Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 15, 2022

I liked the social distancing meant I didn’t have to hug or kiss people.

Still feels weird to think i was forced to wear a maskinto the bank’

Rat is passing on an opportunity for free drinks, insulting people and making a fool of himself?

No need to beg, Rat. What with the latest hyper-contagious subvariant BA.5, the fact that almost no one is masking, and that it’s apparent that one can catch COVID repeatedly and that the damage it causes is cumulative, I’m pretty much back to lockdown monasticism. I enjoy my own company, so it’s not much of a problem, and I can pass the time commenting on the comics.

If it’ll make Rat feel better, let’s chain him down to his bed and use a padlock.

COVID precautions gave the neighbors a good excuse NOT to invite Rat to gatherings.

It gave them a further excuse to insist that Rat mask his mouth when he crash the gathering.

Sure Bob will be happy.

I’m with Rat.I went to to a birthday party and all Got was covid

The lockdown has made many of us more careful of what we do!

Hey Rat! The party at Bob’s is not mandatory. You have a choice.

(Just don’t go … or … go and be your obnoxious self.)

Rat is the only one paying attention.

Look like Rat one of those who enjoyed lockdown time.

Be careful what you wish for. After all, there’s an election coming up!

Sounds like The Count and some of the things The Countess drags me to.

3 parties in a month would be way too much for me also.

I was so happy in lock down.

He doesn’t have to go, anyways. So, why would he want to be under lockdown?

If that is the third party this month that Bob is having, I would be partied out, too. Besides, I don’t think that Bob and everyone else would mind that Rat doesn’t come, being that he always behaves like a rat.

He’s going to get his wish if the folks on the scary news are right.

I’m with Rat half-way – I don’t miss the masks, but I do miss the solitude.

I’m with RAT! I hate parties….

There’s more pandemics coming our way…..

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10994521/Never-seen-microbes-locked-Tibetan-glaciers-spark-wave-new-pandemics.html

I’m very introverted myself, but I kinda like working without a mask.

Sounds like my neighbors. They have a screaming pool party every weekend, and occasionally during the week. In off times their dogs bark. We’re house hunting.

Rat was never very social to begin with.

Please bring back Stephen Hillenburg.

Please bring back Stephen Hillenburg.

Please bring back Stephen Hillenburg.

LOLOL — This sounds exactly like my sister!

My feelings exactly!

Rat’s really saying, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Rat knows a good excuse for avoiding pushy Neighbor Bob. Gotta admit, I kinda agree with him.

Make my excuses, too, Pig….

But it made things so much easier to pull off.

Hmmmmmmmmm, yes