A note about parenthood and Thelma Keane

Fans of the syndicated comic strip Family Circus were saddened to learn of the death this week of Thelma Keane. She was the inspiration for Mommy, one of the central characters in the strip. Thelma Keane had Alzheimer's disease and was 82.

Her husband, Bill, drew a wonderful frame about parenthood that was reproduced in some of this week's obituaries in North American newspapers. It shows Thelma's alter ego standing on the sidewalk surrounded by four little children. She's holding a bag of groceries in one arm. A middle-aged woman asks her, "How do you divide your love among four children?" She answers, "I don't divide it. I multiple it."

I wish I'd seen that cartoon when I was stressed and frustrated with toddlers in tow.

Bill Keane, 85, credits Thelma for his success as a cartoonist.

If you'd like to see the strip and read some more about Bill and Thelma Keane, see the Globe and Mail's obituary here or this publishing blog.

The Family Circus site is here.

A moment for some comedy

Before heading west, I thought I'd share a couple of quotes from some famous comedians and humorists...

George Carlin:
"Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac."

George Schulz, writing as Charlie Brown:
"Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.' "

Mark Twain:
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years."

Woody Allen:
"A fast word about oral contraception. I asked a girl to go to bed with me, she said 'no'."

Rodney Dangerfield:
"I haven't spoken to my wife in years. I didn't want to interrupt her."


--------------------------------------------------------
The quotes are from the comedy-zone.net and from brainy.quote.com.
The smiley in the corner is from the public domain site: pdclipart.org
When the tulips bloom, you know spring has finally taken hold and summer's on the way.
It's hard to believe it's been 12 days since the last post.

Work is consuming all available time, as our television operations expand to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. I will be heading west again in the next few days, but I hope to find a way to write some thoughts or post something of interest.

Hope all is well with you.

Best regards,
Renato.
Hi!

Thanks for checking the blog. I've been super busy lately but I hope to resume posting soon.

I would like to give you a good reason for visiting this space. Every person's time is valuable.

As I look back on my posts over the last year, I notice I've wandered over a wide but unfocused terrain. Let me know what you prefer seeing on this blog. These are the things I tend to write about: my perspective on news stories, travel notes, reflections on life, and odd or quirky things in our world. I've also been posting some rudimentary sketches.

If you have a minute, why don't you post a comment at the bottom here? Just click on the link. The template lets you choose to be anonymous, if you like.

I can also continue keeping the blog somewhat eclectic. Roaming on the range can be fun, too.

Thanks,
Renato.

Words of wisdom from Homer Simpson

Here are some thoughts from that famous cartoon character, Homer Simpson, as collected by Graeme Newell's Marketing Ideanet newsletter:
(Marge and Lisa chime in, too.)

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true.
- Homer Simpson

I don't have to be careful, I've got a gun
- Homer Simpson

It is better to watch things then to do them.
- Homer Simpson

Lets just plop them in front of the TV. I was raised in front of the TV and I turned out TV
- Homer Simpson

Good things don't end in 'eum,' they end in 'mania' or 'teria
- Homer Simpson

Marge, it takes two to lie. One to lie and one to listen
- Homer Simpson

Me Fail English? That's Unpossible!
- Homer Simpson

Oh, so they have internet on computers now!
- Homer Simpson

How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?
- Homer Simpson

Do you want the job done right, or do you want it done fast?
- Homer Simpson

[R]omance is dead. It was acquired in a hostile takeover by Hallmark and Disney, homogenized, and sold off piece by piece.
- Lisa Simpson

You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head.
- Marge Simpson

Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel.
- Homer Simpson

Here's to alcohol, the cause of - and solution to - all life's problems.
- Homer Simpson

You couldn't fool your own mother on the foolingest day of your life with an electrified fooling machine!
- Homer Simpson

You don't like your job, you don't strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way.
- Homer Simpson

If something is to hard to do, then it's not worth doing.
- Homer Simpson

The problem in the world today is communication. Too much communication.
- Homer Simpson

Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover.
- Homer Simpson