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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Travel Alert

By Jimmy Johnson

I am traveling this morning, on cartoon business. I’ll bet you didn’t think such a thing was possible. There won’t be a regular post today, but when I return I will begin showing you some of the old work I have chosen to submit to the Billy Ireland archive of comic art at THE Ohio State University. The old work goes all the way back to 1985 and includes something from every year since. Many we’ve seen here and some not. You probably can deduce, we’ll be talking a lot more about this. I hope your new year is going well so far. By the way, I am in Asheville, NC, today. Tonight, I will be attending a meeting of the southeastern chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. No, that is not the reason for my travels, just serendipity, but I’ll tell them all you said, Hello!

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157 responses to “Travel Alert”

  1. Trapper Jean Avatar
    Trapper Jean

    A lifetime ago I spent a couple of winters in Sioux Falls, SD, and its 0 degree winters. I said never again, but this morning on The Mountain it was 8 degrees. That’s not quite 0, but it’s getting awfully close.

    Indy Mindy, glad your aunt is doing well! Yes, gall bladder trouble can present as heart trouble because of the way the nerves connect. I found that out the hard way when my gall bladder acted up.

    Not only are we careful with plastic grocery bags, but we cut the loops on those plastic six-pack holders, too. Animals can get caught in those with fatal results.

  2. LokiZeus Avatar
    LokiZeus

    Wine, women and song. Ahhh, the life of a cartoonist!

  3. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Of mice and men!

    Loved the mouse presents. Not only did my big orange tom cats bring me mice and small rodents like moles and voles and baby rabbits but they loved bringing snakes up to the house from out in yard. Me screaming, “Spit it out, spit it out!” because they were usually still alive and trying to bite the cat and I wanted to chop them up with a shovel or hoe.

    That is a funny story about the dork!

    Once Mike looked out in yard and Marigold the cat and Shorty the blue heeler were together just playing like mad men, leaping in air, pouncing down, turning flips of joy. It turned out that they had a poor mouse out there and were playing “Catch and release” with it.

    Love, Jackie

  4. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    What they mean by like a pig on ice: http://cheezburger.com/8419977984

  5. Nodak Wayne Avatar
    Nodak Wayne

    Trapper Jean, I used to live and work in extreme SE North Dakota, a town called Wahpeton. It was known as the “Banana Belt” Sioux Falls is way south of there and is way warmer;-)

  6. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Oh, that poor little porker!

    I was remembering one rare cold day in Houston, TX when it got so cold that Clear Lake froze, a rare event as it is brackish salt water that mixes into Galveston Bay. They had just built the first of our town home/condos by a large investment firm out of Florida, who of course had not insulated any pipes and run them through all the ceilings of all three floors.

    When it thawed we had spectacular waterfalls cascading from all the three levels of all the condos, as many were not owned by full time residents. Or were but they still froze. It was a tourist attraction for a couple of days as people cruised through the development looking at the water squirting and pouring from walls, ceilings and out of ground.

    This was first development of its’ kind in Texas anyway, so we were already a sightseeing point of interest and this just added to the excitement.

    When we moved in we did not know the third floor master bath was not plumbed correctly and I had set a gorgeous table for a dinner party, went upstairs to dress and bath and we had a fantastic waterfall come through my silver chandelier, right into the floral center piece. I was hysterical, Mike said, “Well, it freshened the water in the flowers” and turned off the water.

    He was like that!

    Love, Jackie

  7. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    A guy I know (not known for being restrained when he expresses himself) had some choice words this morning to describe the Paris shooters. The only one I can repeat here is “goat”.

  8. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    How dare he included a goat in that sentence. Goats are sweet self sacrificing animals; milk, cheese, and meat.

  9. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    He implied that goats can provide something else to those who are so inclined. (I like goats, too, but not that way.) But yes, in my estimation, goats are a much higher form of life than terrorists.

  10. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    First week 100% back on Weight Watchers – 5.2 pound weight loss. So yay, me! And thanks WW.

    Oh, and my pants fit better. 🙂

  11. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Ghost, that is both amazing and unfair! I cannot lose weight that fast! Mike used to skip his afternoon milk shake and lose 2 # a week. I swear I gain weight on air I breath.

    I do not believe terrorists deserve a trial but there are others I include in that group.Like child molesters and other violent crimes. I know that allows for people to be unfairly targeted and goes back to gangs hanging people. So, I am torn because meeting violence and death with more violence and death goes against my nature.

    Hopefully these terrorists will be caught and tried and fairly executed but that is not what most of us would probably want. I suspect we’d like to cut them into millions of pieces and do it while they are still alive.

    Whoa! Where did my pacific soul go?

    Love, Jackie

  12. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Jackie and Ghost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f7nGWPvnKw

    relative to your comments above.

  13. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Jackie, there are terrorists at Gitmo who won’t get trials, but it probably doesn’t matter since, as I mentioned yesterday, our government seems hell-bent on just releasing them (or swapping them 5-1 for an Army deserter) so the facility can be closed down.

  14. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    Denise, I appreciate your concern, but we are equipped for cold weather. Today I wore two pair of knee socks and I have a t-shirt with long sleeves. We have no firewood of course, but we buy cheap furniture so that we can burn it if necessary.

  15. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Ghost: they seem to be working on a trial for at least one of the detainees – my nephew (Air Force JAG) is on the defense team.

  16. TruckerRon Avatar

    My mom grew up at a POW camp for German prisoners in either northern Arkansas or the Missouri boot heel; her dad was part of the civilian support staff. The POWs quickly adapted to their captivity, willingly worked in the fields and enjoyed being far, far away from the war. Regular meals, health care as needed, a temperate climate, and no one shooting at you… they were excited to go home at the end of the war, but many stopped to thank the staff on their way home and exchange little gifts.

  17. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    According to Human Rights Watch (which opposes the use of military commissions), “As of August 2014, (of the Gitmo detainees) only Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Abd al Hadi al Iraqi, and the five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks actually face formal charges.”

    I would assume that trial preparations for those detainees are all at some point, but apparently the wheels of justice are indeed grinding very slowly at Gitmo.

  18. Mindy from Indy Avatar
    Mindy from Indy

    Bad people deserve what they get, I’ll leave it at that.

    It’s cold, my boss let me get almost halfway to a reset before FINALLY calling to tell me it was cancelled, AND it’s snowing again. So, here’s a video of Jimmy Fallon finding out he had a shot to date Nicole Kidman, from Nicole herself, on national television. Don’t normally watch Fallon, but his reaction is just so perfect.

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

  19. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    My boss in college whom I dearly loved, spoke and read seven languages, was one of the premier botanists in world. He was found in a prisoner of war camp and apparently furloughed out to the university as a grounds keeper and never left.He grew up in a castle, held an inherited title and led a Calvary charge on horseback in WWII. He still mourned the loss of his horse in the 1960’s but not the rest of life he lost.I may have been the only person he ever discussed any of this with. He used to laugh at me and say I was the best herberamist he had ever trained and I was qualified to work in all six herberiums in America.

    Not sure I am spelling that right after fifty years? But I sure got to correspond with some amazing people and collectors for him. He went out into the mid-south and western states in full regalia, pith helmet, jodhpurs, puttee boots, starched khaki shirt and a tie. Always a tie.

    I used to tell him he needed a butterfly net to carry so the farmers wouldn’t shoot him since they’d recognize him as a mad scientist. He did carry a holstered revolver for shooting rattlesnakes which love wild flower fields. I can attest to that!

    Love, Jackie

  20. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    It sounds like the farmers needed to carry a net. Thanks for the story. Very interesting!

  21. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    If had had a chance to date Nicole and missed it, I’d probably shoot myself and not miss.

    http://static.pourfemme.it/pfgossip/fotogallery/625X0/40537/la-kidman-al-naturale.jpg

    Don’t worry, Jean dear, she’s just my second favorite redhead. 😉

  22. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Oh, dang! I overlooked a photo of Nicole Kidman avec la pokies.

  23. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Anyone else here besides me love Peter Nero, the pianist? I was going to listen to some of his music on you tube and knocked a three foot high stack of paperwork off my desk onto the dog, the one who only weighs 10# and is now afraid to get back in his arm chair.

    Time to switch jobs after I pick up the stuff off the floor. Back to hanging up clothes and unpacking suitcases, which is upsetting the dog as well. OK, dog is lying on top of a legal note pad on floor!

    Back to Peter Nero and “Night and Day”.

    Love, Jackie

  24. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    It is truly time to do something else! I knocked that stack over again and it was on floor but still three feet high. Dog is dumpster diving through my office trash so I need to shut down, finish the clothes hanging and move on.

    The Weather Station has been totally depressing all day but I notice they have rehired Alexandria Steele and another of the Weather Babes who is especially fetching. Ghost, you might want to reconsider watching but maybe keep sound off?

    Dog sitter is putting television on for depressed dog in mom’s bedroom who is now deaf but can still see the screen apparently. I wonder what dog is watching?

    Love, Jackie

  25. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Peter Nero is awesome.

    I just put a pound of soaked pinto beans; a pound of diced smoked ham; 3 cups of mirepoix; a can of stewed tomatoes; a can of condensed tomato soup and 2 bay leaves into one of my slow cookers, all covered with chicken stock. See you in 10 hours, Pinto Bean Soup.