Red and Rover by Brian Basset for December 03, 2023

Dang migrating birds!

We had a dog we rescued from the pound that we named “Critter”. At the time we lived on a ridge outside the city of Oak Ridge, TN. A pretty good snowstorm rolled through dumping 14 inches in Knoxville, shutting it down, but we got about 30 inches with 6 foot plus drift. Critter was still a wee pup, unlike our Golden Retriever. We let them outside and they had a blast. Goldie, the golden retriever, was plowing through the snow like an ice breaker in the Artic and periodically you would see this ball of black and tan just clearing the edge of the trench that Goldie was making.From that day, for 15 years until his passing, whenever he spotted a snowflake he would come to get me and drag me to the door. I was supposed to make it snow.

Reminds me of Calvin imagining a new ice age complete with woolly mammoths and getting his sledge out:-

Calvin: One lousy half inch!

Hobbes: Look! The sun’s coming out!

Calvin was angry at the lack of snow after his imagination whereas Hobbes was happy to see the sun coming out.

“Dog eat Doug”

These things take time!

It seems to be a recurring theme today.

I remember getting that excited about snow when I was young! In 1967 we had one of the biggest snowfalls ever. It shut the city down for 2 or 3 days. All the kids had sooooo much fun in the huge snowdrifts. My brother and a neighbor kid dared me to jump off the peak of the roof into one of them. But I had fallen out of a tree that summer and knew pain, so I wouldn’t do it.

If only the count would stop at two!

Wait inside for the rest, my little darlings!

And Rover is sooooo happy! woof

Need many more snowflakes, yet!

Red …… Rover …… I know that you want a jump on the sledding ……. “BUT” …. your a little early ….. :)

I am only happy when I see he last snow-flake!

I just love Rover’s sweet face in panel 6. Such pure happiness.

To my readers. A miscommunication between myself and the digital colorist at my syndicate resulted in the tiny bird poop on the ground not being made white in multiple panels. Though comic strips are funny business, i take my work very serious, and as such, accept full responsibility for this error and hope something like this never happens again. You have been unbelievably loyal readers, and as such, deserve my very best. — Brian Basset

Rover’s movement and expressions in all the panels are wonderful! Great job, Brian!

I’m sure glad no one had their tongue out to catch it!