Looks like the Peach-Olive-Cherry drama took place before Mark’s dramatic hunt-camp-flood drama, unless Mark had his message delivery set to delay. It’s nice enough that Mark wants to brag about how tasty wild hog chops are, yet said nothing about his assignment or the people involved. This isn’t much of a warm, personal message. In spite of that, the call even made Olive and Peach sit and wax nostalgic.

Olive and Peach do get around pretty quickly. First, they are standing at their still-open front door for some reason. Then they are suddenly back on the couch on the other side of the room. Well, this comic strip is not meant to be a literal documentary, so let’s just put those “positional” comments aside as mere snarking (I can do better). But what’s the point of showing Olive and Peach in panel 1? They aren’t talking or doing anything, except crowding the panel and breaking speed limits moving around the cabin (okay, this is not mere snarking, but highbrow, sophisticated snarking!)

Perhaps the actual significance of Rusty’s visit is so Jules Rivera can interject a generic “season’s greeting!” into the strip for the readership. I reckon this slight interruption was integrated well enough into the story without looking fake. But will this impromptu visit actually lower the room temperature long enough that the sisters can work things out? Note that the front door is still likely open, so cool air should also be pouring in! And maybe talking is the wise and mature thing to do, but I was really pulling for another knock-down-drag-out fight.