Mazel tov to your papa on making it to 87, and I wish him a speedy, peaceful recovery!

Les Says: FRANCES! What an honour (there goes another ‘u’ - LOL!)!

I’m so sorry to hear about your dad - especially to cancer. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through. I’ll send your good wishes on to my dad - I’m sure he’ll appreciate them. And he seems to be holding his own, although it’ll be awhile before he’s able to come home, I guess.

Of course, I had to have some fun with it, so I asked him if he’d ever been in jail. “Does a bear shit in the woods?” he asked.

I asked which ones, and he said, “Ever damn one in East Tennessee,” he stated proudly! Sure enough, he was quite a rounder in his day. During WWII he test drove motorcycles around the hills and valleys of Tennessee (what a cush job), and did drink a lot, and had been in a number of jails, both while in and after he got out of the service.

However, to see the man then, you would never have thought he’d even jaywalked.

Les Says: When I was growing up, I looked at my father in awe - he always seemed like such a serious, astute business man. Well, except when he was yodelling, but everybody’s gotta let off steam somehow.

It’s only been in the last 20 years or so that I’ve slowly come to realize that he’s batty, and always has been, and the rest of the family is as well. I felt like the proverbial “Black Sheep” my whole life… for absolutely no reason at all, it turns out. They are all stranger than I am. I actually have to work at it, some days.

You know, as stressful as all of that sounds, it really seems like you have a handle on it. I know that’s not completely the case and maybe I am just good at presenting things in their least freaky mode — which you seem to good at as well. A little humor makes the stress go down, doesn’t it?

I did love this line best: “turns out, he and my mom know the grandmother of one of them, so now it’s all good. I guess you don’t hit on the guy in the next bed if he’s a friend of Grandma.

I am so impressed with your photography. Please tell me you are making gobs of money on these photos because they are incredible! Especially today’s photo — awesome. I may have to print today’s pic just so I can see some serenity now and again.

Good luck on managing the stress.

Les Says: You’re so right. Humour makes just about anything easier to deal with. I’ve been slow at learning to apply that concept, but I’m getting better at it, I think.

Gobs of money on the pics? Oh, I wish! I’d like to do so, but I’m still in the “photography for me” stage. I like to think I’ll take it more seriously in future. Along with the cartooning…. and the flash programming…