A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Change of Season

By Jimmy Johnson

April 16, 2000


The new spring bathing suit has been a recurring subject in Arlo & Janis since the beginning. It certainly was inspired by experience! In the early days, she always was excited by the search for a perfect new bathing suit for the coming summer. Some searches were more successful than others in her mind, but she’d always be eager to come home to me and model her choice, and I relished my role in our annual ritual. For some reason, along the way, that all changed, and I’ll be darned if I know why.


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52 responses to “Change of Season”

  1. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Maturity?

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      How about acceptance that gravity wins out in the end, even over the nuclear forces in the stars? That which once was taut or perky will sag under its relentless force!

  2. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    With the temperatures in the 70’s and even hitting 80’s, I was finally able to walk in my shorts this week. Such a very pleasant time of the year, Now just waiting for the grass to perk up. I may grow some Roma tomato plants in the back yard and even water the yard more often. I have more energy that I have had in past years. Over the last year, I have walked 1,550 miles which is 2-3 times the amount that I ran when I ran sub-4:00 marathons.

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      Shorts? Not ever on this former trucker! Everyone around me would need sunglasses to protect their eyes.

      1. Galliglo from Ohio Avatar
        Galliglo from Ohio

        LOL!

      2. Philippe/Symply Fargone it is me! Avatar
        Philippe/Symply Fargone it is me!

        As a youth my parents due to my father’s Swiss background would dress me in shorts all year round(lederhosen and corduroy) even in winter in MA. I hated wearing those Fargone things, at the time I entered 2nd grade I informed my mother I would Symply no longer be wearing shorts; ever! This has lasted for over 50 years now, it has been a life altering thing….shorts with snow pants in the winter, who ever heard of such a thing!

  3. Kerry Avatar
    Kerry

    Today it is completely possible to fine a swimsuit that could use extra fabric. Maybe that’s just me.

  4. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    It was around 80 in Tulsa yesterday. And supposed to be near that today, then down into the 40’s tonight. High tomorrow in upper 60’s with another night’s lows in the 40’s. Hope it doesn’t shock the plants too much.

    1. Ghost Avatar
      Ghost

      At 6:00 pm, scattered thunder-bumpers across most of OK. Severe TS warnings out until 11:00 pm. Unfortunately, this kind of “Change of Season” brings something other than swimsuits.

  5. emb Avatar
    emb

    Trucker: Less so if is she’s an A cup to start with. Ta dah!

    A few cranes still aloft in Neb.
    https://explore.org/livecams/birds/crane-camera

    Peace,

  6. Rick in Shermantown, Ohio Avatar
    Rick in Shermantown, Ohio

    “I’ll be darned if I know why.”

    Gravity. It’s because of gravity.

  7. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Besides knee repair I am also thinking of breast repair again. I am still entitled to surgery on both breasts to repair damage from mastectomy and the later destruction of my rebuilt breast by radiologist.

    The kind I need comes with a free tummy tuck since they need skin and fat. At 80 would I be insane.?

    1. Philippe/Symply Avatar
      Philippe/Symply

      No, not at all….Symply do what makes you feel Fargone good!

    2. Ruth Avatar
      Ruth

      Not if it makes you feel better. Your entitled to feel your best no matter what your age.

  8. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Jackie – age has nothing to do with it!
    .
    On the gravity vein – I believe gravity has been increasing ever since they stopped Atomic Testing.
    People born after testing stopped have not noticed it yet, but we that were born
    before notice it (some cases a lot) you should see what it has done to my chest.
    It certainly gotten harder to get up from a chair or from the floor. In some cases it has effected
    hair strands keeping them below the scalp, or accelerating their decent to the ground.
    .
    That is my theory and I am sticking with it.

  9. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    So, Old Bear you think I would be insane to have surgery to rebuild two breasts and my stomach at ANY age? Just for appearance sake, not health.?

    Ghost says he has no opinion.

    1. John II Avatar
      John II

      Jackie,
      Do what ever makes you feel better. Age has nothing to do with it.
      Ghost is wise.

      1. Philippe/Symply Avatar
        Philippe/Symply

        So are you John II

    2. Old Bear Avatar
      Old Bear

      Jackie – sorry I was not clear – John had it the way I meant —
      Whatever makes you feel good & happy – age has nothing to with when
      you do it.

  10. emb Avatar
    emb

    From yesterday’s comics. This one is maybe 2-3/wk. Peace,

    https://www.gocomics.com/signewilkinson/2021/04/09

  11. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Good morning. Up and out early today on a very dark and blustery Saturday. Had to go visit the vampires at the VA clinic to have them take blood. Got an in-person visit with my doctor for the first time since 2019 and he wanted everything sampled. On the way home I stopped at a local diner for breakfast. The food was very good but their coffee needs an upgrade. Have a safe day, everyone.

  12. TruckerRon Avatar

    Last night was a stargazing miracle! The neighbor to the west was gone so her kitchen light (which shines on my house rivaling the full moon) was off, the skies were cloudless without visible dust or humidity, and I didn’t have to be anywhere else! The Pleiades were gorgeous in my telescope and Orion dominated the western sky.

  13. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Seen on the InterWebNet:
    When life gives you lemons…
    Freeze them and throw them as hard as possible at those that are making your life difficult.

  14. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Ghost asked me the other day why our veggie and fruit co-OP was offering cases of lemons?

  15. emb Avatar
    emb

    Trucker. Neat. One winter at a colleague’s lakeshore home, no scope, sky was so clear I mistook Praesepe for the Pleiades. Peace,

  16. emb Avatar
    emb

    This long-eared owl was supposed to accompany last post. Peace,

    https://explore.org/livecams/birds/long-eared-owl-cam

  17. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    New topic: I’ve been a pro baseball fan since the ’40s. Not “rabid”, but certainly a follower. Asking for opinions on two changes, one recent, to the game.
    .
    1) The idea of starting each extra inning with a runner on 2nd base galls me. I agree it is equitable and shortens many games, but part of my interest lies in those very long games in seeing which team can finally outdo the other. Like other changes, it also makes statistics non-comparable to those of previous eras.
    .
    2) Ever since its inception, the idea of interleague play has been provably unfair. Some teams in league A will get to feast on a weak team from league B, while other members of league A may need to compete with a real juggernaut from league B. Yet, the records of all the members of league A are compared to determine rankings for the post season. How unfair!
    .
    PS: Jackie, you’ve got several years before you turn 80! No need to age yourself excessively. Have done what you wish, as long as the MDs agree.

    1. Norm in Utah Avatar
      Norm in Utah

      Runner on second in extra innings? Did they get that from T-ball? It needs to go. Last year there was at least one lead-off 2-run homer.

      Next, I hope the National League never adopts the DH and I wish the AL would get rid of it. Hard decisions for the managers are cut by at least 50%, so why are they paid so much?

      Interleague play – if there was ever a time for it, it has come and gone. Before the late ’50s and early ’60s, geography was such that if you wanted to see the other league you could just go across town or make a relatively short road trip. With free agency, just wait a couple of years and the other leagues stars will be in your league. And as noted, scheduling inequities abound.

      My suggestion:

      1. Return Houston to the National league. Why should both teams in Texas play in the same league?

      2. Expand the American League by two teams, giving two sixteen team leagues. Then

      3. Divide each league into two divisions – the original eight and the expansion eight. Play a division-heavy unbalanced schedule: 16 games against the other 7 teams in your division and 6 games against the 8 teams in the other division for a 160 schedule. the division winners play a best-o-seven for the pennant and the winners go to the World Series. Season will end before Halloween.

      4. There is no real need for all the wild-card teams. This is baseball, not football, basketball, or hockey. The regular season should mean something.

      5. Schedule double-headers (9 inning games). 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day at a minimum; others sprinkled in would be nice’

      I know this will never happen because the name of the game these days is money, not thinking about the fans.

    2. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

      7 inning DH are bad. What if a pitcher throws a perfect 7 innings? How many pitchers have lost Perfect games and no-hitters past the 7th inning.

      I hate inter-league play too. They need the DH in both leagues, but not in one and not the other. But I respect those who want to abolish the DH.

      The man on second base could be established after maybe the 12th inning. Even allowing pitchers to come back in after the 12th would be OK. Not necessarily my preference. Putting the guy on after the 10th inning is kind of like OT in college football. A gimmick. The issue is that pitchers aren’t as durable as they were back in the day. I have a few theories on that, but you can’t deny that it is true.

      I really do not like the shifts. If you are a major league hitter and they are giving you the whole side of the infield, learn to hit that way!

  18. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Afterthought: maybe interleague play would be OK if played as non-counting exhibitions. That is, those results would not be included in season records nor used in final rankings.

  19. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Curmudgeonly exprofesxor the reason why I said 80 is that. Is about when I would finish. The broken leg will hopefully be healed by Thanksgiving. If I can have second leg done it would be six months more. I have to get back on cancer programs and stay in remission for that to happen.

    I want to go see my plastic surgeon to see what could be done easiest but when my breast was burned off little was left. We were removing the other breast totally and creating a small pair that matched. Cancer went Stage 4 stopping surgery.

    I wear clothes that hide a lot. But I hate being obese and lopsided. A missing breast makes your entire body deform I have learned. So I am trying to lose weight and exercise far more than prescribed.

    They just opened a new medical rehabilitation center downtown and I want.my orthopedist to.send me there. I would do almost anything noe to get out of this bedroom I have been confined to for over three months.

    Just afraid I would sound ridiculous wanting to do all this surgery at my age. I want to walk, dance and exercise again. And swim.

    1. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      Jackie, wanting to be better, healthier and feel better is never ridiculous at any age. Better that, than giving up and fading away. Go for what you can, because you might just surprise your doctors, as you already have several times.

  20. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Thank you Mark and CEP for the support to keep pushing.
    I know people would often think “You are OK now, why do anything more?”

    Ghost says he can get through more recovery care. I worry about putting him through this. Yet his health is miraculously improving.

  21. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Sorry we can’t share pictures here. We got some much-needed rain today, almost 3 inches in our gauge. We also got enough nickel-sized hail to turn most of our yard from green to white in about two minutes! Unfortunately it also punched a lot of holes in our greenhouse roof.

  22. Nancy K in AZ Avatar
    Nancy K in AZ

    Jackie, you go girl, just as you always have!!!

  23. Ed Preston Avatar
    Ed Preston

    This one makes me cry!