The end draws nigh

It's a lot of work!

A boy and his dog

We had to say goodbye to our faithful dog D'Artagnan yesterday. I thought it might be therapeutic to run a few of the strips I drew for Zarahemla Times back when we were considering adding him to our family.

Sketchbook: An enlisted man

Isn't that one of the main reasons to join the French Foreign Legion, to disappear?

Oh, those blessings!

Family time so often brings out the best in everyone!

It's a high class place here

Even the table scraps are better this time of year!

With all the trimmings!

That's why we have leftovers, to help us keep celebrating!

Transporting the goods

In Korea, moms often carry kids on their backs. I think the same thing would work for a turkey, don't you?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey troubles

Yes, they really do have Costco in Korea!

A Thanksgiving Tale

Anyone who has lived or served overseas knows that it's difficult to give up holiday traditions. That's true even if that holiday doesn't exist where you are. Many missionaries the world over will be celebrating U.S. Thanksgiving this Thursday, no matter what the tradition is in their country.

Sis. Kerry Jo was no exception.

Sketchbook: Not as they are

That may work during the week of Thanksgiving...

An appointment with dinner

Remember that Twilight Zone episode, To Serve Man?

It's everywhere, all month long

Yes, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) continues. All. Month. Long. 

Lofty wisdom

Benjamin Franklin said the turkey was a bird of courage, others say that they're just about the stupidest animals on earth (sponges and jellyfish excepted). Others say they only look stupid because they can't focus both eyes at the same time and tend to walk funny.

I'm no expert on animal cognition. But I do appreciate a good turkey...especially at Thanksgiving dinner!

And flying monkeys for dessert!

Sometimes it works when you assign dishes, sometimes it doesn't.

From the honey roasted electorate

He may have a point there...

On the scene

I seem to be having some issues with my scanner, so I may have to go with some reruns for a couple of days. Thank you for your patience.

I like the last line of this one. It makes me smile!

Sketchbook: Heavyweight

As suggested by a friend who lifts, bro.

Enlarge thy borders

If a task is once begun

I've experienced that on more than one occasion. It's almost as bad as waking yourself up with your own snoring!

If you're wondering, the title for this comes from an old rhyme my mother taught me:
"If a task is once begun,
never leave it 'til it's done;
be it great or be it small
do it well or not at all."

Feel free to use that. Kids LOVE it!

Veterans Day

My father, brother, uncles, nephews, friends, colleagues and others have served in the military. I've appreciated their service and sacrifice. That appreciation has deepened in recent months.

This last summer we visited Normandy, including the American Memorial Cemetery and several of the D-Day sites. It gave me a deeper appreciation and greater perspective of what so many individuals went through to serve the cause of freedom.

In addition to those sites, we also visited the German Memorial Cemetery, also in Normandy. So many of those soldiers were still in their teens, cut off in their youth — a sobering reminder of the terrible price to pay the gods of war.

To us in the United States it seems that World War II was a long time ago. Yet the memories are still fresh in the history of Europe: the scars are still there in the fields of France.

I clearly remember how many people in Korea expressed their thanks to me when I told them that my father had been there as a soldier during the Korean War. Their gratitude for his sacrifice in their behalf was deep and genuine.

Thank you to all who served and who are currently serving. The good you do is appreciated.

The good parts

I think authors enjoy it when they get to the good parts!

At a loss for words

The quest for NaNoWriMo continues. And yes, cartoonists experience this too.

Every vote counts

That was one of the best things about voting in the presidential elections as a missionary. We may have argued with each other about one candidate or the other, but we didn't know anything really. But a huge benefit of no media was no political ads. It was awesome!

Sketchbook: It's almost over

Actually, I sent my ballot in a long time ago.

In a galaxy far, far away.

And aren't we all glad that election season is almost over?

Sweet hour of rest and peace

It's too bad there's not an app or something so you can sync your kid to the clock!

By the way, if you haven't turned your clock back yet, you'd better do it. It may not be as late as you think!

Professional hazards

The struggle is real.

Begin with the end in mind

Hey, it's a start!

What month is this?

"Wait!" you may be saying, "That's not Kerry Jo!"

You're right; it's her old roommate Kris. Kerry Jo, if you remember, was more into computers. Kris was a journalism major, so naturally she'd be interested in National Novel Writing Month — NaNoWriMo.

Kris gives a pretty good description of what NaNoWriMo is: thirty days of writing your brains out.

Try it; it's fun!

Meal planning

In our house, the first question of the month is, "Are we all out of Halloween candy?" The second question of the month is, "Where's the Thanksgiving turkey?"

Welcome to November

It's a tough time of the year to be a turkey!