Mark Kausler’s CatBlog

Pow-ah

 Hey, don’t ever let ’em tell you that solar power is easy. We had some panels installed on the roof and it took from last July to January of 2016 to complete the job. The roof had to be re-shingled, then we had to design the system (which took a lot of emails), then they put on the panels, then upgraded the meter to 200 amp service, then installed the inverter to change DC to AC power, then the Glendale Water and Power folks had to inspect the system (3 trips), then install a second meter, then give PTO (Permission To Operate). I threw the switch myself to turn the system on. We are now actually generating power from the sun! The photo above was shot before we got the official PTO. The inverter we got has an outlet on it which you can plug things into during the day if the electric grid does a Ken Lay and shuts down. This was my first brush with solar power and I was very excited and happy! The guy on the right side of the photo is an electrician who works for the solar company we used, Solar Optimum. They STILL aren’t through! A special little computer reader has to be installed to keep track of our generation and usage. Everytime I look at the panels I remember the Bell System Science Series show: “Our Mr. Sun” from 1956, SIXTY years ago. This wonderful TV show, directed by Frank Capra and Bill Hurtz (animation), predicted that the solar energy from Mr. Sun would solve the Earth’s fuel problem and even predicted the Solar Battery! After all this time, there still isn’t a really efficient and low cost Solar Battery, but the Tesla company is working on one. Hopefully Big Oil won’t buy up the patent THIS time! At last, part of the scenario of “Our Mr. Sun” is a reality.

 Felix, 12-17 to 12-23-1934, features Felix’s happy reunion with the Danny Dooit family, and their cantankerous Dachshund. Plenty of long dog gags here. In the Sunday page, Felix continues to stay with the Millionaire’s family, feeding his bonanza of fresh milk to his alley cat buddies.

 Myrtle is from 9-20 to 9-26-1948 this time. I like the 9-24, as Myrtle discovers a box of candy on the upstairs bed, then has to pretend she knows nothing when Freddy asks her about it. I like the little coy pose she does in the last panel. Myrtle’s bare head makes a rare appearance in the 9-22 as her hat flies off in surprise when the clock Sampson is repairing strikes 13. In the Sunday, Hyacinth the cat holds her nose at Myrtle’s fish catch in the second panel.

 Some WW 2 “Spy” points get made in the Krazy dailies from 12-28-1942 to 1-2-1943. Ignatz is in the “Sicritt Soivitz” and gets all his information from the “Grape Wine”.  Check out Garge’s mastery of knife technique in the 1-1 and 1-2-1943 strips, especially the final panel of the 1-2, as a character emerges from the “Grape Wine” who reminds me of Winston Churchill. The delicate knife scratches look like fine branches of ferns that surround the “Churchill” character. Probably by this time in his career, George Herriman’s arthritis problems were starting to affect his drawing, as was the reduction in daily strip space caused by the wartime demand for newsprint.