I scanned this old Sunday this morning, just for you. I drew a lot bigger back then! It took two passes on my 11X17 flat-bed scanner to get it all. That is the very reason I began drawing smaller, shortly after this cartoon appeared in 1995. It was about that time I started scanning the daily cartoons and digitally transmitting them to my editors in New York. I started drawing smaller so I could scan a cartoon in one pass of the scanner. It was sometime later before I began transmitting the Sunday cartoons, because they simply were too big to transmit by dial-up modem. As it was, I remember it would take 12 to 15 minutes to transmit six daily cartoons. Now, it takes about three seconds.
Forward to the Past
By Jimmy Johnson
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 ...
314 responses to “Forward to the Past”
As far as I can tell, no frosts occurred around here last night.
By some strange coincidence, I used to be able to read six daily cartoons in 3 seconds. Now it takes me 12 to 15 minutes.
Good morning, Villagers. No frost here, not even in the fridge. 82 and cloudy outside, kind of sultry. *squashes urge to quote Byron* Had a great run this morning,with a red sunrise. We only had a small case this morning, rounds went well except for a bothersome temperature elevation in a patient we wanted to send home. First patient is sitting in the waiting room for her 10:00 appointment. “Do you think she will see me early?” Everybody looked at me to go ask The Boss Of My Life. I just said, “Why don’t you just have a seat? She’ll be with you shortly.” Like at 10:00
I’m with Arlo on this one. Quite often I find that reruns of old shows are better than whatever is new on the boob tube. [no, Ghost Sweetie, not *that* kind of boob. ;-)]
The Dark Side sometimes has a nice hint:
JIMMY BUFFETT
“He Went To Paris”
He went to Paris looking for answers
To questions that bothered him so
He was impressive, young and aggressive
Saving the world on his own.
But the warm Summer breezes
The French wines and cheeses
Put his ambition at bay
And Summers and Winters
Scattered like splinters
And four or five years slipped away.
Then he went to England, played the piano
And married an actress named Kim
They had a good life, she was a good wife
Bore him a young son named Jim.
And all of the answers and all of the questions
He locked in his attic one day
‘Cause he liked the quiet clean country living
And twenty more years slipped away.
Well the war took his baby, the bombs killed his lady
And left him with only on eye
His body was battered, his world was shattered
And all he could do was just cry.
While the tears were falling, he was recalling
The answers he never found
So he hopped on a freighter, skidded the ocean
And left England without a sound.
Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin’s
And drinks his green label each day
He’s writing his memoirs and losing his hearing
But he don’t care what most people say.
Through eighty-six years of perpetual motion
If he likes you he’ll smile then he’ll say
Jimmy, some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic
But I had a good life all the way.
And he went to Paris looking for answers
To questions that bother him so.
I can READ 6 cartoons in 3 seconds, but it takes me 12-15 minutes to understand them! 🙂
Here is to hoping that you can see this drawing that my sister (www.spiritualhands.org) did 13 years ago. http://twitter.com/sevans1956/status/510058776561344513/photo/1
We leave at 5:45 for Italy. I am not worried about the flight at all, but with ISIS and pickpockets, I have a bit of anxiety. Two different types of worry, but I guess, I need to trust that everything will be OK.
Last night we had a heavy rain again and I found some water in the furnace room. After looking at the pattern, I realized that it was coming from the dehumidifier, which was making a lot of noise. I posted on Facebook that I would probably have to replace it when we got back. A girl from high school messaged me as she works in dispatch for a Heating and Cooling company. She told me that it might just be plugged up. On MAN, was it! 17 years without servicing left quite a mess. However after a cleaning, it is running smooth.
Arlo and I have the right idea. About 1 year ago I started to record to DVD some classic B/W show from the 50’s & 60. Leave it to Beaver, The Honeymooners, Dick Van Dyke, Danny Thomas, Route 66, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Rifleman, The Fugitive etc……so now I have a large collection of them and most have the commercials cut out. Our cable has “ME TV and Cozi tv channels, and EnCore has the Westerns.
The way I figure it when I am in the “Old Folks” home the attendants can play a DVD every 4 hours and I will be back in my childhood years, and not worrying about current events of the day or how much drool I have on my shirt!
Steve,
I am sure the pick-pockets in Italy will be the worst……keep the passports locked up in the hotel. Use a “money belt”.
When we are abroad The Man In My Life uses a money belt and a pocket clip. The minute we get to the hotel, the passports and jewelry (not mine, I don’t bring any but a gold crucifix necklace that I always wear, even in the shower) go in the safe deposit box. I carry what little money I have in a little silver cylinder intended for nitroglycerin pills on my keychain. Fashion and fit be darned, when I am in Europe I wear running shorts with pockets.
Those of us of a certain age thought being a TV comedy writer had to be the coolest thing ever, mostly because you got to come home to Laura.
Shorpy has several photos from the Dick Van Dyke set. This is one of my favorites:
http://www.shorpy.com/node/15494
Jackie, regarding yesterday’s postings, I was engaged to my husband, now of 35 years, when I lived with a French family completing my college degree. Every where I went, everything I saw, I was longing to show and share with him as soon as we could get back, expecting it to be the following year. I guess you’ve guess it, 35 years later, life intervened, no one bank rolling our life, and we have yet to go. Sigh. There’s always the possibility of next year! Ever the optomist!
Lilyback, love that song. One of my long time favorites for the two obvious reasons, (1) I love Jimmy Buffett songs and (2) I love Paris! and going to Paris! and I’m always looking for answers to questions like, Which is my favorite French cheese, Brie or Camenbert? How do I find that little known restaurant treasure not even in the Michelin guide? … etc.
Carl Reiner said they wanted the show to be timeless, so it’s not topical, just people and real human interactions that everyone can relate to, they even took into consideration Rob’s clothes, the cut of the coat may look dated, but not silly or way strange, like today looking back at so much if the 70’s. .. I watch a lot of youtube, almost any show you can think of and short lived, obscure things, someone has put some of on there.
OF was blowing but sending fog twd. the webcam about 15 min. ago.
http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html
By now they may have a prediction [MDT] up for the next blow.
Learn something every day! [Whoops: I’ll go back and get the website.]
I’d seen [but never bought] Groton’s seafood products, but had never heard of Mrs. Paul’s. The two lines look to be about equally attractive.
It’s today’s TIP comic:
http://www.gocomics.com/that-is-priceless/
The trio portrayed, by Belgian painter Gallait, is called ‘The fisherman’s family’ and is shown in catalogs both facing left and facing right. The original is in the Hermitage, which I don’t expect to visit anytime soon. Peace, emb.
“Old Faithful Geyser is predicted to erupt at 1:05pm ± 10 minutes Mountain Time on September 11, 2014.” Sorry, I have an appt. then.
Ah, back in the office after a lovely art class. I am learning to use watercolors. They are harder to use than acrylics because they are transparent, but you can get some really cool effects.
I asked The Boss Of My Life if we were going back to France this summer, but she was noncommittal.
The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of the most formative experiences of my young life. I used to sneak out of bed and hide behind my father’s chair to watch it over his shoulder (he usually dozed off so he never knew I was there).
Like many, perhaps most TV writers of my generation, The Dick Van Dyke Show is what led us to chase the dream. We wanted to work on a cool show in an office full of great, funny people and have a wonderful spouse to come home to.
And some of us had that come true!
In between good music, MPR announcer said a major solar flare has sent extra radiation our way, which may disrupt various electronics, but also result in > auroras > usual. Of course, it’s mostly cloudy out now. Enjoy. emb
Today was hot but nice with a little shower in the middle of the afternoon. Overall I would say that we’ve had worse 9/11’s. I wonder how many people who had relatives in the WTC wish that their family had lived well past 50. All of them I expect. Life is hard to live and hard to keep, but there are people who have gone or would go through hell for one more minute with their son, daughter, wife , husband, father, mother, and so on. I’m lucky. I’ve beat cancer twice without radiation or chemo. Everybody says that they wouldn’t do it and a few don’t, but I remain curious what tomorrow will bring and I don’t want to die with the winning lottery ticket in my pocket.
Heh, I have won the lottery metaphorically speaking twice, maybe three times. I gave away my rabbit’s foot and am never gonna gamble again. I figure I’ve used up my luck! 😀
BTW, I have just thought it over and realized I have never listened to National Public Radio in my life. I tried to get it once to listen to “Car Talk, but gave up and never tried again. Of course, you have to realize that I last listened to radio over a year ago
I liked this one:
http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2014/09/11
A lot of familiar faces from my childhood comics are in that one.