For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for July 27, 2016

Did those tree-shaped air fresheners exist in the 1980s? If so, a whole lot of them is going to be necessary to get the garbage’s stink out of the car. After that, another freshener to get rid of THAT stick.

At this point the characters’ braindead lack of judgement torpedos the suspension of disbelief.

They had the pine tree thingy as we called them back then and they do kill any smell, literally they do. A friend of mine, her eyes would swell up and tear, her nose would run and if she did not get away in time, i swear she would go into convulsions.

I don’t get it. Don’t they have garbage pick up once or twice a week? And even if not, why go to the dump NOW, on the way to a wedding? I’m finding this story line a bit reaching.

The story line is beyond belief! The only thing right about it is that not all communities had trash pickup. Ours in CT did not.

By the way, in the United States, if you put your trash in out with someone else’s, you can be charged with “theft of service.”

I don’t get this arc, why could he not wait for trash day?

This sounds like something my first husband would do. A real (put your own expletive here).

My DH would definitely do this. Well, try, anyways. I wouldn’t let him do it. Who wants to smell like garbage when you show up at the wedding?

For a professional man he surely is stupid! To subject his family to the stench and infusion of stink in all their clothes is beyond ken. As this may (?) be something that has actually happened in Lynn’s life I can understand dumping the jerk.

My father used to own a business and rather than pay for garbage pick-up, he’d bring the trash to work. I hated days I’d ride with him, breathing in that stench for 45 minutes.

Oh Ellie, what is that perfume you’re wearing?

She probably doesn’t want her and the daughter’s hair messed up. My husband and I have the same issue sometimes in the car.

Really, John?

Elly is smart here, refusing to be part of this. She and the kids will be on time and much less smelly than whatever happens with this trash, and John can deal with the consequences of his bad behavior.