Thanksgiving, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been writing this blog since 2006, and some of you have been reading it almost since the beginning. You've learned many things about me over the years, one of which is that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In a crazy world in which we too often focus on fear, negativity, and the material things in life, it's good to have a day on which to sit back and reflect on the things for which we can be truly thankful.

We’re living in a scary time in which it’s easy to be distracted from things for which we can be thankful, because there is so much going on that is awful, and so many people who keep working hard to keep it awful. For me, this year the awful things included:

The knowledge that many of my fellow Americans support a president who is a corrupt and self-centered liar, grifter, convicted felon and sexual abuser who proudly and deliberately tramples on every norm of human decency and honor in a relentless pursuit of wealth, power, and revenge;

A Congress more interested in keeping problems alive so they can be weaponized against opponents than in actually solving them;

The sad reality that many Americans cheerfully accept frequent mass murder - even of  children - as an acceptable price to pay for their beloved, unrestricted "right to keep and bear arms;" 

The return of diseases we thought long conquered, largely because ignorant fools believe weird conspiracy theories and conflate the responsibility for public health with Government overreach and unacceptable limits on their personal freedoms;

A flawed legal system in which the availability, affordability, and equality of justice depends on one’s skin color, political connections, ability to manipulate the system to their advantage, and ability to pay astronomical legal fees; and,

The reality of a changing climate that is denied by those who steadfastly refuse to see the obvious truth around them.

That all sounds pretty bad, and it is, but on the whole, it’s once again been a good year for me. Although there have been some occasional negatives, I consider myself a fortunate man for a lot of reasons:

Good health, aside from the normal aches, pains, and sound effects common to advancing age. I had a second knee replaced this past summer, and through the miracles of modern medicine and my ability to afford them - as long as the GOP keeps its hands off Medicare - I'm still walking;

The patient and long-suffering love of my beautiful and endlessly talented wife;

Three loving and successful children of whom I am proud beyond words;

Six adorable, intelligent, talented, and loving grandchildren;

A large and loving extended family;

A comfortable retirement, at least as long as the GOP keeps its hands off Social Security and my modest retirement investments continue to prosper;

A roof over my head (as long as I keep up the mortgage payments);

Good friends (yes, all of you are included);

The ability to write what I wish in this space without worrying (so far, at least) about government censorship;

 

The freedom to worship (or not) as I find meaningful, free to ignore those who insist that their way is the only way and their scripture the only scripture, and that I must follow their path or suffer the consequences; and, 

The good fortune to have been born in the United States of America - a country which, for all its faults, gives me the opportunity to enjoy all of the above ... so far.

I have many things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day, and it's only proper that I should take a few minutes to acknowledge that I am, as ever, most richly blessed.

I wish all of you, Dear Readers, Friends, the very happiest, healthiest, and safest of holidays.

Have a good day. Give thanks for the good things you have and the bad things you don't. 

More thoughts tomorrow, when we name the On-Crack Ass Clown for November ... see you then.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

Thanksgiving is almost here, and we're all working hard to get ready for family gatherings and reflections on all that we have to be thankful for. Today's short poem is a simple reflection on the time of year ... 

Thanksgiving

An Old Rhyme, Author Unknown

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest all is gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain,

So open wide the doorway~

Thanksgiving comes again!

Have a good day, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and get ready for the holiday! More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

I just got back from vacation yesterday afternoon, and don't have the time and energy to do the usual news summary this week ... but why should I just depress you? Let's get right to the cartoons, this week featuring a random selection from my unsorted pile ...

I'd wondered where a lot of those weird MAGAts and conspiracy theorists came from ...

A butler can't be too careful ...

Dracula, updated ...

They have to cover a lot more techniques in medical school these days ...

I'm not quite sure that's true ...

Caption: "Nadine finally found a pediatrician that understood her." Doctor's words: "No, you don't have to vaccinate your child. If an epidemic should break out, we'll just burn a witch."

Stained glass by numbers ...

Scientist bears? ...

Ain't it the truth? ...

I feel this way about searching for movies I want to see on services I subscribe to ...

And that's it for Cartoon Saturday - I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good day and a great weekend ... more thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday returns. See you then.

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

And away we go ...

Beef ... the other white meat ...

For the person who has everything ...

Now, this is a tough quiz ...

I think we need to bring this title back ...

Makes sense to me ...

It must be some house ...

Divorce pending? No kidding ...

It probably tastes like ... uh ... never mind ...

There's just got to be a great story here, but I'm not sure I want to hear it ...

Uh ... I'll pass, I think ...

And that's it for this week's collection of amazing signage finds - I hope you enjoyed them. 

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday, where the ya-ha's just keep on coming! More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

As you may know, my wife Agnes is a dedicated quilter. She owns four mighty, high-tech sewing machines and a vast quantity of material, patterns, and supplies that allow her to churn out gorgeous quilts and quilted decorations (like table runners, wall hangings, placemats, etc, etc). Last weekend, Mike sent me a link to this amazing parody of Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls" that wonderfully skewers the world of hard-core quilting. Even if you're not into the craft and its esoteric lingo, you'll still love the brilliant takeoff on Queens' classic ...

Share it with the quilter in your life!

And just so you know the sort of thing Agnes can churn out, here's a wall hanging she embroidered and quilted that features books, knicknacks, and such from the shelves of my study ... click to embiggen it for the full effect ...

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

As I noted on my Facebook page earlier this week, I wonder if all of this is happening because I opened that umbrella inside my house that one time ...

Der Furor has announced his intention to sue the BBC for $1 billion following the ouster of network leaders over deceptive editing of DF's speech to the mob on January 6th, 2021; the US Mint has pressed its last penny, ending production of the nation's coin of smallest value; a flood of documents from the estate of the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein has roiled Washington, exposing many prominent figures with connections to Mr Epstein; Senate Republicans whose phone records were collected without their knowledge as part of a Biden-era investigation into the January 6th insurrection can sue the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of a provision in the funding package that ended the government shutdown; and in the Canadian city of Hamilton, a homeless man took a Hamilton city bus on joy ride, let passengers on and off at their stops, and generally "did a great job" driving, causing no damage to the bus, according to police.

And now to the cartoons!

I seem to remember a time like that ...

I need a subscription to that magazine ... I have no clue who the "celebrities" are any more ...

I recommend silencing them at all times to improve mental health ...

Indeed ...

I'm reminded of the meme that says a realistic cooking show or recipe video would be a lot more realistic if it would end with "The hell with it, let's just order a pizza!" ...

I certainly do ...

Sounds like my retirement plan ...

When even the robots need doctors ...

If the titles of Supreme Court decisions were accurate ...

This is a lot funnier than it ought to be ...

And that's it for this week's edition of Cartoon Saturday ... I hope it helped get you over the endless tsunami of bad news of the past week.

Have a good day and as good a weekend as you can. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday has a somewhat specialized, but very funny takeoff on Queen's classic tune, "Fat Bottomed Girls." See you then.

Bilbo

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2025

In the aftermath of the unnecessary and idiotic government shutdown and the noisy and inane screams of blame from both sides, it's taken quite a lot of aspirin to get the headaches to subside long enough to pick a winner of this first award for November ... but I've managed it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, with a noisily flatulent blare of trumpets, I award the tinfoil and toilet paper crown of

The Right Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2025

to

The United States Department of Agriculture

During the ongoing shutdown of the government, the pain of the disruption of government services has fallen disproportionately on average Americans, and particularly those who benefit from programs designed to help manage the cost of health care and food. The Supplemental Allowance for Nutrition Program (or SNAP, formerly "food stamps") has helped tens of millions of low-income Americans to offset the rising price of food, but its benefits were cut off by the administration, which made multiple trips to court to prevent this aid from reaching its beneficiaries. 

The SNAP program is administered by the US Department of Agriculture, whose Deputy Undersecretary Patrick Penn on November 8th ordered, 

“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized. Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”

Yes, you read that right ... states that had taken it on themselves to provide food aid for their citizens were ordered to "undo" the action, and notified that they could face unspecified "penalties" if they did not comply. In the true, legally vague style of Der Furor's administration, it was not clear if this directive applies to states that used their own funds, to ones that relied entirely on federal money, or both.

The leadership of your federal government used food as a weapon to try to enforce its will on the nation. 

Now, I would be the last person to claim that there is no abuse in the SNAP system ... there almost certainly is (as there is in most federal programs). But the blanket cutoff of nutrition payments to those who actually rely on it indicates that the moral bankruptcy of this administration has reached a new low.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for November, 2025, is The United States Department of Agriculture, which was willing literally to take food away from United States citizens to force a desired political outcome.

I hope there's an especially hot corner of Hell being prepared for those who debased themselves in this despicable action.

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. You know you need the laughs.

More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

There's an old prayer that asks, "Lord, give me patience ... and give it to me NOW!" Today, Pat Schneider celebrates patience that might be an inspiration to those of us in these hurry-up times ...

The Patience of Ordinary Things

by Pat Schneider

It is a kind of love, is it not?

How the cup holds the tea,

How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare, 

How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes

Or toes. How soles of feet know

Where they're supposed to be.

I've been thinking about the patience 

Of ordinary things, how clothes

Wait respectfully in closets

And soap dries quietly in the dish,

And towels drink the wet

From the skin of the back.

And the lovely repetition of stairs.

And what is more generous than a window?

Have a good day, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and try to stay patient in difficult times. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Well, it's been quite a week, hasn't it?

Former Vice President, Senator, and Defense Secretary Dick Cheney died at the age of 94; in a colossal repudiation of the administration and its policies, a blue wave swept Democrats into offices across the nation; a UPS cargo aircraft crashed in a huge fireball while taking off from Louisville, Kentucky; as a direct result of the foolish "shutdown" of the federal government, air traffic has been snarled and food assistance for poor Americans has been stopped; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her decision to retire at the end of her current Congressional term; and in a move to decisively improve accountability and public safety, the Massachusetts State Police spent nearly $70,000 a month on a sophisticated GPS tracking system for its police cruisers, but equipped hundreds of the cars with a “kill switch” that allows officers to disable the tracking.

Another potpourri collection of cartoons this week ... 

This is not a good sign for the relationship ...

"This saw doesn't work!" "You're holding it backwards." "This saw doesn't work!"

There was definitely some emphatic voting this week ...

This is absolutely a magazine I need ...

This is how my blog actually started out ...

I'm sure this is part of Project 2025 and the Der Furor Legacy Project ...

Perhaps she should have asked first ...

The Congressional GOP approach to concerns about SNAP, Medicaid, and similar programs ...

A ... wrenching ... memory, indeed ...

I'd buy the set in a heartbeat ...

And that's it for this week's collection of random cartoons - I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed compiling it.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Poetry Sunday counsels patience. See you then!

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

It's Friday, it's a new month, and it's time once again to call out our great moments ... which are getting better all the time!

I preferred the recipe before the correction ...

There's either an echo or you're really going the wrong way ...

Well, it would, wouldn't it? ...

Uh ... I think I'll try a different hotel ...

Most of us have ham or turkey ...

Sounds like the right place to me ...

This about sums up this administration's economy ...

Boy, you've got that right ...

I hear there's a copy editor looking for a new job ...

I'm not sure people who can't spell the name of their party should be drafting laws ...

And that's it for your first collection of Great Moments in Editing and Signage for November - I hope it helped take your mind off the cosmic horrors coming out of Washington.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday - more thoughts then.

Bilbo