We interrupt regular broadcasting once again to bring you a few cartoons from our resident cartoonist…
1.
Cold Cuts – Created by Don Cheke
I love cold cuts! The other day while I was having what I call a “funeral lunch,” I decided that I should write an ode to cold cuts. In a matter of minutes, I popped off the one below. Before we dig in, I should mention, just in case it wasn’t obvious, that a funeral lunch consists of cold cuts, cold cuts, and more cold cuts. Nothing else.
An Ode to Cold Cuts
Oh, sweet and lovely cold cuts, So firm, so flavorful, sublime.
A manly treat, if ever there was one, For breakfast, lunch, or supper
An eater can’t go wrong.
At funerals you are required, For an attendance best impressed.
Oh, cold cuts, my mainstay you shall be, For you bring me so much glee.
In bachelorhood or company, You are a meal, quite complete.
Rolled or flat, thick or thin, in a sandwich, on a platter, You are a treat with such delight.
Piled high, or in a chunk, You are sure to be adored.
2.
The New Pet – Created by Don Cheke
Over the last several months you have watched Loaf and his family take shape. Soon after Loaf was introduced, we met his wife Loafetta, and their son Little Loaf. We were then introduced to Little Loaf’s girlfriend, Sally Mander, and their daughter Loafina. As is common in many families, some family pets came on the scene too. First a lovely unnamed short-haired grey cat, and then a rambunctious ostrich, the pooping machine, as it came to be known. The ostrich, being more than was bargained for, found itself on the outs with the family and took its leave in a manner that doesn’t get discussed in public. As it is for many families, once the troublesome pet gets disposed of, the awful memories fade and stirrings for a new pet begin to make themselves known. As luck would have it, Loaf was walking by the local pet store not too long ago when he spotted a beautiful parrot in the window. One quick visit and Loaf was sold on the idea. Wouldn’t you know it, the parrot is called Polly! How long will the new love affair last, I wonder. 😊
As a side note, I have been thinking about the cat a bit more. I think it will now be called Oscar, like the neighbor cat that comes to visit my granddaughters most days.
3.
Generations – Created by Don Cheke
One of the things that makes my heart glow, is when I’m together with my family and we have four generations of girls among us. I just treasure this whole business and I am reminded of a scene in Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye is introducing his family to Perchik and he points them out one at a time saying. “This is mine, and this is mine, and this is mine.” Motel is among them and when Tevye gets to him, he says, “this one is not mine.” The point is, like Tevye, I am proud that these are my girls, not as a possession of course, but as the loved ones in my life. That is not to say that I don’t love my brothers, but only that all these generations make a sweet connection.
In the comic above, I have decided to introduce Loaf’s mother, Loafia, otherwise known as Baba Dubronovich, or even Baba D. And no, she’s not a rap singer, even with a handle like that. 😊 Loafia is the sole surviving family member of that generation. Loafia, although born in Canada, is proudly Ukrainian by her family heritage and brought with her all that is good about being Ukrainian – the innate ability to make perogies, borsch, and cabbage rolls, for a start, and the ability to drag celebrations, like Christmas, on for weeks.
It’s uncanny how much Baba D looks my grandma Bazylak did. Always the rolled-up hair, the simple homemade dress, and the rolled stockings. My grandma was known to be toothless and refused to wear dentures. I often teased her that I was going to carve her some wooden teeth, and this would always get a bit of a laugh out of her, a rare occurrence for her. Grandma had a very large bosom and once when questioned by Denise why she doesn’t wear a bra, she said, “why should I prop them up!” 😊 Grandma was also very old school and believed everyone had their place. This was evident one time when we had moved her into a new senior’s residence and Denise was washing the windows. She was unsettled by seeing Denise doing such a menial task. She said, “Denise, you’re a teacher,” meaning that window washing was beneath her.
Poor old grandma Bazylak was a troubled soul with a life lived in fear and with heaps of mental health issues. She was an odd duck in many ways, but she was our odd duck. She did have some qualities that made her unique, such as the horrid saying, “we don’t thank our own.” She also had a talent for braiding her old stockings into small rugs when she had saved up enough of a collection to do so. They kind of grossed out us young ones, but it was her way of recycling, not that she would have thought of it that way.
Unlike my grandma Bazylak, Baba D, is everything Loaf and his family could have hoped for. She is wise in the ways of the world, is kind and loving in all ways imaginable, and supportive. She expects everyone to carry their own load, including herself, but she is always there with her brand of loving support. No one in the family can imagine life without her so they try never to think about that – just taking, and living, one day at a time.
Did you notice that little Loafina has blue hair in the cartoon above? Don’t sweat the small stuff, Sally Mander wisely advises, so we won’t make a fuss, even though Loaf would sure like to comment. He is reminded of what Baba D might say, which would just be a simple Oy! 😊
4.
Pirates – Created by Don Cheke
Loaf is already finding out that Polly, like the ostrich before, has a brain the size of a walnut, one that might be consider a “bird brain.” Polly, like everyone in Loaf’s life, just won’t take direction. Polly just doesn’t get that she is supposed to play the pirate’s parrot during today’s dress-up adventures, which Loaf wants to entertain Loafina with.
5.
Hobbies – Created by Don Cheke
Denise and I learned via Kahlil Gibran that it is healthy to have some separateness in your togetherness, meaning that although you are a couple, you should have some separate interests that fulfill you as an individual. Only with a full cup can you, in return, have something to offer your significant other. The reading from where this treasure was found was chosen as one of the readings that we had during our wedding ceremony to remind us of its significance.
Loaf, like many happily married men, knows that marriage is not always smooth sailing and that it is good to have a separate space, a separate hobby, to attend to when those stressful times occur. Some men garden, some men spend time fixing up an old car. Some men take long peaceful walks, while others spend time drawing, painting, or whittling away on a stick. Loaf spends his time chiseling away on large granite blocks during these times, like he envisions his Easter Island ancestors did. As the loving father Loaf is, he is passing along this wisdom to Little Loaf who is currently at odds with Sally Mander. It doesn’t mean that he should ignore her, but rather, to give each other enough time to process what is currently causing the issue. Time to cool off too, if that is what is required. It is a healthy way to manage the way through.
Loaf had considered making shrunken heads at one time, as a stress reliever, but thought it would be problematic finding someone who would let him shrink their head. A bit of a relationship stopper if you did it to the one you were having the issue with. 😊
Note too, that Loaf is illustrating that it is important to wear personal protective gear while making chips.
“Hobbies” is a celebratory cartoon as it is my 100th Loaf cartoon. My initial goal was 52 blog posts, and 100 cartoons, so I have reached part of the goal at this time. I hope that I can find a few more things to talk about over the next 12 weeks so that I can complete the entire goal.
We now return to regularly scheduled programming….
Donald B. Cheke – November 25, 2024