Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 07, 2021

Bernice’s Sanctuary

you got a point there, Frank

Oh, Frank. When this little silverware problem bubbles up into a full-out confrontation, you will be glad to know that when you hear the words “dishwasher” and “fork”, it is time to leave the room and move to a place of safety.

When you got someone willing to work be slow to criticize.

There you go! Get Bernice (Frank’s second daughter) to do it. It’ll be done obsessively correct.

Men and women do think differently. In this instance, Nancy is worried about relationships. To Frank, she’s over thinking a very small situation.

A nice way of saying “I didn’t really care.”

Yup

thank-you Frank

Yes Nancy is overthinking but she could get use of it. And just say nothing.

Meanwhile, back at the Fuse someone is making off with the silverware, dishwasher and petty cash…

I say do absolutely nothing and let Bernice keep doing what she’s doing.

We never use all the forks at the same time so there are always some forks left in the drawer. Bernice should be more observant.

Don’t be OCD Nancy, let Bernice’s OCD arrange the cutlery. It’s you, not her.

But does she put the knives in the dishwasher blades-up or blades-down?

Nancy reminds me a bit of Christopher Lloyd’s character in the late ’80s comedy “The Dream Team”; in one scene in a NYC Army Navy store he kind of gets a bit bent out of shape because he see that they got the large socks mixed in with the extra large and proceeds to sort them out while the guy with a “low frustration tolerance” Billy/Michael Keaton looks like he just wants to drop him where he stands….

Dang – Nancy has OCD (I thought she was perfect).

Let Frank do it, and for no hard feelings between the ladies, Nancy could tell them that they are all going on dishwashing strike. Bernice will not be there forever.

Unless all the forks are used every time or Bernice is just being obstinate and rearranging the drawer something else is going on. I suspect the elves. They are forever stealing single socks at my house. I suspect Santa is testing us to see if we will lose our cool and be naughty.

Sheesh, Nancy! Get your spunk up and show some backbone. Just ream out awful Bernie and let the consequences be as they may. DO NOT HOLD BACK! Bernie has it coming!

Since Bernice is always right and is never wrong, the DeGroots just discovered that they have been placing the silverware in the tray wrong all this time.

Big problems like these is what we need.

In my opinion, the best thing to do is keep rearranging the silverware. After all, it’s all about a personal way to see order.

Firstly, you can always get one of those pre-formed silverware organizers which forces you to put each utensil into its own slot, i.e., square holes for squares, round holes for rounds, etc. Secondly, Nancy should be glad that someone else is taking the initiative to do it so she doesn’t have to.

She fills it and I empty it. Yeah, sometimes the silverware is a little wonky, but I’d rather not have that job, too.

Bernice wants to help. Her help causes problems (not being able to find the utensil you need in the right spot). I have that problem with guests trying to be helpful. You can: explain where things are supposed to go, or you can ask them not to help, or let them put away the things they can’t mess up (pretty ease to see what size plate goes in which pile) and leave the rest for you.

Tell Bernice to put the dishes where you want them. You own the house.

1) Take silverware tray and dump it.2) Label each compartment with what you want where.3) Refill.4) Problem solved.

Forks should be on the left. And it’s not good to put silver in the dishwasher. I assume of course they are not so crude as to use non silver silverware, although seeing that Frank doesn’t use a proper coffee cup with a saucer, I should know better… When I think this is a family comic… What horrible and decadent images it gives to kids. Imagine, they will grow up all twisted, thinking one drinks coffee in a mug. Forget about global warming, we’re doomed.

So you’re not gonna do anything?

nice easter egg: Frank & Nancy have a classic Radiant Toaster. Best toaster ever made.

My wife is fairly good about emptying the dishwasher, except she does confuse the flat forks with the curved ones.

Aww geeze, I put the forks in the middle…knife, fork spoon. Who knew?

You mean it’s not supposed to be alphabetic order?

So all the silverware gets used in a day so there’s no pattern for Bernice to follow. Or Bernice never gets a fork or spoon out and see’s the established pattern?

Maybe do the dishes BEFORE every single utensil is gone, so there are some left in the drawer to show her where they go!

Usually you don’t use all the silver ware, so why wouldn’t Bernice put the knives with the other knives etc.

I can relate to Nancy. I am picky about how the dishwasher is loaded. Do it my way the dishes are clean.

Unless every single utensil was emptied from the drawer, wouldn’t Bernice already see where each belongs when putting the washed ones away?

Wow Frank big jerk

This is stupid because anyone can see where each utensil goes when they open the drawer. The only answer is that Bernice doesn’t approve of how Nancy has her silverware drawer arranged and she is inserting her opinion. Tell her to knock it the h#ll off. Don’t be a puss. Or just wait for her big fight with Luann that will get her out of the house.

No drawer space in our kitchen. we just have glass cannisters on the cutting board area for spoons forks and knives; as long as tools are organized and handy to the work space it’s fine. the cannisters can be moved around but most have more pressing issues in their lives.

This goes along with Bernice’s personality. There had to still be silverware in the drawer where she was emptied the washer. She decided that Luan’s mom wasn’t doing it right and changed it. Like with the current arc with Tara, Bernice wants to dictate to everyone else what is right. That is why everyone hated her as the RA.

I can’t thank you enough for the help in the kitchen. It means a lot to me; however, I am just a touch OCD and I have a request. Could you please put the forks on the right?

You might gently throttle her …

Two things going on here. First, when someone is trying to help around the house, don’t complain if it’s not up to your standards. Friends and family come to dinner. I cook; sometimes they want to help (okay by me). They offer to clean up afterwards. Thank you! So what if they put the dishes or silverware back in the wrong place? I just reorganize things the way I want them the next morning. Maybe if she keeps putting the silverware back the way she likes, Bernice will get the message. If not big deal. My mother used to turn the toilet paper the other way every time she came over. It bugged me, but I never said anything; just turned it back when she left. I wish she was still around to annoy me with trivial things like this. Second, if someone asks “What’s up?” or “How’s it going?”, keep your response brief. They usually don’t want to hear all the details. My general responses are “Not much”, “Good. And you?”, and “Can’t complain. It doesn’t do any good, and nobody wants to hear it.” The last one is meant as a joke. Some people get that, but others will give you a strange look.

My motto is, if I let you do something instead of doing it myself, then I have little or no basis for insisting on “how” it should be done.

An excellent example of the difference between the male and female thinking. I asked my wife a question Friday evening. The answered it with 3-4 paragraphs of talk of nearly a minute while the actual answer would have taken 3 – 4 words.

Not complaining or griping, just saying this is the way it is.

My silverware is in a silverware tray on top of my counter. So depending on where I’m standing sometimes the forks are on the left, otherwise they’re on the right. What’s next for this strip? Nancy and Bernice debate the age old question? Toilet paper. Over or under?

In one of George Sheehan’s essays, he imagines giving an honest and detailed response when someone asks “How are you, George?”.

Another good reason to kick Bernice out. I can see why her own family didn’t want her living there. /s

“Nancy? I wasn’t requesting a ‘stream of consciousness’ report.”

Women have intricate wiring in their brain, and men have one big box.

Frank is such a jerk. He might as well have said “I’m not really interested in what’s up with you” because in a decent relationship when you ask someone a question you are obliged to hear their answer and comment – not just blow them off.

Too simple an answer….

My plastic silverware holder has a space for small spoons, tablespoons, small forks, dinner forks and knives. It is easy to see where everything goes.

This is an unlikely scenario. If she’s putting away clean dishes, she would put the newly clean forks with the previously clean forks. (Not on top of the knives…or anything else). That said, if she is willingly helping with household chores, I would simply appreciate her intentions.

Honest answer: Just tell her, but phrase it like it’s a weird quirk of yours so it doesn’t feel like criticism of HER, but of yourself.

I think we just found Monica Geller’s mentor.

Everyone smart puts the forks on the right. Kick her out in the snow until she gets a clue, or feed her to puddles.

If Bernice didn’t ask before putting the silverware in the drawer (which she clearly didn’t), she should be corrected if she’s doing it wrong. It’s Nancy’s house and she makes the rules.

Bernice brought it on herself by not asking how Nancy wanted it done in the first place. You don’t move into somebody’s house and just take over. If Nancy doesn’t make this clear now, Bernice is going to just keep doing it in other areas thinking it’s OK.

yes, who cares if they are on the left or right ?

Accept the new paradigm, Nancy. You can easily identify the utensils in their new positions and it saves you time.

Hmmm……once Nancy is made aware of the fact that an unauthorized person is being allowed (by a family member) to trespass on the FUSE at night, concern for whether forks are on the left or the right may fade rapidly.

Nancy is like a lot of wives. Making a big deal out of something so minor.

Hold it right there.

“Who” is to blame for Bernice living there, in the darn first?

YOU, Nancy.

And unlike Your offspring, at least Bernice cleans up after herself, plus fixes pancakes.

So quit Moaning.

Now if you want to complain about something, then gripe “How come Bernice doesn’t cook bacon or those little sausages to go along with those crispy griddlecakes?”

Ultimately, its that other “boarder” that Frank and Nancy don’t quite Know about yet, that they SHOULD be “worried” about. ;)

why does it matter where the forks are set up in the drawer? I thought that kind of thing only mattered when the table is set up. Also since I’m left handed that kind of screws up any table setting plans an OCD mom would find so precious.

Does this mean they don’t run the dishwasher until they run out of silverware?

Buy some disposable tableware for your own use or get a life.

159 comments (and counting) over how to load a dishwasher. OCD much?

So. . . . what are your feeling about toilet paper? Over or under?? Then there is toothpaste, squeeze from the middle or from the end?

So many, many things to obsess over.

Gee..you mean it should be ok with letting house guests rearrange the home owner’s stuff at will? What’s next? their living room furniture? Their underwear drawer? I wouldn’t dream of doing that. Silly me! As to discussion of someone’s religious traditions and rituals: it’s all about respect. You don’t want to do it, fine. But stay out of other people’s business if they do. Religion and practice thereof, including rituals people may not understand or care about, is a personal thing.

True Story: I actually had a girl break up with me back in the 1980s because of the way I put silverware away after washing the dishes. Otherwise, it was a great relationship (or so I thought). I know this because her mother told me about it later.

Ask Bernice if she particularly cares which way the forks go in and if she doesn’t, just mention which way you’re used to doing it.

Bernice is correct. The forks go on the left.

Nancy could just switch the utensils around while they’re in the drawer as a cue to Bernice as how it’s normally done. Or she could say “Thank you so much for being helpful and emptying the dishwasher but just so you know we usually put the forks on the right.” She could then add a reason (safety perhaps, depending on where the knives are placed) just to explain why she’s bringing it up.

Maybe the forks on the right is right!

So, Frank doesn’t want Nancy to tell him what’s on her mind, because he might find it irrelevant and boring. This is the day. This is the day they slowly begin turning into the Lockhorns! (And she should tell Bernice to stop doing it wrong. It will help Bernice prepare for the future; I think she’ll be hearing a lot of people tell her “You’re doing it wrong” in the future.)

right?

tomorrow: The Gulag? Or further mis-adventures of Bern & Lu ? What happens when Bernice confronts and interrogates Jack? !

We have a dog/house sitter that rearranges the kitchen when we are gone. She changes it to her convenience and that’s ok.

Never mess with another persons kitchen. Ever.

Obsessing over Meaningless BS is a defense mechanism.

It keeps her from worrying about the Real problems, like a daughter who has been a Teenager for over 20 years…

where’s amelia when ya need her?

https://www.gocomics.com/wallace-the-brave/2021/02/05

Bernice fits right in here - overthinking instead of communicating clearly is the trend. ;)

Wow! How did a simple thing as to whether to tell a house guest where to put away the forks develop into a fight over religion and beliefs?

Just get used to it

Wow Catching up on this strip is so much fun to do. THIS DAY ROCKS TOO. I agree with GirlGeek, also Bernice is right. You put the silverware in the drawer the same way you do on the table, makes life simpler. (Oh no now I’m going to start a drawer debate)