Pickles by Brian Crane for June 28, 2014

Too focused in the newspaper (probably either sports, obituaries or funnies).

Lots of people take that as a greeting rather than a question. Here’s a conversation I had a few times when I was working retail:

“Hi! How are you?”“Hi! How are you?”“Not high.”

I understand where Earl’s coming from.

I guess Opal has been talking to herself.

Since my stroke, I sometimes have trouble understanding speech and figuring out if someone is talking to me.

I have a sibling who is constantly talking to themself. I quit listening.

I’m with Earl on this one.

I’ve had the opposite problem with people using a Bluetooth cell phone and thought they were talking to me, but they weren’t.

I once asked the late and unlamented how he was doing, and he replied, “What business it that of yours?” (And yes, he died a natural death.)

Often happens to people of my and Earl’s age. Our hearing starts to go and people don’t speak up and we just assume they are speaking to someone else. My wife talks to the dog a lot and she mumbles (my wife, not the dog) so I only hear what I want to hear. Works out well for me.

I thought she was talking to one of those hands-free phones!

Ain’t life fun?

I can relate, talk to myself out loud too. It’s only one step removed from talking to my dog.

Love the exclamation mark above Opal’s head!

xxx

You all are so in my boat. My reply then is: all of the above!

For what it’s worth: My wife and I are 72. I ask her at least twice a day if she is talking to me or talking to herself—again. I wouldn’t have got this panel when I was younger.