Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for August 28, 2009

You go, Phil!!

Give the kids some money and send them in the direction of the snack bar (if there’s one). That’ll buy you 20 min or so…

Vanpelt: Joan is divorced, her first husband was a real deadbeat. He’s showed up in the strip before. Val is widowed - not sure how long ago.

That kid radar is very accurate. No distraction will work for long.

So much for a romantic interlude.

Yeah, “deadbeat” sums up Joan’s first husband (Max’s dad). He ran out on them, right? He showed up a year or two ago, kept mooching Wally’s socks.

The only timeframe reference I remember regarding Val’s late husband was a rare sensitive moment from Holly. Alix laments that she hardly remembers anything of their Dad (Holly gives her a hug and tells her that she can remember for the both of them).

So, if Alix is 10ish currently, and hardly remembers anything of Dad (and Holly is ~13, and does remember), I’d guess he died about 7 years before present (+/- 1 year)

Dear Stone Soup readers, Regarding the question of what happened to Val and Joan’s husbands in the early days of the strip, the reader RMBDOT got it just right… Joan’s deadbeat first husband Leon went out for milk one evening and ended up in the Virgin Islands. It took a while for Wally to get through the defenses that Joan built up, and for him to convince her that nice guys can be attractive too (she had the all too common propensity to pick the wrong guy). They married in Book 4, Roadkill in the Closet.

Val’s husband passed away before the strip began, of cancer. Holly remembers him, but Alix doesn’t. He was her perfect guy, love of her life, and it is his memory that keeps her from being able to fully commit to Phil. That, and the complications of step-parenting have been the reasons Phil and Val keep their relationship at a bit of a distance. This will change eventually…

It’s so great to see all the comments, thanks to everyone for visiting the site and reading Stone Soup.

I have the greatest job in the world, and you make it so.

Cheers, Jan

…Phil and Val keep their relationship at a bit of a distance. This will change eventually….

Huzzah! Let’s get moving on that “eventually”, shall we?

Jan, thanks for the info and for the strip. :) I don’t comment often, but I always like it.

Jan love the strip. Keep up the great work!!

Jan, that’s great you had a chance to answer! Thanks so much!

Jan im with Akenta ,as always, keep up the great work!! thank you for all the laughs.

Jan: Did you ever get Val that new couch she wanted?

@Janeliot, Stone Soup is my veriest absoluteliest favouritest favourite strip!

and whenever I say that, I always think sadly of Pogo, who is gone, so he can’t provide any sort of competition.

Hmmm… suddenly I feel a strange compulsion to list all the Stone Soup books on Amazon, to see what they would cost - a sort of unbirthday present for myself?…

I love this Jan. Thanks for the pick-me-up today.

Hi, Tabbylynn! Haven’t heard from you in a while; nice to see you.