Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for July 13, 2018

A day on Ballard Street is like a day at the Circus. Every collection is a parade. Every notice, bill and advert is a treasure. Andrew loves the mail.

A simple balloon can do so much. Andrew, I love the cut of your plywood inserts. No risk of butt-dialing with those.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Hi MUDD. What’s the word?

If those are bills and adverts , Andrew ties them to the balloon and sends them to the big mailbox in the sky.

At first, I was also wondering why Andrew would make a big deal about bills and adverts.

But then I realized that Friday is the day that the Ballard Street Balloon Club newsletter comes.

One can’t forget the BSBC newsletter. It has updates for the balloon holders and upcoming events.

Purple, in the language of balloons, is quite ceremonial.

If you’re just going someplace like the grocery store, the hardware store, or the dry cleaners,

under most circumstances, a green or yellow balloon will do quite nicely….

And blue is even better if it’s an upscale sort of place, like Nordstrom, or Harrod’s.

Red is a little more dressy, suitable for parties, picnics, and sporting events….

though at the latter, you may be forgiven for carrying balloons in your team’s colors, whatever the usual symbolism would be on a different occasion.

White, of course, and for a guest, even a soft pastel, is suitable for carrying to a wedding…

and pretty much any nice combination of colors is permissible for a birthday, because….

well, because it’s a birthday.

(Source: Ballard Street Balloon Club Handbook, 3rd edition, Ballard Press, 2016.)

Such a big deal over bills and junk mail.

Andrew thinking: “Perhaps there’s a post card from Myrtle, my true love from 5th grade. I know you’re out there, Myrtle. Still young and pretty. Still gazing at me with those pretty green eyes. Still playing hopscotch in your saddle shoes. sigh…”

I greet everyone in the morning with a smile. What better way to greet the condemned as the enter the Hell of DMV. I think adding some balloons would be a nice touch.Happy Friday 13!!

There was a quiz in a recent issue of the BSBC newsletter titled, “What Color Balloon is Right for You?”. Andrew’s results indicated he should carry purple balloons; thus, the balloon in today’s strip.

He had a brass band, but Mrs. Higglepooder complained…