Chapter 3, Page 40 Marbles

Item one: Mary really shouldn't yell across the house like that. She's in the second floor 'attic' (really a spare room used for storage) while Mom and Dad are in the dining room.

Item two: Did she really think through what she just said? Possibly, but it's hard to say. Jokes tend to come to mind and leak out her mouth without her really being aware of what happened. (That happens a lot, and not just with jokes.)

Still, the whole marble thing was way too good to pass up. Mom seems to think so, too.

Chapter 3, Page 39 Really Bad Shot

In Mary's defense, the snow is really too fluffy to make good snow balls. All those 'piff's in the third-to-last panel? That was all one snow ball that broke apart.

Ruth's tactic really makes more sense in these conditions. Unfortunately, there's no way Mary could ever pin Ruth down long enough to shove snow down her coat.

Yes, it's pathetic. Mary is 12 and Ruth is 9. Ruth is just much more solidly built than Mary. Yeah. It has nothing to do with Mary spending most of her free time sitting around reading.

...

Yeah. Right.

Chapter 3, Page 38 Mom the Houseplant

Dad loves this joke. Every time Mom sits under the light he has to say something about this. Not sure what Mom thinks about it. She usually just ignores him.

Note: I'd like to thank whoever is visiting Mary Quite Contrary from Summit, New Jersey. 50 visits since October 2nd. The most hits from a single visitor I've gotten.

Chapter 3, Page 37 The Light Box

I was shameless in my youth.

Of course, I was also totally oblivious to the fact that Mom was sick. I just thought moms slept a lot.

I did wonder why Dad worried about her so much, though.

Chapter 3, Page 36 Scooter

I'm amazed no one woke up after this.

Just to note, this is at Mary's paternal grandparent's. The trips there are very short, so the next strip will have Mary and company back at home.

I just really, really wanted to show this. There's nothing quite like discovering huge glowing eyes staring at you just before getting beaned by a streak of tabby.

I had no idea cats could move so fast. 0.0

Chapter 3, Page 35 Compassion?

Mom cares, she really does. You'd probably have to also be German to tell, though. (She was born in America, but she's very stereotypically German.)

Ah yes. You are feeling tired? So work, that'll wake you up.

Chapter 3, Page 34 Downside of the Season

I really do tend to get more nightmare type dreams around the holidays. All the stress, I think. Sometimes I wonder what the point of them is since they just make me more stressed out than I was before. (Not to mention the royal mess it makes of my sleep cycle.)

Here's something that I've been wanting to ask. How many kids have nightmares involving the death of their grandparents? That includes kids younger than Mary is now. I don't remember a time when I didn't have this sort of dream.