A trail of rivets

In a certain way, being a parent is a bit like being in an army bootcamp. I don’t mean just the fact that you don’t get enough sleep, but also that it is such an all-consuming task that it’s nearly impossible to be able to talk about anything else. I try my best to avoid the topic with strangers, because I know how much other people’s kids interested me before I became a dad. But anyway, looking at the first panel of today’s strip, I can’t help but make a connection to the subject of “stuff on the floor.”

There always, always is stuff on the floor. Crumbs, for instance. Or spit. The days where I was appalled or confused when I stepped in something wet are long gone. And toys, of course. We don’t even buy that many toys, but somehow they seem to accumulate to ridiculous amounts almost by themselves. I estimate that half of the world’s oil production ends up as plastic toys in the living and kids rooms across the globe. And no matter how much you try to organize and clean up, the natural habitat for a toy is the floor. So I really sympathize with Julio here!

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9 comments on “A trail of rivets
  1. Captain Dunsel says:

    That goes for four-legged ‘children’s’ toys, too. We used to give our dogs rawhide chews. Fresh, they’re hard, leathery strips But, once the dog chews on them, they get soft and slimy. After only a few minutes, they get pretty cold too.

    Stepping on one, barefoot, in the middle of the night, on a trip to the bathroom, is a truly yucky feeling, so we decided to call them “Yuckies”.

    CD

  2. Magnoire says:

    I agree with the 4-legged ones. I don’t have any pets but after the devastating floods that hit Louisiana last month, I have 3 refugees in my house; my best friend/boss, a tiny cat and a 130lb Lab/Rottweiler/Hound Dog mix who lives up to his name “Cochon”. Even the tiny cat makes a mess! Stepping on cat litter barefoot is a horrible experience!
    I did have 2 Lab mixes about 30 years ago and I also know first hand about the soft slimy rawhide dog chews!

  3. Jean Loup says:

    Who munched holes in the Box of Rivets & why the EEEK??

  4. ThisGuy says:

    @jean, I suspect a mouse. Which is a real nightmare in an airplane hangar/workshop as they can make an aircraft go from mint condition to complete write off in a very short timespan. They chew on wires, fuel lines and pillows, love chewing certain wood types and build nests in inaccessible hideyholes deep in the plane jamming control surfaces. Especially wooden gliders are very vulnerable to mice infestations.

    Julio and Chuck better get some traps set. Fast.

  5. Tampa says:

    I have had mice as pets before, really fascinating creatures.

  6. fyrflier says:

    I smell a rat . . .

    😉

  7. Jean Loup says:

    ThisGuy, thanks for your explanation but still do not understand why it should be funny

  8. Rick Westerman says:

    @Jean:

    I am not sure if the comic itself is funny as much as it is ‘lead in’ or intro into the next comic. The ‘Eeek’ catches the reader’s attention and makes them anticipate the next Chicken Wings.

  9. Karel A.J. ADAMS says:

    @Jean: do not wonder, tastes vary around the world. Especially in North America there are some very simple minds around… But I am not so sure that the screech would be a cliff-hanger, it could just as well be Sally or Hans upset at seeing the rodent in the office.

    About the chewing: in Western Europe, the worst are marten. I used to have one for a neighbour, and she/he made quite a ruin of the cabling of my van. I wasn’t sorry to find the beast ridden over, one morning, though it did look lovely, even dead.

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