SUNDAY FUNNIES!!! MAD's Howdy Doodit

We are going to start this year off right: a MAD #18 comicbook story about HOWDY DOODY, illustrated by Will Elder, with the cover illustrated by editor Harvey Kurtzman who also wrote the story.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

No new year resolutions. If Nostradamus's prediction or the Mayan Calendar proves true, why bother?

People Who Left Us in 2011

From my viewpoint, looking through my usual tunnel-vision, the following people left us in 2011:

Ron Bennett - Anna's ex-coworker.

Carl Poss - neighobr and family friend.

Dave Dixon - friend and ex-coworker.

Elazabeth Rae Poore Johnson - Hunter relative.

Frances Price - Near relative and family friend.

Betty Henderson Disharoom - teenage friend.

Mike Hobby - Childhood friend.

Ruth Ivey - Anna's friend.

Jack Meaders - Teenage friend.

Jeannette Westmoreland - Relative of Hunter relatives.

Jerry McBee - Friend.

James Kendrick, son of friend Jack and Ann Kendrick.

James Malcomb - Father-in-law of Petty relative; and ex-coworker and friend.

Mytrle Priest - Mother of Bill Rampley.

Lynn Orr - son's teacher and childhood friend.

Shirley Prance - Sister-in-Law.

Barbara Clarke Robinson - sister's ex-coworker and mother of friend Robbie Robinson

Jim Scoggins - Nextdoor neighobr.

Alberta Shouse Kinney. Grammar scool teacher.

Michelle Canada Southern - friend's daughter-in-law.

Helen Steele Fowler - childhood friend.

W.G. Sterling - Friend's father.

I hated to hear of all of their passing. I'm sure I left out some.

Lurking & Slithering in Glover Park

Oops!

You Roll With My Learning Curve

You roll with my learnilng curve, or roll with the punches, so to speak. This is my first attempt using a hand held scanner. I know it is not pefect, but pretty good for my first time, right, consider the learning curve. One of my learning curve error is that I forgot to click black and white so it thought it was scanning color. I have to remember that machines are idiots, you have to tell it everything.

Also, this EC TWO-FISTED Civil War story MEMPHIS mentions General M.Jeff Thompson. My ears perked up when I read that. General Thompson was the general over my great-grandfather Jason Henderson Hunter's unit, a unit that specialized in attacking Yankee boats on the Mississippi. It was illustrated by Reed Crandall.

Problem Solved!

A couple of weeks ago our scanner/printer died. Actually, it still scanned fine but the printer part of it became dysfunctional. We were in the market for a new printer/scanner/bla/bla and bought one.

I thought we did our homework and based on our needs made a wise choice. Then I tried to scan a page from a oversize hardbound book. On our new printer/scanner/bla/bla it is impossible to scan a picture of a page of a hardbound book. The problem is the page of the book not being scanned has to hang over the side of the plate glass being scanned. On this model, there is a little monitor on the side that of the contraption that allows you to communicate your wants and needs by touch selection. The only problem the little monitor rises higher than the scanning plate. Thus, you cannot lay a book of any size down flat, which screws up your quality.

Damn! I thought we were stuck with our new scanner and would have to figure how to work around its problem. Then our son Rocky, not knowing our scanning problem, gave Anna a hand held scanner for her birthday.

It works!

You know, sometimes it is just plain eerie how problems work themselves out.

Hotel Lithia

There used to be a place in south Cobb County near the Douglas County line that had mineral springs. People would comes miles around to soak up the rich minerals of the spring. The name of the area was Lithia Springs. I remember in the summer time going with my parents to see my father's brother in Douglasville and riding by the resort pool that was within view from the highway, it was always crowded.

The above is Hotel Lithia that was in Austell, which was the same area. I bet the tourist really got the treatment (wink!).

The name Hotel Lithia has a beat to it like Hotel California doesn't it?

Adam the Hero

Above – a picture off of Google showing what can happen with flame flare-up when deep frying a turkey.

On Christmas day we had the family over for dinner. The first ones that arrived was my son Adam and his friend Savvy. It was in the plans for Adam to come early and do some electronic fixing and correcting for us.

I was keeping my focus on a beef tenderloin roast we were cooking on the grill on the deck. Adam came out and told me there was a fire at the house across the street. We quickly walked and ran over to the house. Big flames were leaping up behind their carport. Adam rung their door bell and knocked on the door but no one came. Their cars were in the driveway but I for whatever reason they did not come to the door. Adam hollered out, “Your house is on fire!”

And that got their attention. They all ran out and I think it was the lady of the house that grabbed a water hose and put the fire out. It couldn’t tell what was burning from my position but I think it was the lattice on the back of their carport. It was surprising that it was extinguished so quickly. Well, good.
They thanked us but somehow I sensed they were wishing we would mind our own business. We more or less said, “Aww shucks, we are just glad y’all are OK.”

We went back. I went back tending to the roast on the grill and Adam went back to the electronic fixing our electronic screw-ups.

Then I heard sirens. Up pulled three police cars and three fire trucks. I found out later that Savvy called 911. One police car drove down the street slowly looking for a problem and apparently saw none. He looked at me and I pointed to the neighbor’s house. He looked at me more puzzled. I, again, pointed at the neighbor’s house. He stopped and got out and said he didn’t understand what I was motioning. I told him it was that house over there that had the fire and added that they put it out already.

He went over to look and so did the rest, including the firemen. From their actions I saw that there was still a problem. They ran back to the truck and got equipment including two ladders. While they were in the back a big belch of smoke shot up from the roof. They stayed there between 30 minutes to an hour, and as far as I know, solved their fire problem.


A little later my neighbor Bob came over and asked what did the police want with me and I told him about the fire. Bob walked over to the house to the spot the fire was in and came back and told me apparently they were deep frying a turkey and were not watching it, and it was right in the middle of some scrap wood… so poof! It was ignited.

Thanks to Adam and the firemen, their house was not burned down.

MELVYN and the CHIPMUNKS, minus chipmunks

The Ted Mack Amature Hour was amature compared to this:

Merry Christmas!

SUNDAY FUNNNIES!!! PANIC Comicbook Christmas

I think I ran this comic story before. I plagiarized my own plagiarized story. That is like refrying refried beans. By the way, I received a Christmas card this season of the opening splash of this story, of the kid waiting on a bear-trap to snap on Santa’s foot in the fireplace, from my good friend Pappy of Pappy’s Golden Age Comics, click here

Pulling a Boner

I was talking to a lady cancer survivor the other day and she told me there is a phrase used for husbands who abandoned their wives when they discovered their spouse has cancer: “Pulling a Gingrich.”

Of course, Newt isn’t the only one that did such a treacherous thing. You could say, “Pulling an Edwards.” I wouldn't vote for him for President either.

Christmas Rule

Hey Kiddies! Remember, I only deliver presents to good little boys and girls. If you don't get many presents on Christmas morning and the rich kid you know did, it just means he was a good little boy, you should be nice to him.

And then, after the good little boys and girls I will deliver the big fat bonuses to all the CEOs and the Wall Street crowd. The regular hourly workers you say? FORGET IT!!! HO HO HO!

Lumps of Coal for Everyone!!!

Final Christmas story from HUMBUG 1958

Yep, this is the final Christmas story via the 1958 Humbug satire magazine. If you are an EC comic fan you probably have noticed that many times in EC publlications all the creators are illustrated in the same room, in a twisted sort of way. And this is about what editor Harvey Kurtzman had put on the last page here. Old habits die hard.

Solstice - Magic In the Air!

Today is Solstice. Today is the first day of of Winter. It is also the shortest daylight period of the year. Some believe you can stand an egg on its end today and it will stay that way. That is the truth! If you don't believe me just look at the picture below.

Another Christmas Story from HUMBUG in 1958

Oh Me

More HUMBIG #6, 1958 Christmas Issue

I remember when I was a teenager first reading this ad was it for real or a joke? Was it a real "in house ad" or not.

I didn't want to take a chance to find out. Besides, what would I, as a teenager, do with wrapping paper?

More From Humbug Christmas Issue, 1958

Wait! This post is running late! Tack it on the LET THERE BE LIGHTS! on yesterday's post.