At least it says to keep the kids and pets away

Reading today's strip, I just kept having to repeat to myself "Exaggeration." Mind you, a lot of what the directions say doesn't seem that bad--wear gloves and a face mask, spray liberally in baseboards and cracks, etc. That's logical. If you have an infestation, you have to go to lengths to get rid of it. And obviously you aren't going to spray pesticide on food or silverware. I think it really comes down to what exactly you're dealing with--is it a huge problem?

I love the shocked expressions of the mother and son. I imagine they'd have that reaction to the complete instructions of many household items.

Not so great with the pop psychology

I'm confused by the wife in today's strip. She seems rather nonplussed in the top strip. Maybe she understands that it's silly to get a new car every 4 years? Although, you know, it's really not bad, assuming that they're leasing it. If you want a new car that frequently, I imagine that leasing would make the most sense. As for furnaces, well, I have no idea how long the average lifespan of one of those is. For some reason I'm thinking 25 years, but I could be completely off. But I live in an apartment, so I don't need to know!

But no, I don't know why Fester (no relation to the Addams Family, presumably) would think of 19 years as "practically new." It could be psychological. Maybe he and Mrs. Fester were the ones who replaced the furnace, and to admit that 19 years is a long time, he'd have to admit that he's old. Or something.

By "suburbs," does he mean "Florida"?

Today's strip is another in the suburbs vs. the city series. Swell. Maybe I'm jaded from living in DC, where housing isn't cheap in the suburbs, either, but I don't think people move from the city to the burbs for the cheap housing. Or, the housing might be cheaper, but that's because most people, when retiring, go from a larger home to a smaller home.

Anyway, most of this strip is over my head. I rent an apartment, and thus know next to nothing about condo associations and assessment fees (or "a$$e$$ment charges"). I realize that means higher property taxes, but in the long run, it means you get to sell your condo for more, so that's good. Plus, a pool!

I would also like to point out that those look less like condos and more like bungalows. They are very cute, though.

Times in my life I've dealt with my house being on the market: 3

Today's strip gets kudos for including my car and Fignewt. And...that's about it.

"Their old homestead"? Are they in Oklahoma in the mid-19th century? It's a house. Or a home. And I imagine they did jump for joy. Selling a house is a pain in the butt. You always have to keep it fairly neat and clean, because who knows when someone's going to show up to look at it. You get kicked out so realtors can show it. And it's weird trying to make plans when you're not sure when you'll be moving. There's really nothing enjoyable about selling a house, and I'm not even mentioning people coming into your house and making snide comments about it.

On the other hand, I can also understand driving by the old house and sighing over it. And really, who knows what their situation is now? Maybe they moved into a place that turned out to be crappy. It's entirely possible that they didn't realize how small apartments can be, and just miss having the room. And if this conversation is anything like ones I've had, as soon as they get past it, Lula will say, "Yeah, but remember what a pain it was shoveling the driveway?" and Fignewt will say, "Yeah, that was awful. And our utility bills are so much lower now!" And then they'll both forget about it.

I mean, I sigh over places I used to live...for about two seconds. And we're talking about places I was all too happy to leave. Such is life.