“No animal should ever jump up on the dining-room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation.”

Fran Lebowitz

I miss The Far Side, and this was one of my favorites.

I have a "fluffy" cat.

Racoon love!

ravencajun, that's a real coonskin cap!

Sure is! I wish I knew the story!

Lonejack zn6, KC - I live about 5 miles from you! Send me a note if you want.

Kay - it doesn't look like I have the ability to follow you so I can't PM you though Houzz. I'm actually about 6 miles east of Lone Jack around Powell Gardens area.

Hi Raven and Annie,

Pretty sure that cap includes a rather longish tail, as well ... that one could wrap around one's neck on a cold day?

Hi Rusty,

While one might suggest that Little Johnny's prayer might scarcely qualify as the joke of the day ...

... one might consider that Christians appear to be something of a devious lot, for the traditional situation is that when we celebrate a birthday, the person with the birthday gets the presents (as exemplified by certain Wise Men) ...

... but we've rearranged things so that, on Jesus' birthday ...

... WE get the presents!

(Would one call that a skill-full con job ... or what??)

ole joyful

OJ, it is smile.

Hi Ana,

... and smiles ...

... ain't costly ...

......

Well ...

.. maybe they are (or seldom found/offered, by some).

Sometimes a simple smile will make some sad, depressedd, bereaved, etc. person's day.

ole joyful

O. J., it isn't intended as a joke. It brought a smile to my face, a smile of peace, joy, thankfulness, and inspiration. I hoped it would do the same for others.

As for the gifts, I was taught, as a child, that the gifts we give each other are symbolic of and inspired by the gifts the Wise Men brought to the Christ Child. In fact, I was taught that everything we associate with the celebration of Christmas was founded on the events of the night of the birth of the Christ Child.

Rusty

Hi Rusty,

I figured as much.

I appreciate the importance of peace, joy, thankfulness and inspiration, which you reported as guideposts in your life. They've guided my life, as well.

There's only one letter different, just three spaces apart in the alphabet, at the very end of the word, between "peace" and "peach".

You can hold your outstretched, cupped hand up in the air as long as you choose and unless you're in Georgia or Niagara or a limited number of other locations, and even there, for only a limited period of time, each year ... no peach will ever show up there.

Roots, a trunk, branches, leaves and blossoms (plus bees or other pollinators) are essential if one desires to produce a peach.

Peace also does not appear by magic or as a result of wishing or hoping, however fervent. Roots of justice, a trunk of fairness, branches of kindness, leaves of cooperation and blossoms of love-inspired sharing are essential in developing peace.

And some minds and bodies to provide the fertilizing (and in the situation of peacemmaking, to do a great deal of thinking and work along with that of many allies) to bring forth the desired result.

Lacking those essential ingredients ...

... and major effort invested ...

... the cake of peace just ain't a gonna happen!!

(Can you offer a comparison to throw in to symbolize the heat required to make that cake rise?)

ole joyfuelled

O.J., I'm not very good with analogies, but the first thing that comes to mind here is 'warmth'. The tree needs the warmth of the sun to grow and produce, a cake needs the warmth of the oven to rise. Peace needs the warmth (love of and belief in) of the Son to thrive.

Rusty

Today, Christmas is a wonderful holiday, filled with good cheer and benevolent spirit. Christmas did not exist during the first couple of hundred years or so after the birth of Jesus. There existed several Pagan celebrations, and some think that the date of Dec. 25 was chosen to counter a pagan holiday. The day of Jesus' birthday is unknown. The Bible mentions one clue and that it was tax payment time. The following quote is from a link following this quote:

"In the early years of Christianity,
Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In
the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of
Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for
his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the
legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his
birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding
in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is
commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt
and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called
the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to
England by the end of the sixth century."

https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas