Pickles by Brian Crane for March 09, 2025

And it’s crooked.

but it’s off-center, unlevel, and will likely come crashing down in the middle of the night

Now, they will be awakened in the middle of the night by a falling picture.

This reminds me of someone I know.

Should have used at least 2 push pins.

“Stud finder”? Do you mind if I borrow it for the day, Earl?

AW…there goes Earls afternoon project

Spouse really really likes hanging art to the point where we have NO walls suitable for leaning against. And guess who gets to hang ‘em… Fortunately I don’t mind much (I do enjoy most of the art myself) and have become reasonably proficient. Among other things to know: Hanging pictures all in a line is very difficult, so lay them out on the wall in some other pattern. If you MUST line them up, line up the tops, not the bottoms. And: You don’t want them to be level… you want them to look level. So hang them pretty much any-old-how and then let the one in charge tell you how much to tilt from there until it looks right.

Old school?

I use push pins too but the picture or whatever has to be lightweight. Otherwise you need a nail.

Earl knew if he strung it out long enough, Opal would hang it herself. So I would add one more panel, showing Earl with a speech balloon and he’s thinking “Mission accomplished”.

I got the idea Earl didn’t really want a Muffin picture on the wall

Those self adhesive ones work quite well, push pins won’t take the weight!

Roscoe wants one too!

I have those picture hooks you slide into the drywall so you don’t need to hit a stud.

Yeah, that’s my husband too. I hang all the pictures.

Tim the Toolman Taylor wouldn’t approve.

Excellent, Opal!

This way Earl be asked only once for a chore.

I’m surprised Earl forgot to say: “Hanging’s too good for that Cat!”

Ooh, I can only hope it’s just a temporary memorial picture of THAT CAT.

Way to go, Opal!

When my wife wants a picture hung I get specific instructions as to where. For instance, “It HAS to be CENTERED between this corner and that window.” There is never a stud in that spot. I use plastic anchors or the steel hooks. I still need to go to the cellar for a level, tape measure, hammer, two screwdrivers, and my flat carpenters pencil.

Except for the square and the level, he’s right. He needs a hammer, nail, stud finder, and wire only if the painting doesn’t already have a wire attached.Or…. get a Command Hook and stick it anywhere and hand the thing up

Geeze Opal, have you never heard of Command Strips?

Reminds me of my parents. My father planned and organized. By the time he was done with that my mother had completed the project.

When you do the job right, it’s like you never did it at all.

So Muffins been framed!

Great play of the Selective Incompetence card, Earl. Bravo!

That’s our house.

It’s the manly contractor in him talking.

She doesn’t even NEED him.???? – What a shock

Earl does things like a federal employee. No wonder the budget is so high.

Please leave politics off this lovely comic. Thank you.

Beautiful picture of Muffin.

Sounds just like the Old Sarge at my house. And you’d be lucky if he didn’t finish some other project before he gets back with all that stuff!

Not for long

After all, it’s just a demon cat.

This reminded me of the chapter from “three men in a boat” about hanging photos. >

This is sort of a crossover with “Pluggers”. Hanging anything in our house is a challenge. The walls are all old-style hard plaster. Just driving in a nail risks flaking the plaster around it. At church, the walls are all concrete block. That requires a carbide drill and the plastic wall anchor sleeves to hold the screws. Careful measuring is essential to getting the pictures in the right place to begin with. My Mother-in-Law used to work at an art gallery and my daughter is an art curator, so the standards are pretty high.

I wonder if Earl developed a romantic mood with all that talk about hung and studs.

This is so my parents!!!! Dad was a perfectionist; Mom just wanted it done — LOLOLOL

I was in the hardware store when everything on the left side of the aisle started making a ton of racket! Turns out I was in the aisle with the stud finders.

I first made this joke at the work break table 40 years ago which makes me the first to ever make it so far as I know. (Give me credit if you tell it)

When you want something done right . . .