cheerfulmonk.com

There’s a Lot of Truth to This One!

Jean — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 06:00:38 +0000

We installed Monterey, the Apple operating system on Andy’s computer, in 2021, five years ago. And we don’t plan to change it because it recognizes my MP3 player and lets me move files to it with a USB cable. The newer systems, including the one I use in my study, don’t allow that any more.

Here I have Sequoia, installed two years ago. They were trying to encourage me to upgrade to Tahoe, but I checked with AI and it suggested I stick to what I have. It said Tahoe had a lot of new features but knowing how I use the computer those features would be useless for me, and switching systems can always cause problems with installed apps. I was very happy with that answer.

Now I notice that last month they came out with an even newer one — Golden Gate. I’m not even going to bother looking at it.

How do you feel about new operating systems?

October 17, 2026

Not Everyone Idealizes Nature

Jean — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:02 +0000

Ziggy

Moderately Confused

Calvin and Hobbes
Click on image for higher resolution.

I must say, I wouldn’t worry about slugs, I would worry about ticks! At any rate, it sometimes pays to be careful.

October 16, 2026

We Voted!

Jean — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 06:00:02 +0000

Andy and I voted yesterday morning, which always warms my heart. I like going in person because the people are so friendly and it’s never busy if we vote early. They appreciate us coming in, and we appreciate them taking the time to be there.

This time instead of the usual “I Voted” stickers, they had cards using designs created by school kids.

How neat is that, to get school children involved in the voting process.

Anyway, going there always makes my day.

October 15, 2026

Unintended Consequences?

Jean — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 06:00:30 +0000

Wrong Hands

Apparently humans will still be good for something.

October 14, 2026

This Brings Back a Memory

Jean — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:00:46 +0000

Shoe

When we were living in France I smelled gas in our kitchen, so I went down and told the resident manager. He came up, agreed there was a leak but was unperturbed. He walked over to the joint where the stove was hooked up to the line coming in, and he lit a match. Sure enough, he found the problem — you could see the ring of flame where the leak was. He tightened the joint and the problem was fixed.

Needless to say, I was not as relaxed as he was. As he lit the match, I was over in the doorway, wondering if it would do any good to run. I still don’t know if he knew what he was doing or if we were both incredibly lucky. That was 60 years ago, and the memory is still vivid.

October 13, 2026