Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for March 08, 2019

Calvin is becoming a senior citizen before his time.

When I first read this strip as a kid, I thought Calvin was reading the letter out loud, and the mailman had deliberately written that letter and placed it there to teach Calvin patience.

Open it Calvin! That could be your beanie!

How is Calvin able to reach the mailbox (even if the postman left afore Calvin would get to the box)?

I feel you, Calvin. I’ve been stuck waiting for packages, too.

There’s always next time, Calvin.

Compare to today, a delivery service from a well known Internet seller. Go on your computer or smart phone. “Your package is 9 stops away! Your package is 2 stops away! We can’t find your house, and have handed your package over to the postal service, good luck!”

The older you get the less you want to check the mailbox.

Just think of all the character you are building and then one day you can use it on your dad and son.

Patience, Cal. Soon, you’ll be a has-bean(ie).

There’s nothing like those anxious times when you were a kid, and you’re waiting for something and time seems like it slows to a crawl.

And today? Almost instant gratification with Amazon! One or two day wait! But oh, how I remember waiting those “6-8” weeks for something sent away for with proofs-of-purchase! They always seemed to come on the last day of that 8-week period. Never at 6 weeks.

I ordered something and paid for overnight shipping before I saw the fine print, “Overnight shipping is measured from the actual day we ship your purchase.”

Yeah, we know that you are waiting for the beanie in the mail. This is good practice for when you get older, and someone promises you that the CHEQUE is in the mail…

My wife and I owned a home health care agency. We did NOT accept Medicare for two reasons: the main one was that it could take up to 180 days to get paid.

The other one was the additional people we would have to hire to do the paperwork which would add to overhead and raise our rates to our customers. You can’t charge the government more than other customers even though they require you to do more work. The government ALWAYS gets the lowest rate.

When I first read this arc, it was in a comics collection we had bought. So I read everything in just a short sitting. It is more fun reading this in the setting it was anticipated. This took a long time!

I don’t think we’ve ever seen Calvin sit this still for this long.

Yes. Definitely.

Calvin needs to sign up for Informed Delivery Daily Digest to get emails about what is being delivered by the USPS. Oh, yeah. This is the 1980’s.

Huh?

Letter says: “Sorry. Propeller topped beanie is out of stock. We don’t expect a new shipment before Christmas! Keep eating CCSBs (Chocolate Coated Sugar Bombs)!”.

Pretty sure he gets it tomorrow.

I’m reminded of an old proverb; “Good news will come when it may. Bad news you can’t keep away.”

(Disclaimer: In the aforesaid proverb, “news” shall be construed as information personal to the recipient from a reliable source that said recipient shall deem as good or bad in his or her own discretion, and said news shall be deemed to be true and reliable information to said recipient and intended to convey said information only, and said news is not subject to review, criticism, judgment, comments on reliability or factuality by any other party than said recipient.)

Some things NEVER change.(!)

The beanie is old school but not as rewarding as being cheated by a decoder ring that would alert you to drink more ovaltine.

What’s the old saying? “A watched mailbox never posts!”

About all I get in my snail mail these days (other than packages when I order something) are catalogs I’ve never heard of before and solicitations from shady “charities.”

Ain’t it the truth.

This is like ordering something from Publisher’s Clearing House. Delivery can take months!

Watterson, dragged this story arc for the full 6 weeks didn’t he?

Wa wa waaa

You need to be patient in life for the good things to happen Calvin.