Pickles by Brian Crane for January 10, 2019

Ooooh, how I hate that!!! If you don’t know what you did, I am not going to tell you. If I am lucky, I will have a new bottle of something adult in the cabinet under the sink. You stay mad, I will get happy.

I found an unopened bottle of JD way back in the cupboard last week. It has been there for about fifteen years I would guess.

That’s the thing that proves women are just as childish as men. Can’t call them on it, either, as that just makes them more mad.

Run through the house with a magic wand yelling legilimens until she tells you.

I never understood that attitude! If someone (spouse, child, friend) does not know why the other person is mad at them, the person will continue to do the offending act.

Whether played by women or men, that third panel is one of the most destructive games any person can play in a relationship. That’s not open, honest communication – that’s “I’ve got the power and I’m going to make you suffer.”

Yes Earl my mind reading ability is not what it used to be ;-)

“If you really loved me then you’d know why I’m mad.”

Is it just me or has Pickles became not as fun lately?

Even though I’m a woman myself, I never understand women who act like this. I mean, men aren’t mindreaders. If you don’t tell them what kind of problem you have, how are they ever going to know? There are millions of things that could have offended you, so if you don’t say what’s on your mind, do you want them to change to 100% just to be sure? You’re putting your relationship at stake for a stupid game that will get you nowhere. If you can’t put it into words, it’s probably just in your imagination. Lack of communication is a very successful relationship destroyer.

There are times when I really cannot figure out what to do or what exactly I have done. My wife will tell me it is OK to do something and then pout about it for eternity. For example many years ago I decided to get a riding lawn mower. We did not have a big yard but it was aggravating and time consuming to cut the grass with our push mower. Every now and then my wife would volunteer to do it when I was so tied up with my work that I didn’t have time. She seemed fine with the idea to get the riding mower. I went and purchased it. The time needed to cut our grass went from several hours to less than 30 minutes. I offered to show my wife how to operate the riding mower and she refused to even figure out how to start it. Just to show me how she felt she even cut the lawn a couple of times with the push mower. She has never even tried to operate the riding mower just to put it in the storage room if it was left out. That has been over 35 years and she is still mad about me getting a riding mower. She has never said anything directly but I can tell she is still pouting about it. Sometimes I know she will be mad about something I plan to do even if she says it is fine for me to do it. So I have to make the decision on whether or not to make her mad although she says she is fine with it. I have learned that many of these ideas are going to be a no win situation and just try and make the best of it. After 45 years I have learned that she is going to be mad about something but she will never tell me about it so I might as well go ahead and do it.

Best response, “It could be one of 20 things. You’ve got to be specific. Otherwise, grow up, one of us has to be the adult!”

should have taken advantage of that quiet time, Earl!

As my daughter would say, “Then don’t be surprised whenever what it is happens again.”

Men are like dogs – we’re happy to see you but don’t understand why you’re mad at us.

Women claim to be better at communication, but then they do stuff like this.

Sounds like home !

“If you don’t want to tell me, then I don’t know what to fix. You stay mad, I’m going to be over here, being happy. You know what happy is, right? NOT mad.”

Opal is ALWAYS mad at Earl. She never has anything nice to say to or about him. If she was actually nice to him once, he would not know who she was. She is a perpetual nag.

Yeah, I know what I did wrong, but I don’t know which one you know about.

Let it ride and move on!

When are you guys gonna learn that you will never understand the female psyche! ;o{

I was told that once. I said, “Sorry, dear. My crystal ball in in the shop for repairs.” That remark got a dish thrown at me by an ex. It missed, but I also got an answer – an event that occurred over a month ago. When asked why it wasn’t brought up at the time, I was told it didn’t seem like such big deal then. Then? Then why now?

just because your offended doesn’t mean your right – course in our culture right now that seems a hard saying for a lot of people to understand (has to do with selfishness/self-centeredness/supposed self-esteem).———— so Opal if you love Earl and you really want him to succeed at being a great and loving husband (course it would ruin the strips premise, just saying) you will lovingly tell him and try to work out a solution OR YOU CAN – just be offended lol

Kitty’s giving her the stink-eye!

Once my wife was mad at me — hard to believe, isn’t it — and stopped talking to me. Then when she finally noticed I hadn’t noticed, she tacked on another week.

By that time she realized she needed some other way to punish me so she went back to talking to me…and talking.

Just joking. She still sulks quite a bit but tries sometimes to let me know and why.

Fem logic, son. ;) Part, if not all, of what she’s angry about is your lack of sensitivity to her inner feelings, which is why you don’t know without asking. If you seriously can’t imagine why she’s angry, about all you can do is to apologize, humbly and sincerely, for being such a clueless clod (which you actually are) until she explains the issue.

And for the love of God, don’t tell her that she has no reason to be angry, or that she’s being unreasonable…her feelings are as real and as valid as yours. If you’re really that stupid, you don’t deserve a woman; go get a chia pet.

Wisdom from 49 years of marriage, little buddy!

Some people get angry just for something to do.

only if you allow yourself to be mad at someone or to be offended by someone do you suffer.

The two of them are soul-mates. He should know, being of one soul with her. After all, he did intuit that she was mad with him. Earl should try a bit of T.M.

And you expect me to know how?

“You’re mad at me because you have an exaggerated sense of self-worth and importance, and I committed some minor infraction letting you know you have it?” The usual suspect.