Any Sunday morning during my childhood you could find me on the living room floor, my nose buried in the funny pages. After all, valuable life lessons were easily had, if you just paid enough attention.

Don't get me wrong, I still read more often than not just for a cheap chuckle, but many of the offerings gave you insight on how people deal with each other, how people take advantage of each other, and how people can crush each others' dreams and ideas like so many grapes.

Peanuts was featured prominently in every paper's funny pages that I read. They were usually above the fold on the front, so it was hard to ignore, even if you weren't all that interested in the escapades of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy.

Charlie Brown was (and still is) the survivor, constantly being worn down by his superstar, talented dog Snoopy, as well as his arch-nemesis, Lucy, whose "psychiatric help" rarely values at the 5 cents she demands.

Lucy also taught me about infatuation, through her steady crush on the Beethoven-playing pianist, Schroeder.

Moving on, Beetle Bailey showed me how you deal with irate bosses, as The Sarge always got what was coming to him with his fly-off-the-handle attitude.

Alley Oop was always a gas, and I could never get over the name of his girlfriend, Miss Oula - a great tie-in to the Montana town. Oop was another survivor, back when merely surviving was a pretty tough task.

Speaking of survivors, there was always Dagwood Bumstead, trying hard to keep up with his what's-she-doing-with him smokin' hot wife, Blondie. Dagwood too was always under the thumb of his boss, had teenagers that he had to raise, hence his penchant for naps. He also made a mean (and tall) sandwich.

Dennis the Menace gave the boy next door a whole 'nother meaning. He made me realize what affect your actions have on those around you. He stressed out his parents so much, they didn't seem to mind when he walked out of the house and down the street - Maybe they were hoping he wouldn't come back?

He most often ended up at the Wilsons' house, where the retired couple did what they could to teach him some manners and respect. More often than not they failed, but I am sure that Dennis appreciated the effort.

About that time in my life, I had an old couple for neighbors, living out in the country. They not only fed me and my brother here and there, but their patient demeanor always made for a great afternoon. Lloyd and Mildred Neudick were my Wilsons - and I'll never forget them. Rest in Peace.

I had a little brother that was into comic books, and while I never quite got so enamored I had to buy every edition of some series, there was always something on the stand worth my time to flip through.

I was a big fan of Archie. The clean-cut ginger-haired teen was like most other teens, then and now, trying to please the ladies. Betty and Veronica were polar opposites, and taught me that the same line doesn't work on every girl, and for that matter, how to treat girls.

Jughead and Reggie rounded out the cast, and both always had advice for ol' Arch, who would often find himself in a pickle. Jughead would rarely lead Archie astray, unless he was bored and wanted to see him sweat a little. Reggie was the quintessential Narcissist - always trying to take advantage of his friendships to get his way. I could spot friends taking advantage of me later on in life just by remembering that smug smile Reggie would beam away with when a plan came together.

So you can see all that colored ink had way more than an initial impression on a young, impressionable Montana boy. And while the current crop of cartoons in our Sunday paper have a little more edge to them, they are no less enjoyable and full of life lessons.

But unlike our favorite comics, we age. Dennis will always be young, Archie will be a teen, and Charlie Brown will still try and kick that football.

And poor Beetle will still be peeling potatoes.

Jerry Hitchcock is a copy editor for The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, or via email at [email protected].