Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 19, 2018

Thanks for taking one for the team, Bowling Ball.

Rat can’t have written this.

It’s not mean-spirited.

Nighty-night, Ebonite.

and is Elly going to suspect a marriage proposal from the ball later on?

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson!

There’s three holes in that plan…

“I don’t roll on Shabbos….”

Very strikingly, I suspect a split one of these days.

Oh, spare me the details.

Oh Elly, one day he’ll leave you in the gutter.

if they start having kids, I’m getting outta here!

Perhaps she needed a Show Dog……same effect but some care would be required

Don’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for her. At least she’s happy, I think

Hey that whatshisname hippo isn’t here! She took her life to a whole ’nother level.

Written by Pig

It’s missing the traditional final panel where Goat tells Rat that he shouldn’t be writing children’s books.

♫ Ellie the nelephant ran away from the circus ♫

That boyfriend is noting but balls.

Mr. and Mrs. Brunswick at home…

And then he split.

Good grief, you people are on a roll.

Elly may need to spare herself the humiliation.

And this is precisely why you should never give dolls — especially male dolls — to little girls.

Sounds like the diary of a 13 year old.

He doesn’t make her feel pinned down.

If anyone has been worried about the Zeebas not getting enough work here lately, they’re in “Pooch Café” today.

Until she finds him in the ally knocking up some pinhead.

Can’t argue with that logic.

He finally got his mind out of the gutter!

Wow! One of Rat’s stories has a happy non-violent ending? First time for everything.

She should try and pick up a spare. That is, if she strikes out.

At first I thought panels 2 to 7 were just photocopies of panel 1. Close examination shows only panels 6 and 7 are copies. Pastis really worked hard on this one.

Her right eye is on her right ear? Something wrong here!

Finding an actual living boyfriend that does that has a worse chance then winning the lottery.

I am reminded somewhat of this: https://youtu.be/j-SgGHlZXQc

Typical wants it all without giving anything.

OK, bowling ball wasn’t where my brain was going, but this is a family strip.

Yes!

A striking example of why women wind up alone, bitter, and desperate at 30 today

Aaaah! So sweet!

Ell, i see your ball has eyes for you too..

When things get tough, Elly is going to hit the reset sweeping all missed opportunities she had pinned her hopes on. Ultimately the relationship is going into to gutter as the ball will insist on going down the lane alone, finding it hard to stay true on course or curve back in time – finding fault instead each and every time Elly’s foot crosses the line.

What a sweet romance! Don’t you just wish we all had balls?

Ever been yelled at in Turkish by a Turkish pin-boy? I have. Also slid down the pole in a Turkish fire station. What an exciting life I led at age 12! Downhill ever since…

…I don’t think the bowling ball likes this relationship…

elly gets a happy ending! wait till they want kids though