We see more evidence that Peach has taken Olive’s presentation and evidence to heart. But I’d have demanded to go to the dump for verification.

Still, once Olive and Cherry brought home the evidence, the end to this little adventure came about pretty quickly. There could still be something of an epilog, but we’d have to wait a few weeks while Mark’s madcap hog-hunting adventure continues. And by then, we’d all have forgotten what happened here, meaning Rivera would have to use the entire week to catch us up and cue the ending. Well, another week would be worth it if Rivera used that time for Peach to point out dubious sections of the contract to Holly, giving us a chance to see how she responds to every “What about this clause?”

By the way, did you notice that Rusty seems to have disappeared from the story? Last seen on December 25^th, I’m guessing he’s back home unwrapping the matching scarf-and-socks set his Grandpa Happy sent him.

Art Dept. A couple of things I like today:  Holly’s face in panel 1 looks correctly articulated to fit the angle of the smartphone. Not always easy to pull off, at least when hand-drawing it. Olive’s pose in the same panel, with crossed arms and tilted head, actually looks natural for once. Too many times the background figures seem to be posed as if they are in a police lineup or a window display.

So it appears that the sister-talk did have a positive result in getting Peach to reconsider her business relationship in a more critical manner. Good for her. Of course, a contract lawyer would be preferable, but it would be doubtful to find one in Lost Forest, much less be able to cover the cost.

But to no surprise, Holly Folly went all “Dragonball Z” hearing Peach’s response (Even if you never saw the Japanese anime series from the early ‘90s, you can probably figure out the point of my reference).

Art Dept. Interesting to see how Holly Folly is being depicted today. You might recall her introduction to the sisters back in October 2025:

Perhaps Holly visited a tanning salon after that first meeting, but she certainly has a more ruddy complexion today! And she isn’t sporting the wholesome, positive-energy personality she had earlier. The friendly face and personality are replaced by a more sinister looking figure, like a hunter sizing up her prey, only to explode in anger as the prey avoids her ambush at the last moment. (okay, that prose is a bit on the purple side, I admit!)

End Note. For a fashionista, Holly Folly seems to always wear the same outfit. Totally not fast fashion!

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.

First of all, if you celebrate some kind of holiday or event—religious or not—over these several days, I hope your experience is positive and meaningful. If you do not celebrate, I hope you find enjoyment and satisfaction in doing something you may not have had time to do. I realize that each day is more or less what we choose to make of it (within our abilities). But holidays are, by definition, special days. So do something special for yourself or for somebody else.

It’s a fine line we walk when dealing with a family member who seems to be doing something that might damage that person. And the situation can get messy. Changing your argument, as Olive seems to be doing, doesn’t help. What was it she said just yesterday? “Then negotiate some clauses…” Today, Olive tells Peach the contract sucks. Huh!? Was yesterday’s event just a moment ago, or did significant time pass as Olive and Cherry poured over the contract Peach shoved in their faces yesterday?  It’s important to know, if we are to make sense of Olive’s contradictory declarations.

In any event, I was hoping that least we’d get a real knock-down sister fight, like the first time they all got back together. (And do you remember when and where that took place?)

However, Rusty suddenly dropped in with a message from Mark, changing the vibe. What could Mark’s exciting news be? Maybe something like “Hi, all. Big adventure! WYWH! Trying 2 avoid drowning in flash flood. GTG. XOXO!”

Art Dept. There is some awkward framing today. It took three panels to introduce Rusty, his message, and the change of mood. I think a two-panel spread would have suited the purpose better. The second panel would be composed similar to panel 1, but Rusty would only come in the door at that point. The sisters would appear silent and surprised as Rusty delivers his message. Surprise is meant to be short and quick.

Okay, so the fight continues over the Holly-Peach business deal. This is all fine from a plot position, though the dialog is sometimes confusing. Peach’s accusation in panel 1 is an all-too-true claim and a sad comment on the state of visual evidence. It reminds me of times when Communist Russia manually manipulated official photos to erase the image of an official who had been permanently removed, as if they never existed. Here, Peach is making the opposite claim.

But Peach’s statements aren’t always on point, like when she claims (panel 3) she got a contract “fair and square.” Not sure what that has to do with the argument, but it’s her rationale. Olive could have offered once again to take her, but she did not. Probably because Jules Rivera needed a hook to keep the opposition between the sisters continuing until it eventually gets resolved through a later event.

Art Dept. We could have a field day lining up all of the different faces that Cherry has owned over the  years Rivera has been drawing the strip. Same for Mark. There are several possible reasons for this, one being less of a desire for exactitude than for the importance of expression. Another reason is one that happens to almost all longer-term comic strips, is that the cartoonist’s understanding and expectation of the character changes over time, resulting in reshaping a character’s appearance.  Same thing for Mark.

While Mark attempts to escape a deluge down in Texas, back in Lost Forest Olive and Cherry continue their task of trying to prevent Peach from signing on to Holly Folly’s fast fashion empire of disposable garments. But, as expected, Peach is having none of that. Of course, it’s likely her first major score, so it stands to reason she will stand on her intuition.

Art Dept. If you are bothered by the awkward scale and perspective in panel 1, don’t panic. We could be looking at one of those constructed optical illusion rooms where normal proportions go kittywumpus as a person moves from one side of the room to the other. No? Then perhaps we’re just looking at a child’s play area, set up for her imaginary cabin in the woods. Or it could have just been another good surfing day for Rivera.

Okay, you’ve all become so jaded in this digital, online world of ours that a publishing nexus (leggings) just wasn’t notable enough to draw a single comment. I may be taking this thing way, too seriously!

So, why couldn’t they get Peach out to the dump? Is she allergic to the outdoors? Too busy sewing? Did Jules Rivera only come to the realization at the end of the week that she had not explained why Peach didn’t accompany them? So the “cliff-hanger” here is: What is Peach doing that she couldn’t come along? Finally, I think Rivera doesn’t have much faith in Cherry, because Cherry doesn’t look as stressed out as Rivera suggests in panel 4.

Quick Quiz: Just to see if you’ve been paying attention to the strip for a while, what is one of the most significant (if subtle) changes in the dialog from the pre-Rivera era? I don’t mean just today or this week. I mean since Rivera took over.

Even bucolic Lost Forest has its seamy aspects, aside from Honest Ernest, Ranger Shaw, and the Cheddersons. So we arrive at the local landfill. It makes one wonder whatever happened to the recycling project that Cherry tried to start at the Sunny Soleil Society. Or was that the composting project? (see Compost Crusade)

Olive Pitt is on the hunt, investigating the dark side of Holly Folly’s business model. I’m thinking the sisters will find a trove of thrown-away (“fast”) fashions from the House of Holly (or whatever it’s called) in the mountains of muck up ahead. If Olive brings back physical or photographic evidence, it could convince Peach that Holly Folly’s fashion goals are clearly the opposite of her “upcycling.”

On the other hand, Peach could get inspired by the castoffs Olive shows her and decide to design more fashions using those items, since upcycling discarded stuff is her mojo. I can just see Peach driving Cherry’s pickup back to the landfill and grabbing piles of abandoned clothing and junk for her work. Then wouldn’t it be a hoot for Peach to show Holly her new designs using the trashed knockoffs Holly has been hawking!

The textbox is quite ironic, don’t you think? Considering Cherry and Olive both live outside of town, a drive anywhere is already a drive outside of town. Unless they are driving into town, I suppose.

When Jules Rivera took over this strip, she made Cherry a resourceful, feisty, but likeable person with the same strong family ethic as before, and having enough personality and grit to carry her own stories. In a way, that was similar to the earliest portrayals of Cherry, when she was still single and had a pet bear.

Still, Rivera’s personality edits for Cherry were a good improvement! But over time, Cherry’s personality and demeanor have changed (as they did before Rivera). She may still possess a strong family ethic, but I’m no longer certain of the other qualities. Granted, sister Olive Pitt has a troubled past and is prone to argument, physical interaction, and taking charge. In fact, she has some of the qualities Cherry used to have. But Cherry seems to have little patience or trust. She demeans Olive’s self-improvement efforts with her leading questions. Some sister!

The story trudges along: Cherry and Olive distrust Holly Folly, but Peach is more optimistic. Now, Holly wants to move ahead with a deal. So far, so good.

What might be confusing here is a point of grammar. In Panel 1, Cherry lists some negatives about Holly, then follows up with “But we’re not going into business …” Although I’m no professor of English, I know that when a statement is followed by a “But”, it implies a response that is contrary to the initial statement. For example, “I’d like to make prank phone calls with you today, but I’m busy working on my Great Humanitarian award speech.”

Instead, Jules Rivera has Cherry follow her initial, negative, statement with another negative statement: “Holly Folly is bad. But we’re not going into business with her, right?” A conjunction such as “Therefore” or even “So” would make Cherry’s statement sound correct. “Okay, Holly Folly has flaws and we hate fast fashion. So, we’re not going into business with her, right?”

In Panel 4, Rivera affirms Holly’s message: “Odd how that turned around so quickly.” Okay, what turned around quickly? Peach was already sold on the deal. Did Cherry and Olive suddenly become Holly Folly acolytes? Do they now like fast fashion? Sounds like a classic non sequitur.

Geez! Just how long is this argument going to continue? I reckon it must be important for the story’s development to ensure that we recognize that this is a dramatic turning point, where the protagonist (Peach Pitt) is warned by her sisterly “Greek Chorus” of impending disappointment if she continues down ths path. But like all Greek tragedies, Peach will likely put aside the advice. Otherwise, the story will end.

More importantly, why are Cherry and Olive standing side-by-side in the background? Is it to play up their Greek Chorus symbolism? I don’t know. Jules Rivera seems to love drawing people lined up in the background, anyway; we can see it often enough. In panel 1, the gals are even holding things up in front of them, as if they are in a school show-and-tell.

Cherry dropped the shirt in panel 2 in order to point a finger at her mental image of Cricket Bro, only to return to holding the shirt up again in panel 4. Okay. Why is Cherry holding up that shirt!? Well, Olive is not immune to goofiness, either. In panel 1, she holds her laptop sideways, as if it is book! In Panel 4, she is still standing and holds the laptop in her left arm, as if she is a server taking an order. Why aren’t they just sitting down, like they were doing in Monday’s strip?

The first ten people who post an answer will hereafter be known as the first ten people who posted an answer.

Well, at least one of the Pitt sisters has the right attitude: Remain skeptical until proven otherwise. Peach is so anxious to do well and do well, environmentally, that it would be a real disaster for her if Holly Folly turns out to be a swindler. But is sister Olive enough of a counter-force to protect her?