firm rubber ball might be useful for that purpose. I have a friend that runs a medical supply business, and I suspect they may carry something like that. On second thought, I can think of a couple of firm, round items that would be just as therapeutic and much more fun to squeeze. 🙂

    They had actual livestock at The Chicken Ranch, Jackie? I never knew that. (Unless your definition of “livestock” is different from mine.)

  14. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    c x-p: Thank you, now that you remind me. Ophiucus, the Serpent Bearer. Actually, we once a pet python and a pet boa. I now know better.

    Was the other Chicken Ranch in NV? And it did have chickens. I don’t think a chicken would get you anything you couldn’t do yourself these days. Used to be country parsons got a lot of chickens from their flock [ouch]. Might be appropriate, considering what some were selling. Deacon Mushrat?

    Peace, emb

  15. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Texas Ranch earned its name because at one time they excepted chickens as payment. Sort of a feather for fur exchange.

  16. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Well, it was stocked and live, Ghost. And yeah, your therapy would be more fun than a rubber ball. I own two of the rubber balls, the kind everyone recommends, not the kind you want, well this sentence is getting stranger than usual for me! My housekeeper and I were looking at some of the rubber ball variety on cover of Penthouse before we pitched it in trash. I told her in my day you just pushed up the real thing. She thinks I am way funnier than her mama was.

    Back to the soft rubber balls, a medical supply or exercise supply should have them or anywhere selling stuff like that. Not expensive and I think mine may even be weighted slightly for bone strengthening of joints and bone.

    Love, Jackie

  17. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    I’m a Libra: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/13/new-zodiac-sign-dates-
    oph_n_808567.html

    Casting horoscopes was an O.T. capital offense, though I think there is no record of that’s being enforced.

    Peace, emb

  18. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Just how many chickens would be required for, ah, never mind.

    I saw one of those “click-bait” online articles earlier today about how Melissa Gilbert, the cute little girl from “Little House on the Prairie”, has had her implants removed, reverting back to a B-cup from a DD (!). Based on one of the accompanying photos, I somewhat suspect that too large a squeezable object might cause me to do more harm to my hand than good.

    Hmm. “Houses” seem to be becoming a recurrent theme today.

  19. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    GR6, kind of a home improvement day in the Village? 😉

  20. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Read that one too, Ghost. In interests of research I went and watched Aggie Stomp in Broadway production and then in movie. Movie won hands down as best line dancing I have ever seen in cowboy boots. And butts. I guess I should watch something current like Magic Mike.

    Then in further research I watched Dolly Parton sing “It’s Just A Little Bitty Pissant Country Place” versus the Broadway production and sorry, she again won, or the production did anyway. This seems to be on subject probably of improbable breasts?

    For those of you not of a Texas persuasion, the Chicken Ranch was a famous and real place in LaGrange, TX which was shut down by a television investigative reporter from Houston named Marvin Zindler, often an object of ridicule even before the play or movie. “Slime In the Ice Machine!” was a real song too. I may have to re watch this one out of nostalgia for Texas and Texas A and M, of which I am a graduate of their continuing education department many times and my daughter a true Aggie, plus worked for them after graduation awhile. We get to make jokes.

    Love, Jackie

  21. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Gig em!

  22. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Did you play football, Sand? In Corps? Doesn’t matter but I respect them for both. Daughter was on suicide and crisis hotline phones when the bonfire fell. She slept in the office for three days straight and took calls, then went on campus as grief counselor. She worked so hard to get to TAM and graduate, was so proud.

  23. sandcastlerâ„¢ Avatar
    sandcastlerâ„¢

    Jackie, an Army man here. I just respect all programs that combine quality education with a strong military experience. Just color me an ole gray hog. 😉

  24. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    So do I Sand. I keep telling you guys, I was ROTC “darling” and marched in Eisenhower jacket women’s uniform and high heels and garter belt.

    Do you mean hog as in “Sooie, hawgs”?