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

Est. 1985

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Oil Can Harried

By Jimmy Johnson

Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
The above classic A&J comic strip was based on a true story. So where do I get my ideas? Rhymes with “woes.” In all fairness, machine oil is one of those items that is so common it can hide in plain sight, like toothpicks in a grocery store.

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199 responses to “Oil Can Harried”

  1. Lilyblack Avatar

    Ghost, I am quite sure you are right. I’m by no means a teetotaler (I am four drinks on as I type) but I only drink with people I trust

  2. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    That would eliminate me then, I guess. 🙁

  3. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    OK, college memories: the most seriously serious dance of the year was The White Rose ball. I was decorations/décor/organization chairman and absolutely positive I would be White Rose. So was most of the fraternity. What I didn’t know was my husband was proposing that night, complete with choral serenade, the works. You could not be married and be White Rose. Well, I overheard that I wasn’t the White Rose but not why. I was devastated.

    So every guy who came by told me how beautiful everything was, how much they loved me and poured a glass of champagne for me! I got totally loaded. And my husband almost did not propose to me because I was so drunk on champagne.

    He did, we got married and have been married for 48 years through some great times and some bad ones. He has been in the hospital in Tulsa all day in critical condition from his chemotherapy. I have been babysitting my 2 year old grandson and trying not to think. He is somewhat better and daughter is coming home.

    Thanks for letting me walk through the Village.

    Love, Jackie Monies

  4. David in Austin Avatar
    David in Austin

    It’s late in the day, so readership is likely down. Nonetheless, I just decided I needed somewhere to brag a little.
     
    I’ve been doing physical therapy for the knee repairs for about 6 weeks. [In case you missed it, I fell and tore ligaments in both knees last December.] The first 6 weeks after the second set of surgeries (early March) my legs were completely immobilized. They were in plaster for the first month, and locked braces after that. Almost 90 days after the surgery I started standing for 5 minutes at a time, supported with a walker. I worked up to standing for 6 increments of 5 minutes each over a period of one hour (30 minutes total vertical).
     
    Last week I started “walking”, shuffling my feet along a few inches at a time while I hunched over the walker, supporting much of my weight with my arms and shoulders. I progressed to the point where I could shuffle around, supported, for about 5 minutes. I did that three times in a 30 minute period. It’s been since last December, before Christmas, since I actually last walked. There was not much comparison to real walking those days, I will say.
     
    Today, I was determined too not give in to fatigue or pain. I managed to “walk” for two 10-minute sessions and one 9-minute session, with a straighter back and less use of my arms and shoulders than before. That was in a 45 minute period. The doctor says that I should be able to walk normally by the end of the year. It is my goal to walk normally before the end of October. We are planning to take a trip to the beach in October and I want to be able to walk on the seashore with my bride of 30+ years.
     
    Some of the talk here today veered toward burial, cremation, and ashes… Even though I have kidney failure and I can’t walk at the moment, I have a lot more living that I plan to do. I don’t have time to talk about being buried yet.
     

  5. Lilyblack Avatar

    Jackie, You are in my prayers. You and your hubby. I mean it.

    David, good for you!

  6. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    David, when I was a florist I did some beautiful weddings but the one I will never forget was that of my hairdresser’s young daughter. She was in a horrible wreck that damaged her legs so badly she was told she would probably never walk again.

    But she wanted to walk down the aisle for her wedding, despite the fact no one thought it was possible. She did what you are doing and it is hard, gut wrenching pain.

    We made a decoration in case she had to use her walker for the walk. But she walked on her own and it was a long aisle. I don’t think there was a dry eye in that church. Her dad had been killed in a motorcycle accident when she was a baby. Her mom took a job shampooing hair to support her children. She ended up owning one of Houston’s best salons.

    And she walked her daughter down the aisle and I was crying as much as anyone.

    It takes heart and determination. And love.

    Love, Jackie Monies

  7. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    God bless you and Mike, Jackie.

  8. Larry Sheldon Avatar
    Larry Sheldon

    Pop quiz: What is the word that should precede each occurrence of the word “machine” here?

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=machine+oil&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amachine+oil

  9. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    David in Austin, I’m still awake; ten after midnight here, but I wanted to check on our friends here before turning in.

    Many congratulations on your courage and determination! You sure have had a tough time of it since your injury. I applaud your endurance and have no doubt that you’ll reach the goal of walking on the beach.

    I wish I could work as hard as you have. After breaking a hip just three years ago, I’ve slowed down a lot. Just can’t seem to do the exercises I need to do, to get stronger, more agile, better balance. You are a fine example for me and I promise to think of you a lot as I tackle the exercises.

  10. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Dear Jackie Monies, Loving thoughts are winging toward you, and I hope and wish so much that Mike will be okay. Try to get some sleep … you deserve to lie down, close your eyes and relax. Push worries aside … you don’t seem like much of a worrier, I notice! You are such a positive person.

    Lotsa love … good night.

  11. NK in AZ Avatar
    NK in AZ

    So VM thinks all but 25 of us are boring??!! I think we are an interesting, courageous, and inspirational Village, and I hereby send my love to all, especially those who are hurting mentally, physically, or emotionally. Say goodnight, Nancy.

  12. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Daughter is back from hospital and her dad is more stable but up on oncology floor. I think she is the brave one. She had her dad on one floor and her father-in-law on the orthopedic surgery floor. He fell off bottom rung of ladder and broke both bones in leg, having steel rods put in.

    When her grandmother was dying she had GM and her dad on different floors in quarantine.

    She is a brave woman (daughter) She was working in Parkland in Dallas at the burns center when she met her husband who was in medical school. She followed the surgeons around and coordinated what they ordered for each patient. Which meant she was present for all surgeries and treatments, something I could not do.

    I am going to bed and I hope the rest of the Village gets some sleep too. “The village sleeps tonight…….”

    Love, Jackie Monies

  13. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers..

    Jackie and David….I pray for strength for both of you and your spouses, Amen.

    Sandcaster….now we’re using $50 words….. 🙂 Loon teach you that word?

    When we were going through photos at my Mom and Stepfathers’s home, there were hundreds to go through….some even dated me. I have mine in a box, hoping someday I will put them in a binder. I have my Mom and Dad’ wedding picture….1952…it’s funny how they colorized them back in that day.

    Simply…sent ya an email……….

    and as always…

    GR 😉

    ya’ll have a blessed day

  14. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Miss Charlotte….keep thinking like the little red choo choo train….I know I can, I know I can. You seem to be of the positive type, I pray that you too can overcome your handicap…Amen.

  15. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Thank you NK….

  16. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Blink the Wnder WOmbat

    Blinky…I copied and pasted your post name and that’s how it came out…..sorry, but, Hey, thanks for the info on the Family Circus…pretty cool that his brother lived near you your in-laws.

    I guess you’re Blinky the Wonder Wombat….sometimes I get fat ginfers too 🙂

    Time to get the boys up for ………………. Chicken Run 🙂

  17. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    ….and Larry, I never did well on pop quizzes…………..

  18. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    We were married in ’52.

  19. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    Debbe, five postings in a row; a near A&J record. No Loon was not responsible, though she is a vocabulary expander. And, yes I slept sound last night.

  20. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    JJ, Tex Avery and Chuck Jones are smiling in heaven this morning at your brilliant work.

  21. Galliglo from Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo from Ohio

    My prayers for all who are hurting… and my love to all the Village…

  22. Blinky the Wonder Wombat Avatar
    Blinky the Wonder Wombat

    Debbe-

    Fat fingers, a sticky keyboard, and lack of time always results in some interesting results on the screen. Maybe I’ll start using “Blink the Wnder WOmbat” as my evil other self…

  23. Trapper Jean Avatar
    Trapper Jean

    We were at a family reunion over the weekend, and it was sad to see how few of us there are these days. One of my cousins has several photo albums with the really old family photos and she and my sister have begun plans to get together and scan on all the photos as well as adding the whos and wheres to each one.

    Ghost, thank you for the song! That does sound like a few songs I’ve sung in the shower. 😉

    As to the scattering of ashes, my mother-in-law passed away last year, and her wish was to have her ashes scattered off the top of Stone Mountain, as she had lived at the foot of the Mountain for over 20 years and climbed it often. Her sisters, though, wanted her buried in the family plot near them in South Georgia. Finally we sent a scoop of her ashed to the family, and scattered the rest as she wished.

  24. Lilyblack Avatar

    Good morning, Villagers. Sunny and pretty, here. The Boss Of My Life did a percutaneous cholecystectomy this morning, “and I helped.” Mainly by sitting there uttering encouraging words. Then we made rounds and I pushed the dressing cart. I love our patients. I have christened one of them “Blinky,” cos he is always asleep when we get there and cross till I josh him a bit. Then he starts smiling. No, he is not a wombat but it is a wonder he is still with us.