Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for November 23, 2009

I concur.

I doubt Little Mickey would agree.

Stix, I must agree with you.

It’s usually cats that demand that kind of worship.

Nice shrine. Methinks Little Mickey is a tad spoiled.

Hi, everybody!

So far so good… the site is being sluggish… but I’m here!

Tonight’s the night, of course, to solve and comment on the Saturday puzzle

in the Nov 23rd  2019 “CLEO and COMPANY”

Which you can find on Sherpa

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy

Or solve using my side by side version:

https://i.postimg.cc/650fMjYZ/Cleo-nine-differences-Nov-23rd-19.jpg

And I’m going to submit this comment right now, just in case GoComics gets balky….

and then hopefully come back with a bit more to say….

The Difference Puzzle over on C & C looks, offhandedly, like a tough one. Lots of details, which means lots of opportunities to Make a Difference. Plus, it’s a big frame. I can’t display them together. Susan, HELP!

Little Mickey and Frieda are both giving Fred the old hairy eyeball.

Little Mickey doesn’t think too much of you, either, Frederick

I love this scene, puzzle or not. The grandbassets serving up the roast kibble, after slaving over it for hours. Is that the next generation at the top left of the table? And the puppies, in their awkward phases, experimenting with makeup and jewelry. Happy thanksgiving, Bassets!

As usual I will put off serious search until tomorrow, But a bunch just jumped off the page.

Is it just my imagination, or does the bag of kibble have the vague shape of a cat?

Today’s puzzle is, of course, derived by changing a few things to make differences in the famous 1945 Norbasset Dogwell painting of Thanksgiving dinner..

Do you know the original so well you can see them instantly?

No… me neither.

I do love to see the Basset family all dressed up for the holiday…. suits and ties, lipstick and jewelry.

Pups today show up in jeans and flip-flops.

I meant to say in my first post that there’s a barely perceptible stray line in one panel, which I doubt anyone would think is an intended difference….

But if it’s late, and you’re tired…. and you’ve only found 8 … I suppose it could be tempting.

So I’ll tell you….and it’s not a spoiler cos it’s not a hint about anything that does count as a difference….

In the bottom (or right-hand) panel… there’s a faint reddish-brown line, running diagonally under the eye and across the muzzle of the dog facing us in the lower right corner.

It’s NOT a difference… so if it’s one of your nine… keep looking!

What I’d like to know is why, on such a pleasant holiday, with plenty to eat and drink, no presents to buy, no, or at least not many, conflicts over beliefs….

why do the young dogs all look so distressed?

Is it because they were looking forward to a real turkey, and Grandma pulled a fast one….

shaping a bag of kibble into a roast?

Is it because the shape looks … gasp! …more like a cat than a turkey?

Or is it maybe just because they’re hungry dogs, having to do a loooong, obedient “sit-stay” for Mr. Dogwell, when they’re dying to tear into that food?

Really a heartwarming scene, as most of Norbasset Dogwell’s work was. At least three generations of the family, grandpa presiding in dignity and grandma the star of the occasion. Then, foreground left, we see the young tween basset, Angelina, rocking a most beguiling shade of eye makeup . She is practicing for her first cotillion next spring.

About 4 minutes.

I wonder why Ma Barker didn’t put out the festive water bowls – you know, the toilet- or potty-shaped ones at least…

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.SCF_NSBZKYdn4oYW7TwHcQHaFj&pid=Api

OK… I think I’d better post the gif now…..

or should I say The “solution animation”, as it was presented to me this week by the Artist Formerly Known as the Semi-Autonomous Gifmaker?

Indeed, when I mentioned the apparent change in nomenclature to TAFKatSAGM…. whew!… I was informed that his or her preferred designation is now… are you ready? ….

“the semi-anonymous animation-solution-maker PERFECTIONISTA”

Well… what could I say? We need our gifs! I mean, our… um…. animation solutions.

I have to say, though, that preserving gender ambiguity is a bit harder with that new title…. and so is typing it.

I do hope that I get released soon from the duty of following this new whim.

Whatever we’re calling it…. here it is!

NO PEEKING before you try hard…. and while the puzzle does look complicated, I found it quite solvable…. so hold off on clicking this as long as you can:

https://i.postimg.cc/L8xg1Gvy/FTD-11-23-2019-AB.gif

Forgot to say earlier @ Montana Lady….

Got back too late to answer yesterday… thanks for asking.

Yes, PG&E turned off power to part of this county on Wednesday, most of which was restored yesterday.

The area was much smaller than for the last outage… and farther from me.

Should they be allowed to plunge homes and businesses into darkness, keep stores closed and people off work, and spoil literally tons of food …

just so their equipment won’t cause fires?

If I tried to get everyone off the streets, so I could drive a car with no brakes, I’d be forced to repair the car, instead.

But they can arrogantly force “Public Safety” power shut-offs in areas where they have not managed (or bothered) to repair or replace equipment that can cause wildfires….

and call it heroic.

Off to bed in a minute….

but I just discovered something….

There was a HUMAN who totally STOLE Norbasset Dogwell’s concept for this painting (minus the nine differences, of course).

He must have just gathered a bunch of humans, and posed them like the Norbasset painting….

his style is much more photorealistic, so he may even have been painting over a photograph… who knows…

He even imitated his name..

He’s not a basset…. so he called himself “NorMAN”…. Norman…. see what he did there?

And Rockwell, not Dogwell…. maybe he thinks he rocks or something…

But wow… what blatant piracy…. LOOK!

https://www.berkeleyside.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/rockwell-freedom-from-want.jpg

How do humans get away with so much?

Quick update: Compared to 1 year ago, tested capacity of my lungs has improved by .3 liters. Not major, but “significant-sh” and probably because there’s less lard (-50lbs) pressing on my diaphragm. My pulmonologist seemed not necessarily surprised but impressed(?). Most patients capacity goes down. Not that mine won’t. It will in time, but I’ll take it for now.

Thanks for listening to the old guy.

Do you think?

That can’t possibly be enough kibble.

I love today’s puzzle. You-know-who will be here soon, so I’ll have to save the puzzle for later. See y’all this afternoon.

I got 8!!! but I really can’t concentrate well, they all look sooooo miserable!!! is it because the roast “mom” is about to carve is shaped like a kitty???!!! I hope all you followers celebrating Thanksgiving this week will have a fabulous day XXX

Yowzee! I got all nine! It took the longest time to see #9. Really fun challenge.

As for the drawing…..this is a really special ’toon from the Norbasset Dogwell collection. All the puppies are on their best behavior. All except Junior down front photo-bombing the picture. Love this one!