As we make the fishing trip last another day, we are witness to the riveting repartee between Mark and his adopted son…

And once again we are reminded that Mark leads a life that is utterly devoid of deadlines and real commitments, given that he continues to live rent free under the roof of one Doc Davis, father of Cherry Trail (nee Davis) which Mark expects to inherit, through his wife, in order that he never know what a mortgage payment looks like…  OK maybe I ride that note a little long and hard, but it’s always struck me that Mark has little visible means of support, yet never has to make the difficult choices that I’m sure many of us do…

…and Rusty’s face is one of them…  You know, if they’d take him somewhere for a proper haircut, rather than subject him to (I’m assuming) Doc’s amature attempts, that would be a start…

But to know whether Mark’s grammar is correct (and it usually is) one has to make a decision as to whether the word than is a conjunction or a preposition.  “You have caught more <fish> than I have, Rusty!” If we consider the case for conjunction, then Mark is correct in using the  subjective form of the personal pronoun I, but if we consider than a preposition, then he ought to be using the objective form, me.  Further, in the conjunction case, I, could Mark have simply ended his exclamation without the word have? As in “You’ve caught more than I, Rusty!” That doesn’t “sound” correct.  But the biggest dilemma has to do with Cherry’s seemingly ineffective attempts to home-school the young shut-in… He needs to understand that his use of the word till as a replacement for until is incorrect!  A till, of course, is a placae where money is stored, whereas ’til would be a usable form of until, if we are to accept such sloppiness in our diction.

At any rate, Mark is satisfied that he has fulfilled his fatherly duties for the year, so we are not likely to be in touch with Rusty for a while now…  savor the moment.

Again, who talks like this?

Does this mean that Cherry is going to go on every trip that Mark takes?  Well, that’s not fair to Rusty or Doc, now is it?

OK , didn’t I say enough is enough?!  A solid week of nature followed by a solid week of honey-ka-fuddling and bad, syrupy dialogue… can we just get on with a new story, please?  I know in the old days Mark wouldn’t even be home for a day or two, or even make time for a pickle tickle, and he’d be gone again, with Cherry and Rusty’s sad eyes in his rear view mirror.  I kind of miss that…

As Big-eyes Cherry and Chisel-chin Mark take turns looking out the window and offering up bromides,

we see the Nature preserve that is Lost Forest at its finest!

Even the Apex Predator class is getting in on the act, ready to take down a helpless little deer… and because I spent part of the week in Jury duty (well mostly on call for jury duty…) this reminds me of a scene from My Cousin Vinny… the one with Vinny getting ready to go deer hunting with the Prosecutor…

But seriously… who talks like this?!  I guess Mark and Cherry do…

Really, Mark, don’t you think these shallow compliments and offers of empty praise haven’t worn a bit thin over the years?  I think it would be sporting of you and Rusty to hop up  and offer to do the dishes… but I won’t hold my breath.

Let’s see how much longer it will take before this idyllic scene is shattered by the sound of Mark’s phone going off… sending him away on another assignment!  We can only hope for such things.   We can only hope that there are interesting characters and an actual plot line that will resolve in 60-90 days…  but, again, I won’t hold my breath…

Flapjacks it is!  But Pancakes Flambe?

Chery’s looking a sleepy eyed… but boy oh boy… is there anything sexier that Cherry Davis Trail with a big plate of perfectly cooked pancakes??

And what the Hell is up with Rusty?  Good lord, he’s looking damaged today… more and more like that Banjo Savant from the movie Deliverance… Oh be kind, though… he doesn’t get out much, and his alcoholic father probably beat him regularly…

And Still…

…more nature…

…some of it out definitely out of range and habitat… but at least we are finally greeted (after a week) with the stirring of human voices…

And who do you suppose is cooking breakfast?  Cherry of course, lest we disturb time honored and tested roles… Not to say that men don’t cook, but that’s not the way in the Trailverse.  But poor little baby mouse, running after momma in panel two of today’s strip… he’ll never see her again…

And what’s with all the reference to “still, stagnant, and static air?”  Hmmm I wonder… guessing that Mr. Allen got out his thesaurus and was also reminded that alliteration is an effective device…  Or is this a setup for crushing Rusty’s ideas- “Hey, Mark, want to go sailing?”  “Sorry Rusty, the air is still, stagnant and static today… guess we’ll have to pass on that idea…”

Just waiting…

…for something…

…to happen.

Although I wasn’t aware that Beavers were eligible for glass prosthetic eyes… Lost Forest must have quite the benefits package… either that or Doc has been experimenting somewhere between “catch” and “release…”

Poor Mark!!  Imagine people on the internet being snide and sarcastic!  That never happens!

And we are certainly getting our fill of Nature this week!  B-roll of all manner of Fauna and Fowl… hmmm… makes me wonder what’s for dinner…