Pickles by Brian Crane for January 02, 2023

60 to 0 in three seconds flat

Wise words in the second panel.

I imagine he’s a hoot on his birthday.

That’s a good one. I have always wonder what New Year means.

My father-in-law is like Earl in some ways. He’s wise in an earthy way, not having had much formal education. After a really unrestrained Huck Finn childhood, he took many opportunities to learn useful skills such that he has greatly helped many people at work and in our families. (He went all over the world in the Navy.) He builds things and can repair almost everything. After retirement he took up carving as a hobby and has hundreds of creative small figures that he often sells at crafts shows.

My son is lucky to know such an interesting person, as I myself am bland and boring, very bookish and a homebody. My own grandparents seemed so old and foreign I was never really comfortable around them, even shrank away from them, and I’m sorry for it now. They all came from “the Old Country,” and had hard lives, and unfortunately I distanced myself from hearing their life stories. If I could only back and change that!

Can’t picture Earl and confetti in the same picture.

But as a comic strip character, he never really ages.

So Earl was able to find a chiropractor on New Year’s Eve? https://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2022/12/31?ct=v&cti=2208697

Where do they live? Warm weather and leaves on tree in background on New Years Day?

Not really confetti; just your tattered hopes and dreams from the last year.

But its the festive glittery stuff. (Probably not biodegradable.)

Never think about the past, Earl. It ages some people.

Earl, it’s not about the length of the life you live, it’s about how you live the length of your life.

Times flies…..‼️☹️

I turned 68 in 2022. This reminds me of when one of my close friends [of the same age] said we have more years behind us than in front of us.

Yup.. be able to add a whole new chapter when his biography is written.

Can’t tell if this is supposed to be poignant or ridiculous.

“One year less of my future and one year more of my past” is true for everyone, regardless of their age.

It terrific to see a New Year come in… look at the alternative!

I’m trying to find a social group in my retirement. So far, the ones I’ve tried have constant complainers: burned in their love life, political issues, health problems… I guess my complaint is complaining about complainers.

Confetti and glitter are so hard to get out of good shearling slippers.

It means I have made it 18 years further than I had been told to expect.

Well, kid, you could be turning 80 this year like I might.

At least you had a party.

Wow – sounds like he had a really WILD NIGHT.!!

That confetti has probably been in his slippers for many years.

I know what you mean Earl. One day closer to the end…