Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for May 09, 2012

See, I told you everything was fine…what’s wrong with a little thunk?

Who’da thunk Gene would need to think?

I’m guessing that thinking things through this late in the game might not be the best thing – but that’s just a theory.

Orion

Gene, if you call it off now you’ll braek your Momma’s heart.

Hopefully, it’s just something like school, or farming, or maybe more kids, that he needs to think about.He’s had a crush on Mary Lou since they were kids, in spite of his brief time with Ruth. I doubt he’s changed his mind.

From yesterday…. yes, DoublePaw, figuring out what your name probably meant was why I asked in the first place.I dunno, I just thought you and Varnes would both be a little more interested in the fact that you apparently live in the same little town!I guess “girls” are different. Sigh….

I just wonder if Gene was stupid enough to tell Mary Lou that he “needed time to think”. If he did, then it’s all over.

Janis looks ready to give him a good thunking. Gene… pick up the phone… ♫ “Hello, Mary Lou…”

sometimes you get caught up in a relationship and everything is reactive rather than proactive. Gene may have had a reminder from guys his age who are livin’ the" swinging single" life while he is facing the responsibilities of a wife and kid. Mary Lou just got caught up in things but Gene is going in as a volunteer and now he is appreciating the demands being a family guy is going to make on him. nothing wrong with taking a moment before taking a leap and going all in. if Mary Lou and Janis can’t see how the responsibility is giving Gene some pause then they are unreasonable, he’s been good to her and her child. funny about Janis cause she was not a fan of Mary Lou for a long time.

“I was thinking that maybe I should finish up that last semester of school and get my degree……..”

John- your comment reminded me of “Maggie Mae.” Not to imply anything, just the song.

I suspect that the “thinking” is unlikely to be about the impending marriage to Mary Lou. My top contenders about what he is contemplating are a) whether he and Mary Lou want to REALLY live on the decript, run-down farmstead that is far away or perhaps move back closer to where Arlo and Janis are (better story opportunities for JJ perhaps as well), or b) some sort of issue pertaining to his college education (perhaps finishing, perhaps considering graduate school, whatever). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++So, I think the wedding/marriage plans with Mary Lou are safe… it is just they route to move towards after the marriage that I think he is contemplating. Probably he and Mary Lou have discussed it at great length, and have boiled it down to a couple options that neither of them feels particular definitive about at the moment, and so she sends Gene back for a few days to Arlo and Janis’ to see if a different environment might give him more insight into which direction they may wish to take.

Susan, if we were to brag too much about this pretty pretty little little place place, everybody would want to live here here. BTW, it used to be called Paw Paw Paw, but with budget cutbacks and everything, they decided to drop one……somebody picked it up on E-bay….as Captain Kangaroo would sing, Pickin’ up Paw Paws, put ’em in your pocket!

Sometimes the “big think” comes before the “big question.” I don’t know all the history (and no spoilers)

Calm down people. Pipe Tobacco is right. This is just a red herring. JJ can’t break off the marriage because it would mean that a whole story arc would go away and then he’d have to go back to cat cartoons… Ooo, here’s Ludwig sleeping on the couch. Here’s Ludwig sleeping on the bed. Here’s Ludwig awake while Arlo and Janis are sleeping! Oh the irony!!! Ha HA HA ha hmmm.

Haven’t we had enough of divorce? How about ‘til death do us part’.

Think or thwim I thay….

Geez, a lot of you know more about the history of the strip than I do, but I have a vague memory trace of Mary Lou’s being adamant about living on the farm, raising organic produce and so forth, and Gene’s not being wholly on board with this. It was as though he was being railroaded into that life. Now, comes the dawn, and his uncertainty has moved him to rethink the whole deal.

I think all of this thoughtful thunking is hurting my brain…