Betty
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But Andy and I can definitely relate to this comic:

Moderately Confused
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And this one is another reminder that we can’t believe everything we think. It’s best to check our assumptions.

The Other Coast

May 6, 2026

But first: Bub is happy about this.

Betty
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Back to Spanish:

Garfield en Español
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Garfield
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Peanuts en Español
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Peanuts
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Peanuts en Español
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Peanuts
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Peanuts en Español
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Peanuts
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May 5, 2026

So you see, imagination needs moodling — long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.
–Brenda Ueland

I read about what is going on in the U.S. and the world, of course, and puttered around some while I thought about it.

I also wanted to order a couple of things from Amazon and wondered if I could spend some of my accumulated reward dollars (I use their credit card) in spite of the fraud problem. No problem. I could even still use their card — I don’t know what my new number will be, but they do. They showed me the last four digits, but I’ll have to wait until the card comes for the rest of the information. That was a surprise.

I also went to the credit card site and saw that the fraudulent purchases were still pending. I’ll watch that from time to time.

Then when I was reading some posts, I read this one that, among other things, talked about Maurice Sendak’s final interview with NPR, which was warm, loving and sad. Sendak said he had hated his parents when he was young, but his artistic brother had saved him. Now he loved life even though he was grieving the loss of most of his friends. That made me curious about his background — why he had hated — and I found this Guardian article, written about the same time as the interview. It was an eye-opener because it was more about Sendak’s anger.

I asked Claude about the stark difference in tone, and its answer concluded with,

The Same Man, Two Different Masks
What’s most interesting is that both interviews are clearly authentic — Sendak isn’t performing for one and being genuine in the other. Rather, the two pieces together give a fuller portrait than either alone. The NPR Sendak is real: the man who loved deeply, feared isolation, and found beauty in his maples. The Guardian Sendak is equally real: the man who named his dog after Herman Melville, did a monster jigsaw puzzle, and called the Ayatollah about Salman Rushdie. Together they capture someone who was, simultaneously, one of the most tender and most cantankerous figures in American letters.

All in all a satisfying day. It reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes’ final cartoon. (Click on image for higher resolution.)

Calvin and Hobbes

Hurray for moodling and exploring!

May 4, 2026

Betty
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I also liked these comics:

Ziggy

Pickles
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Pickles
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May 3, 2026

Betty
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So Betty and Bub are having an adventure looking at smart toilets. My adventure here is of a different sort.

As I was getting ready for bed Friday night I received an email, supposedly from my credit card company, about a fraud alert. I didn’t open the email but went to the site — sure enough, someone had just ordered over $600 of Amazon purchases. I called the card company and they canceled the card and are sending out new ones. They won’t get here for 5-10 business days, and eventually I need to change the card information for any recurring charges. I do need to give companies the temporary number from a different credit card if the charges occur before the new card arrives.

But when I tried to use a second card as the temporary number, I noticed that it expired the end of April. So I phoned that company and they will send out new cards in a couple of days. They estimate they will be here Monday. It’s good I checked because we had planned to use that card grocery shopping today. We do have a third card here at home for a backup, and it was nice to know about it before we went to the store.

Also when I phoned Andy up on the land he said he was bundled up because it was about 35 degrees outside. And it had snowed a bit.

Life keeps conspiring to keep us on our toes.

May 2, 2026

Betty
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I’m still blown away that smart toilets exist.

I wanted to check the grammar of that last sentence. so I asked Claude. It said,

The grammar is perfectly fine! “Blown away” is a great idiomatic expression there, and the sentence is clear and natural.

And honestly, same — smart toilets are wild. Heated seats, auto-flush, bidet functions, built-in deodorizers, night lights… some even have Bluetooth speakers and self-cleaning nozzles. Japan has been ahead of the curve on this for decades.

In the meantime, Happy May Day! Spring (meteorological) is two-thirds over now. Time keeps zipping along.

May 1, 2026

Betty
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It’s not a joke, they do exist. I asked Perplexity:

Smart toilets are technologically advanced bathroom fixtures that combine traditional toilet functions with electronic bidet cleansing and smart home features such as automatic flushing, heated seats, self-cleaning nozzles, and remote or voice control. Their core purpose remains flushing away waste, but they enhance hygiene, comfort, and convenience through integrated technologies.

Key features commonly found in smart toilets include a built-in bidet with adjustable water temperature, pressure, and spray position; seat-warming with customizable temperature; automatic or touchless flushing activated by sensors; self-cleaning nozzles that rinse after each use; deodorizing systems; warm-air drying to reduce toilet paper use; night-light illumination; and remote, app, or voice?command controls that can integrate with smart home ecosystems. Many models also offer water-saving flush modes (as low as 0.6 gpf), overflow protection, and even builtin speakers or LED lighting.

Benefits of smart toilets center on improved hygiene (bidet cleansing reduces reliance on toilet paper and provides a more thorough clean), increased comfort (heated seats, warm water, and adjustable settings), greater convenience (hands-free flushing, lid opening/closing, and self-cleaning), and environmental friendliness (efficient flush systems and reduced paper waste lower water usage and utility bills). These features make smart toilets a popular upgrade for modern bathrooms seeking luxury, sustainability, and accessibility.

What could possibly go wrong?

(They do need electricity, but not all need Wi-Fi.)

April 30, 2026

Betty
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Bub is so sweet and good-hearted. Reading about him soothes my spirits — he offers me relief from what is going on in the world.

The New Yorker recognizes the problem in a different way. Monday’s cartoon in our day-by-day calendar shows a corporate business meeting. The leader says,

In light of national and world events, we’ve repealed our no-crying-at-your desk policy.

That resonated with me too. I smiled in spite of the sadness.

April 29, 2026

Betty
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The project continues. Now comes the hard part?

On another note. This Calvin and Hobbes was created over 30 years ago.

Calvin and Hobbes
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Sigh. It’s even more appropriate now.

April 28, 2026

Bound and Gagged

9 to 5

And screens are getting in the way of reality. This is my favorite.

9 to 5

April 27, 2026