Okay, there's really no such thing as "Random Wednesday" but I felt like visiting with you and have only random things to talk about. For instance...
• Will Smith is in the news, which allows me to tell my only Will Smith story. Years ago here in the Dallas area, I was just wrapping up a recording session for the Chuck E. Cheese singing/joking robots and hauling my stuff out of the studio control room when Will Smith and his entourage came in to record some damn thing. And I don't want to say he found me physically intimidating but he sure as hell didn't try to bitch slap me. (Hey, I didn't say it was a great Will Smith story.)
• Several weeks ago, Kathy tasked me with planting some flowers and bulbs in a little garden area we'd recently put in, but I was clueless about where to start (although she was quite specific about what she wanted to be done). I kept asking a neighbor questions and, perhaps because she got sick of my blithering ignorance, a little group of neighbors is coming over on Friday to do all the planting (and provide the necessary plants and supplies) to make a nice little memorial garden that everyone can enjoy seeing when they pass by our house...
Granted, it's a pretty narrow bed (just the area between the windows, which was perhaps more suitable for burying a python) so the neighbors probably won't be adding any life-sized statues of angels blowing trumpets or Wizard of Oz-style columns of fire. I'll have to add those later.
• On an unrelated note, some time ago I mentioned that I might be appearing in an upcoming documentary scheduled for national broadcast later this year. When things turned crazy here, it didn't seem like I'd be able to participate, but now the documentary makers are planning on making a special trip here to interview me in a week or so.
If I say so myself, I'm one of the world's foremost authorities on the cultural phenomenon the documentary is about. And no, I'm not saying what that is just yet, but I hope you'll eventually be surprised if not flat out flabbergasted. I'm looking forward to finally getting a chance to share my perspective and memories. And also glad that I'll have a strict deadline for cleaning my house and office so I don't look like a complete mental case with a hoarding disorder on national TV.
• I still don't know what the heck I'm going to be blogging about here in the future (it has to be FUNNY, dammit, and suggestions are welcome) but I think I'll officially start posting to Johnny Optimism again starting Monday. Which should come as great news to the 25 people who actually read it.
73 comments:
Thinking of you often, and good to see you online again.
Oh no..... Not Johnny!
Hang in there Stilt. We're still with you.
YOU POST. I READ, & LAUGH. YOU,& YOUR DAUGHTER ARE STILL IN MY PRAYERS TILL I FORGET. I'M OLD, SO NO TELLING WHEN THAT'LL BE...
You could bury little Ted Lieu of flowers in that small bed. California would be happy to let you have him! He'd make a nice book end to that looney Texas Democrat, Gene Wu, that spread COVID to DC and was constantly taking pictures of his food.
Love to you and daughter, and happy to learn of the little garden. And about your documentary which I have learned from inside sources, has to do with old time Appalachian remedies for jock itch, please let us know when and where to watch for it. And you don't have to have a theme, or a funny story, if you just want to post your thoughts or feelings here, we will faithfully read them just to stay as close to you as we can. Finally, I do sometimes read the Johnny Optimism strips but- not to insult you at all- often, due to the countless deaths and disabling tragedies that have haunted my own life in the last ten years, I am usually unable to really enjoy the darkness of the dark humor. But don't let that discourage you.
Post away Stilt, I'm getting used to aimless ramblings after moving in with my mother. Had a lovely visit with some young ladies from Adult Protective Services this week, they were actually very nice and said they wouldn't be back. Gotta love (to strangle) malicious relatives who love to spread drama and harm. I can use any funny humor from you, frankly, as this week is an unexpected dentist visit (her broken tooth) and a visit to the eye clinic to get her replacement lens cleaned up. And while she's getting the second one done I'm going to try and rid the house of her clutch of feral kittens she brought inside. You have no idea of the litter boxes I'm cleaning so the house isn't a cess pit. One of them has runny problems and cannot seem to get all the way in the box. I still have to deal with the attic trolls that I swear wear boots, going to try moth balls thrown up there. And the two, so far, pregnant females in the ferals outside before we have more kittens.
Stilt,
Sorry Brother, but I'm trying to understand that Johnny Optimism cartoon as much as how Joe "Bag of Donuts" was elected as POTUS and why the f__k his son is not in a Federal Prison (with 300lb Bubba as his roomie).
I am trying to resolve in my mind the loss of your wife, while experiencing the loss of so many of my family and friends, as we all age.
I tend to believe they are all waiting in joy for us in Heaven. Because this world is becoming more like HELL!
I am convinced that the older we get, the more we are attracted to God. Stilt, I hope you accept his graces.
PEACE to all.
Jim G.
You and Daughter J continue to be in my prayers. I’m looking forward to watching the documentary, even though I don’t have jock itch.
Cultural phenomenon of which you have expertise...hmmm, the return of Hiney Wine? (Or would that be REVENGE of Hiney Wine?)
Glad to see you back, and your garden sounds like it will be amazing.
I read it! I read it! :)
I'm disabled, and Johnny is a comfort.
I look forward to seeing you in the documentary. It would be funny if, like the neighbor in "Home Improvement," you hide half your face -- only in your case, behind a computer screen. ;)
You and your daughter remain in our prayers!
But then he'd have to change his name to Stilton Stilton! 😂
Flowers are always beautiful & I'm sure Kathy will look down & smile.....God Bless.mary ann rohde
A memorial garden -- what a terrific idea! I'm looking forward to you posting periodic pictures of it over the course of the seasons.
Jock itch remedies, eh? Yeah, I'd watch it too if Stilt is featured. Will one of the Israeli stations get broadcast rights? (Oh, I guess I'd have to get me a TV then....)
As the 26th person I can say I'm looking forward to it!
Neighbors can be both the biggest PITAs or the best of friends. I'm glad you got the good kind.
Glad you're staying in touch. I'd truly miss your humor.
Ladies, Stilt just proved my theory that men are more cunning than women instead of actually being dumb - they play at it.
Case in point: my husband does not like cleaning his bathroom (and in his defense, who really does?) so he will use it and let it go until the germs are the size of cocker spaniels romping about. When it gets to the point where I absolutely cannot abide it, I clean it. He will usually ask if I changed the lightbulbs because the loo is brighter but I notice he has a somewhat “pixie-ish” small on his face.
That is what Stilt (that sly bad boy) accomplished with the garden Mrs J tasked him with. Well-played, Stilt; we’ll-played.
Personally, I recommend crocuses. (Crocii?) They're nice harbingers of spring. :)
I know it’s not much, but I always enjoy reading your blog
Good Morning Stilton. You've been through so much but you carry on. Thank you, as your humor is much appreciated by fellow strugglers in this world. You have a wonderful sense of humor- and a sense of the absurd. Best wishes.
Prayers to you and your daughter. Please keep Johnny going, I am a cancer patient and there are times that humor is all I have. Those of us pissing into the abyss depend on you.
MAMAFROG!!!!!!!!!!! Please be careful about the mothballs!!!! I used that trick a few years back and did not associate some health issues I was having until a friend, a pharmacist, said that the fumes as they break down can cause undetected ( at first) but long lasting organic damage. So please at least research ut first.
As to posting, after what you have been through, I can appreciate the feeling of not finding humor in what now swirls around us. But given the incredible mess (I liken it to either a 3 year old getting into a supply of household paint and deciding to do some interior "make over" or a large dog, who gets pissed off and decides to rip open and destroy furniture, walls etc.) "president" Joe Le Petomane and his string-pullers have wrought in just 14 months (image what might happen if unchecked for the remainder of his term in office). There's got to be some humor somewhere. If not then we all are really in for a shit storm.
No need to hurry back (unless it really helps you get your mind back on track). When Dad passed away (sudden heart attack, no idea it was coming), I was back at work one day after his funeral. My boss asked if it were too soon - I told him work was a welcome distraction.
It is so good to see you're back even on a limited scale. And as fa as Johnny O is concerned I have deliberately seeking him out. So keep up the good work and may God Bless.
Hi, Stilt. Don't have anything to say, just want to let you know I'm out here.
It's good to see you "back in the saddle".
Blessings and comfort.
Thanks and as comment number 27 I think we know that 25 people number is at least bogus by 2 or 3.
Just a suggestion on the house and office cleaning project…don’t even think about renting a “small” storage space “temporarily” so you can get all of the extraneous stuff out of the house and sort through it “later.” Twenty-five years later we just got rid of the last of FIVE storage spaces.
90% of the contents went to the dump or Salvation Army.
Stilton, I'm glad to hear that you and daughter J are making the first steps toward resuming a reasonably normal life. It takes time, and the hurt never goes away, it only diminishes.
The flower bed idea is great. I'm no gardener, but my wife lives for it. I would suggest planting various species that will appear at different times, so as to have an ongoing renewal of flowers. I would add to the crocus suggestion above, daffodils are a very nice early season choice.
As a longtime Johnny fan (and proud owner of both books)I am thrilled to anticipate his return from hiatus!
Cheers and best wishes!
Stilt: You are fortunate to have such nice neighbors. Please include a photo of the garden once in a while.
Growing things makes my heart feel free and happy. Your wife knew what home needed--her reflections on love.
Looking forward to seeing whatever it is that you will be doing on camera or however it will be done.
Hope you and Daughter J are feeling good and enjoying the spring weather.
Blessings of peace and healing.
Happy to hear that you are trying to get back in the saddle again Stilt. On burying pythons ... just think of the consternation it will generate when someone digs around in the flower bed in a few years.....
Kudos to your neighbors! Though it was COVID season when she passed, all but two of our neighbors didn’t even acknowledge Kim’s passing - one of those neighbors had previously been like a second father to me. Maybe it was the COVID thing and people not mixing at all, but it still hurt - particularly since we’d lived 30 years alongside a few of them. Ah, well. Water under the bridge and all.
Just know you have good neighbors in that regard.
Still keeping you all in my prayer's.
Good to see you again.
You have much better neighbors than I am.
I still check Johnny MWF, just waiting for his year to get past Jan 1 . . .
Although I don't regularly check the Johnny Optimism site, I did buy your book.
Good to see you.
Will Smith: Thanks, Will, for demonstrating how easily and quickly one can utterly destroy a well-honed public image that one has invested over 30 years in carefully crafting within a 60 second emotional outburst.
The "Academy" acts all embarrassed about this, but secretly they must be thrilled. Ratings for their 3-hours virtue signalling egofest have been on a slide for over a decade, and all of a sudden people are interested again. No doubt next year's show will be less about "Gay! Gay! Gay!" and more Jerry Springer. I'm pretty sure a three hour celebrity slugfest or "thunderdome" could go pay-per-view. Could be more popular that March Madness brackets.
Another amusing cultural shift I've detected lately is how "Toxic Masculinity" is now cool again with Progressives, from Volodymyr Zelenskyy worship to Will Smith slapping down a comic for dissing his wife.
Gardening: I've always found gardening therapeutic. Unfortunately where I now live, the local wildlife sees all efforts at landscaping as an open salad bar. Hope you have better luck.
Documentary: Looking forward to seeing this. (Pretty sure I know, and am quite sure it's not about us here because if it was we'd already have received our subpoenas from Liz Cheney)
The Future: It's your's to define. Clean the house, take your time.
Welcome back Stilt, we missed you. Such a hard time to go thru, you were in all our prayers. Time is a great healer, actually, the only one I know of. I love the idea of a memorial garden; kudos to your neighbors.
Peace, brother.
@Readers- Good seeing you here as I enjoy my first cup of morning coffee. And yeah, it's coffee and not "coffee." All of your comments are greatly appreciated, and I'll take a crack at some individual responses...
@Julian- Damn, I was hoping the whole jock itch thing was going to come as a surprise to people when they saw the documentary. I'm the guy who first suggested putting Ben-Gay cream on the afflicted area.
And I understand that Johnny can be hard for people to take. The strip is how I cope with life's misfortunes, but there's sometimes a very fine line between a pained laugh and just pain. I would never want to make anyone feel worse. I'm really sorry about the blows you've taken over the past ten years - they add up in a cruel way. Sigh...
@mamafrog- Years ago we owned a "simple" cat named Ralph. We dearly loved her, but she was the runt of the litter, never grew to more than "big kitten" size, didn't know how to meow, and made a practice of pooping in her litter box then climbing halfway out to paw the carpet to "bury" her amazingly stinky little poops which, of course, accomplished nothing.
I'm impressed (and sympathetic!) about all you're dealing with and you still having a sense of humor.
@Jim G- I honestly wasn't sure if today's Johnny joke made any damn sense at all. It amused me ("in lieu of flowers, send...") but what the heck does "Lou of Flowers" even mean? My brain and I are going to have to slowly rebuild a working relationship. And yes, one of the many downsides to aging is seeing the body count rise and accelerate. Which is why they tell old folks that it's so important to make young friends. And yet I'm still escorted away from school playgrounds.
@Blackrifle081- You've got a good memory! But no, this isn't about Hiney Wine...
@Hyzenthlay- At one point, I (mostly jokingly) suggested to the documentary maker that I appear in silhouette with my voice altered, like a Mafia informer. Which, if the Mafia is reading, I'm not.
@Bobo the Hobo- I don't have enough stealth in my brain to take credit for getting the neighbors to do the digging. But over time there WERE quite a number of little tasks around the house that always fell to Kathy because, in her opinion, I wasn't doing them right. Then again, this is the woman who once told me that I was giving her a foot massage incorrectly. I asked what I was doing wrong and was told "you're not doing it with reverence."
@M. Mitchell Marmel- I think we may have some crocuses around here somewhere. In this case, Kathy wanted daffodils and day lilies.
@Unknown- Bless you for what you're going through with the cancer and thank you for putting the phrase "pissing into the abyss" in my head. I'm not sure if I should make that the name of a Johnny book or just go ahead and make a tattoo out of it.
@Julian- Yes, mothballs can actually be dangerous. And not just because of their itty bitty cases of jock itch.
@Fish Out of Water- Oh, there's humor (dark, but Black Humor Matters) to be found in the current mess. But for the time being, I just can't expose myself to the negativity and hopelessness of the news even if I'm only prospecting for the funny bits.
@Anonymous- The distraction I get from writing does help me. And writing isn't something I do, really - a writer is what I am. So in one form or another, I've got to output something and it might as well be funny.
@Fred Ciampi- Thank you, sir!
@Bob- Good advice. I actually do have a single storage unit near here which we needed when Daughter J moved down from Oklahoma. Some of my stuff has found its way in there too, but I won't fall into the trap of getting more units. I've always stunk at getting rid of things (much to Kathy's dismay) but I think I'm something of a changed man now. There will be a LOT of stuff I've hoarded over the years heading to the Salvation Army or just given away.
@TrickyRicky- Yep, the plan is to plant things that will come up every year (including bulbs that won't go in until September) but put some currently flowering stuff on top.
@Patrick- In fairness, I haven't given neighbors or anyone else much of a chance to reach out to me. I'm an introvert by nature and had (have?) withdrawn even more than usual during this crisis. My neighbors, bless their meddlesome little hearts, have done their best to support us anyway - and I appreciate it.
@Anonymous- At least I nailed that "New Year's" cartoon for Johnny accurately when I suggested that 2022 was going to kick us in the nuts. A painful condition not to be confused with jock itch.
@John the Econ- I'm in the "Will Smith acted like an asshole" camp despite our close personal connection of having been in the same room for about 10 seconds decades ago. Considering my personality, I can't endorse punching people in the face for making a joke that goes over poorly.
Regarding gardening, we have a lot of hungry bunnies who like to chow down on all blossoming things, but we also have bobcats in the neighborhood to keep things in balance. Coyotes, too (I saw a beautiful pair yesterday).
And yes, I'm pretty sure you know what the documentary is about.
@Prarie Lion- I keep looking for that "New, Fast-Acting Time" on the drugstore shelf but so far haven't found it.
@Julian, thank you, I did wonder about that and have hesitated to use them. And @Unknown, that is a great saying! Think I will get it printed up and hang it on my wall.
Stilton,
Thank you very much for posting, even if you think it's sub-par. We enjoy your sense of humor and feel like we're almost part of your family.
I am pretty anxious for the time when you finally reveal some details about the documentary. Please don't keep us waiting too long!
The garden photo... being an ex-homebuilder, my eyes gravitated to the downspout, where it doesn't quite meet the drain in the ground. Please fix that soon, especially considering the torrential rains that sometimes hit Texas. Then again, it may help water the new garden!
@Mamafrog,
My ninety-something year old, twice widowed mother-in-law never had cats most of her life, but after her second husband died, a "friend" brought her four feral cats as a "gift." The four cats soon became forty cats, and all the issues that come with that. A real mess ensued, literally (or is that litter-ally?). My poor brother in law was tasked with "sanctioning" all the cats when his mother had to be moved to a senior care facility. Not a pretty time!
Will Smith...
Yes, he acted like an asshole, and I strongly suspect he may have merely shown his true colors (yes, raccccccist). That being said, slapping Chris Rock may have crossed my mind a time or two. Actually, I'd like to slap most of the people who attend the Oscars. they are all so... so... slappable.
Stilton...you are doing what you should and keeping busy, always good to read your posts.
And you mentioned 25 readers for Johnny...I have been posting for 10 years and that is 25 more than I have.
I thought Will Smith was a setup!!!
I changed 'themes' years ago and now want to adjust the text size for the description of my page at top in white, but do not see where this is accomplished unless I use the HTML code and I usually stay away from that. If you could shed a light on this it would be appreciated.
Forgot to include the link to the page:
http://kirbysaid.blogspot.com/
@Colby, I'm afraid that's what I'm going to be doing. The four feral kittens in the house are going to "disappear" tomorrow while she is at a doctor's appointment as we are not going to have them outside. Which she is threatening as soon as the weather warms up. There are enough feral cats outside right now, and I'm going to have to disappear the two pregnant ones from this years litter really quickly. I hate the thought of hurting them but I may have to go a more serious route if the pound can't take them, and they are over capacity I think. I have a particular hatred for people who won't bother to spay or neuter their pets and/or turn them out to try and fend for themselves. I can't blame the animals but I've also had to pick up several this year that were killed by traffic or something. It breaks my heart. We've had two of the older cats fixed and a third has an appointment in May.If I ever get rich I'm going to donate huge amounts to our local low cost spay and neuter clinic for the work they do.
And I heard speculation from another blogger that Will Smith's wife put him up to the retaliation for making fun of her hairless look (not polite either) and speculation about whether she might be undergoing chemo or just making a statement.
26 people. ;)
@Stilton: When my mother passed in 2001, we donated most of her wardrobe to an organization dedicated to getting decent outfits for needy women re-entering the workforce. You may wish to consider something like that.
I've managed to keep a crocus going for nearly a decade, now...
https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41121874/
@Stilt, count me among your faithful followers of Johnny. If we were counted by grains of sand, we'd easily fill a cat's litter box!
As for Mr. Smith, I find it strange that he got so pi$$y about a comment about his wife's hair disease but apparently he's cool with her banging other men. I guess he felt slapping Chris Rock was the least he could do--literally.
When you are interviewed for that documentary, you might as well keep that wheel of Jarlsberg handy. The Mafia will never find you when you're hiding behind that.
Good afternoon, Stilt -
I noticed that Kent and Jon nominated themselves as Johnny Optimism fans 26 and 27. I assume that I was included in the 25. And today, I have number 28 for you.
My visiting nurse,Michelle, comes to see me every six to eight weeks. She's part of a program at Humana Medicare which is intended to encourage me to call their nurses when something's wrong instead of going to the hospital three times a year, as I did last year. When she was here this morning I handed her "Johnny Optimism Volume ONE".
In less than a minute she was laughing. I told her that I'm glad she shares my sense of humor. Her reply was that it's extremely funny but, sadly, true. Also that she now understands my outlook on life better than before.
The book was received from Amazon on the 26th and, I completed it in two days only because I MADE myself put it down to save some for the 27th. So today I passed it on to Michelle. When I told her of my plan to give a copy to each of my doctors including my pulmonologist, who has no sense of humor, she absolutely roared with laughter. She knows the good doctor and was imagining him reading about Johnny.
Fortunately, Amazon has now delivered "Johnny Optimism Volume TWO" which I intend to parcel out so that I might enjoy it over four days. And, as soon as Michelle departed, I ordered six more copies of Volume ONE from Amazon. They will be here on Friday. I have two doctor's appointments in the next two weeks so my distribution will commence.
I know that it's asking a lot but do you think you can have Volume THREE out by next week? Really, Stilt, I'm glad that you're looking to continue writing about Johnny. Take it at you own pace, but know that I am ready for them.
My gardening days are over but my Annie is constantly doing something out there. About a week ago she laid a pallet and a half of sod. She's got the shrubbery all trimmed. two new trellises up for the trumpet vines (for our hummingbirds) and so much more. I've come to realize that a garden can be even m ore pleasant when someone else does the work, She fills the bird feeders and refills the birdbath. All I have to do is sit on the porch and enjoy it.
So enjoy the neighbors planting the garden and enjoy it when it's done. It's a good way to remember Kathy.
Love to you and Daughter J. And keep us informed on that documentary. I'd hate to miss it.
Your story about Will Smith reminds me of an encounter I had with a celebrity many moons ago. I was chaperoning a group of high school journalism students (including my daughter) who were attending workshops at UT Austin. During the day, I had time to kill so I wound up at a mall and was browsing at a record store. In walks Lenny Kravitz and his entourage. He brushed right by me and the only thought I had was how incredibly small he was. Seeing celebrities in real life can be quite disappointing.
I am getting ready to make Calloway's nursery much richer as I plant my garden this spring. I dearly love gardening and will think of Kathy as I embark on this annual adventure.
Hey Stilt,
You and your family are still in my thoughts and prayers. hope you are hanging in there. for some weird reason i feel like sharing some of the things i have learned since my wife passed 3 yrs ago, in the hope that it might help you. Like the fairly obvious keep your self busy recommendation but a lot more personal stuff as well. perhaps not all is appropriate for posting here. Let me know if there is a better way to share.
Have loved your work for years! Knowing that you and your group of followers all share a common outlook i think offers all of us sanity during these insane times...
Looks like things are looking up. Congratulations on the documentary. The memorial garden will be a beautiful reminder.
Celeb brush with fame dept.:
At Philcon back in the 90s. I was in the Green Room picking up my badge with an artist buddy, Jim Groat, and one of the Philcon guys said, "Hey! See that guy over there? Ray Harryhausen." Groat and I promptly shot over there, got on our knees and salaamed. "WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!" Ray was most amused.
@ M. Mitchell Marmel, oh lol, he would be!
Stilt
Whenever you get back to blogging, I do hope you'll post pictures of any large statues and/or columns of fire you install in your flower bed. BTW, there are actually plants called Angel Trumpets. Not nearly as fun as flaming columns of fire, though.
I visit your site daily to see what words of wisdom and snark I might find. Thanks for hanging in there... even though it sucks bigly now.
@Stilt, your encounter with Will Smith, @Shelly's with Lenny Kravitz, and @3M's with Ray Harryhausen all would have been candidates for David Letterman's old "Brush With Greatness" bit; I don't know if he continued that after he went to CBS.
Stilton....always good to see and read your comments! Continued prayers for you and your family.
You are a warrior!
Wayne in Indiana!
So glad you've not dropped this blog. You have been a long-time source of inspiration and comfort to me. Your cartoons really do cheer me up (in a twisted way).
I'm probably Johnny Optimism reader 30 at this point, so I'll ask: what happened to th 2022 strips? Pretty sure there were at least a couple, but the page comes up ending in 2021. Or did those few only appear on this site?
I only found you when you started Hope'n'change. been devoted ever since. I understand the pain and loss you are going thru. and include you in my prayers.maybe you can (someday) take on the current bunch and have "Stumble and Mumble" "Gafe and giggles" "Joe and the Ho" or maybe "our fading nation. Whatever you do just know for the last 12 plus years you have made my life better.Thank YOU !!!!
Richard The Old Guy
@ Richard: Just curious; How old?
Would you believe this week at an organized breakfast, I met for the first time a man well-known and going a good job in Governance of our state. He mentioned getting "older". Hopefully his context was in comparison to youth; but just curious; that that prompted a search. The dude is 48 years old. How does that make many of us feel? [grinning]
Well it IS April Fools day today; but this is a true story.
25 readers? I seriously doubt it, as I am number 2636. So there.
Hey, I'm a little slow but I eventually got here!
@Dear Readers- Happy April Fool's Day! I wanted to do something silly today but the wind just wasn't in my sails. For that matter, I'm in the deep throes of stupidity today because the neighbor brigade indeed showed up early to plant flowers in Kathy's garden, and it's such a perfect and appreciated gesture that I've been an emotional wreck. I tried to do the grown-up thing and go out to thank everyone, but never even made it out the door before breaking down. I had to use my despised smartphone to call one of the folks just outside and express my appreciation and apologies.
Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, we're doing okay here today and have lots of chores to avoid. Um, I mean chores to do. Definitely.
@Colby Muenster- That dang downspout USED to fit, but the clay soil here shifts so much that we now have that noticeable gap. I'll do something about it one of these days.
@Kirby- Are you using a Blogger/Google template? If so, I think you can find some online hints about making those changes. In other words, I don't remember how to do it and am afraid of digging into my own template right now out of fear I'll screw it up. (wry grin)
@Mamafrog- So sorry that you're in that situation with the cats. I, too, get pissed about people who won't responsibly spay or neuter their pets.
@M. Mitchell Marmel- It's way down on my list of things to do, but Kathy's clothing will inded get donated somewhere that will really use it. Kathy was quite clear that she wanted her clothes to go to PEOPLE and not just to organizations that will sell the clothes and only give a small portion of the money to those who need it.
@Paul Donohue- During these past months, I found that nurses and other medical types were perhaps the best audience for Johnny Optimism. If there's even a convention in Dallas, I should just rent a booth and sell the books right there. As far as a third book goes, it was actually my intention to have one available for this Christmas season, but Life got in the way. Mind you, I don't have another 600 cartoons sitting around for a full-sized volume, so the plan was to do a collection of all the holiday-themed cartoons (which I didn't include in the first two volumes). Working title: "Home for the Horrid Days."
@Shelly- Similar to your Lenny Kravitz story, I once took note of how little John Cougar Mellencamp was when he was playing pinball at the machine next to mine in Bloomington, Indiana. My sister-in-law (at the time) was in his band. In other exciting celebrity "blink and you miss it" encounters, I shared a Green Room with Stephen King and Mr. Whipple (the Charmin guy), had a locked door held open for me by Jane Pauley, handed a package to Dave Letterman to give to someone else, shared an elevator with Neil Young, got a hug and a picture with Greg Gutfeld, had Gene Rayburn twist my feet around backwards on The Match Game, saw Henny Youngman emerge from the men's room in an airport, shot the shit with comedian Gallagher, sat at the next table to actor Peter (Robocop) Weller at an outdoor cafe, had breakfast at a mostly deserted LA restaurant while action John Mahoney (Martin Crane in Frasier) ate alone at the bar. And back in college days, Adrienne Barbeau once called me on the phone to say how much she liked a fan letter. And I could go on, but I already have.
@JohnF- Your personalized advice will be appreciated. You can always write to me directly at Stilton(at)Cutcheese(dot)com.
@Lee the Voice- I waved away condolence cards, casseroles, bouquets and the other trappings of grief-gifts...but the volunteer garden was just the perfect idea. Kathy would love it. Like I said, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it today - but in a good way.
@M. Mitchell Marmel- I would have crawled under Harryhausen's foot just to lick the bottom of his shoe. Truly a childhood idol of mine.
@Tim Gilley- I appreciate you being here and hanging in with me until I can get more solid bearings.
@Linda Fox- One way or another, I can't just disappear. I'm a writer and need to write. And a communicator - which is similar to being a writer but also demands that others READ what you write. So here I am and here I plan to stay.
@Drew458- The only new Johnny strips in 2022 have appeared here. I haven't updated Johnny's own website since New Year's Day, but (assuming I don't forget) I plan to ramp things back up as of Monday.
Rod;
I reckon I'm really not that old---- Just about to start my 78th trip around the sun.
Richard the old
@Rod, he's just a baby, lol! @Richard, you've got ten years on me but I feel like I'm at your age some days, especially trying to get out of bed or some chairs. The old hips aren't what they used (never were that good, to be honest.) and I see a replacement looming in my future. Lots of walking with my mom is helping at least.
Wow, Stilt, talk about brushes with fame. At least your seem to be positive, instead of a slap to the face lol. I stood near Jack Palance in a store, he was looking rough as I think it was near the end of his career.
@Stilton, do please keep us updated on daughter J too, please. I know grief is a private thing for some (my mother was bad about telling people I was a widow before I was ready so...). My kids took their dad's death pretty hard because it was so sudden so I worry about other children at times. I know she had time to prepare but still, Kathy was her mom and that's hard on a lot of us girls. Send her virtual kisses and hugs if you think she would like it.
@mamafrog- I'm going to say that Daughter J is doing reasonably well, but the truth is we don't know exactly how we're doing yet. We're still stunned and just coping day to day with a gigantic absence in our lives that Just Can't Be. She was in the process of moving to a nice apartment about two minutes from here, but for now she's living here at home while that apartment sits empty except for stacks of packed boxes.
The events of the past six months have also convinced Daughter J to go for a career change (she wants no part of the medical field anymore). Plus she's got some health issues of her own to deal with. So there's an awful lot on her plate right now, but her overall attitude is good. For both of us, our lives are much more about coping than thriving for the foreseeable future. We're sort of lost with no map...but we have each other, and that's no small thing. Thank you (and everyone!) for thinking about her.
I read somewhere that if unsure about what to do, and where or how in ones later years; think about what fired you up when 10-11 years old. That seems fairly valid. It's something to at least consider if really lost and spinning.
If I remember correctly, Daughter J was a speech pathologist. That's a shame since it's my understanding that a couple of years of mindlessly masking children and their caretakers during a critical formative age will now be causing a massive surge in the demand for speech pathologists. But I really can't blame her for wanting to escape the medical field. It is a near-complete cluster.
Blessings to you both.
Noted in passing.... in 1969 I bought a bottle of 12 year old Chevis Regal in Vietnam and brought it home expecting to open it after the birth of our first child. After that didn't happen for the first or second child, I decided to open it when we bought our first house. After that didn't happen 3 houses later we came to the time when it was finally opened. When I first had it I didn't know that you couldn't store it upright. The devil took his share over the years. After any shares, when we opened it still with original seals 25% was GONE! By that time it was past our 50th anniversary and one of my kids was 49. By then it was at least 62 years old. With 5 of us total, I knew it would taste god-awful. Big surprise... It was delicious!!! We would have gotten delirious had damn devil not been so greedy.
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