Pickles by Brian Crane for April 18, 2010

Don’t tell him that Opal, maybe Earl really can fly.

Opal said more today than she’s said all week.

Yup, lots more Blah, blah blah today.

Wouldn’t her sister be his Great Aunt Pearl?

Details details gillbillvolume 1

Just like a woman, always spoiling the fun of childhood…

I like the sister’s name - Pearl - this rolls along with the Opal/Pearl name theme. Do you think there are other sisters - Perhaps a Ruby or a Diamond to name a few?? :) :)

That is called an education. Grampa tells him lots of things and he has to figure out which ones are true and which are not. Just like listening to a politician.

…or he can go around repeating the stuff his Grandpa tells him and everyone will think he’s “special”

I wish I had listened to Grampa more.

Maybe Earl’s superman. Who knows???

Joe, I can top that. Right after my husband’s parents were married, her mom married his dad. Try and figure out THAT in-law scenario……

He could be from the show “Heroes”.

Just then, Earl goes flying past the window, but Opal’s too busy talking to Nelson to turn her head.

Anyone remember the original “I Am My Own Grandpa”?

JanCin, that makes his parents step-siblings as well as spice (which I prefer to spouses as the plural).

Some families gloss over the “great”s. I can never remember whether it’s supposed to be great-uncle or grand-uncle.

@runar - I get like that with the children & grandchildren of my cousins. They are all called “cousins”. And I sure don’t think I’ll ever get that whole “removed” business.

My Mom had double first cousins named Ruby and Opal. Their uncle married Pearl. West Tennessee in the ’20s.

I’m My Own Grandpaw by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe

In the ’30s, Latham had a group, the Jesters, on network radio; their specialties were bits of spoken humor and novelty songs. While reading a book of Mark Twain anecdotes, he once found a paragraph in which Twain proved it would be possible for a man to become his own grandfather. In 1947, Latham and Jaffe expanded the idea into a song, which became a hit for Lonzo and Oscar. It’s also one of the songs on Michael Cooney’s album of songs for children.

Many, many years ago when I was twenty-three I was married to a widow who was pretty as could be. This widow had a grown-up daughter who had hair of red. My father fell in love with her and soon they, too, were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law and changed my very life For my daughter was my mother, ‘cause she was my father’s wife. To complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy I soon became the father of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became a brother-in-law to dad And so became my uncle, though it made me very sad For if he was my uncle, then that also made him brother To the widow’s grown-up daughter, who, of course, was my step-mother.

My father’s wife then had a son who kept them on the run And he became my grand-child, ‘cause he was my daughter’s son. My wife is now my mother’s mother, and it makes me blue Because, although she is my wife, she’s my grandmother too.

If my wife is my grandmother, then I am her grandchild And every time I think of it, it nearly drives me wild For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw (This has got to be the strangest thing I ever saw) As husband of my grandmother, I am my own grandpaw.

Chorus I’m my own grandpaw I’m my own grandpaw It sounds funny I know but it really is so Oh, I’m my own grandpaw.

There’s a couple of charts on Wikipedia that set it out fairly well. (The “removed” part of it refers to differences in generation.)

Go easy on the kid, Opal.

Don’t spoil his imagination, Opal. Earl CAN fly! I saw him. Shh!

Yeah, that one dakrebs1, thanks.

Flagged that mofo one more time!