The Dinette Set by Julie Larson for May 09, 2012

I’m trying to remember the story of the Phoenix lights.

Whoa…. for a minute there I thought our man Jerry was wearing some kind of mystical symbol….. ॐ back atcha, Jer… but no… probably a souvenir T-shirt from last week.The Phoenix lights, though I like SimpsonFan’s made-up explanation better, were a now-debunked series of “UFO” sightings, mostly in various parts of Arizona, about 15 years ago.Some reports came from as far away as California and even Nevada…but not Illinois.Of course, Crustwood is a very special place, just the sort of odd corner aliens might seek out….and if they’re looking for someone to probe, I’ll gladly give them Burl.

Today’s strip is pretty strange, in any case.If this is their neighborhood, have aliens already taken the neighbor’s houses… or has their house been transported to some more rural area in another state? In pancake-flat Illinois, that gentle hillside across the street qualifies as mountainous terrain….unlikely anyone would build that house halfway up, in such a “dangerous” place. People there get scared of heights driving up a 10% grade.And the crowds of people in the street…. were they alerted in advance to watch for this mysterious event?Or how did they all get out there in time?Anybody have a guess as to the writing on that platform across from Jerry, or what’s on top of it?Questions, questions…

LOL Marg — I’m sure you’re right!

The strangest phenomenon here is Burl seeming to be the voice of reason.

Morning everybody

I thought it was a basketball team – or a light beer.

Since Burl is the local Civil Defense chief I would go with whatever he says and do the opposite.

What happened to their surrounding neighborhood? All the other houses have vanished (and has Marlene lost some weight?) All the other people are still looking in one direction?? I too thought Jerry had some kind of Alcaida inscription on his shirt, but it is just Julie’s way of hiding today, but Burl sensible (never). They talk abought the Phoenix lights every so often here in Phoenix and I had a neighbor once who was filming about it; all those weird neighbors fade away (we even had a murderer down the street- her husband tiled my powder room floor.

wow everyone else is out in the street looking. Not this crowd they a gluedto their chairs

Where are they getting the vacuum tubes to keep their RCA TV running? Wait ’till you see the new RCA 4gl tablet.

They can see the sky from their chairs just as well as the crowd in the street can. The Phoenix lights turned out to be flares set by the U.S. Air Force during a training exercise. There have been reports of UFO sightings in Illinois over the years. I think Burl is right in that it probably wasn’t some spaceship. I don’t remember the iron railings. But then again the people don’t normally hang out on the front porch. lol

Now I’m hearing the 5 note theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I think that Burl used to take charge of the civil patrol

Good one. Hey guys, the Phoenix Lights WERE real UFOs. Over 10,000 people saw mile wide craft overhead in March 1997, even the former Governor who stated they were not from here! Check out http://www.thephoenixlights.net.

I don’t know, the universe is so HUGE! One can’t help but wonder. Are we really the only ones out there?

Naw….. what it is is….. JOY wore her Green Blouse with Oragne Flowers again…. ! ! ! .