Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for December 03, 2023

Never thought I would say this because of Rat:

Excuse me, I have something in my eye.

Nothing to say here.

Um, does this comic strip provide the evidence to implicate Rat for Rat’s father’s death/murder?! Dan aka…ps hmmm….

Oh Lord, I almost teared up, I swear. I pray that there would be an afterlife, so I wouldn’t be worried.

H-oly cow! What a GUTPUNCH in the last panel!

Somehow, I knew that was the reason.

All of us who have lost our dad know this feeling.

Don’t we all, they were so smart!

Fortunately I started to develop a better relationship with my Dad in the last few years of his life.

I will be honest, because of the changes in our relationship I had a bit of a hard time letting him go. I miss you Dad. Fortunately I have faith that we will see each other again.

The saddest thing is when someone dies and all their family feels is a sense of relief. Some people never change, unfortunately.

Someone said that after your parent dies, you become more like him/her…

The Rat doesn’t fall far from the tree.

My dad was called Jack. I’m Michael, Jack’s son.

Rat being serious and reflective. A nice change.

My dad and I get along the same way.

I was very fortunate to learn that before my Dad passed away. The last few years of his life were the greatest time we had together. I miss him.

A little close to home, but nice.

(⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠❤

Saw that coming.

A whole different side of Rat..

Nice to see Zebra again.

I’d like to see Zebra more.

Aw, man!

Cody Johnson says it best:

https://www.youtube.COM/watch?v=v2LixP7n_hM

Weirdly enough, today would have been my father’s 102nd birthday.Let’s just say he was a very difficult man.

Aww.

I think Rat might’ve taken a lot after his old man, resulting in a very strained relationship. Either that, or they used to be quite close, but the bond got destroyed, resulting in a major falling out. Now that he’s gone, he probably regrets never reconciling with him.

Aww, rat.

As much as The Count dislikes getting serious on here… The Count is absolutely channeling Rat. And/Or Visa Versa. Yo, Rat, bro… The Count would bet the ranch and livestock that, just like The Count, when you do reminisce like this you realize He Was RIGHT!

Profound, Mr Pastis. Well done.

Rat rarely struck me as the sentimental type, until today.

Loss is hard.

I figured Rat’s father had to be deceased

Rat with some real introspection. No matter what happened between you in real life Rat, your dad left you a gift.

Awwww. We truly never know what we have… until it’s gone.

Aw! Didn’t expect to be touched by a strip featuring Rat like this!

R.I.P Rat’s dad

I know the feeling. Thank you, Stephan.

Rat has never been so right…

That’s a little hard for me to do as my dad is buried halfway across the country in Poplar Bluff, MO. The last time I was there was when my mother and I took him there in 1994, and we went to his 50th high school reunion in his place.

Leave some pizza.

The last year of my dad’s life, I got to spend just about every day hanging out with him and picking his brain about life, the wisdom he had, and his own story. That year is probably one of my most treasured memories, and the time that did the most to shape me into a decent person and a good father and husband.

I miss my dad.

sadly, i won’t get to go to heaven since i will never forgive that bas***d for what he did to my mom and our family. THANKS DAD. sorry folks. some feeling s unresolved still. obviously

Poor Rat.

Darn dust in my eye…

Just lost my father last month.

A surprisingly human moment for Rat.

So many questions I wish I had asked my father…. “sigh”….

Our personality and behavior is the result of genetics (the genes we inherit) and epigenetics (the environment). There is increasing scientific evidence that our free will is limited, if at all present, so let’s give each other so slack and do the best we can to get along.

These words are wholly inadequate but, thanks Steph.

He already knows; don’t worry. He was a Dad. Dads aren’t necessarily a biological father. Dads are Dads. That’s why I often refer to God the Father as my Heavenly Dad in my prayers. It’s what He is……

know the feeling

Make peace while you can. Had struggled with my relationships with some of my immediate family in recent years and have done my best to smooth things over on my end.

Also, my mom passed away in 2006 and I miss her all the time.

Harry Chapin.

I feel the same way with my father gone. Every now and then, it is good for Pastis to show Rat is not completely callous.

Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear) You can listen as well as you hear It’s too late (it’s too late) when we die (it’s too late when we die) To admit we don’t see eye to eye

Thank goodness for Shawn Woods and Mousetrap Monday.

❤️

It is good to see Zebra again, Zebra is my favorite character besides Pig

That may be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in the funnies.

Oh, Rat, I feel for you. Time for a chat with my late daddy-dear.

<3 oxox

I so wish I really missed my mother.

Goddammit, it’s gotten dusty in here…

Now, that was depressing.

my dad died when he was 58… there are so many adult conversations I would have liked to have with him.

Not long before my father died, he called up the relatives he was close to (like me, for instance) and old friends to apologize for anything he may have done to hurt them in the course of his long life. Of course, I told him that he had nothing to apologize for, that he had been the best of fathers. And it was the truth.

It’s nice to see Rat has more than one dimension to his personality.

Who woulda thought… Rat has a heart.

That’s the only way I’ve had to talk to my Dad since 1962.

Made me cry. I lost my parents a number of years ago, and it still stings. Thank you for your sensitivity.

Good job, Pastis. The last time PBS moved me like this was when Junior Croc went off to college.

It is sad when a parent dies that was emotionally abusive to the children. All children want to know their parent loves them. A parent passing when the child doesn’t know if they were loved is the worst. There is no way for them to ever really know if their parent loved them or not. I actually feel for Rat today.

Rarely does Rat come out with something so touching. And come to think of it, rarely does Zebra show up at all these days.

It’s been 4 years since I lost my dad. He was the world to me. He did everything he could for my comfort. This comic hit me right in the heart. Miss you Baba!

awww Rat..

What a lovely message

Geeminy… sometimes Pastis has a great way of tugging those heart strings.

My favorite of all time: “You were the best thing that ever happened to me.” I tear-up every time I think about it… and not ashamed to admit it.

Perhaps someone here can figure out the link to the original strip.

the first bit of loving emotion shown by Rat Jr.

Aww. Rat has a soft spot in his heart (who knew?) for Rat Senior. Such pathos….

“…und viel mehr Blumen während des Lebens, denn auf den Gräbern sind sie vergebens.”

(…and many more flowers while you’re on life’s lane, because on the graves, they are in vain)

Miss my Pop too, Rat.

Please stop chopping onions, Rat.

The 10 year anniversary of my Dad’s passing was four days before this strip. I didn’t tear up until today.