Spiritual hunger

I know Solomon could have made a fortune with a side hustle working for a Chinese restaurant!
 

They're everywhere

Somehow when the kids move away, their stuff manages to stay behind. Our house ain't never gonna be empty!
 

Where the magic happens

When my oldest was a kid, he'd start coughing every time he walked past the coffee table. When I finally asked him why he said, "'Cause it's the coughing table!"
 

Sketchbook: The good ol' days

Remember when all the countries were getting along? And we celebrated each other? Yeah, those were good times.

The good news is, college football starts this weekend. 
 

Break on through to the other side

There's something about crossing that threshold that changes everything!
 

Waiting on that joy thing

Many of us can relate to this, I'm sure!
 

Eyes on

Sometimes zone leaders get a bad rap. 
 

Hand in hand

Sometimes it's just not in the cards.
 

Sketchbook: Security blanket

That's not how it works...
 

Coming soon!

Good luck to all: students, parents and teachers alike!
 

Prepping for school

We've got all boys, so our back to school was entirely lived in the last panel.

But wait! There's more summer!

Sometime between mid-August and mid-September, something changes in the air. Instead of smelling like sunscreen, freshly mown grass and barbecues, the air picks up notes of pencil shavings, fresh backpacks and new textbooks.

 From our house we can hear the marching band and football team practicing, and summer becomes a memory.

Sigh.
 

Is there anything lovely or of good report?

If it makes any difference, I feel the same when when I look at my calendar of meetings at work!
 

Improvement and progression

To me this ranks up there with "Our menu options have changed" as far as useless messages go.
 

A banner year

It's back to school time here! Many schools have already started classes, others will start in the next few weeks. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to look back at some school-related cartoons from (my) history.

Sketchbook: Hold up there!

Another one that stayed in the sketchbook for obvious reasons.
 

Damaged goods?

The cool thing is, if you return your broken Job Action Figure (TM), you get two of them back.
 

Eyes up above

My mission president always knew what was happening with his missionaries. I don't know what technology he used, but it was amazing!

 

Bigger than

It's fun to see the little kids in Primary dragging their scriptures to class. I guess, like many things in the gospel, it's something you grow into.
 

Trials

At the end of Job, he got everything back double. By extrapolation, he would have had to go to graduate school for years!
 

Sketchbook: Font choices

I wonder how many missionaries have encountered Bigfoot here in the Pacific Northwest?
 

Favorite dish

Our ward just started doing the "linger longer" socials after church, usually once a month.

I noticed that, generally speaking, family members usually go after their own dishes first. I wonder if that's because they've had time to think about it and build up an appetite. Or it could be that they think that other ward members are rotten cooks.

I don't think I should ask.
 

Frozen assets

We've got temperatures nearing 100F, wildfires blazing all around, and some of the worst quality air in the world from the smoke. It's the perfect time for a snowman cartoon about family history!

*Note: I'm told he's working in his ice cubicle.
 

Hold please

Some lessons are that good!
 

A pocket full of memories

I think my parents were surprised at how much I brought home from my mission. But, hey — a person can accumulate a lot of stuff over two years!

 

Sketchbook: Everybody clean up, that's the thing to do

I had companions and companions who were a mess. It was a lot easier to deal with the clutter!
 

Go phish

Instead of targeting me with their scams, how about targeting my great-grandfather's sister's third child? I'm missing some info!
 

Lounging around

Why do some wards provide really nice mother's lounges while other don't? But they all have that funny smell!
 

Immersed in the spirit

 

A good friend of mine recently passed away. This cartoon was inspired by one of her experiences as a missionary. 

Sketchbook: Oh give me a home

If they were Roman buffaloes they'd be wearing togas! 

Looking ahead

It's an easy agenda to remember.
 

Happy Pioneer Day!

No toil nor labor fear

My ancestors were among those who helped establish the settlements in Stirling, Raymond and Lethbridge in Alberta way back in the day. We still celebrate Dominion Day (my mom was a bit stubborn about the change to Canada Day). We celebrated my eighth birthday in Waterton National Park. Heck, my brother and I even marched in the parade for the Calgary Stampede!

So take off you hoser, eh!
 

For your convenience

That could have been handy.
 

Important distinction

Many of my cartoons are drawn from real-life experiences.

Don't ask.

 

Sketchbook: We welcome you today!

We had a linger longer "saladpalooza" and someone brought a green Jello salad with shredded carrots and pineapple. Was it sincere, or was it ironic?

And since you asked, yes, someone else brought funeral potatoes. Does that count as potato salad?
 

Well done!

According to my ancestors' journals, the crickets ate everything.
 

Pix or it didn't happen (it's the Reel thing)

Have you ever seen a picture of Brigham Young smiling? It's a little unsettling.
 

The timing stinks

Imagine fleeing from Nauvoo and getting stuck in a construction queue or being shunted off to a detour!

Maybe that's why they fled Nauvoo in the dead of winter!
 

When you're looking for an excuse

July isn't just for pioneer-themed gags. It's a time when LDS cartoonists also dust off the Church history cartoons that build up during the off years of Come, Follow Me curriculum. 

This one almost stayed in the sketchbook, but it makes me laugh. 
 

Sketchbook: FTOYWDKM — WWJD

If you haven't visited my friend Arie's webpage (aka the Ward Cartoonist), he's been on a one-man crusade. It bothers him how many people get up to the microphone in church and begin their remarks with, "For those of you who don't know me..." He says it's a tired cliché (as most clichés are). Just start by telling who you are — it doesn't matter whether they knew you before. 

I was messing around in my sketchbook and as I pondered that idea, this gem emerged. I mean, the point is is for us to know Him, right?

Let's be supportive and rid ourselves of this sacrament talk cliché. Thank you for your support.

Editor's note: My personal pet peeve is,"I would like to thank..." Why not just say thanks? But that's a discussion for another day!
 

Family connections

I don't know how it is where you are, but when our stake does a trek experience, they usually try to incorporate some sort of family history activity to go along with it. This would certainly make it more interesting!

 

What songs of the heart

The hardest part of this gag was figuring out which music pioneers to reference. Johann Sebastian Bach? Ella Fitzgerald? Chuck Berry? Mack Wilberg? Sugarhill Gang?

I should mention that we shouldn't get pioneers confused with the Sons of the Pioneers, a western singing group that helped launch the career of Roy Rogers, amongst others. 

Days of '48

Cartoonists often play the "What if...?" game, where you ask yourself what if (this thing) verbed (that thing)? For example, what if it snowed on fast Sunday? What if Brigham Young ordered flowers for Mothers' Day? What if things could get worse? You get the idea.

The other day I asked myself, what if seagulls did their version of a pioneer trek? What would they do? They probably wouldn't be pushing handcarts!

 

I've seen this before!

If it's July and it's after the Fourth, that means it's time to turn our hearts and our cartoons to honor our pioneer ancestry!

I know I've said this many times before, and I'll say it again: I hope a lot of these folks have a sense of humor!
 

Editor's note: The Oregon Trail game showed the hardships of traveling as a pioneer. The game often ended with the player dying of starvation or dysentery. 

Sketchbook: True to the faith

There are some who think that kids on the trek should experience everything. But sometimes it's a little challenging to come up with blizzards and mobs, so they settle for the little things.
 

Fireworks

From the Disney collection, if for no other reason than it has some pretty good fireworks that I made in Illustrator. 

If you're looking for something to add to your summer reading list, click on the link to the right. The book is available in paperback and Kindle!
 

The show

Elijah and the priests of Baal is one of the most awesome stories in the Old Testament. I love his trash talking, and when the time comes for his turn, he totally crushes it!*

For those who may argue that the real original fireworks show was Sodom and Gomorrah, I would point out that there wasn't anyone who actually watched that. Except for Lot's wife. And she wasn't a big fan. In fact, she was kind of salty about it.

*It may also be argued that this was the first example of a fireside. The jury is still out on that one.
 

Small voices

Sometimes Primary is the most spiritual when it's the loudest.
 

Caption contest results

What a lot of great entries in the caption contest! In fact, I'm going to directly steal an idea from the Ward Cartoonist and include all the entries in one mega cartoon!

To give credit where credit is due, these are the submitters:

• Drumming up support... Klinton
• A few minutes on this... Arie VDG
• Share our talents... Sonny
• This could really spice up the Primary... Sonny
• Music of the gospel... Sonny
• Sis. Reyes Quartet... Adam T 
• In-a-gadda-da-vida... Jim J
• Pioneer children... Mark B
• Checked the handbook... Adam T
• Drumming up interest... Kerry O
• Home MTC... Jim B
• Cymbalism... Jeff B
• I'm beat... Bob
• Honorable mention (but not included)... Ben B

Thank you for all the wonderful (and funny) submissions! DM me if you'd like a semi-valuable prize for your entry!

Sketchbook: Free kick

There's got to be some way to keep track of who's nice to the missionaries!