As we sometimes experience—and from observations of others—it can be hard to weigh anchor and sail on from a favorite, comfortable port in our mental stream of memories. But streams are not pools, and they never stay the same. All this is to say that this week saw Mark getting gently led out of his illusory notions of Rusty’s wants and expectations by Cherry. We’re still not convinced that Mark got the whole message, but he did grasp the fact that Rusty is no longer the pre-adolescent father-worshiping kid he knew. There is a point in a father’s life when he realizes his children no longer feel the need to rush to the door when he comes home from work (think The Dick Van Dyke show). However, Mark seems to be taking it rather well, in fact. Good on him. (This is not to say that mothers do not have similar experiences, as I’m sure they do; but we are talking about Mark, not Cherry.) While you reflect on your own experiences, take a break and reflect on the Sunday nature chat, below.

Another good Sunday title panel! 

“Well, class, let’s thank Mr. Mark Trail visiting with us to give this most educational and . . . uh, most entertaining . . . well, let’s all thank Mr. Trail for coming in and showing us a bunch of pretty pictures of moose and deer . . . What’s that, Kathy? No, Santa does not use moose to pull his sled. That’s Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’s job. Have any of you ever watched “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”? No? Well, I’m not surprised, given the generally unimaginative, homogenized, and boring dreck that passes for animated cartoons these days. Anyway, class, let’s pick up from where Mr. Trail’s talk left off . . . now, Ahmed, “Nowhere” is not a nice thing to say! So, your homework tonight, children, is to research moose and write a page on where moose live, what they eat, and how they interact with humans.