Take a nap, dress comfortably, make sure you stay fed and hydrated, don’t let yourself get too bored or too overstimulated. We all know what happens if you don’t make sure to manage the physical condition of a toddler! Well, we adults are very much the same.
—Gretchen Rubin
That sounds like great advice to me!
May 4, 2026
Andy and I gave up looking at mirrors ages ago. If I happen to see my reflection now, I just laugh and say hi. It has nothing to do with the real me.
An interesting thing happened yesterday morning. I made a quick trip to Natural Grocers to replenish my yogurt supply, and the gal there looked delighted as I was leaving. She said,
You still have pep in your step. That’s great!
That made my day.
Andy no longer has pep in his step, but he still goes up to the land almost every day. A lot of guys up there regard him as a sign of hope.
Still doing the best we can with what we have left, and enjoying the process.
June 3, 2026
As I’ve said, I spend a lot of time reading about what is going on in the world, but I only talk politics with close friends.
June 1, 2026
Still learning a little more Spanish and enjoying the process.
This comic is my favorite, because it’s all too true sometimes.
Peanuts en Español
Peanuts
But also like Calvin and Hobbes.
Calvin and Hobbes en Español
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Calvin and Hobbes
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Calvin and Hobbes en Español
Click on image for higher resolution.
Calvin and Hobbes
Click on image for higher resolution.
Calvin and Hobbes en Español
Click on image for higher resolution.
Calvin and Hobbes
Click on image for higher resolution.
Calvin and Hobbes en Español
Click on image for higher resolution.
Calvin and Hobbes
Click on image for higher resolution.
May 31, 2026
This pup knows what his are.
Update on our landline: The technician did come yesterday, and the phone is working again.
He said he liked our wall phone.
I told him it was almost 50 years old. He was surprised and said,
They don’t make them like that any more.
How true that is.
May 30, 2026
So, our new printer came yesterday. It’s for Andy’s computer, and the one we had didn’t do two-sided printing, so we bought a Canon TS7720.
I managed to get it installed as the default printer without much trouble. But it asked if we agreed that Canon could see what we were printing and share some of that information with third parties. I said no to both of those, and it said then I couldn’t use its web services. I figured if it didn’t work without those web services I would just send it back.
It works just fine for what we want.
I did go back to the Amazon site and asked its AI, Alexa:
In order to use the internet we have to allow Canon to see what we are sending, and to share with others? Details please!
It answered:
When Using AirPrint (Recommended, Most Private)
AirPrint works entirely on your local home network — no Canon account or internet connection required.
Your print data stays on your home network and is not sent to Canon’s servers.
This is the simplest and most private option.
When Using Canon’s Software/Apps
If you install Canon’s own app or create a Canon account, Canon may collect:
Device information (printer model, usage data)
Account details if you register
They state data may be shared with third parties and used to improve services.
Canon Cloud Printing (Optional Feature)
If you use Canon PRINT app or cloud features, print jobs may route through Canon’s servers
You are not required to use these cloud features just to print.
Bottom Line for You:
To keep things simple and private: Use AirPrint — no account, no data sharing, no Canon software needed
Your Mac will find the printer automatically on your WiFi network
You only need to worry about data sharing if you choose to sign up for Canon’s cloud services.
Would you like step-by-step instructions for setting up AirPrint on your Mac?
That was helpful, but it didn’t mention the method I use. We don’t use AirPrint — I connect the printer to our computer with a USB cable. Someday — if I want to print from my computer in my study or from my iPad — I might ask how to use AirPrint, but for now we’re happy keeping things simple.
May 29, 2026
1. Our Landline: Our landline no longer has a dial tone. Luckily we discovered it Monday when we tried phoning it to check our flip phones. I’ll spare you the details, but it probably took me about an hour yesterday to get through Lumen’s phone and chat AIs to reach a real person, Kaninglung K, on the chat line. The neat thing is that person was friendly and helpful. When I thanked them and told them how much I appreciated their help, they answered,
I appreciate the opportunity to help you today.
Jean, just want to inform you that you are the best patient customer of mine for the day. Thanks for being so kind with me.
That feedback means a lot. When I faced up to the problem I knew it was going to be a hassle, and soon as I started to feel frustrated, this question popped up in my mind:
What’s the opportunity here?
Yep, another chance to practice patience and persistence. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been working since 2018 on focusing on how I handle things rather than letting my mood depend on how any particular situation turned out.
That’s all very well and good, and it mostly works, but connecting with a real person, one that is doing more than just reading a script, is a powerful reinforcement. It doesn’t always happen, but I treasure the times it does.
(It’s not over yet, the technician isn’t coming until sometime Friday, but in the past that part has gone smoothly.)
2. My Driver’s License: I had my appointment with the Motor Vehicle Department to renew my driver’s license. We have to do it in person every year in order to take the eye test, and I did fine. That’s always a huge relief.
The woman there was friendly too.
Now it’s time to goof off and recharge my batteries. Have a great day, everyone!
May 27, 2026
The creators of Betty have moved on from the basement renovation.
About Amazon’s Alexa — She forgot why I asked for help. My present MP3 players stopped linking to the computer I mostly use. I can go to another computer with an older operating system, but it’s less convenient so I wondered if Alexa could help. She recommended a new MP3 player she claimed would solve the problem, so I ordered it. Fortunately I double-checked and and saw it would have the same problem. Not a good show, Alexa.
She did apologize:
You’re absolutely right, and I sincerely apologize. I made a serious mistake.
You came to me with compatibility concerns about your Olympus DM-620, and I recommended the Sony ICD-PX370 saying it “works with Windows 10 and Mac” and has “built-in USB connection for direct file transfer to any modern computer.” That was wrong—it does NOT officially support macOS 15.7.5.
I should have asked about your Mac version first before recommending anything, especially given your original compatibility concerns. This is my fault, not yours.
Here’s what we can do right now:
Since your order was just placed yesterday and hasn’t shipped yet, you have a very good chance of canceling it:
- Visit your order page
- Look for “Cancel items” button
- If it’s already shipped, you can return it for a full refund once it arrives
I genuinely apologize for this error and the inconvenience. Would you like me to help you find a voice recorder that’s actually verified to work with macOS 15.7.5?
It was easy enough to cancel, and I’m glad I checked in time. I’ll stick with my present system — it was worth a try. Hopefully Alexa learns from her mistakes,
May 26, 2026
