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Paw and Kitty


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Welcome to what I’m calling “Thursday,” for lack of anything better. I’ve told you this before, but it has been a while. I think one of the best comic strips ever was “Polly and Her Pals,” by Cliff Sterrett. It began in 1912, and ran throughout the golden age of newspaper comics. Admittedly, it wasn’t always the funniest or most subtle of strips, but it should be noted that subtly was not a hallmark of the era. It was, however, one of the most graphically arresting, inventive and funnily drawn comic strips ever. The strip began life as a “pretty-girl” strip, featuring young Polly Perkins. Pretty-girl strips were a recognized and common genre of comic strips from the birth of comics through the 1960s. If you’ve ever seen early examples of Sterrett’s strips you would agree that some of Polly’s diaphanous fashions were graphically arresting indeed. However, her father Paw and his cat Kitty eventually took over the strip, as comic sidekicks are wont to do. I mention all this, and show you the above example, because I like to think of Arlo’s relationship with Ludwig as homage to the relationship of Paw and Kitty. Long after the advent of Ludwig, my Karmic reward was my cat “Boot,” who actually follows me all around the house and yard, as silent and as faithful as Kitty.

Jimmy Johnson

123 responses to “Paw and Kitty”

  3. Brother Jimmy, props for “diaphanous.” This is a word that should be used more in general parlance and in women’s fashion in particular.

    I realized early on that Ludwig’s ears were a mini-homage to Krazy Kat, but did not realize that such ears were the cat’s pajamas Back In The Day, as your illustration above discloses. I think you have hit a good balance lately with more “realistic” ears appearing at certain angles with Ludwig. It is my belief that cartoonists in the future will be doing homages to Arlo and Janis, so do your own thing and set your own style and they will come.

    P S –May Olden Kitty Ludwig live a thousand years. Don’t go all Farley on us!

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  4. In today’s Writer’s Almanac there were two good ones from Frank Muir:

    “Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it.”

    “Wit is a weapon. Jokes are a masculine way of inflicting superiority. But humor is the pursuit of a gentle grin, usually in solitude.”

    http://writersalmanac.org/episodes/20150205/

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  10. Oddly, the word “diaphanous” seems to have fallen as far out of common, everyday usage as the word “diaphragm”. But I like “diaphanous” and the similarly evocative “see-through”, “sheer”, “gossamer” and “filmy”.

    Jackie, your comment about visiting your Johns almost caused me to get choked on my mid-morning cup of chai. I thought, “What was the purpose of that trip again!?” Then I read the remainder of the paragraph. Have fun but not that much fun. 😉

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  11. Jean dear, glad to hear it was “just” a cold and that you are better.

    sand, thanks for the FA link; good read. I always enjoy learning about our unsung military heroes. Also, I never really thought about what unified Germany did with the GDR military equipment they inherited.

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  15. Mary:

    We, incl. 3 kids [1, 4, and 6] were there in early Aug. ’62, waited over an hour, left. Probably erupted in 10-15 min. but we were on our way east. One biol. high point of the trip: I obtained a pika [speelczech doesn’t recognize ‘pika’] for the college mammal collection that afternoon in the Beartooth [?] Mts. east of YNP. Nimrod, the mighty hunter!
    Didn’t know whether we were in WI or MT at the time, but figured it out from maps later, and don’t remember now. It’s in the college collection catalog and on the specimen label. Nimrod, the mighty hunter!

    So I’ve never seen it except via NPS’s excellent website, and no longer travel as easily as I once did. Most of the over 7 billion of us never get more than 100 km from home, and many that do are refugees. Cannot complain.

    If there is a hereafter, maybe I’ll do Victoria Falls, the top of Kilimanjaro, and the earliest mammals, back in the Permo-Triassic. Lord knows [literally] how many places/cultures/geologic ages wife has checked out by now. There are also what I expect are millions of other habitable planets to visit. Won’t matter if their atmosphere are breathable or not.

    Peace, emb

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  16. GR6:

    ‘Diaphragm’ isn’t used as much / birth control [that’s how we planned and conceived our 3 kids, all now over 50] but it’s widely used / mammalian anatomy, and in various sorts of machines and tech appliances, I think.

    According to some theologies, but not ours, wife and I lived in sin all our lives. I’m not worried, and I expect she’s fine.

    Peace, emb

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  17. The Wikipedia article on Polly and her Pals has two examples of Sunday strips. The top one is mostly at a beach. I find it interesting that the ladies are in bathing suits (one of them two piece) and the gentlemen are fully dressed. Kitty is also there and in some panels is walking on two legs, in some on all four. Well, at least he didn’t treat the beach as a giant sandbox, as Garfield once did to a sand trap.

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  19. Yes, emb, the “birth control” meaning is the one I referenced.

    Across religions and sects, “sin” can be an elusive and sometimes even a transient precept. (Something I pondered as I enjoyed my bacon with eggs from a non-kosher chicken this morning.) Following Vatican II, when US Catholic bishops came home and revoked the “no meat on Friday”, there was a cartoon in The New Yorker showing an assistant devil in Hell asking his boss: “What do we do with all the guys who ate meat on Friday?”

    (Two years ago, the archbishop of New Orleans assured one of his conscientious parishioners that alligator is permissible to eat on Fridays of Lent, an opinion which has been confirmed the national bishops’ conference.)

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  20. The only time as yet that I have tried alligator was at the Pro Bass place off of I-10 in LA (lower Alabama). Unfortunately it had so much hot pepper added to it as to render it inedible.

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  22. We used to have a seafood restaurant that had a couple of creative ways of preparing alligator – gator Francese (substitute tail meat pounded thin for chicken in the standard recipe) and “barbecued” gator ribs.

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  24. GR6 and eMb: diaphragm is in pretty common usage among singers and teachers thereof when talking about proper breathing. I had a lesson this afternoon and was chastised a bit for doing clavicular instead of diaphragmatic breathing.

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  25. I remember buying alligator once for wife to cook, but don’t remember the results. It was available that one time, frozen, at one of our supermkts. Be happy to try it again. Don’t send recipes now; I’ll post a request if I find it. We’ve eaten locally caught snapping turtle. Not bad.

    Buying task now is 64 oz. Gatorade, clear fruit juice [probably apple], lime and lemon Jello [dumb speelczech] for a ‘confined to barracks’ day in prep for that colostomy. Already have the generic meds.

    BTW, one of you was concerned / the wisdom of having one. 1. I have faith [based on track records] of both the GP and surgeon involved, and 2. there are NO early external signs of colon CA. By the time it gives trouble, it has usually metastasized. I’m 85. If I make it to 95, we’ll see if my overall health justifies another every-10-yr look.

    Peace, emb

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  26. Ghost, I wonder what the rest of that story was? From reading the story it doesn’t sound like a random act. Good thing for them, none of the other people mom threatened was armed with a handgun. Smith & Wesson beats a tire iron.

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  27. Where but the Village would you in a single day come across: alligator meat, colonoscopies, diaphragms, seismic eruptions, vintage cartoons, and hip checking mother-daughter gangs. 😉

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  28. Jackie has gone missing again. Maybe she is busy with all her other stuff, or more likely, her computer isn’t co operating out there on the road. Thinking of you, Jackie, and hoping all is going okay.

    That dad-blasted diaphraghm was the most aggravating and finicky method of birth control. We went without it when we thought we could get away with it … which must be why we have seven children. We — I — love them dearly and wouldn’t give any of them back. They are in their 50s also. We have twin girls, one of the “accidents” — thank heavens; they have been a joy.

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  29. I’ve always loved _Polly_and_Her_Pals_, which I’ve only read in classic comic strip compilations, and the rendering of the cat is a big part of it. There’s really no resemblance to Krazy Kat except that both are done with a brush; this Kitty has something more feline going on, crossed with Sterrett’s bigfoot style.

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  32. We once went to a management retreat at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear AL, and our boss told one of my fellow managers she would have to stay at a motel in Tilman’s Corner. She claimed she had honeymooned there but also claimed to not remember for which marriage.

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  36. This is not moving as fast as Garmin said it would but I have obviously. slowed down. Got late start and stopped for a late lunch, got to Blue Dog Cafe two minutes before kitchen cut off the gas to grill but got seated anyway, I am sweet old senior. Bartender female is waitperson/bartender at lunch, wants to be a wine rep. We got good service, I had my help tour the “museum’ and I ordered her catfish with crawfish etoufee topping, neither of which she had ever heard of nor tasted. Rodrigue died last year, his work will go up I am sure but painting over bar back is valued at around $160 thousand, that is. Don’t throw any beer bottles in there!

    Hit horrible slow slow crawling traffic which reminds me of why I hate I-10 and street signs are still not replaced in most of coast and sand is still piled high on rural side roads. Are you lucky
    to have houses and the coast seems to be bounding back finally but it was dark.

    Again avoided eating dessert, rice and bread, butter but blew calories on a despicable bad late breakfast/night in honor of Lewis Grizzard and Alabama, Mistake. Were lives not at stake I would eat better and stop an see some of y’all.

    Love, Jackie

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  38. Does any one here actually eat gator? I don’t know anyone from Louisiana who does but will poll the crew of Cajun males who cook for us at the Franklin Louisiana Bayou Teche wooden boat show. So far never seen any but they do lots of stuff like homemade boudain, sausage, courtebouillon and fresh cracklings in giant kettle and 50 gallons of oil. That is in April and fun event.

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  40. From what I heard there are probably no survivors. The pictures of the houses were unbelievable. Once the home was empty the neighbors burned one of them down.

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  41. My Cajun buddy prepares Alligator Sauce Piquante all the time. He undoubtedly has some stashed in his freezer. I’d FedEx you some, but he went out of town today and I’m not sure when he’ll be back.

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  51. Good morning Villagers…

    I really like the art work in “Paw and Kitty”, one could almost ‘smell’ the old paper it is on.

    I’m enjoying the “Travels with Jackie”…..where is your website, Jackie.

    Gotta go….clothes in dryer need folding….

    emb….good luck, and prayers……amen.

    today’s grin: http://cheezburger.com/8441781504

    GR 😉

    Granny Carol…good to see you back here…

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  53. Jerry, I am slow. JUST got Elvis and Cilla’s name. Duh! Clever. “I was dreaming last night about Elvis, day that he died, day that he died.” J. Buffet Listening to it yesterday enroute.

    Right by Bass Pro, been there done that, past life with my late traveling companions. Every BP in America, Gander Mountain, LL Bean, Cabelos and Coleman outlet, as well as West Marine. Food not good at BP but only my mama liked it!

    Passed the Grand location in dark, is it gone? Dark over there.

    Miniion having trouble adjusting to travel where you don’t care if you get there or not? This trip is more speed than a like. Travel is a journey, not a destination.

    Laptop annoying.

    Love, Jackie

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  54. Shopping advice to Arlo, it’s all about stress reduction. Plan your shopping hours around the same hours that the yoga pants wearers do theirs.

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  55. Paul from Nodak, I saw in the Wikipedia article that Cliff Sterrett was a native of Minnesota. No doubt that is why the panel Jimmy posted is so realistic in the wind effects. Bet emb could attest to that!

    Good luck and a safe trip Jackie. Hope those cats will appreciate what you are doing.

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  56. Sunny here. annoying laptop. Going to get ATT onto phone without killing one of them, go to business center down stairs but it requires dressing. Read everyone, laptop and clumsy long nails erasing msg. May have sent personal email on a blast?
    Houseleeping diving me nuts.

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  59. I’ve never had gator, but I have had turtle soup at Brennan’s Restaurant, both in New Orleans and in Atlanta when they had the restaurant there.

    eMb, prayers and good luck!

    Ghost, “just” a cold indeed! I’m hoping the cough isn’t bronchitis. That would be serious bad juju.

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  67. My two cents worth about Brian Williams: I have a real problem with “Stolen Valor” incidents. (In fact, rather than “valor thieves”, I prefer to call them by the more accurate term “scum suckers”.) It doesn’t matter if it’s a butterball in a mall wearing a Ranger tab he obviously never earned on his ACUs; an InterWebNet Call to Arms commando who never wore a uniform at all claiming he was awarded the Medal of Honor; or a multimillionaire pretty-boy network news anchor who “misremembers” his adventures in a war zone (and possibly elsewhere). If you didn’t do it or if you weren’t there, don’t claim you did or you were. That’s spitting in the face of the ones who did and were.

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  68. My take on the detailed shopping list for Thursday was two-fold, 1) Janis only allows buying items on the list, so details are necessary; 2) The longer and more complicated the list, the longer Arlo will be out of the house— so she can have some peace. On the other hand, I enjoy grocery shopping, so it is a rare trip that takes less than 2 hours start to finish.
     
    Sand– That only works if said yoga pants moms don’t have small children. The aggravation goes up substantially with loud crying over the _____ that the kid can’t have.
     
    Jackie– Don’t forget to smell the roses! See if you can adjust routes for occasional side trips using back roads. Like you would it Oklahoma by following old Route 66 rather than I-40.
     
    Ghost/Jean– Peppermint Schnapps is a good, single sourcing alternative for cold and cough. (Actually there is a cough suppressant, DelSym, that does a fantastic job. It doesn’t make me sleepy. Your mileage may vary.)
     

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  70. Ghost, couldn’t agree more on the frauds claiming martial glory or trying to ride the current popularity of military heroes. Veterans with little combat experience or non-military think that it would be more meaningful if they had been in combat.
     
    I’ve said before, though a veteran I never got close to combat. only honors I received were for either training or administrative excellence. [One ARCOM was for my ability to translate mil-speak into English and construct a basic paragraph with topic, support, and conclusion. I rewrote just about everything that passed through the brigade headquarters.] No valor in normal training or admin! Even so, I am not ashamed of the work I did. Had we deployed into a major conflict with nuclear or chemical weapons, my training and expertise would have been useful. Actually, I’m proud of the fact that I was a soldier and that the work I did as part of the “tail” made it possible for the “tooth” to be on the ground.

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  71. GR6, just a couple minutes talk will usually reveal the real vets from the phony. We met a guy walking his dog in the park. Was wearing a 101st – Vietnam vet ballcap. As we walked on Loon said he is the real deal. Her clue, the way he pronounced words and Viet names. Did I say she is a sharp one?

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  72. I too do much of the shopping.
    It takes 20 Min. to buy 1 item because they keep moving stuff.
    I have to be very hungry or just ate that way I keep to the list,
    otherwise I stock up – not on junk (well a little) but sale items.

    Wife “I saved 50% on this widget”
    Husband ” How much would you have saved if you had not bought it?”

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  74. EMB, do you have a Google Chromecast? I use it (among many other things) to display a full-screen version of the Old Faithful webcam. I’ve found it much more satisfying than some mindless morning “news” and entertainment program. I have a Nexus 7 tablet that works wonderfully with the Chromecast. I use the “cast screen” capability to watch the geysers.

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  77. sand: Thanks. I’d run into that before, perhaps / someone had posted it here. At zoos, autopsies sometimes yield penguin and seal tummies full of coins, etc. Sad.

    Peace, emb

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  80. My wife and I just ate at the Blue Dog Cafe last Friday night. Good food as was Prejean’s the next night. Lafayette is a favorite visiting place for us. Much better,for me, than that big city on the river to the South. I only go there for cruises.

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  81. Loon, while it might be true that “every kiss begins with Kay”, for thirteen hundred bucks I’d be expecting something that begins with a different letter.

    Oh, wait. That was what you meant, wasn’t it?

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  84. I think that most of us have embellished a story, although I do know some people who would never lie. I have also had “memories” of events that were not quite factual when I did a little research. I have gotten in arguments with people who “swear” something happened until you provide proof of their inaccuracies.
    However, when Aaron Brown, a former CNN anchor and War correspondent was asked for his opinion on the Brian Williams controversy, he said “I have no answer for that. I will tell you that getting shot at is not something you forget.” The fact that he told this story in 2003, then letting grow bigger and more dangerous is alarming. Someone who is paid $10 million to read the facts to America, simply cannot allow this to happen.
    Like many, I have enjoyed Williams’ style over the years and seems like a nice guy. I am afraid if more stories like this whopper show up, he may be force to leave the anchor desk.

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  85. GR6, think Loon is leading you astray, the Cyrillic alphabet is hard enough to just pronounce.

    Steve,
    Everyones getting shot at experience is different , as is every getting shot at time. I can think of three danger close times in Vietnam that in hind sight were scarier than getting shot at.

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  86. Arlo, I feel your grocery shopping angst! With the exceptions of bookstores and hardware stores, I intensely dislike shopping. To facilitate grocery shopping, I make my list in the same order in which the aisles are arranged in the store. Not a perfect solution, but it helps.

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  88. Asian foods contain sauces, mixes, and noodle bowls. Wonton wraps are in case with canned biscuits (canned biscuits, really?). Latin foods has everything except torillas, found with bread. The Italian sector has: pasta, sauces, etc.. For pizza sauce and crusts head to the box dinner aisle next to hamburger helper and mac & cheese.

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  90. David, as a bona fide ‘Nam vet, I can tell you an easy way to spot most phonies: if they pronounce the last syllable of Vietnam to rhyme with “ham,” they weren’t there; if it rhymes with “Tom,” there’s a good chance they’re telling the truth.

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  91. “There is currently no prediction for Old Faithful Geyser. The next prediction will be made when it is possible to do so.” = “Don’t call us; we’ll call you.”

    We should start a pool based on where Jackie will stop for the night.

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  95. Might have gotten out early, depending on how bad housekeeping and that late night breakfast was. Or the breakfast’s after-effects may have kept her in the room later than intended. I’ll take somewhere between Tallahassee and Lake City, Alex.

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  96. sideburns and David,

    Another is the city Phan Thiet, stomping grounds for some in the 101st. Vets well pronounce Fan Te Eat. Others will say Fan Teeth. This is what Loon keyed on that our dog walker was the real deal.

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  97. 2/5/15 @8:48 pm

    eMb, I truly pray that your colonoscopy goes well and that your doc won’t order more. I just scheduled my probably-20th or -25th for next month.
    Er, you did mean to type “colonoscopy” and not “colostomy”, right? The latter is far more of a big deal and far less pleasant. An acquaintance of mine lives with one, and it isn’t wonderful – but better than the alternative.

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  98. c x-p: Colonoscopy. Thanks, emb

    I’m all set. Meds, 64 oz Gatorade, clear apple juice, bowl of lemon “jello” [generic], tea [no milk], decaf [no milk], Sky & Telescope, New Yorkers, x-word puzzles, indoor plumbing. Topnotch general surgeon, nurses I know [I volunteer every Tue. in the lobby outside the OR suite], someone to give me a ride home and baby-sit me for a while afterward. Probably work on my 26 Feb. stargazing column, having just finished perusing the March ’15 S&T.

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  99. Wrong on many counts. In St. Pete at hotel I usually stay at, they are booked this weekend and weekend I have to come back! Spring break and Mardi Gras? Darn! For wont of stronger words because I never travel without some reservation and I knew I had to come first weekend in March. With dog.

    Delicious Cuban pulled pork and chicken with yellow rice and beans, plantains, found them with no trouble in dark. Delicious lunch of barbque, baked sweet potatoes, corn and corn bread, someone will follow this trail. Now if I had just had the stupid motel ap working. Minion likes food, tells me to order for her. Will not like motel choice if none.

    Why am I better at locating food? Like treeing truffles.

    Love, Jackie

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  101. Normally I stay off interstates like the plague and would drive twice around America to avoid them. I also swore the last time I was here I would only return as far as Appalachicola and definitely not beyond Blount or Chipley probably, in other words NOT down here. Never say never. Deja vu all over again.

    Minion impressed by food, her husband from Florida was originally from the Hamptons? Via Eufaula. Sounds right, via Palm Beach, via coke sales.

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  106. I have been HERE before. I am wondering if there are dog friendly hotels I haven’t been in and no comments on dog. It is heading into spring break and the highways are worse than ever.

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  110. Good morning Villagers….

    Yes, GR 😉 , I agree…..like a bat out of hell. And that is one bright light for $1300. it better defeather and fry for that price.

    We’ve been bring in George the rooster, and setting him on top of a skid of egg flats…facing the morning sun through the window. He basks in the sun’s rays….

    On the Williams tell tale….I feel he should resign.

    You go Jackie, be safe.

    ya’ll have a blessed Caterday

    oh, GR, thanks for explaining that cheezeburger pic, but then, I don’t watch Dr. Who.

    today’s grin: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/8442202368/h26C058C2/

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  113. watching Jackie’s trip, I kept telling myself after wife passed, I’m going to get on US59 and just go “straight” (it’s just two lanes and twisty turny through the heartland) up to Canada
    … … NBC and/or NBC people have been making up stuff for years, remember the fake car test they did, where the cars caught fire before they even touched?

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  114. John, in Texas most of US 59 has transformed into four lanes. Parts are now labeled as I69 / US59. Others as US59 / Future I69 Corridor. Similar is happening to US90 south out of New Orleans. We keep losing scenic roads to interstate. I still love traveling the Blue Hiways. Brother in law and I try to do one backroad drive each spring, next one is in March.

    Mentioning Blue Hiways. It was the title of William Leastheat Moon’s 1980’s book of his backroad drive around America. He has published several wonderful books on traveling the byways of America and the people that populate these areas.

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  115. Good a.m. all, going to shower and head south after I tell y’all hello. I am a backroads driver all my life but John in Richmond, do it. Hy59 goes thru some nice places and I have driven most of it. Some people drive back roads out of fear of interstates and life in the fast lanes. I like meandering through our country up closer than the rear of a big rig and 10,000 sharing the road with me.

    Minion is phobic about being shut in by big rigs on road, not a bad way to be, claustrophobic on interstate.

    Someday I may tell you about a Route 66 moment in my youth involving a red Corvette and a big Ford convertible, also red, crossing the empty roads of Mississippi one night. That doesn’t hapen any more, the empty lonely twisting roads.

    Love, Jackie

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  118. The downside of my system, sand, is that I sometimes have to think like the store when writing my list. That means grouping some pretty weird things together. And thanks for the mention of William Leastheat Moon. I’ve been looking for authors I haven’t yet read on topics that interest me. American cultural byways is one such topic.

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  121. Deniise, not in office/library with books but google Shantyboat which isn’t much about boats and all about life choices, kind of a Walden experience which changed people,Leastheat Moon won Pulitzer I think. I said it was the book Steinbeck wanted to write.

    I started to invite John to come along, he’d end up known as John in Richmond but he already is.

    Love, Jackie

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  122. Jimmy mentioned William Least Heat-Moon several years back when discussing travel books. (Can you believe this blog has been around long enough that we can use the phrase “several years back”?) I meant to read him then but never got around to it. I see that a large on-line purveyor of e-books has several of his titles listed. Apparently he even wrote a book about writing a book (Blue Highways), which is the way to do it if you can get away with it, as I’d imagine it cuts down on the amount of research you have to do.

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  123. emb, I don’t really see that TIP as bad taste. After all, Led Zeppelin used variations on a couple of their album covers.

    Jackie, I know you are in a hurry, but be careful. We want you to be in the Village a long time.

    Good morning everybody. Sunny and high in the upper 60’s today.

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