Wow! That's pretty cool, Olive. I want to try that! Excuse me, folks, while I go find two strangers with dogs I've never met and stick my hand inside their mouths and grab their tongues. Um; I should clarify; into the dogs' mouths.
"Oh . . . Ha ha ha! Mr. Wynter, Greta says your apartment stinks. Her sense of smell is really acute, and she wishes you would bathe more often." [Greta high-fives Olive] -- Scottie
I had completely forgotten that Olive has Animal Mindspeech. Perhaps she will avert disaster during the Santa Royale Hot Air Balloon Festival by coordinating all the seagulls in a rescue operation of some kind…fauxprof
And off we go to meet Estelle and Dr. Ed at the veterinary clinic. Bring your antibacterial hand wipes, Mary. Olive will be opening cages and grabbing tongues, left and right. I hope that Dr. Ed's practice includes treating rattlesnakes.
Maybe Dr. Ed Harding will offer to hire Olive as his new assistant. Yes, she's a minor and her parents live on the other side of the country, among other piddling issues, BUT she has special powers and she's Mary Worth's acolyte/handmaiden. It's a match made in the Worthiverse!
"Oh Mary, we are up SO high in the sky! All the people on the ground look like ants! Except that fat guy with the combover by the concession stand." -- Scottie
"Olive, you remind me of myself at your age: fantastic in every possible way, brimming with goodness and absent of any fault, and, aw shucks, I'll say it, the finest human being on the planet."
I've been reading this strip for a while now and I don't recall Mary having any particular abilities or unusual talents. Muffin making and meddling really don't seem up to the standards of being able to read animals minds and being able to fortell potential disasters. Olive doesn't seem very perceptive when it comes to BS, does she?
I can only hope that I am as wise, perceptive, talented and well-dressed as Mary when I am the oldest human being on the planet. Hmmphh! Young folks today are so fresh.
To save money, Mary has chosen the Go Fly Yourself Balloon Festival ticket. This is her opportunity to show off her and Olive’s extraordinary superhuman abilities. Go, Mary, go fly yourself! (I, as always, will continue to hope for the worst, er, best.)
Good point @KitKat. Looks like that guy decided to bail rather than ride with Mary. Olive hasn't noticed, has she? Maybe she's not as prescient as we have been led to believe.
Frequent longtime readers will recognize Ian Cameron’s near-doppelgänger cousin, Lachlan MacMurdoch, from The Case of the Missing Case of Auld Sheep Dip, which disappeared from Ian’s liquor locker on Hogmanay Eve, 1999. One can only hope these cases have nothing in common, but the cousin seems drunk. BWI.?
"Excuse me, Mrs. Worth, but who's the captain of this balloon? That's right, I am. Now listen, the forecast in last week's Santa Royale Penny Saver said it would be clear today, okay? So who are you going to believe, them or your lying eyes? Besides, my horoscope said it's nothing to worry about. Alright, hold on now, I'm gonna take 'er up a little higher." -- Scottie
Pink clouds at night, Sailors delight. Pink clouds at morn, Sailors forlorn. Pink clouds at noon, Balloonist swoon. Black edges abound, All hit the ground.
Yeah, @ hmmmm; I agree. I didn't see the Comics Curmudgeon comments until after I had tried my hand.
Meanwhile, the wind has become gusty and the balloon is being rocked uncontrollably. Who could have known? What a surprise!
We know nothing bad will actually happen, although I guess Stanley could suffer some harm. Will Olive save him ? Maybe she's can control the weather. I can hardly wait!
Olive and Mary should have tossed Stanley out when they had the chance. That would have lightened the basket enough to lift it up and over those trees.
Oh no, how could this have happened? Well, Stanley (spoken in a tone dripping with sarcasm), perhaps if you hadn’t frequented the Balloon Fest Pub with your cousin, and proceeded to get blootered out yer tree, we wouldn’t be in this tree.
Stanley: "Oh no... How could this have happened?" Mary: "Oh, Stanley. Please don't blame yourself. No one would have expected you to read the weather forecast or to educate yourself in the piloting of a hot air balloon, or even to familiarize yourself with emergency measures before taking on as passengers, a child and an elderly woman, and then steering them out over a remote area, heavily populated by wolves and bears, and where there is absolutely no possibility of cell phone coverage."
Mary: "Oh, and by the way, do either of you have a pencil? Seeing that the chances of us being rescued are very slim, I'd like to leave a note for my friend, Dr. Jeff, in the remote chance that someday our bodies will be found. I'd like him to know that tonight would have been the night, tee hee."
Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley. (yes, I'm old).
I wonder if they will realize that even if you don't have cell phone coverage, you can SOS with your phone? And also, you can be located by your phone signal. On the other hand, will the Santa Royale officials realize that they are missing? Maybe Mary's reputation will be so well known that they won't want to look for her. Too bad about Olive and Stanley, though.
If Wilbur could fall off a cruise ship and only lose a shoe, Mary and Olive will combine their powers to survive somehow, e.g., summoning a kind Sasquatch who will gently shake them from the tree and carry them to safety. The jury's still out on the befuddled Stanley, who might be one of those hapless minor characters who become collateral damage. The Santa Royale Balloon Festival must have very lax safety qualifications for balloons and their pilots. Did Mary sign a release for herself? How about for Olive, who's a minor, and for whom Mary has no custodial authority?
Camilla Parker Bowles, previously crouching on the floor to avoid paparazzi, pops up to note her concern: “That’s not possible! Long live me! (The Queen).”
While Saul and Eve are out walking their dogs together, Max and Greta suddenly and simultaneously become agitated. They begin straining at their leashes in the direction of the ill-fated balloon. Eventually they both summon the strength to drag their owners behind them as they heed Olive's call. Thirty minutes later, on a remote mountain trail, Saul collapses. As an exhausted Eve tends to him, the dogs abandon them and continue on their mission. Eve rethinks her opinion that dogs are good. -- Scottie
Meanwhile, lily-livered Stanley suggests that "maybe one of us can climb down and go for help," while clearly meaning one of those two. He's every bit as brave and manly as he is smart. -- Scottie
@Scottie, you seem to be on the KM trail. Saul never removing that sport coat will contribute to his heat exhaustion.
Maybe Max and Greta have friends at the Santa Royale Canine Police Academy, and they'll drag Saul and Eve there so the pooches can sound the alarm: "Bark, Arf! BARK ARF! Awhoooo!!"
"What is it, girl? What is it? Did Timmy fall down a well? . . . No? . . . Um, is Timmy trapped in quicksand? . . . No? . . . Um, well, I'm completely out of ideas!" -- Scottie
On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 01:33:17 PM EDT, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Monday, September 29, 2025, 1:31 PM, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Ruh -Roh! Our supreme leaders are in trouble! What do we do? Hey Oli!
‘Turn left out of the dog park and trot 3.7 miles on Wild Barking Lane. Turn right on Charterstone Wilderness Road and race wildly to a stand of trees with a balloon stuck in it. Go past that balloon; it’s Wilbur Weston, and he has strong survivor skills. Then run to the next tree and yap mindlessly until Olive contacts the Rescue Rovers (mentally). Meanwhile, Mary Worth will sing the Aretha Franklin version of Rescue Me, and Stanley continues to bring up what he’s been drinking. Saul and Eve are collapsed by the roadside several miles back.
So the dogs have to drag the oldies into the forest to find the tree with a balloon in it (5 miles? 10?). Then someone has to run back for help. I predict somebody (besides Stanley) is gonna fall dead.
Never mind, forget the oldies. Arf! Woof! Sure hope these leashes don't get snagged on anything. It's amazing that Santa Royale was allowed to pave roads through a forest. I wonder why Olive, Mary and Stanley can't see any from their vantage point.
Saul and Eve are in a self-driving, no-seeing Buick. Expect them to crash into the correct tree and dislodge the stuck balloon on Sunday. (We'll never know who made the inane rabbit remark.)
Stanley is hugely disappointed to see that Max doesn't have a small keg of brandy strapped around his neck. That flask he's been pulling on since this morning is almost empty! -- Scottie
I find myself wishing Moy could come up with an imaginative plotline that also could be believable. Seems like whenever we get a fun plotline the arc is ridiculously outlandish. Meanwhile, Max and Greta have managed to loose their leashes. I wonder if the Santa Royale Forest Service has a leash law.
Bless me Mary, for I have sinned. I first erred in assuming that because they both have beards, Stanley and Ian were related, and that they were both Scotsmen. And that they both drank both on and off the job.
Extensive research has now shown me the error of my ways.
In no scene is Stanley shown having a wee drinkie. In no scene does Stanley utter anything like “I’s fin to hurl in a balloon.” Nor does he hurl. There are no kilts worn (as far as as I can tell). No snide dirk references. no casual allusions to cabers. Therefore I can only conclude that Stanley is neither Scot. Nor a drinker. Nor has he been identified as male. Therefore, they (Stanley) is a teetotaler from California who drinks only Red Bull, and will acquit themself with dignity during the balloon rescue. Unless they fall on the dynamic duo and their dogs.
And, as Bobby Burns would say, “DON’T QUOTE ME, LASSIE!”
And how handy that the vast deep forest has roads wide enough to accommodate a shiny salmon-color firetruck (Santa Royale’s theme colors are salmon and aqua).
Convenient, yes. Wide enough for a fire truck, check. But no valet parking? I don't think so. In any case, Saul is going to have to turn back once he remembers that he forgot to put his Hoveround in the trunk.
OK, so a road has magically appeared right next to the balloon. So now what? We are to believe that Saul and Eve get to them before anyone else? And will Saul and Eve's phones magically work? Or will they have to turn around and go find help. Good luck catching the dogs because they still don't have any leads.
Ah-ha! Once again, Mary has saved the day! Her quick thinking has alerted their rescuers to their exact location! Otherwise, I hate to think how long it would have taken Saul and Eve to look up in the tree!
Oh dear. Two of the three rescue workers obviously recognized Mary and have decided to leave her there. The third hesitates only because that's his Uncle Stanley. His hesitation is due to the fact that Uncle Stanley once promised to bequeath him his 1965 Shelby should an unfortunate balloon accident happen.
It's like the captain going down with the ship, right? Uh oh.... I wonder why Santa Royale painted their emergency vehicles brown. Were they trying to get them to blend into the forest?
As the rescue workers continue to mill about the truck playing Candy Crush on their phones, Mary and Stanley have decided that it's perfectly appropriate to put this rescue operation into the hands of a 14-year-old child. Oh well. Maybe if those unpredictable high winds show up again, the balloon will blow Olive all the way to NY and Mary can save some money on airfare.
I'm kinda liking Mary's new softer, windblown look. And @ Scottie and hmmm: too right. Somethings gonna happen! Maybe Olive will get to Oz after all. She'd fit right in. Maybe she'll learn to live in the tree canopy forever more. Maybe she'll disappear! Or, in true Moy form, nothing will happen.
Later that evening: Stanley relaxes in his La-Z-Boy, sipping a cup of Hadacol, listening to conelrad, and leafing through a favorite old album, “Sunny and Windy, the Balloonatics”, which detailed the marvelous previous career of Stanley and his late wife, Sally. Sally was known as Sunny, because of her sunny disposition. Stanley…. well, yes, he was and is, windy.
Then, he thinks to himself, “That Mary Worth is one fine-looking old woman. I wonder if she would go out to dinner, er..lunch, er..a cup of coffee, er..a walk with me? Can’t hurt to ask…Wonder how old she is…? I know, I’ll ask her who the first president she ever voted for was! “ (Mary: James M Cox, of course, just as soon as we ladies got the vote!)
Headlines from that week’s Santa Royale Whig Democrat: Elderly Physician Punches Out Elderly Balloonatic in Clash over Favors of Ancient Woman
Stanley decides to move to the Villages in Florida where elderly widows with money and loose morals await. Buh-bye, Stan!
On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 7:22 PM, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Later that evening: Stanley relaxes in his La-Z-Boy, sipping a cup of Hadacol, listening to conelrad, and leafing through a favorite old album, “Sunny and Windy, the Balloonatics”, which detailed the marvelous previous career of Stanley and his late wife, Sally. Sally was known as Sunny, because of her sunny disposition. Stanley…. well, yes, he was and is, windy.
Then, he thinks to himself, “That Mary Worth is one fine-looking old woman. I wonder if she would go out to dinner, er..lunch, er..a cup of coffee, er..a walk with me? Can’t hurt to ask…Wonder how old she is…? I know, I’ll ask her who the first president she ever voted for was! “ (Mary: James M Cox, of course, just as soon as we ladies got the vote!)
Headlines from that week’s Santa Royale Whig Democrat: Elderly Physician Punches Out Elderly Balloonatic in Clash over Favors of Ancient Woman
Stanley decides to move to the Villages in Florida where elderly widows with money and loose morals await. Buh-bye, Stan!
Mr. firefighter must have overheard the plan to leave Olive in the tree. But that stretcher is hardly long enough to hold a toddler, never mind a 14-year-old. And why a stretcher? Wouldn't it be more likely they'd use that bucket thing that tree cutters and electrical workers use? In any case, no rescue worker on the planet is going to take two old codgers down and leave a kid up there by herself.
Terrific comments, everyone! You are firing on all cylinders! (@hmmm, it warms my heart that you spotted the errant Jerrybear post and recognized me. You are more observant than me, har har.)
On to today: "Congratulations, Stanley, as you go down in history as the first pilot to crash a balloon in a Santa Royale Balloon Festival! Hope you find a good lawyer -- you sure need one."
Observations: 1. The Santa Royale Fire Department employs only men and uses dog-bed mattresses as rescue equipment. 2. Does anyone else think the balloon and gondola look like a wacky primitive statue from a 1950s Grade D movie? Even Ed Wood would chortle.
Scottie was right! It's not a pretty scene, folks; not pretty at all! Thankfully, the camera has quickly swept away to focus on the dogs. Don't worry. No one fell out of the gondola. Actually, it's worse. Stanley's pants ripped and Mary lost her dentures.
What, we're cheated of seeing Mary, Olive, and Stanley being extricated from the tree? How could KM cheat June of this opportunity? Those illustrations would've been worthy of a Worthy Award, if the Worthy Awards hadn't been retired with Wanders, as @Scottie mentioned recently.
Tomorrow: Mary, Olive, Eve, Saul, Max, and Greta pile into the car and drive off, leaving Stanley weakly muttering under the tree.
Mary's "Hmm" translates to "Tomorrow I'll smile at Olive, give her a quick hug, then start my victory lap, which will last all week. After all, I'm the one who mentors Olive and her supernatural powers! I also have to call the Santa Royale Balloon Fest manager to complain about that idiot Stanley. What a dumb doofus!"
The depiction of behavior in this story, as in just about every story, gets lamer and lamer. One might think that Mary would be very concerned about seeing that Stanley and especially Olive are being brought down safely -- or at least somewhat interested. Or mildly curious. But evidently, one would be wrong. She's safe and that's all she cares about. -- Scottie
Mary found a diner that serves its sandwiches on ultra-dark pumpernickel polymer foam - mmm, chewy! Olive's chomping away, but Mary hasn't even removed the cellophane-frilled toothpick from her unusual club sandwich. Maybe Mary's learning something from this experience.
"Mutual love successfully carried my distress call to [Max and Greta]!"??!! Egad. I guess this means that the Tee-Hee Twosome, Evy and Ed, have no idea their daughter was in a balloon crash - not much mutual love there. It's mid October; is Olive ever returning to school? Or is Mary going to home school her?
"Mutual love" ?? She spent all of 5 minutes with those dogs. 'Mutual like' -sure. I'm sure Greta would like Saul to give her more treats. Olive should pass that bit on ASAP. @KitKat: too right. Olive has been out of school a long time. But I think muffin making interferes with home schooling. Maybe Mary could ask Dawn to help out? (shudder).
Normal people would at least lift an eyebrow or look askance while listening to Olive's explanation. Only Mary would launch a discourse on mental telepathy and being "awakened." Hoo boy....
I've been calling for help in my mind with every vital organ I've got along with a couple of non-vital ones, but this story just keeps slogging on. And it's gotten way more weird than even the fish funeral. Please, Karen. Make. It. Stop. -- Scottie
(Is this her way of making us beg for more Wilbur? If it is, I'm starting to crack.)
Well, here we go. I could handle a Toby story right now. How about Doctor whats-his-name becomes a grandfather and loses all interest in Mary? That would be fun!!
Just when I expected Mary to offer to take custody of Olive on the grounds that she is far more qualified to mentor Olive and her special powers, we're whisked to the airport for the Big Goodbye. Ed and Edy might've given serious thought to that; they often seem bewildered by Olive.
If the next "plot" (a too-grand description for KM's writing) involves either or both Westons, I'll join in the projectile puking that @Scottie mentioned.
Who hugs like that? Posing for a picture perhaps? Olive doesn't seem to have a selfie stick, however. Are they in a movie and we missed it. Does Brigman not know how to show people hugging? I agree @ KitKat and Scottie: no Westons!
Ah, the Santa Royale Airport (SRO), where passengers fly standing while strapped to the fuselage in the back of a cargo plane for their 20-minute flight to the real airport in L.A. -- Scottie
Who would have predicted, except all of us, that we would get a week of Mary's victory lap (1) on Jeff's outrageous yacht and (2) at the Bum Boat. By Thursday, Jeff will be glassy eyed as his favorite girl drones on about Olive and her remarkable powers, Greta's love for Max and Greta, blah blah blah....
3,709 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 3601 – 3709 of 3709Will Max communicate with Olive about the time he took a bullet for Eve?
Greta is particularly grateful because she can now communicate with someone and tell them exactly how she feels about those stupid neck-kerchiefs.
Wow! That's pretty cool, Olive. I want to try that! Excuse me, folks, while I go find two strangers with dogs I've never met and stick my hand inside their mouths and grab their tongues. Um; I should clarify; into the dogs' mouths.
"Oh . . . Ha ha ha! Mr. Wynter, Greta says your apartment stinks. Her sense of smell is really acute, and she wishes you would bathe more often." [Greta high-fives Olive] -- Scottie
I had completely forgotten that Olive has Animal Mindspeech. Perhaps she will avert disaster during the Santa Royale Hot Air Balloon Festival by coordinating all the seagulls in a rescue operation of some kind…fauxprof
Greta complains: ‘Wish I had a scarf instead of this ridiculous bow tie. Everyone is always misgendering me, even the vet!’
How odd!! All this time I've had the dogs reversed. I thought Max was the dachhund! I mean, the bow tie and all!
And off we go to meet Estelle and Dr. Ed at the veterinary clinic. Bring your antibacterial hand wipes, Mary. Olive will be opening cages and grabbing tongues, left and right. I hope that Dr. Ed's practice includes treating rattlesnakes.
There have been at least two movies that told us all about vets who could 'talk to the animals'. Sounds like a plan, Olive. You'll be in high demand.
Maybe Dr. Ed Harding will offer to hire Olive as his new assistant. Yes, she's a minor and her parents live on the other side of the country, among other piddling issues, BUT she has special powers and she's Mary Worth's acolyte/handmaiden. It's a match made in the Worthiverse!
I wonder how long Moy will make us wait. We all know something is gonna happen, and it won't just be 'Wheee'.
"Oh Mary, we are up SO high in the sky! All the people on the ground look like ants! Except that fat guy with the combover by the concession stand." -- Scottie
Apparently, Olive had an aisle seat on the flight from New York.
"Olive, you remind me of myself at your age: fantastic in every possible way, brimming with goodness and absent of any fault, and, aw shucks, I'll say it, the finest human being on the planet."
Sheesh. -- Scottie
I've been reading this strip for a while now and I don't recall Mary having any particular abilities or unusual talents. Muffin making and meddling really don't seem up to the standards of being able to read animals minds and being able to fortell potential disasters. Olive doesn't seem very perceptive when it comes to BS, does she?
I can only hope that I am as wise, perceptive, talented and well-dressed as Mary when I am the oldest human being on the planet. Hmmphh! Young folks today are so fresh.
Mary's interest in Olive is veering toward the increasingly weird and is giving me the heebie jeebies. Eeesh.
The guy who's piloting this balloon is certainly keeping his distance in a small space.
To save money, Mary has chosen the Go Fly Yourself Balloon Festival ticket. This is her opportunity to show off her and Olive’s extraordinary superhuman abilities. Go, Mary, go fly yourself! (I, as always, will continue to hope for the worst, er, best.)
Good point @KitKat. Looks like that guy decided to bail rather than ride with Mary. Olive hasn't noticed, has she? Maybe she's not as prescient as we have been led to believe.
“Here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Stanley!”
Perfect, @meg!
"But I wouldn't worry about it!" = famous last words.
Um… Stanley seems a tad blasé to me. I think I might be getting a bit worried considering he’s just gazing off into the east, seemingly without a care in the world, instead of rooting around in the basket for his barometer. Perhaps Stanley is a little, shall I say, troubled? This might be an excellent time, Mary, to muster up one of your mental health meddles.
Frequent longtime readers will recognize Ian Cameron’s near-doppelgänger cousin, Lachlan MacMurdoch, from The Case of the Missing Case of Auld Sheep Dip, which disappeared from Ian’s liquor locker on Hogmanay Eve, 1999. One can only hope these cases have nothing in common, but the cousin seems drunk. BWI.?
UH-OH!!!!!
Ha haaaa! Terrific comments, everyone!
"Excuse me, Mrs. Worth, but who's the captain of this balloon? That's right, I am. Now listen, the forecast in last week's Santa Royale Penny Saver said it would be clear today, okay? So who are you going to believe, them or your lying eyes? Besides, my horoscope said it's nothing to worry about. Alright, hold on now, I'm gonna take 'er up a little higher." -- Scottie
“She cannae take any more, Mrs. Worth…She’s gonna blow!”
Pink clouds at night,
Sailors delight.
Pink clouds at morn,
Sailors forlorn.
Pink clouds at noon,
Balloonist swoon.
Black edges abound,
All hit the ground.
I think Josh at Comics Curmudgeon said it best. Apparently, Olive's intuitive powers are limited to New York City-specific disasters.
Yeah, @ hmmmm; I agree. I didn't see the Comics Curmudgeon comments until after I had tried my hand.
Meanwhile, the wind has become gusty and the balloon is being rocked uncontrollably. Who could have known? What a surprise!
We know nothing bad will actually happen, although I guess Stanley could suffer some harm. Will Olive save him ? Maybe she's can control the weather. I can hardly wait!
"OOF!" "ARGH!"
Coming tomorrow: "$#&!%)!" -- Scottie
Wow, that's a Mary Worth face to remember! Yikes! -- Scottie
Olive and Mary should have tossed Stanley out when they had the chance. That would have lightened the basket enough to lift it up and over those trees.
I wonder what happened to the other balloons. If they get stuck in the tree tops, who will have to climb down?
Oh no, how could this have happened? Well, Stanley (spoken in a tone dripping with sarcasm), perhaps if you hadn’t frequented the Balloon Fest Pub with your cousin, and proceeded to get blootered out yer tree, we wouldn’t be in this tree.
Stanley: "Oh no... How could this have happened?"
Mary: "Oh, Stanley. Please don't blame yourself. No one would have expected you to read the weather forecast or to educate yourself in the piloting of a hot air balloon, or even to familiarize yourself with emergency measures before taking on as passengers, a child and an elderly woman, and then steering them out over a remote area, heavily populated by wolves and bears, and where there is absolutely no possibility of cell phone coverage."
Mary: "Oh, and by the way, do either of you have a pencil? Seeing that the chances of us being rescued are very slim, I'd like to leave a note for my friend, Dr. Jeff, in the remote chance that someday our bodies will be found. I'd like him to know that tonight would have been the night, tee hee."
Ol' Stanley isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the chandelier. -- Scottie
Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into, Stanley. (yes, I'm old).
I wonder if they will realize that even if you don't have cell phone coverage, you can SOS with your phone? And also, you can be located by your phone signal. On the other hand, will the Santa Royale officials realize that they are missing? Maybe Mary's reputation will be so well known that they won't want to look for her. Too bad about Olive and Stanley, though.
If Wilbur could fall off a cruise ship and only lose a shoe, Mary and Olive will combine their powers to survive somehow, e.g., summoning a kind Sasquatch who will gently shake them from the tree and carry them to safety. The jury's still out on the befuddled Stanley, who might be one of those hapless minor characters who become collateral damage. The Santa Royale Balloon Festival must have very lax safety qualifications for balloons and their pilots. Did Mary sign a release for herself? How about for Olive, who's a minor, and for whom Mary has no custodial authority?
I must say, I'm impressed. Just when I thought this strip could not possibly get any more idiotic, KM somehow manages to make it so.
Camilla Parker Bowles, previously crouching on the floor to avoid paparazzi, pops up to note her concern:
“That’s not possible! Long live me! (The Queen).”
Check out her teeth. Just like CPB’s.
While Saul and Eve are out walking their dogs together, Max and Greta suddenly and simultaneously become agitated. They begin straining at their leashes in the direction of the ill-fated balloon. Eventually they both summon the strength to drag their owners behind them as they heed Olive's call. Thirty minutes later, on a remote mountain trail, Saul collapses. As an exhausted Eve tends to him, the dogs abandon them and continue on their mission. Eve rethinks her opinion that dogs are good. -- Scottie
Meanwhile, lily-livered Stanley suggests that "maybe one of us can climb down and go for help," while clearly meaning one of those two. He's every bit as brave and manly as he is smart. -- Scottie
Thanks @ Scottie, for the most logical prediction. I can't imagine how summoning Max and Greta will solve anything except killing off Saul and Eve.
@Scottie, you seem to be on the KM trail. Saul never removing that sport coat will contribute to his heat exhaustion.
Maybe Max and Greta have friends at the Santa Royale Canine Police Academy, and they'll drag Saul and Eve there so the pooches can sound the alarm: "Bark, Arf! BARK ARF! Awhoooo!!"
Santa Royale built a dog park on the edge of a forest. How convenient! And wildly unlikely.
@MissScarlet, that may explain why no one else is at Dog Park.
Notice that Mary hasn't closed her eyes and thought-bubbled, "Jeff...please hear me...we need help!"
"What is it, girl? What is it? Did Timmy fall down a well? . . . No? . . . Um, is Timmy trapped in quicksand? . . . No? . . . Um, well, I'm completely out of ideas!" -- Scottie
On Monday, September 29, 2025 at 01:33:17 PM EDT, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Monday, September 29, 2025, 1:31 PM, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Ruh -Roh! Our supreme leaders are in trouble! What do we do? Hey Oli!
‘Turn left out of the dog park and trot 3.7 miles on Wild Barking Lane. Turn right on Charterstone Wilderness Road and race wildly to a stand of trees with a balloon stuck in it. Go past that balloon; it’s Wilbur Weston, and he has strong survivor skills. Then run to the next tree and yap mindlessly until Olive contacts the Rescue Rovers (mentally). Meanwhile, Mary Worth will sing the Aretha Franklin version of Rescue Me, and Stanley continues to bring up what he’s been drinking. Saul and Eve are collapsed by the roadside several miles back.
So the dogs have to drag the oldies into the forest to find the tree with a balloon in it (5 miles? 10?). Then someone has to run back for help. I
predict somebody (besides Stanley) is gonna fall dead.
Never mind, forget the oldies. Arf! Woof! Sure hope these leashes don't get snagged on anything.
It's amazing that Santa Royale was allowed to pave roads through a forest. I wonder why Olive, Mary and Stanley can't see any from their vantage point.
Saul and Eve are in a self-driving, no-seeing Buick. Expect them to crash into the correct tree and dislodge the stuck balloon on Sunday. (We'll never know who made the inane rabbit remark.)
That is quite a car, as @KitKat has pointed out. And hopefully, it is all wheel drive.
If we still had The Worthies, I think
"The vast, dense forest . . . GULP!"
would be a strong candidate for a Ridiculous Thought Balloon of the Year Award. -- Scottie
Saul: "Of all the forests in all the towns in all the world, they have to run into a forest with trees."
@Scottie, absolutely. Wanders delivered epic awards presentations. Thank you, Mr. W!
@hmmm, that's hilarious!
Is Saul tracking Greta and Max using his Codger Mind Meld?
I see that Saul and Eve have apparently purchased Mary’s Pepto-pink Oldsmobuick. Can’t wait to see what Mary is driving these days…
Stanley is hugely disappointed to see that Max doesn't have a small keg of brandy strapped around his neck. That flask he's been pulling on since this morning is almost empty! -- Scottie
I find myself wishing Moy could come up with an imaginative plotline that also could be believable. Seems like whenever we get a fun plotline the arc is ridiculously outlandish.
Meanwhile, Max and Greta have managed to loose their leashes. I wonder if the Santa Royale Forest Service has a leash law.
Bless me Mary, for I have sinned. I first erred in assuming that because they both have beards, Stanley and Ian were related, and that they were both Scotsmen. And that they both drank both on and off the job.
Extensive research has now shown me the error of my ways.
In no scene is Stanley shown having a wee drinkie. In no scene does Stanley utter anything like
“I’s fin to hurl in a balloon.” Nor does he hurl. There are no kilts worn (as far as as I can tell). No snide dirk references. no casual allusions to cabers. Therefore I can only conclude that Stanley is neither Scot. Nor a drinker. Nor has he been identified as male. Therefore, they (Stanley) is a teetotaler from California who drinks only Red Bull, and will acquit themself with dignity during the balloon rescue. Unless they fall on the dynamic duo and their dogs.
And, as Bobby Burns would say, “DON’T QUOTE ME, LASSIE!”
So the balloon crashed right next to the road that Saul and Eve are driving! How conveeeenient! -- Scottie
And how handy that the vast deep forest has roads wide enough to accommodate a shiny salmon-color firetruck (Santa Royale’s theme colors are salmon and aqua).
Convenient, yes. Wide enough for a fire truck, check. But no valet parking? I don't think so. In any case, Saul is going to have to turn back once he remembers that he forgot to put his Hoveround in the trunk.
OK, so a road has magically appeared right next to the balloon. So now what? We are to believe that Saul and Eve get to them before anyone else? And will Saul and Eve's phones magically work? Or will they have to turn around and go find help. Good luck catching the dogs because they still don't have any leads.
BTW, what happened to the unexpected and freakish storm?
@MissScarlett -- The storm, seeing Stanley having a cow in the treetop, laughed heartily and then moved on, saying "My work here is done." -- Scottie
…put his Hoveround in the trunk? Is that how he
refers to his wife?? Or do all the hip codgers use cool lingo like that?
"...and you, sir, you incompetent doofus..."
What a relief -- the dogs will keep them company. Happy days are here again!
Ah-ha! Once again, Mary has saved the day! Her quick thinking has alerted their rescuers to their exact location! Otherwise, I hate to think how long it would have taken Saul and Eve to look up in the tree!
p.s. Good morning, jerrybear, aka KitKat!
Saul has a heart attack while driving and both he and Eve bite the dust. Meanwhile, help doesn't come for days and Mary ends up eating Stanley.
A month after their rescue, an investigation by the Santa Royale City Council results in Olive being put on trial for witchcraft. -- Scottie
Oh dear. Two of the three rescue workers obviously recognized Mary and have decided to leave her there. The third hesitates only because that's his Uncle Stanley. His hesitation is due to the fact that Uncle Stanley once promised to bequeath him his 1965 Shelby should an unfortunate balloon accident happen.
Later in the evening, back at Mary’s place:
“Whatever you do, Olive, you must never mention this adventure to your parents.”
Olive’s thought balloon:”As if!”
It's like the captain going down with the ship, right? Uh oh....
I wonder why Santa Royale painted their emergency vehicles brown. Were they trying to get them to blend into the forest?
As the rescue workers continue to mill about the truck playing Candy Crush on their phones, Mary and Stanley have decided that it's perfectly appropriate to put this rescue operation into the hands of a 14-year-old child. Oh well. Maybe if those unpredictable high winds show up again, the balloon will blow Olive all the way to NY and Mary can save some money on airfare.
Stanley is going to bail on a 14-year-old girl? What a dirtbag! -- Scottie
I'm kinda liking Mary's new softer, windblown look.
And @ Scottie and hmmm: too right. Somethings gonna happen! Maybe Olive will get to Oz after all. She'd fit right in. Maybe she'll learn to live in the tree canopy forever more. Maybe she'll disappear! Or, in true Moy form, nothing will happen.
Later that evening: Stanley relaxes in his La-Z-Boy, sipping a cup of Hadacol, listening to conelrad, and leafing through a favorite old album, “Sunny and Windy, the Balloonatics”, which detailed the marvelous previous career of Stanley and his late wife, Sally. Sally was known as Sunny, because of her sunny disposition. Stanley…. well, yes, he was and is, windy.
Then, he thinks to himself, “That Mary Worth is one fine-looking old woman. I wonder if she would go out to dinner, er..lunch, er..a cup of coffee, er..a walk with me? Can’t hurt to ask…Wonder how old she is…? I know, I’ll ask her who the first president she ever voted for was! “ (Mary: James M Cox, of course, just as soon as we ladies got the vote!)
Headlines from that week’s Santa Royale Whig Democrat:
Elderly Physician Punches Out Elderly Balloonatic in Clash over Favors of Ancient Woman
Stanley decides to move to the Villages in Florida where elderly widows with money and loose morals await.
Buh-bye, Stan!
-
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
On Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 7:22 PM, mtrehub@aol.com wrote:
Later that evening: Stanley relaxes in his La-Z-Boy, sipping a cup of Hadacol, listening to conelrad, and leafing through a favorite old album, “Sunny and Windy, the Balloonatics”, which detailed the marvelous previous career of Stanley and his late wife, Sally. Sally was known as Sunny, because of her sunny disposition. Stanley…. well, yes, he was and is, windy.
Then, he thinks to himself, “That Mary Worth is one fine-looking old woman. I wonder if she would go out to dinner, er..lunch, er..a cup of coffee, er..a walk with me? Can’t hurt to ask…Wonder how old she is…? I know, I’ll ask her who the first president she ever voted for was! “ (Mary: James M Cox, of course, just as soon as we ladies got the vote!)
Headlines from that week’s Santa Royale Whig Democrat:
Elderly Physician Punches Out Elderly Balloonatic in Clash over Favors of Ancient Woman
Stanley decides to move to the Villages in Florida where elderly widows with money and loose morals await.
Buh-bye, Stan!
-
Mr. firefighter must have overheard the plan to leave Olive in the tree. But that stretcher is hardly long enough to hold a toddler, never mind a 14-year-old. And why a stretcher? Wouldn't it be more likely they'd use that bucket thing that tree cutters and electrical workers use? In any case, no rescue worker on the planet is going to take two old codgers down and leave a kid up there by herself.
Terrific comments, everyone! You are firing on all cylinders! (@hmmm, it warms my heart that you spotted the errant Jerrybear post and recognized me. You are more observant than me, har har.)
On to today: "Congratulations, Stanley, as you go down in history as the first pilot to crash a balloon in a Santa Royale Balloon Festival! Hope you find a good lawyer -- you sure need one."
Observations: 1. The Santa Royale Fire Department employs only men and uses dog-bed mattresses as rescue equipment. 2. Does anyone else think the balloon and gondola look like a wacky primitive statue from a 1950s Grade D movie? Even Ed Wood would chortle.
Big thanks to all! Mr. Scarlett is wondering what the heck I'm laughing at.
Shouldn't Stanley say: "....never had a crash before" ? Seems to me that they have definitely already crashed.
I wan't wait to see Mary being lifted down in the crate.
I concur with KitKat. Good stuff, all!
The transfer of Mary's 250 lbs. destabilizes the gondola, the tree, and the rescue crane. What happens next is not pretty. -- Scottie
Scottie was right! It's not a pretty scene, folks; not pretty at all! Thankfully, the camera has quickly swept away to focus on the dogs. Don't worry. No one fell out of the gondola. Actually, it's worse. Stanley's pants ripped and Mary lost her dentures.
What, we're cheated of seeing Mary, Olive, and Stanley being extricated from the tree? How could KM cheat June of this opportunity? Those illustrations would've been worthy of a Worthy Award, if the Worthy Awards hadn't been retired with Wanders, as @Scottie mentioned recently.
Tomorrow: Mary, Olive, Eve, Saul, Max, and Greta pile into the car and drive off, leaving Stanley weakly muttering under the tree.
Firefighter: "We've got two more."
Well, isn't he the observant one?
Hitler only had one.
Don't give up. Moy has two more chances to disappoint us.
"Okay, let's hit the road."
"But shouldn't we wait for the other two?"
"Mary, I haven't been to a bathroom in over an hour. We gotta go!" -- Scottie
Mary's "Hmm" translates to "Tomorrow I'll smile at Olive, give her a quick hug, then start my victory lap, which will last all week. After all, I'm the one who mentors Olive and her supernatural powers! I also have to call the Santa Royale Balloon Fest manager to complain about that idiot Stanley. What a dumb doofus!"
The depiction of behavior in this story, as in just about every story, gets lamer and lamer. One might think that Mary would be very concerned about seeing that Stanley and especially Olive are being brought down safely -- or at least somewhat interested. Or mildly curious. But evidently, one would be wrong. She's safe and that's all she cares about. -- Scottie
Oh, I almost forgot, dogs are good.
ALL: Half-hearted fake laugh.
CUT!
FREEZE, SUPERIMPOSE "THE END," AND ROLL CREDITS.
So when will occur to Mary that the only time scary, dangerous, life-threatening episodes happen is when Olive is around?
Mary has obviously never seen “The Bad Seed”.
Diner sure is fancy. Looks almost like a movie theater. Too bad their bread went bad.
Mary found a diner that serves its sandwiches on ultra-dark pumpernickel polymer foam - mmm, chewy! Olive's chomping away, but Mary hasn't even removed the cellophane-frilled toothpick from her unusual club sandwich. Maybe Mary's learning something from this experience.
"Mutual love successfully carried my distress call to [Max and Greta]!"??!! Egad. I guess this means that the Tee-Hee Twosome, Evy and Ed, have no idea their daughter was in a balloon crash - not much mutual love there. It's mid October; is Olive ever returning to school? Or is Mary going to home school her?
"Mutual love" ?? She spent all of 5 minutes with those dogs. 'Mutual like' -sure. I'm sure Greta would like Saul to give her more treats. Olive should pass that bit on ASAP.
@KitKat: too right. Olive has been out of school a long time. But I think muffin making interferes with home schooling. Maybe Mary could ask Dawn to help out? (shudder).
Normal people would at least lift an eyebrow or look askance while listening to Olive's explanation. Only Mary would launch a discourse on mental telepathy and being "awakened." Hoo boy....
I call BS. All creatures do not have this ability. Especially Mary.
I've been calling for help in my mind with every vital organ I've got along with a couple of non-vital ones, but this story just keeps slogging on. And it's gotten way more weird than even the fish funeral. Please, Karen. Make. It. Stop. -- Scottie
(Is this her way of making us beg for more Wilbur? If it is, I'm starting to crack.)
More Wilbur?!! Never!!
Moyzone Alert! She's stuck. stuck. stuck.
OLIVE: "If everyone can do what I did, Mary, maybe they just have to TRY!"
MARY: "You could be right, dear. We sometimes forget that what seems impossible is often possible with LOVE!"
EVERYONE ELSE WITHIN EARSHOT: [sounds of projectile puking]
-- Scottie
Well, here we go. I could handle a Toby story right now. How about Doctor whats-his-name becomes a grandfather and loses all interest in Mary? That would be fun!!
Just when I expected Mary to offer to take custody of Olive on the grounds that she is far more qualified to mentor Olive and her special powers, we're whisked to the airport for the Big Goodbye. Ed and Edy might've given serious thought to that; they often seem bewildered by Olive.
If the next "plot" (a too-grand description for KM's writing) involves either or both Westons, I'll join in the projectile puking that @Scottie mentioned.
Who hugs like that? Posing for a picture perhaps? Olive doesn't seem to have a selfie stick, however. Are they in a movie and we missed it. Does Brigman not know how to show people hugging?
I agree @ KitKat and Scottie: no Westons!
Ah, the Santa Royale Airport (SRO), where passengers fly standing while strapped to the fuselage in the back of a cargo plane for their 20-minute flight to the real airport in L.A. -- Scottie
I wonder if Mary's 'victory lap' will go on all week. I'm ready to concede now: Olive is good.
Who would have predicted, except all of us, that we would get a week of Mary's victory lap (1) on Jeff's outrageous yacht and (2) at the Bum Boat. By Thursday, Jeff will be glassy eyed as his favorite girl drones on about Olive and her remarkable powers, Greta's love for Max and Greta, blah blah blah....
Jeff: So a tree was about to fall on you, and Olive pushed you out of the way?
Mary: Yes.
Jeff: And an air conditioner was plummeting down from the top of the Plaza Hotel, and Olive pulled you away just in time?l
Mary: Yes.
Jeff: How about the angry dog that tried to attack you? Did Olive save you?
Mary: Well, yes…
Jeff: And when Olive’s frenemy Vicki was drowning, did Olive rush to save her?
Mary: Yeah, so what?
Jeff: What about the balloon disaster? Did Olive the dog whisperer save the day??
Mary: Yes, you’re right as always, big man!
Jeff: The girl is a freakin’ jinx, Mary! Try to find a friend your own age ( snicker, snicker).
Mary: Easy for you to say, Sonny!
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