Getting to know you

One of my high school friends just started a three-year stint as mission mom. It should be an exciting adventure for her!

Being prepared

My cousin's daughter, Sis. Kimmie Walker, is serving in the Ukraine Donetsk Mission. She's awesome. She had an experience very similar to this one a couple of weeks ago. They met a couple of nice old ladies in the park who were very friendly, but just a little too tipsy to listen to a gospel message. It happens!

After camp

If you've ever had a kid come home from Scout camp, you know this is true!

Happy trials to you

All the amenities

...which might explain why there's not a lot of bathing that's associated with Scout camp!

For the greater good

We had one scout in our troop who at every camp gave us the opportunity to practice our first aid skills. On one campout, he fell asleep and rolled into the fire, and then woke up and promptly ran into a tree. He was OK...after the impromptu first aid workshop!

Monday Sketchbook: The Voyage Home

There are some amazing things that come home from camp. Many of them are quite scary...including the boys!

I had thought about doing a sketchbook entry about the special missionary broadcast yesterday, but our stake had technical difficulties. Our satellite blew before the broadcast, so they tried to rig up a laptop to run the Internet feed...which worked, sporadically. Until Pres. Packer, when it died completely. We totally missed both his and Pres. Monson's messages! Rats!

On another front, some folks from our ward just got back from EFY. The back of the student journal has an ad from the New Era, which features two cartoons: one of mine and one from Arie Van de Graaff. They were surprised to see it, as was I. At least it was a pleasant surprise!

Camping with Carl Sagan

It never ceases to amaze me just how many stars there are.

Carbon cooking

I've heard it said that if food is cooked over a campfire, it automatically tastes better.

That ain't necessarily true!

Miles to go

One of my old scoutmasters didn't tell us how far we would be hiking. Instead he'd tell us how long we'd be hiking. I guess time was an easier concept for us to understand -- and it cut down on the number of "are we there yet?" questions!

It steers you in the right direction

I like this gag. I used it in Zarahemla Times a few years ago, but it's worth stealing repeating!

It's all about the context

And one that has a gentle slope, I hope!

Time for camp!

 A couple of our Scouts had to choose between football camp and Scout camp this year. Luckily the coach is understanding and supportive of the boys being involved in other activities such as Scouting. Scouting can help them with some of their football skills.It doesn't hurt that one of the school's All-City lineman was an Eagle!

Monday Sketchbook: Get by with a little help

I have a friend who swears she's on the government's "watch list" because she hosts exchange students, many of whom come from the Middle East.

Family search

I don't know why, but I just really liked the concept of "marauding genealogists."

Don't leave home without them!

Don't be surprised if you see these on the market soon!

Hard habit to break

My wife teaches school, and she has students who keep coming back to school during those days when classes have ended for the year and teachers are doing their grades and cleaning up their classrooms for the summer.

My own person

Just in case you were worried that Mary Jo was going to be a clone of Kerry Jo, I offer this as proof she's not. The dynamics of the apartment may be changing!

Not what it seems

It seems like every missionary that I've known has gone through some sort of guilt trip, as Kris puts it, before heading out on a mission.

By the way, today's the day Sis. Kerry Jo goes into the MTC!

New kid in town

In case you haven't been keeping track, Kerry Jo goes into the MTC this week. Her sister will be taking over her contract and is now the newest resident of Apartment 121.

Clever how all this works, isn't it?

Monday Sketchbook: Where do they go?

This question and answer came up in one of our meetings yesterday...

Pinned and shared!

Behind every great man is a great woman, they say. Cap'n Moroni had to get his inspiration from somewhere, didn't he?

The long and winding road

At Scouts the other night, they were looking at contour maps. As the Scoutmaster explained how contour lines work -- the closer the lines are, the steeper the terrain -- it occurred to me that although we often talk of the straight and narrow path, I've never heard anyone talk about how steep the path is.

What's in a name?

A lot of new members -- and non-members -- get confused by some of our Church jargon. There oughta be a spot on the Church website that lists definitions for some of the strange phrases and acronyms we use!

Early riser

Sunday was seminary graduation, and tonight is high school graduation. I'll be there are pretty good odds that there's no one getting up early tomorrow!

Slow down for this one

This one came from the margins of my notes that were taken during a staff meeting. 

A rose by any other name

I had a wise man tell me once that a plant that grows where you don't want it to be is a weed.

Indeed.

Monday Sketchbook: Icing!

OK, I said I was done with hockey cartoons for the season, but I was wrong!

We have a couple of boys in our Primary who could be these very boys...the wind up in the penalty box almost every week!

Subject matter expert

I understand that sometimes speakers are selected because they need to learn something, and other times they are chosen because they are expert on the subject. And sometimes there are people who are asked not to speak at all!

As I was drawing this, I kept thinking that Arie Van de Graaff (aka, the Mormon Cartoonist) had drawn something similar. This gag isn't a blatant ripoff; rather, it's a variation on a theme.

Putting on the whole armor

I'm kinda there with his companion on this one. I had one comp who earned his black belt and he carried it with him, but that was about the extent of that.