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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Half Baked

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
When this cartoon originally appeared in 2009, my long-suffering editor Reed Jackson called to thank me for reflecting what goes on in his home when his wife bakes for the holidays. This made me feel good. Comics editors see a lot of comics, and they rarely have time or inclination to comment.

By the way, the T shirts are on sale now. I told you there would not be much fanfare. I also said I would return yesterday and discuss price. I’m sorry, but I was so busy making this thing happen that I didn’t have time to do that. The short-sleeve T shirts are $30, and the long-sleeve are $35. Yes, that’s a little pricey, I know. The software at eBay will tell you shipping is free, but it’s not. It’s simply factored in already, but it’s true there are no additional fees for shipping and handling. They’re just T shirts, but others and I have put a lot of effort into producing the best T shirt we can. Our T shirt is about as local as T shirts can be. Several colleagues have a hand in its production, and it’s labor intensive. I’ve already told you it takes nine manual passes of an ink squeegee to produce the sports-car shirt. I’m not going to tell you they’re a bargain; I just hope, if you buy one, you won’t be disappointed. To shop, just click on the subtle little banner at the top of this page. Thank you!

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188 responses to “Half Baked”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Ah, sand, the Texas Ranger pistol. I have another brand DA/SA action pistol (a Ruger P89, which I believe you once mentioned as owning), but I have never been wild about that setup. This is my first SIG, and of course it’s striker-fired. And it has the best trigger of any striker-fired action I’ve ever used. I like my Glocks but they are not exactly famous for the smoothness of their stock triggers. A deputy I know let me fire his Glock 17 service pistol outfitted with a very expensive after-market trigger group, and it was about the same as the stock P320 one.

  2.  Avatar

    Have to drag myself off this bed and back to the kitchen to arrange my roses and minI carnations for my bedroom. I have begun a new tradition or revived one of buying myself flowers at most opportunities. I love flowers. These are yellow tones and yellow spray carnations, plus a second vase of pinks. Need to go to a floral wholesaler and buy preservative but tonight I am using bottled Sprite, works as well.

    Bought myself some semi tasteful flannel and fleece pajamas bottoms to pair with loose tee shirts. I am set apart from the locals in that I do not wear them shopping ANYWHERE , I weigh 120 # or more less than all of them and about six sizes less, and I am wearing them in bed so as not to embarrass anyone. I do not get embarrassed but I find I stick out like a “flatland tourister ” as they used to say in Snuff Smith by dressing well.in public.

    I love to go to Tulsa to places I sort of blend in like restaurants and stores, museums but that is wrong. Is it the same elsewhere? Have people just gone to wearing dirty or torn, tacky clothes to everything? I mean funerals, church, restaurants, stores and traveling?

  3. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Dear Indy Mindy, your tree is stunningly beautiful. I clicked on the photo and it got really large and I examined it with pleased delight. If it won’t take away any of the magic, can you tell us more about how you created this?

  4.  Avatar

    Mindy. It is lovely. I am putting up a tree for the first time in years. I have to get minions into the second floor of the Boat Palace to look for my cookies and candy land ornsments. Yes, I have a huge collection of gingerbread, cookies, cupcakes, candy ornaments, lots in glass. We will see what they can find. I used to have to do a different theme each year for my mother in law at the retirement home but I didn’t use good ornaments there.

    I also have an absolutely huge collection of shabby chic old ornaments by the thousands, bought at flea markets and garage sales. You gotta remember I did this for a living for over 25 years.

    Mindy must have a florist or Christmas decorator background hiding inside her. Very over the top elegant.

  5. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    If you have indoor cats, buy the plastic ornaments that are painted to look like glass. They will last much longer when the cats knock them down and play soccer with them all night. And don’t buy the long stringy tinsel as cats/dogs might swallow it before finding it’s not edible. Expensive trip to the vet is a possibility. A weighted base to fasten the stand to will help avoid things that go bump in the night.

    From personal experience as assistant to a couple of crazy cat ladies.

  6. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Very good advice, Mark. Pay attention to Mark, Villagers. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

    Mark, who are, or were, the crazy cat ladies?

  7. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Jackie, perfect words for Mindy’s tree … over the top elegant. My word, your ornament collection is mind-boggling! I would ask, where did you find the time to accomplish the many things you’ve told us about, but … you obviously have supernatural powers, so I’ll accept that with no more questions.

    Jerry in FL, I was very glad you wrote to say you are okay, just travelling. That’s very good!

  8. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Charlotte, my mom and my ex. Still working with mom’s cats. While I was writing the first post, I heard a hollow thump in the living room, followed by the sounds of little cat feet chasing something rolling across the floor.

  9. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Charlotte, when growing up we rarely had more than one cat at a time. But since mom retired and dad passed, she didn’t have much to do. So when a cat with kittens showed up here, she started feeding them. Now you’d think we ran a cattery.

    When ex and I got together, we adopted a cat. Then she wanted another and we went to look at some being fostered by a rescue group. Two more cats. Then one disappeared and she wanted an Abyssinian, which we eventually got. After moving to an apartment with our 3 cats, one solitary gray kitten appeared outside our door. I was afraid she’d get run over in the parking lot, so now we had 4 cats. She grew up to look like a Russian Blue. And then while buying cat food in a new pet store, she saw a small, long-haired black kitten which was going to be adopted out. Now we had 5.

    So, as I said, personal experience.

  10. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Thank you, Mark; I’m glad to get acquainted with these ladies. Your story entertained me and made me smile.

    It’s getting late — good night, everybody.

  11.  Avatar

    Mark I have had indoor cats a long time so nothing they can eat or ingest like poinsettas. Long ago I babysat a friend’s Siamese who ate my poinsettas and I had a horrible experience trying to get milk of magnesia down him to counter it.

    This batch of fresh replacements are pretty playful to the max, so I have been shopping for plastics from dollar stores and Walmart. I can probably eliminate the glass and go with all plastics on the big tree. Or wire glass on securely. That is trick on showroom or display trees to be able to store with decorations if needed or keep people from taking them. Might work on cats.

    I think once they find a crazy cat lady they invite their friends and bring their litters.

  12. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    “Semi-tasteful” pajama bottoms?

  13. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe 😉 Another classic from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Also the background music if I’d run across you on the beach wearing your OSB (Orange String Bikini). 😉

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFToiLtXro

  14.  Avatar

    Semi tasteful means no stupid obscenely ugly Penguins or characters from a Disney movie or garish glow in the dark snowflakes all done in plush like a stuffed animal. With an ugly top to match.

    I am wearing light weight flannel plaid with giant plaid in black, shades of black, shaded hot pinks with black threads, white blocks and a tiny silver thread woven discreetly to outline the blocks. Accompanied by a sleeveless scooped neck knit top with high low hem.

    Yes, I had to write about fashion shows and what people wore once upon a time but I refused to take a position doing social news when offered.

  15. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    And to think that if I’d called you on the phone and asked what you were wearing, you’d have probably called me a “creep” and hung up on me. 🙂

  16. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good Morning Villagers….

    TR, thank you for your advice, and my thumb was injured but not to the point of going to the ER. It was squashed, and I’ve got several cuts on thumb and finger next to my pinky on my right hand. The gloves I had on were a heavy vinyl glove…so that helped a lot.

    And GR is right….agri worker’s comp is not covered in Indiana….but The Boss would have paid for everything….as he did when I broke my wrist….and he offered to pay the doctor when my finger got slammed in the door from the suction of the hen house door being open…but I told him she never charged me a dime…I love my doctor, she is of strong faith.

    Andrew cut himself also a couple of weeks ago, and The Boss told him to go to ER and he would pay for it….Andrew never went.

    Jerry…I’ve been there too…had to go out to the finish line and check it out…this was on Thanksgiving eve several years ago. I had to pick up stepbrother at airport and we stopped by Churchill Downs….

    Indy Mindy…..that is one magnificent tree, beautifully done, and tasteful…you got talent girl.

    To keep the cats out of my tree when I would put one up, I would put spray bottles around the base…..they hate spray bottles. Maybe I should get one of those squirt guns, that’ll teach them not to back up to my walls.

    Ya’ll have a blessed Lord’s day.

  17. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    …and then there’s this version….you decide

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YSbGXNXfVg

  18. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    John…why robertscare?

  19. Trapper Jean Avatar
    Trapper Jean

    Debbe, i our house that cat would be asking “where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?” 😉

    Indy Mindy, that is indeed a beautiful tree! Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Judy, I missed the mention of a time limit, so thank you for the reminder. I might order the second shirt sooner than planned.

  20. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Every year we see some “expert” on TV offering suggestions for protecting Christmas trees from pets, and every year Bob and I give each other the same “they’re just figuring that out?” look. We always use fishing line to secure the top part of the tree to something (curtain rod or something sturdy on the wall) and lowest ornaments are unbreakable. It probably helps that neither of us has ever had a tree-climbing cat – but we were ready if we did.

  21. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Perhaps Jimmy will clarify this for us, but I really doubt that you will not be able to purchase an A&J tee shirt 27 days and 21 hours from now.

    Unless, of course, they are sold out by then.

  22. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    GR6, unless he has a limited run production contract.