Category: Love
A wonderful romantic night
Hello everyone. I have slowed down posting about Ron and myself other than the home repairs. Some because I have been so tired and worn out from trying to help Ron as he worked on the new bathrooms by doing as much housework as I could around the house. But I Ron realized I was trying so hard to pitch in to help as he did the remodeling that I was getting sick / ill. He has been insisting and pushing me to not help so much. But yesterday was grand.
We had a small supper of a few hotdogs with homemade chili. I ate one. Then we picked everything up and went to bed together. We had “quality time” if you can read between the lines. Then we cuddled back and forth and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Then at around 1:20 am we both woke up to urinate … it is an old man thing. But we started talking and I was hungry as I felt my blood sugar was dropping bad. He was also hungry. So I suggested that we get up and have waffles with him showing me how to use the waffle maker. So we got up in our birthday suit to come from the bedroom to the kitchen and learned that the stuff to make a good waffle meal we did not have. So I offered to make a scrambled egg, link sausage, ham steak, and toast meal. We had the stuff but it was more than we had planned for that time. I thought he would just want to go back to bed. But he agreed. He offered to do it, but I felt I wanted to.
I got 6 eggs out, and I use a sharp knife using the sharp edge to snap the eggshell to break open the eggshells with no fragments in the bowls. Then I add a small amount of water to add fluffy ness to them. We had 6 frozen sausage links which I fried and the ham steak. I fried the sausage and ham, then I did the eggs.
Everything came out perfect and Ron was so impressed that as he ate he told me it was the most wonderful midnight meal he had ever had. I admit I had only one sausage, a quarter of the ham steak, And only one of my two pieces of toast. Ron ate the rest including my sausage, rest of my ham steak, and my second piece of toast. I was so happy and full but so tired. I picked stuff up while Ron sat in his chair and then we decided to go back to bed. I was willing as I was very happy as my belly was full and everything seemed wonderful.
Then as we laid there cuddling talking about things … Ron made me very happy with a second quality time event. He asked me … how could I refuse. I was so spent and happy … that we slept in the next morning with him still in my arms.
Today I have had little time for the blog. I did get time to add more stuff to my cartoon / meme / news item post. But mostly while Ron rested and worked on the new bathroom I did the dishes, started / did laundry, and took care of the house stuff. But all day Ron has been so concerned for my health he has tried to keep me from doing stuff, wanting me to just take the entire day off and rest. I so love that man. For supper he made me a stir fry meal with both thick noodles and angel hair pasta. I love it. I do miss the Chinese take out we sometimes still order because I love the hot / sour soup.
Clay Jones Def Deserves His Pizza
(Cubbies fan here. I’m not Catholic, so it matters not to me which team the Pope prefers.)
Chicago Pope by Clay Jones
The Pope is a Sox fan Read on Substack
I apologize for the lateness of today’s blog, but I had three deadlines today. I’ll explain further in a future blog.
We have the first American pope, and to add to that, he’s from Chicago. How cool is that? I think Chicago all by itself spites Trump, but a pope who’s criticized the administration for its policies on immigration is a nice plus. Also, Pope Leo XIV is against the death penalty, racism (Trump is a racist), and understands that Climate Change is a real thing and not a “hoax” created by China.
One of the first things I was curious about with our Chicago pope was if he is a Cubs fan. The Chicago Cubs posted on their famous marquee above Addison Street at Wrigley Field that Pope Leo is a Cubs fan. They got it wrong. So did some cartoonists.
Henry Payne is already an idiot. That’s not new news. Randy Bish rushed to judgment.
But it didn’t matter to him because he just made a simple swap when he found out he was wrong.
Sorry, Randy, but this is generic cartooning. Plus, nobody should listen to you about Chicago. You’re from Pittsburgh.
What else is from Pittsburgh is this shit.
What is it? It’s ketchup. There’s nothing special about this ketchup. It’s just regular shitty Heinz ketchup, but the company was trying to trick Chicagoans to fuck up their hot dogs with it. It didn’t work, and Eater.com let them know it.
I’m sure the Pope would agree that it’s sacrilege to put ketchup on a hot dog, but since he’s the Pope, he would probably forgive you, but I won’t. How dare you put ketchup on a hot dog? What are you? Five?
I used to have a theory that people who love ketchup had mothers who couldn’t cook. I developed this theory because my ex-wife LOVED ketchup, and her mother could not cook. I hope she doesn’t read this because she’s very nice and my son’s grandmother. My father-in-law, may he rest in peace, made the best fried pork chops I’ve ever had.
I think there are only four acceptable reasons for using ketchup, and they are, for crinkle-cut fries, very bad fries, meatloaf, and if you’re five. I kid, I kid. I know some of you love your ketchup, and none of us is perfect. For example, Donald Trump LOVES ketchup. Let that sink in.
What I learned about Chicago pizza is that most Chicagoans eat more tavern-style than deep dish. Chicagoans like deep dish, but it’s more for special occasions and when they have visitors. Deep dish is more for tourists. I don’t really get deep dish, and I don’t even think it should be considered a pizza.
Do you remember Pizza Rat’s first trip to Chicago last year? He tried the deep dish.
Not a fan.
Today’s cartoon put me in the mood for tavern-style tonight, and Pizza Hut has it as a special. When I picked it up, the manager apologized because they had accidentally cut it into triangles instead of squares. A lot of Chicagoans would not stand for that, but I’m tolerant. I thought of Pope Leo, and I forgave them…this time.
Shout-out and dedication: I dedicate this cartoon to Greg Zaborniak, who introduced me to Old Style beer and tavern-style Chicago pizza last year during the Democratic convention. Thank you again, Greg.
Creative note: I didn’t know what I was going to draw today, and I also had a deadline for the Advance. And then, one of my clients contacted me wanting a cartoon on a local issue, and they wanted it today. So, I was facing three deadlines with zero ideas. But they came to me, one by one, and I knocked ‘em all down.
I deserved that pizza.
There’s a version of this cartoon without Pizza Rat. I didn’t include him because not everyone who will see this cartoon will be a regular reader of mine, and they might think the rat is an aspersion on Catholicism. So I sent it to my clients without Peezy. But then, a reader changed my mind because he thought it was a bigger sin to include a pizza without Pizza Rat. I figured I was going to hear more howls about missing Peezy than I’d hear from angry Catholics. The version at GoComics may not feature Peezy because sometimes a new file won’t override the existing file. I did resend the Peezy version to my clients, but they’ll use the one they want, and maybe not even care.
Drawn in 30 seconds: (snip-go see it!)
For What It’s Worth:
Dueling Substacks about the new Pope, one from Charlotte Clymer, one from The Alt Media (language alert); both inoffensively readable by those who frequent here. Well, the language thing maybe. Snippets, not full pieces.
An American for Pope and a Great Choice by Charlotte Clymer
I’m quite happy. Read on Substack
Chicago native Robert Francis Prevost has just been elected the 267th Bishop of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Leo XIV.
He was only made a cardinal in 2023 and was serving as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, or overseeing the selection of new bishops. Prior to that was a long pastoral career in Peru. He speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.
Goodness gracious, y’all, I could not have been more wrong in my prediction for the new pope. I never thought the cardinal electors would select an American. To say I’m stunned would be an understatement.
However, for the record, I did humor his chances in my prediction:
For example, there’s a (very unlikely) scenario in which someone like Cardinal Robert Prevost is elected: a compromise candidate who’s broadly considered safe and palatable between both ends of the ideological spectrum. But there are other cardinals that fit this and Prevost could be in 20+ years.
Okay, so, here are my initial thoughts:
This is a great choice, and I’m quite happy.
Folks need to understand that any choice for the new pope was going to be nominally anti-LGBTQ in a number of ways. What’s important is compassion and openness toward LGBTQ folks, and I’m optimistic that Pope Leo XIV will continue that direction pursued by Pope Francis. (snip-MORE)
The Resistance Pope by Adam Parkhomenko
Thank God the new pope hates JD Vance too Read on Substack
Does everyone hate JD Vance?
Well does the pope shit in the woods?
We might have that second question wrong. But thanks to twitter, we know the answer to the first one. And while we doubt the new pope really hates Vance, it’s nice to know he at least disagrees with the ass-kissing couch-fuck.
Before he became Pope Leo XIV on Thursday, Robert Prevost was on twitter. And it was there that he wrote “JD Vance is wrong,” posting a story that was a rebuke of Vance’s hateful beliefs. It was on twitter that he suggested he wants to battle climate change and believes that Black lives matter and subtweeted about Trump laughing at Kilmar Garcia. Thanks to twitter, we know the new pope is nothing like the new president. https://embed.bsky.app/embed/did:plc:5xeqzwhqcwnczcb62wv3da7o/app.bsky.feed.post/3loohb33sps2i?id=5706215191635626
The new pope is an American. And there’s nothing more American than thinking JD Vance is a douchebag. (snip-MORE, and you can see the bluesky bit on the page)
Official City Emblems Aren’t Flags! 🏳🌈
Salt Lake City and Boise make pride flags official city emblems, skirting flag ban laws
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and REBECCA BOONE Updated 6:57 PM CDT, May 7, 2025
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Democratic controlled cities of Salt Lake City and Boise adopted new city flags this week showing support for LGBTQ+ people in defiance of their states’ Republican-controlled Legislatures, which have banned traditional rainbow pride flags at schools and government buildings.
The newly adopted city flags are displayed at the Salt Lake City and County building showing support for LGBTQ+ in defiance of their state’s Republican controlled Legislature, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)
Utah’s capital of Salt Lake City created new flag designs while Boise, the capital of Idaho, made the traditional pride flag one of its official city flags. The move in Utah came hours before a ban on unsanctioned flag displays took effect Wednesday.
The cities’ mayors spoke Tuesday morning to discuss their individual plans and offer each other support, said Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office.
(snip-MORE, go see it!)
The American Peace Society, Nguyen Thi Co, and More, in Peace & Justice History for 5/8
| May 8, 1882 The American Peace Society was established when the peace societies of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania merged to become a national organization. Currently based in Boston, the merged organization was a result of the leadership of William Ladd, an advocate of a “Congress and High Court of Nations” for solving international disputes.  William Ladd, one of the founders of the American Peace Society American Peace Society |
| May 8, 1933 Mohandas Gandhi began a 21-day fast to support political rights for the Dalit (or untouchables) whom he called Harijans, the children of God. He had been jailed by the British to interfere with his movement to end colonial control of India. He was released the day after he began his personal purification because the colonial authorities were afraid he might die in prison. Gandhi And His Fasts |
| May 8, 1962 An estimated 9,000,000 people in Belgium participated in a ten-minute work stoppage to protest nuclear weapons. |
| May 8, 1971 Nguyen Thi Co immolated herself in protest of the Vietnam War, as did Thich Nu Tinh Nhuan later that month. |
| May 8, 1984 Presbyterian minister Reverend Benjamin Weir was kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon, while out walking with his wife, Carol. Members of Islamic Jihad (later known as Hezbollah), a terrorist group in Lebanon, held Weir for sixteen months—twelve of them in solitary confinement—along with six other Americans who were released later, including journalist Terry Anderson. Before the kidnapping, Weir had spent nearly three decades in Lebanon as a Christian missionary and teacher at the Near East School of Theology. In his various positions in the Presbyterian church since his release, Weir was a voice for reconciliation and tolerance.  Reverend Benjamin Weir |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorymay.htm#may8
Reading Alert! 📚
Family
Marlon Wayans Says He Went From “Denial to Complete Acceptance” of His Trans Son Kai
In a revealing podcast interview, the comedian said the process “took me a week.”
By Abby Monteil
Marlon Wayans is opening up about his 24-year-old trans son Kai, and the importance of parenting with “complete acceptance.”
The comedian appeared alongside his brother Damon Wayans on the April 30 episode of the IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson podcast. While discussing parenting advice, Marlon said that Kai’s transition “taught me what real, unconditional love was.”
“When they went through the transition, I actually went through the transition,” he said. “I went from denial to complete acceptance, and it took me a week to get there.”
Wayans joked that although he believes “only God can judge… If that’s a mistake and we get to heaven and God don’t let my child in, I’m going to shave a beard and sneak them in through the back.”
“I’m going to love my baby… I’m a father, and I’m always going to defend them,” he continued. “I’m always going to protect them. I’m always going to respect them. And there’s nothing anybody could ever tell me.”
The White Chicks star added that when it comes to the public’s reaction to him supporting Kai, he could care less about losing fans in the process.
“I lost people that are small-minded, small-hearted, and self-loathing,” he said. “So, goodbye… For every one I lose, I gain 150 more.”
This isn’t the first time that Wayans has used his platform to support Kai and other trans youth. Back in February, the actor defended his son after Soulja Boy called him a transphobic slur while publicly feuding with Wayans.
“You know you can get cancelled for transphobic slander like this,” he tweeted at the time. “Fortunately for you that you don’t have a career. Apparently, You BEEN cancelled for the last 17 years. Crank that was 2007. We waiting.”
Wayans previously opened up about supporting Kai during a September 2024 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, explaining that after his son came out, “I went through the five stages of grief to get to the beautiful, magical place called acceptance.”
“I learned that my family, my brothers, my sisters, have prepared me to be a rock in our family,” he said. “[Kai is] the same child they was before, they’ve just got a beard now. Okay. Same baby.”
Sharing A Letter
This Substack writer followed me, for some reason, so I followed him back on the free plan. He’s a heck of an author! Here is this that came out today. Just click on the Read on Substack hyperlink to get the whole piece. It’s a worthy click.
Canadian 🇨🇦 Speaking with American 🇺🇸 of Goodwill by Dr. Richard Francis Hogan
Read on Substack
Canada K1R 7X1 Tuesday April 29, 2025 17:39 My dear American friend,
As a Canadian—rooted in the North’s enduring landscapes, shaped by the intellectual rigor of Princeton, Harvard, and Alistair—the perspective I bring carries both the weight of my country’s values and the lens of scholarship. Canada itself is a testament to resilience: vast, unyielding, and profoundly ethical, it stands as a quiet lodestar amid a fractured Western Alliance.
The Alliance, once a cathedral of shared ideals—its pillars of democracy, its arches of trust, and its foundation of justice—has weathered quakes of greed and waves of corruption. Criminal actors, conspiring in darkness, have sought to erode these sacred stones, testing the integrity of the principles that bind nations and people alike. Yet Canada, like the glacier’s edge cutting through stone, does not yield. It understands that sovereignty is not merely a possession, but a responsibility—a covenant to protect truth and justice, not only for itself but for all who look to it as a beacon.
Ethically, Canada reflects what true kinship should embody: colleagues whose integrity is a bridge over tumultuous waters; partners who root themselves in mutual respect, like the intertwining roots of the great boreal forests; and friendships, which are the wildflowers that flourish even in the harshest tundra, bringing color and life to the frostiest of divides. To betray these values, through complicity or complacency, is to allow darkness to encroach upon what light remains. (snip-MORE)
Hate is a Horrible Word
Good-Day Playtime folks!! Not sure how I felt about being back to work today. I often do enjoy my job. I enjoy finding the solution to problems, working with people that are, quite frankly, smarter than I and coming to an understanding of an issue and seeking a solution. I enjoy the creative process of fabrication. What begins a draft on paper ending as a usable and well made product is often magical, in my mind. Ok, I’m a cheap date, I get it.
Many of the people I work with are very much drumpf lovers. I am well known to be not so enamored. In fact, if you asked me, I’d say I hate the guy…. but no, that’s not a fair word. I hate what he’s done. I hate what we’ve become because of this one …. person. Other presidents spoke on Hope and Change, a Shining City on a Hill, Camelot, A Thousand Shining Lights. Drumpf told me I would get to the point where I was tired of winning. I’m there! I lost Camelot. I can’t see the Shining City. Camelot is gone. I am hoping for a change…. But, I don’t hate the man. I was raised better…. ironically by people who are now enamored with the guy. Nonetheless, I don’t hate because I’m better than that. Still, I so hate what he’s done to us.
As I write this I am reminded of a person we had working at the shop who was my senior. He talked a great game, seemed able to manipulate people with ease, was divisive, derisive, abusive even. Somehow I thought he was good for the company despite his faults, despite the internal red flags waving so hard that I just talked myself out of recognizing for what they, for what HE was! In the end, he cost us two big customers, our reputation, and millions of dollars (remember, small business!) We are rebuilding, hoping we survive the cost of his devastating sabotage. I feel foolish for believing this guy. I feel foolish because I KNEW he was a snake, and I FELL FOR IT! I cannot tell you how embarrassed and hurt I am from this asshole.
Remember who you are and please Hold On To Hope as we weather this particular shit storm for this too shall pass and we – as a country, as communities, as families and as individuals – we will have quite the mess to clean up. We will need strong, mature and smart people who can not only speak in complete sentences but who are invested in rebuilding and success. And, just like that snake that I once worked with, we will need to learn from this and NEVER let it happen again. Hugs. Randy
Scottie's Playtime 