The fowl meaning of life

[NeuroTypical]

44 minutes ago, Jamie123 said:

There is the infamous bumper sticker

Yep.  Those stupid bumpers were everywhere in the U.S. in the '90's and 2000's.  Eventually they morphed into Chevys whizzing on Fords and vice versa, and sort of went away.  That was the downside of Watterson's decision.   But the upside has a greater impact and life! 

[Ironhold]

16 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

Calvin and Hobbes started appearing in the Daily Express when I was in my early 20s. I had bought the Mail for years but I changed to the Express mainly because of Calvin. The first storyline I can remember was the "duplicator". And yes I went through the same confusion everyone does about whether Hobbes is magic, or whether he is only in Calvin's imagination. I understand Waterston himself refused ever to answer that question.

https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1985/11/18

The very first Calvin & Hobbes strip ever, hosted for free on Go Comics. Go Comics is the website maintained by Andrews McMeel Publishing, heir to Universal Press Syndicate. 

You can literally read the entire series for free if you'd like. 

[Jedi_Nephite]

On 7/29/2024 at 12:57 PM, NeuroTypical said:

Well, Hobbes the tiger (and also Calvin the kid) are both named after their 17th and 16th century namesakes.

Also, with Waterson's decision to not pursue copyright protection, various fans have started the strip Hobbes and Bacon with a grown-up Calvin, now married to Suzie Derkins, with a daughter named after Francis Bacon.  

 

Yeah, I almost added that we named Hobbes after the stuffed tiger, and, by default, after the 17th century philosopher.

“Hobbes and bacon” is great.  The creator really makes an effort to capture the spirit of Watterson’s work.  I believe there’s a similar fan created series that’s also very well done. 

[Jedi_Nephite]

Sadly, on Friday night, we had to say goodbye to our cat, Arwen.  We’re not sure of the cause, but she suddenly became very ill, very quickly,  and we had to put her down.

At the vet’s office, when we realized that the most humane and practical thing to do for her was to not prolong her suffering, my wife and I tried to explain the situation to our two daughters, who are both on the spectrum, and who loved that cat very much.  We told them that Arwen is very ill, and is dying.  And that she wouldn’t be coming back home with us.  Additionally, we explained that Heavenly Father wants what’s best for Arwen, and doesn’t want her to suffer.  We further explained that she will be going to a better place, where she will be very happy.

We were with her when she was put to sleep.  I held her in my arms while my wife, daughters, and I said our goodbyes and pet her one last time.  Afterwards, the vet came in, and started the process of euthanasia.  She was gone within a minute.

Even though she was only about 3 1/2 years old when she died, she left a mark on our hearts.  She brought joy, fun, love, and laughter into our lives.  She was surprisingly patient with my kids, especially the youngest when she would constantly pick her up and drag her around the house or push her around in a toy shopping cart like a baby.  She often liked to come upstairs to my office for a pat on the head, and then sleep on my desk or look out the windows.  I’ll never forget the times when she would steal my chair when I would leave my desk for a moment, or the times when she would randomly bat my elbow when sitting in the recliner.  She was always ready to attack any shoeless feet.  I guess feet with only socks were grounds for attack, in her mind.

Thank you for the joy, fun, love, and memories, dear friend.  Your void is surely felt, and will be greatly missed.

[LDSGator]

24 minutes ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Sadly, on Friday night, we had to say goodbye to our cat, Arwen.  

Aww. So sorry bro. 

[zil2]

33 minutes ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Sadly, on Friday night, we had to say goodbye to our cat, Arwen.  We’re not sure of the cause, but she suddenly became very ill, very quickly,  and we had to put her down.

So sorry, Jedi!

35 minutes ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Even though she was only about 3 1/2 years old when she died, she left a mark on our hearts.  She brought joy, fun, love, and laughter into our lives.  She was surprisingly patient with my kids, especially the youngest when she would constantly pick her up and drag her around the house or push her around in a toy shopping cart like a baby.  She often liked to come upstairs to my office for a pat on the head, and then sleep on my desk or look out the windows.  I’ll never forget the times when she would steal my chair when I would leave my desk for a moment, or the times when she would randomly bat my elbow when sitting in the recliner.  She was always ready to attack any shoeless feet.  I guess feet with only socks were grounds for attack, in her mind.

Thank you for the joy, fun, love, and memories, dear friend.  Your void is surely felt, and will be greatly missed.

What a good kitty!

[Jamie123]

37 minutes ago, Jedi_Nephite said:

Sadly, on Friday night, we had to say goodbye to our cat, Arwen.  We’re not sure of the cause, but she suddenly became very ill, very quickly,  and we had to put her down.

We lost our family cat a few years ago. Her name was Pixie, though I always said this was short for "Pixinald Wicksinald Wallaby-Wombat", though whenever she got feisty (which was often) I called her "Mungo Muggins the Boggy Buggins" or "The Boggiest Buggins There Is". She was only seven, but she had a growth on her abdomen which would have cost thousands to operate on and (according to the vet) would have given her a couple more months at most. So I know how you're feeling. Cats are like family.

Edited September 8, 2024 by Jamie123

[zil2]

4 minutes ago, Jamie123 said:

Her name was Pixie, though I always said this was short for "Pixinald Wicksinald Wallaby-Wombat", though whenever she got feisty (which was often) I called her "Mungo Muggins the Boggy Buggins" or "The Boggiest Buggins There Is".

And people wonder why some cats don't respond to their "name"...

4 minutes ago, Jamie123 said:

Cats are like family.

Amen to that!

[Jedi_Nephite]

3 hours ago, Jamie123 said:

We lost our family cat a few years ago. Her name was Pixie, though I always said this was short for "Pixinald Wicksinald Wallaby-Wombat", though whenever she got feisty (which was often) I called her "Mungo Muggins the Boggy Buggins" or "The Boggiest Buggins There Is". She was only seven, but she had a growth on her abdomen which would have cost thousands to operate on and (according to the vet) would have given her a couple more months at most. So I know how you're feeling. Cats are like family.

They certainly are.