Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for March 26, 2010

Poor Tia. ‘Morning, Gweedo! Thanks for the anniversary wishes and the two cuddly cats!

Where are Sergio and Gracie? Tía Carmen could’ve called her nephew and grandniece to open the door if they’re inside.

Sometimes I purposely don’t take my house key when I’m out. At the outside of one of the garage doors, there’s a key pad. The Bermudez family should get one of those.

Gee thanks “Joe” for explaining that for me. This is what I was talking about yesterday. I guess I’m beating a dead horse and there’s no hope for either of us.

I wouldn’t put a spare key under a mat or pot. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it with someone trusted?

Aryalover - I’m not sure what your problem is but please stop it. Everyone’s entitled to their own comments.

Actually the spare key should be as far away as logical from the door. She should put it under the heat pump or somewhere else out of public view.

i keep a spare key at a friends house, but most times she isn’t home for me to call

Maybe Tia Carmen might be an absent-minded.

Huh, you don’t usually see the ugly down side of being organized and proactive.

green_engineer: “Aryalover - I’m not sure what your problem is but please stop it. Everyone’s entitled to their own comments.”

Everybody but Aryalover, huh?

Explaining the joke kills the joke.

Pointing out the obvious insults the intelligence of other readers.

If nobody says “I don’t understand”, assume that everyone does.

Burgundy2: I agree, I don’t use the snap locks, only the dead bolts, that way I always have a key in my hand when I lock the house up. Same goes for the car, only lock it with the ‘key’ in my hand….

(1) The distinction between cartoons and comic strips blurs when you have features like “Dennis the Menace” or “B.C.” (or a host of others) that sometimes turn an oblong format, designed for multiple panels, into a single panel. Is “Dog Eat Doug” a comic strip some days and a cartoon on others? Does “The Far Side” become a comic strip on those days when Larson used a split panel?

But although I’m younger than you, in some ways I’m more old fashioned: single-panel, printed CARTOONS appeared in newspapers and magazines long before multiple-panel features with recurring characters and day-to-day continuities, and BOTH of these predate the earliest animated films. And the particular techniques of drawing simple, exaggerated pictures for humorous effect are commonly referred to as “cartooning”, whether they are used for an animated film or for a printed page (or computer screen).

(2) Nothing compels posters to comment on other comments, but nothing forbids it, either. After all this time, Joe, you KNOW exactly what sorts of comments are going to draw complaints and/or ridicule. The judgmental ones, the prudish ones, the inane ones, the rambling ones, the picayune ones, the obvious ones, and those when you obstinately insist upon an interpretation of a strip which you are the only one to hold… If you wish not to be held up for ridicule, stop being ridiculous.

No “Joe”, like you, I never signed that contract. I sometimes get enough of your comments and feel compelled to comment in self defense. Believe me, I don’t say a word about nine tenths of your comments that I find annoying. I “Put a sock in it” as it were, to avoid ranting. Something I sincerely wish you would do more often. Strange that no one else in this entire forum is anything other that interesting. Thanks EasterFritz and some others for your support. Your remarks are right to the point.

haha i like this!