Little Gutter, little Louie, Chitter and Chatter as eggs, Mouse when she was quite a dish (borrowing from Titanic . . . and an unknown raccoon named Magnavox . . . wearing a mantle?
That moment when you realize this is Queen Magnet’s daughter! The mother of Princess Magazine! All we’ve known of her previously is that she, um, lost an argument with a people-mobile.
Why do we get all these revelations when my screen is not working properly?
Not only an excellent origin story, but insight as to why the woodland creatures are so loyal to Queen Magnet. I especially like the little hearts in the last panel denoting how Chitter and Chatter feel about their queen.
Okay, I’m trying to figure this out. Queen Mag in the retro broadcast has a different outfit than Queen Mag in the current broadcast? Are they one and the same? Why different outfits? Magnavox would be Queen Mag’s daughter that lost the argument with the people mobile? Gutter doesn’t have the eye patch/magnifying glass yet but seems to have some damage to his right eye. Definitely have young Homestyle and possibly a “baby” Thimblefist, without his can yet. And of course, Louie. And, of course, Chitter and Chatter as eggs being rescued.
Ah! The moment I opened BCN today, and while it was still swamped by ads, I saw the Queen’s Raven and cheered – lots of help will be on hand soon to find Sophie! Then I got access to the full Sunday strip and found my cheer needs to wait a few years. “Little Gutter” is sure to grow up to be Sophie’s hero!
Chitter and Chatter have been outside Puck’s bird watching window recently so we know they are around the BPH – and maybe will be joining the search for Sophie.
We have barred owls and although I think the baby raccoons are too big for them by the time they set foot outside, it always makes me nervous. I have seen owls try and fail for our arboreal white-footed mice and it’s a little terrifying, wouldn’t want to be a mouse in my yard! Owls are so silent on the approach, very little wing noise at all. And then ker-CRASH into the foliage, followed by hysterical squeaking as the mouse runs away screaming for its friends.
In my yard the conversation between raccoons and chickadees goes something like this.
“I SEE YOU! I SEE YOU, YOU EGG-EATER! DON’T YOU DARE EAT MY BABIES! YEAH, JUST KEEP WALKING!”
“Isn’t it bedtime for you? Just go to bed, bird.”
“IF YOU TOUCH MY NEST I SWEAR I WILL SIC THE BLUEJAYS ON YOU!”
Not the best of friends, although the chickadees seem to “Dee” them fewer times than they do the cats. I have read that chickadees will Dee an owl in a tree the most of all possible predators, but I haven’t been around when a chickadee spotted an owl in the daytime.
Is this the first we’ve seen a skunk? We have a skunk that wanders into the yard sometimes. We also have gray foxes and I’m never quite sure who I’m smelling until I spot the skunk. Once I was walking out back and came home and there was the skunk sleeping on my back door welcome mat. I just gave up and walked around to the front and rang the doorbell until my husband let me in.
The raccoons aren’t hugely fond of the skunk either. Once I witnessed a small herd of raccoons crashing through the bushes like something was chasing them. I thought maybe a dog had gotten under the fence and picked up a stick, prepared to defend my yard denizens, when my old friend Paw-washer ran straight up to me, paused and seemed to look me in the eye and say “RUN, YOU FOOL!” and then the skunk slowly, calmly, sauntered into view. It really was funny, like the code of the forest said that the raccoons should warn even the fool human in such dire circumstances.
I felt better a few minutes ago after reading Georgia’s post yesterday. But this is too close to home. Because, speaking of close to home, we have a cardinal nest in a bush outside our kitchen window (about three feet from the house). Mrs. Beak (so called because of her only non-camouflaged feature) has been sitting there for days. We had to tape paper over our kitchen window so she wouldn’t be frightened by seeing us inside, The neighbors must wonder what we are hiding in our kitchen … but who cares.
So, night before last I was out back raccoon-watching. There were several litters playing and play-fighting in the clearing, while the mommas foraged around the edges. And then I heard “fwump!” and looked and there was a tiny, tiny baby lying motionless at the foot of our big red oak. I thought, oh no it has fallen to its doom and right in front of me. Rushed over to see if I could find any injury a vet could help. Ran my hands over the limbs looking for breaks, checked for any obvious injury to head or body, and then the little one came back to life and trilled MAMA MAMA where are you?
Mamma was Wallis’s grown daughter from last year, Amelia, who still lives with her. They are named after “Wallace the Brave” characters because both have tiny narrow ears that stick out sideways. Wallis has two older babies, and Amelia was up in the red oak with another tiny one, apparently on their debut night. They were way up there, probably thirty feet. No wonder the poor little chitterling was knocked senseless. Amelia was trying to figure out how to get down to the one on the ground without abandoning the one in the tree, so I pointed the little one at the tree trunk and up it went. I heard a happy reunion with much purring.
Last night I saw both Wallis and Amelia on the ground with all four babies. Normally different litters stick together and fight if they bump into each other, but the little niblings got along with the older ones as if they were all one litter.
When it saw me the little one rushed right up and stood on my shoe and put its paws on my leg, like “Hey I remember you, nice lady! I’m doing great today!” I try to discourage this behavior since a habituated raccoon can approach strangers who get frightened, and get itself in trouble. Raccoons are super smart and it would be easy to completely domesticate all of them within a generation. I held still and Amelia came over and umped me. “Ump” is raccoon for “Please don’t touch my baby.” So off they went together!
It’s nice to see Baba and Magnet enjoying broadcasts together. It gives me hope we’ll see more of Angus, who was my favorite part of the last flashback.
Georgia’s imagination is boundless. She’s created an infinite universe that we get to explore with her. So much material there for back stories! And more “current” storylines still to come!
Two more mouths to feed? Well, we’ll mash the potatoes, water the soup, and fix the Chevy instead of buying a new car. That’s what families do, even blended families.
That pesky grey bar on the top is getting really pesky. Just when me about to click / tap on sometheeng in web page it disappear suddenly and then as a result of that suddenly outta nowhere everytheeng in page is moves up suddenly and me is ends up clicking on sometheeng else because whole page suddenly moves up when steenky grey box is disappear.
So, the reporter there must be Tillie? No one seems to have mentioned that. (Sorry, if I missed it. I’m dealing with too many ads and a slow computer.)
I just noticed that Queen Mag is cudding the chickadees in the last panel! How adorable is that? And to think, I used to think Queen Mag was not a likeable character. But as time goes on, she is definitely likeable and even a great character to have around!
i posted very, very late yesterday asking: what does Natasha (in the cool needle jacket) have in her hand? a magnifying glass looking for clues??? i’ve tried enlarging but still can’t make it out. i didn’t see any comments mentioning it so maybe i’m making a mole hill out of nothing.
A bird got into the siding at the top of the peak of our house and inside the frame of the house somehow. Made a nest. One of the babies fell into the frame and was stuck at the bottom of the wall. Non-stop chirping for nearly three days, except for at night, when it could get some rest from its pain. There was nothing I could do. Slowly, it starved, in the dark, barely able to move. One of the worst things I’ve went through in my life, and I have been through a heck of a lot.
McColl34 Premium Member 14 days ago
Two little chickadee eggs? It took me far to long to figure out that this is an old home movie and what that means!
Origin story!
Ahsum 14 days ago
Sunday Funday
Aspen_Bell 14 days ago
Me too.
McColl34 Premium Member 14 days ago
Is that a baby Thimblefist in the second to last panel?
uncle snipe 14 days ago
That’s a great way of looking at it. What’s two more? Cause you can never have too many friends. Or too many flashbacks.
Ricky Bennett 14 days ago
They managed to eggstricate two eggs from the carnage…
McColl34 Premium Member 14 days ago
Little Gutter, little Louie, Chitter and Chatter as eggs, Mouse when she was quite a dish (borrowing from Titanic . . . and an unknown raccoon named Magnavox . . . wearing a mantle?
That moment when you realize this is Queen Magnet’s daughter! The mother of Princess Magazine! All we’ve known of her previously is that she, um, lost an argument with a people-mobile.
Why do we get all these revelations when my screen is not working properly?
Le'letha Premium Member 14 days ago
Awwwwww! We all needed this, I think. Life from tragedy, and in the past to already know the survivors thrived.
Also a subtle Sunday reintroduction of the raccoons?
JLChi 14 days ago
An owl? Judging by Little Baba Mouse’s expression, she has an idea which owl it may have been.
WelshRat Premium Member 14 days ago
A predatory Owl? I wonder who that might be? Baba as a girl was quite a looker.
andycat Premium Member 14 days ago
I thought that looked like young Mouse. I would love to see more old broadcasts.
thelsrc 14 days ago
Not only an excellent origin story, but insight as to why the woodland creatures are so loyal to Queen Magnet. I especially like the little hearts in the last panel denoting how Chitter and Chatter feel about their queen.
azkfwecho Premium Member 14 days ago
Okay, I’m trying to figure this out. Queen Mag in the retro broadcast has a different outfit than Queen Mag in the current broadcast? Are they one and the same? Why different outfits? Magnavox would be Queen Mag’s daughter that lost the argument with the people mobile? Gutter doesn’t have the eye patch/magnifying glass yet but seems to have some damage to his right eye. Definitely have young Homestyle and possibly a “baby” Thimblefist, without his can yet. And of course, Louie. And, of course, Chitter and Chatter as eggs being rescued.
Jacob Mattingly 14 days ago
Awwww I had no idea she adopted chitter and chatter…or Louie.
FreyjaRN Premium Member 14 days ago
So much love!
Back! Back, onion ninjas!
2GreyCats 14 days ago
Awwww… Chitter and Chatter are giving Mag love hearts!
One Serious Cat 14 days ago
Ah! The moment I opened BCN today, and while it was still swamped by ads, I saw the Queen’s Raven and cheered – lots of help will be on hand soon to find Sophie! Then I got access to the full Sunday strip and found my cheer needs to wait a few years. “Little Gutter” is sure to grow up to be Sophie’s hero!
dputhoff62 14 days ago
Great strip.
cat19632001 14 days ago
I hope we get a lot more Retro CN reports.
cb8ty 14 days ago
Chitter and Chatter have been outside Puck’s bird watching window recently so we know they are around the BPH – and maybe will be joining the search for Sophie.
dmah Premium Member 14 days ago
I love that the young Gutter is wearing an age appropriate box of animal crackers! XD
Miss Mina 14 days ago
I love an origin story!
Gent 14 days ago
Whaaat? Raccoon and cat is no eats birdie eggs? Now me has seen everytheengs.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member 14 days ago
Yesterday afternoon the crows were screeching something fierce. Must have be a hawk. I watch them chasing hawks away from the younguns.
diskus Premium Member 14 days ago
My next child will be named Magnavox
Caerin Premium Member 14 days ago
What is that in that in the next to last panel between Louie and Thorne? Looks like a hankie and a small animal? Any guesses?
rheddmobile 14 days ago
Aww!
We have barred owls and although I think the baby raccoons are too big for them by the time they set foot outside, it always makes me nervous. I have seen owls try and fail for our arboreal white-footed mice and it’s a little terrifying, wouldn’t want to be a mouse in my yard! Owls are so silent on the approach, very little wing noise at all. And then ker-CRASH into the foliage, followed by hysterical squeaking as the mouse runs away screaming for its friends.
In my yard the conversation between raccoons and chickadees goes something like this.
“I SEE YOU! I SEE YOU, YOU EGG-EATER! DON’T YOU DARE EAT MY BABIES! YEAH, JUST KEEP WALKING!”
“Isn’t it bedtime for you? Just go to bed, bird.”
“IF YOU TOUCH MY NEST I SWEAR I WILL SIC THE BLUEJAYS ON YOU!”
Not the best of friends, although the chickadees seem to “Dee” them fewer times than they do the cats. I have read that chickadees will Dee an owl in a tree the most of all possible predators, but I haven’t been around when a chickadee spotted an owl in the daytime.
Is this the first we’ve seen a skunk? We have a skunk that wanders into the yard sometimes. We also have gray foxes and I’m never quite sure who I’m smelling until I spot the skunk. Once I was walking out back and came home and there was the skunk sleeping on my back door welcome mat. I just gave up and walked around to the front and rang the doorbell until my husband let me in.
The raccoons aren’t hugely fond of the skunk either. Once I witnessed a small herd of raccoons crashing through the bushes like something was chasing them. I thought maybe a dog had gotten under the fence and picked up a stick, prepared to defend my yard denizens, when my old friend Paw-washer ran straight up to me, paused and seemed to look me in the eye and say “RUN, YOU FOOL!” and then the skunk slowly, calmly, sauntered into view. It really was funny, like the code of the forest said that the raccoons should warn even the fool human in such dire circumstances.
ladykat 14 days ago
Lovely retro strip.
rroxxanna 14 days ago
Oh no! A toppled nest?!
I felt better a few minutes ago after reading Georgia’s post yesterday. But this is too close to home. Because, speaking of close to home, we have a cardinal nest in a bush outside our kitchen window (about three feet from the house). Mrs. Beak (so called because of her only non-camouflaged feature) has been sitting there for days. We had to tape paper over our kitchen window so she wouldn’t be frightened by seeing us inside, The neighbors must wonder what we are hiding in our kitchen … but who cares.Hedgehog 14 days ago
Foster skunk Baby Louie is not startled.
TechDude 14 days ago
I wonder what becomes of those two eggs… OT: Who is the bird in panel 4?
rheddmobile 14 days ago
So, night before last I was out back raccoon-watching. There were several litters playing and play-fighting in the clearing, while the mommas foraged around the edges. And then I heard “fwump!” and looked and there was a tiny, tiny baby lying motionless at the foot of our big red oak. I thought, oh no it has fallen to its doom and right in front of me. Rushed over to see if I could find any injury a vet could help. Ran my hands over the limbs looking for breaks, checked for any obvious injury to head or body, and then the little one came back to life and trilled MAMA MAMA where are you?
Mamma was Wallis’s grown daughter from last year, Amelia, who still lives with her. They are named after “Wallace the Brave” characters because both have tiny narrow ears that stick out sideways. Wallis has two older babies, and Amelia was up in the red oak with another tiny one, apparently on their debut night. They were way up there, probably thirty feet. No wonder the poor little chitterling was knocked senseless. Amelia was trying to figure out how to get down to the one on the ground without abandoning the one in the tree, so I pointed the little one at the tree trunk and up it went. I heard a happy reunion with much purring.
Last night I saw both Wallis and Amelia on the ground with all four babies. Normally different litters stick together and fight if they bump into each other, but the little niblings got along with the older ones as if they were all one litter.
When it saw me the little one rushed right up and stood on my shoe and put its paws on my leg, like “Hey I remember you, nice lady! I’m doing great today!” I try to discourage this behavior since a habituated raccoon can approach strangers who get frightened, and get itself in trouble. Raccoons are super smart and it would be easy to completely domesticate all of them within a generation. I held still and Amelia came over and umped me. “Ump” is raccoon for “Please don’t touch my baby.” So off they went together!
Daltongang Premium Member 14 days ago
And in breaking news, in Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina this Chickadee would have been charged with murder after this incident.
Katzen1415 14 days ago
It’s nice to see Baba and Magnet enjoying broadcasts together. It gives me hope we’ll see more of Angus, who was my favorite part of the last flashback.
Zoomer&Yeti 14 days ago
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there – including Pet Dads!
One Serious Cat 14 days ago
Georgia’s imagination is boundless. She’s created an infinite universe that we get to explore with her. So much material there for back stories! And more “current” storylines still to come!
rs0204 Premium Member 14 days ago
Two more mouths to feed? Well, we’ll mash the potatoes, water the soup, and fix the Chevy instead of buying a new car. That’s what families do, even blended families.
Happy Father’s Day.
A small present follows.
Gent 14 days ago
That pesky grey bar on the top is getting really pesky. Just when me about to click / tap on sometheeng in web page it disappear suddenly and then as a result of that suddenly outta nowhere everytheeng in page is moves up suddenly and me is ends up clicking on sometheeng else because whole page suddenly moves up when steenky grey box is disappear.
NoLongerWandering 14 days ago
So, the reporter there must be Tillie? No one seems to have mentioned that. (Sorry, if I missed it. I’m dealing with too many ads and a slow computer.)
jlboening 14 days ago
Darn blurry screen
Red Bird 14 days ago
I would like to give that sadistic owl a piece of my mind! Birds are friends, NOT food!
azkfwecho Premium Member 13 days ago
I just noticed that Queen Mag is cudding the chickadees in the last panel! How adorable is that? And to think, I used to think Queen Mag was not a likeable character. But as time goes on, she is definitely likeable and even a great character to have around!
Kitty Katz 13 days ago
Celine Dion: My Heart Will Go On
Every archived broadcast
I hear you, I see you
And I still know you will go on
Far across the distance, in the Bone Forest
I know that you still live on
…….
Near, far, wherever you are
Your kindness and compassion go on
Some day I’ll see you once more
Until then I know you will go on.
…….
Love can touch us one time and go on forever
And I know our love will go on
My love for you is right here
And will leave me never
My friends and I know you go on!
…….
Near, far, wherever you are
Your kindness and compassion go on
Some day I’ll see you once more
Until then I know you will go on.
…….
You’re here, I’ve no need to fear!
High above here I know you go on!
Until then, when we meet again
You are safe in my heart and my heart will go on and on!
For Mags and Magnavox
Fennec! at the Disco 13 days ago
Aw, sweet!
Huzzah for Retro CN!
Gloria Fleming 13 days ago
i posted very, very late yesterday asking: what does Natasha (in the cool needle jacket) have in her hand? a magnifying glass looking for clues??? i’ve tried enlarging but still can’t make it out. i didn’t see any comments mentioning it so maybe i’m making a mole hill out of nothing.
willie_mctell 13 days ago
Those owls can’t be trusted.
Aspen_Bell 13 days ago
OT: Going Home
robwalt Premium Member 13 days ago
Great art that really tells a story, nicely done!
GaryCooper 13 days ago
Wouldn’t the raccoons be happy if eggs fell out of a nest? After all, that’s the kind of thing they eat.
GaryCooper 13 days ago
My mother used to say. “She had a bird nest on the ground,” meaning somebody was in a situation that was both easy and profitable.
erinurse2000 13 days ago
Love the little “Retro CN” logo!
comicalUser 12 days ago
A bird got into the siding at the top of the peak of our house and inside the frame of the house somehow. Made a nest. One of the babies fell into the frame and was stuck at the bottom of the wall. Non-stop chirping for nearly three days, except for at night, when it could get some rest from its pain. There was nothing I could do. Slowly, it starved, in the dark, barely able to move. One of the worst things I’ve went through in my life, and I have been through a heck of a lot.