Renowned Death Hag
I wasn't sure when she would fit in, but I enjoy her, too. She waited so long to get a kidney and then it failed. She was a Phoenix resident, too. After she died, the paper had a cartoon of her typewriter with a piece of paper that said, "gone to where the grass is greener.".
I loved dear Erma, her sense of humor has always been right up my alley.
I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Go to Boise helped me laugh my way through two open-heart surguries....back when my "magical medical mystery tour began". Her mother's day story still brings a tear to my sick, yet sentimental eyes.
If life is a bowl of cherries, why am I in the pits???
-E. Bombeck
Bil "The Family Circus" Keane used to do illustrations for some of her books. Try and find them, they are hilarious.
Renowned Death Hag
I grew up on Bil Keane. I love the simplicity of his comics. He lives in Phoenix, too.
No Bill Griffith fans here, I suppose?Originally Posted by joplinfrk
Renowned Death Hag
Padon my ignorance, but could you enlighten me as to who he is?
This reminds me I need to re-read her books again. I read them years ago (when she was still amongst us) but it's been so long I know it will be like reading something new again. She was a great talent that even now is missed. Loved her to pieces!
Renowned Death Hag
I have several of her books, including one of the ones illustrated by Bil Keane (Is THAT guy still around?). Lovely books they are...
Renowned Death Hag
Bil Keane is still kickin'..he lives in Phoenix.
Her stuff still makes me laugh. It's timeless and I find even more warm humor in it now that I'm an adult with a family just trying to make it through the day.
No sweat: he's the creator of Zippy the Pinhead .
I wish I could say how surprised I am you haven't heard of him, but I can't; Zippy isn't exactly a mainstream character. In fact, you might call the Zippy strip a Zen koan of sorts.
I wish I could describe the character, but it's really one of those things you have to see firsthand for yourself. Just Google the name and...off you go!
At any rate, Bill Keane could probably do Zippy. It would just be a matter of how many hallucinogens he'd need to ingest, first. Take a look at the many strips available for viewing online and you'll see what I mean.
Renowned Death Hag
Oh, I know who you mean now. Is he dead?
Erma Bombeck did a great article on what was important when she knew she was dying. She was incredible.
Back in the day when I first discovered the internet, back in the late 9-0's there ws teh Dyscuntional Family Circus where people would make up captions to original drawings. Trust me, they were a lot better than Bil's crap, but Bil got his panties in a wad and threatned legal action and the site disappeared.
Renowned Death Hag
I enjoyed Erma Bombeck when she was on Good Morning America.
Are you kidding? This is the Internet, baby!
And we don't die...we multiply:
http://dfc.furr.org/index.html
It looks like Bill Keane tried to get the site taken down, but parody is protected under the First Amendment (read the lengthy disclaimer).
At any rate, those are truly hilarious cartoons, quite strikingly dissimilar to the alleged "content" that Keane generates. In fact, I nearly passed out I was laughing so hard (no lie!).
I can't thank you enough for telling (reminding?) me about that site.
Oh, and ten points for this caption:
This strip blows! I'm goin' ta elope with Zippy.
No, Bill Griffith is very much alive, thankfully. I guess that, like his character, I tend to think in non sequiturs, too.
Or perhaps I thought of him because his work is the polar opposite of Keane's. [shrugs]
At any rate, if you're interested in "interesting" dead cartoonists, my money is on Fletcher Hanks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_Hanks
I finally read the Paul Karasik book on him just yesterday. Wow...
Renowned Death Hag
Remember Dave Berg from Mad? He did the "Lighter Side" strip.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
I'll bite: what, exactly, did she say is important?
(Besides life itself, obviously)
Last edited by ST Moron; 10-11-2007 at 08:50 AM.
I am so glad someone out there my age has read Erma Bombeck. She was just plain funny. I started reading her when I was about 10, I guess. My mom or grandma had her books. There was no cussing, no sex, no violence, no nothing but a funny, loving, warm mom. I always thought it would have been great to be her kid. When she passed I was very sad. WE LOVE YOU,ERMA!
Until following that link, I never would have known how cold coffee feels spewing from my nose! Thank you, ST!
Renowned Death Hag
LOL! LMFAO!!!!! ROFL!!!! I'm crying!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
Great Site! Thank you so much
[SIZE=3] If I Had My Life To Live Over
[/SIZE] [SIZE=3][/SIZE][SIZE=3]by Erma Bombeck[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][SIZE=2]The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck
after she found out that she had cancer. [/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=3][SIZE=2]
[SIZE=3][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][SIZE=3][SIZE=2][SIZE=3]If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.
[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][SIZE=2][SIZE=3] [SIZE=2]© Erma Bombeck[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE]
God Bless her sweet soul. Don't you know God is laughing her ass off hanging out with Erma!
And we would all be wise to take her advice to heart
is he the guy who had a funny shaped pointy head?? i thought he was "zip the what is it". zip was a real guy. from what i heard he was born with that pointy head. i believe he was also in a sideshow. people thought he was a freak. but he was not. he was a normal guy with a birth defect. i read somewhere on his deathbed he looked up at his sister and said "we sure fooled them didn't we" meaning the people who thought they were getting over on him, had a fast one pulled on them by zip. he was getting over on them and getting paid for it. i have seen the strip and i have also seen a photo of the real zip. i work in a nursing home and i believe i saw it in a magazine called "reminisce". a magazine that celebrates the old days. like the 20's, 30's and on.
Her husband wrote a beautiful piece a week after her passing about how they met what she meant to him.
Zip the What-is-it was indeed the inspiration for Zippy the Pinhead.
Bill Griffith, the creator of Zippy gave an interview in 1981 where he talked about how his character Zippy got his name. Zippy apparently started out as a one-shot character named "Danny" that Griffith drew in 1970 and thought he'd never draw again. Griffith wasn't clear on what exact point the name of the character changed though.
Griffith is clear that he was familiar with Zip the What-Is-it. ZtWII's real name was William H. Jackson, the exact same name as Griffith's great-grandfather. In fact, Bill Griffith's full name is William H. Jackson Griffith. Which just goes to show you that (once again) truth is stranger than fiction.
It's nice to know that someone else is familiar with Zip the What-Is-It. The story of his life is a pretty interesting one. And just as you mentioned, at the very least, he left some doubt as to just who was exploiting who in his sideshow career.
Renowned Death Hag
You should read, Freak Show: The Selling of People For Fun and Profit. There's a whole chapter on Zip. He was a very savvy business man!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!
Erma Bombeck was from my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. We knew she was talented and funny way before the rest of the world did. She is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, and a HUGE boulder from her home in Arizona was trucked in to set on or near her grave. She graduated from University of Dayton and part of Brown Avenue near the university has been renamed for Erma.
Renowned Death Hag
Clicked on the link while eating my dinner. Note to self: Snorking lasagne out of your nose doesn't feel so good. God, what a hilarious site. Thanks for sharing.
Any day above ground is a good day.
I love Erma Bombeck's stuff! I'm a housewife myself (conservative "fundie" Christian but NOT a Bushbot LOL).
Sometimes to get through things, you have to have humor.
I sometimes wonder how she would have dealt with my son...the little rascal....
I loved Erma also. I had the privledge of meeting her one time at a charity event in Phoenix. She was wonderful and very friendly - talked with her for almost a half hour. Had my picture taken with her - she was so sweet.
The "if i had my life to live over" list is something i think about often, anytime i get a pretty candle i burn it, because of Erma. I think that small statement about the rose candle she didn't burn is just so insightful, Rest in Peace Erma.
Being a housewife myself I can relate. It's not sitting in front of the TV scarfing bon-bons a la Peg Bundy.
I guess you can say my husband and I both work...he busts his butt at a factory, and I try to make sure everyone's clothes are clean and everything. In fact I still have some of my son's jeans I have to patch up before he outgrows them.
What a sweet discovery she is for me!
I love it when she tells how the teacher gave the kids a quiz for certain body parts...something like Erma's son called them an "Askyourfather."
Wow I came here today to look for an Erma thread & to start one if she wasn't here. I love her stuff. I agree that she was a wonderful, sweet mom. From the comment it looks I really need to check out the DFF site.
Always loved Erma and was so sad when she passed..She always made me laugh!
Three years ago my husband surprised me with a Yankee Candle special edition "Apple Martini" candle. He knows how much I enjoy an icy apple martini and bought it for me as a just-because gift. I haven't burned it because it's a limited edition and I didn't want to use it up.
It's poised on the fireplace because as soon as he gets home - I'm burning it.
Renowned Death Hag
I started reading Erma's books when I was about 10 and grew up with "The Family Circus." Erma's sense of humor has influenced my writing, there's no doubt about that. She was a class act. I still miss her.
I saw this thread and immediately thought of my mom. We both we such big fans of hers. I found this on YouTube....just a few of her quotes and they still stand up today...RIP Erma and I hope the grass IS greener over there.......http://youtube.com/watch?v=D61Jjr5dNiQ
I used to have a poem by her about special mothers. Anyone know where I can find that.
A very good friend of mine gave me this book when my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Erma was a great writer who brought many a smile to my face during that time.
For the longest time I would buy those Family Circus books he did. Seems like they aren't around as they used to be. Wal-Mart and I think Target had carried them as recently as five years ago but I don't think neither one does now.
Now for Keane himself, for some reason I heard a long time ago that he and Peanuts creator Charles Schulz weren't exactly friends. Wonder what the story was behind that?
I also have heard rather recently that Keane today isn't in the best of health. I hope that isn't true but I think his son Jeff pretty much does the Family Circus comic strip now.
Renowned Death Hag
This one?
The Special Mother
by Erma BombeckMost women become mothers by accident, some by choice,
a few by social pressure and a couple by habit.
This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children.
Did you ever wonder how these mothers are chosen?
Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth
Selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation.
As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew."
"Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia."
"Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who knows no laughter?
That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair.
Once the shock and resentment wear off she'll handle it."
"I watched her today.
She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of it's own.
She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive.
Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.
She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a spoken word.
She will never consider a step ordinary.
When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see--ignorance, cruelty,
prejudice--and allow her to rise above them.
She will never be alone.
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life
Because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air. God smiles.
"A mirror will suffice."
Death Hag Extraordinaire
Thr grass is always greener over the septic tank. Ain't that the dang truth.
Stay in Drugs. Eat your School. Don't do Vegetables.
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