What began in the Lost Forest community as a widespread skin disease (possibly based on some kind of insecticide) on pets in the area quickly narrowed down to focus on the health of the Trail’s second dog, Sassy. That is to say, Rivera shifted our attention from Doc Davis’s clinic, overrun with sick pets, to the more tranquil Trail cabin. Will this mean that Doc once again gets tossed aside like an old bone for the rest of this story?
You will remember Sassy from the time when. . . well, we’re all pulling for her, right? So most of the week focused on Sassy’s rash, as Mark thumbed through what must have been one of Doc Davis’s vet medical journals to try and find cause and cure. Mark displayed his usual heroic strength in dedicating all of his time to a pursuit for which he is unqualified.  However, just at a moment of private conflict, Mark’s off-again-on-again boss, Bill Ellis, called with a new assignment (I think). Realizing that his Quest to save Sassy was just a self-serving fantasy, Mark sucked it up and returned to the real world of a paying job. Now, if you paid for the Sunday newspaper, you might as well dedicate some of your time to reading Mark’s Sunday nature chat!

Pre-Rivera Sunday strips seemed to focus more on discussions of wildlife and nature. Rivera generally follows suit, but more often she turns Sunday nature strips into PSAs. I’m sure a cave is a decent escape from an encroaching forest fire, but just how common are caves?  Moving upwind from a fire is a good bet, as is circling around a fire, if you can. Most web sites warn that trying to outrun a fire is dangerous, as fires can travel up to 20 mph. Moving downhill is safer than moving uphill. Here is a good reference I ran across: https://scoutingmagazine.org/2016/04/survival-strategies-help-escape-forest-fire/