In case you missed it, King Features originally posted Saturday’s strip in glorious black & white, but later reposted it in color. Why that happened is a matter of conjecture; but it was an elucidating experience to see the difference, so I posted both strips for us to see the difference and think about whether Rivera’s drawing technique is based on the expectation of color or can stand on its own.

As for this past week’s strips, we returned to Cherry’s search for the elusive Banjo Cat, because of his indirect responsibility in damaging Violet’s harp. But Cherry was more concerned about the fate of birds at the hands, or claws, of outside cats. It’s a valid point, I suppose. Lo and behold, somebody else suddenly popped up in the bushes. No, it’s not some sexual predator, but Cherry’s dad, Doc Davis, also looking for Banjo.

This provided an opening for a short backstory on Banjo, that being an outdoor cat attracted to Doc’s banjo playing. But Doc Davis exerts no control over Banjo Cat’s comings and goings, accepting them as a philosophical necessity of personal and musical freedom. Okay, Doc may be guilty of anthropomorphizing. But Doc does have a clever theory that playing his banjo will make it easy for them to capture frisky Banjo Cat. We’ll just have to wait a few weeks to find out, as we return to Mark’s horse fantasies tomorrow.

A timely subject for St. Patrick’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day Weekend, as it has become, with an appropriately-designed and well-drawn title panel. Wikipedia’s article on the four-leaf clover states that the cause of a “fourth leaf” is still a matter of debate, centered on environmental and genetic influences. The article also points to the existence of five- and six-leaf clovers being rarer and highly coveted by collectors. How lucky is it to find one? It may depend on what patch of clover you happen to be searching. In fact, there are places that specifically farm and sell four-leaf clovers, in case you are only interested in results and disdain the joy of the search.