So here's the theory for the rest of the silly season ...

So here's the theory.

What if some stray visitor landed on this site, and caught a glimpse of this site's history of the reptile scribbles of 2021, and was immediately blinded by the sight (of the site)? 

A small risk, but a risk all the same. What if some perverse child slipped past the parental safety lock, and ended up at the pond, thinking that its name was a code word for a porn site? And then was exposed to the reptiles for the first time? Possibly an infinitesimal risk, but a risk all the same. 

Could the pond leave the site with the reptile content in plain view? Would the pond offer gluten to a coeliac, sugar to a diabetes sufferer, spirits to an alcoholic, salt to someone with high blood pressure, or fat-laden cookies to an overweight person? 

Of course regular readers have been toughened, hardened over the years. They don't take fright at the ticking of a geiger counter when it's run over reptile sludge.

But what about the children? Shouldn't the pond think of the children, or the child-like? How many innocents might suffer collateral damage? Could the pond blithely ignore the risk?

Of course not. Better to pretend that this was just a dopey old blog devoted to cartoons and cartooning.

It reminded the pond of an old routine:

Reptile lover: How long have you been running this reptile racket?
Pond: More seasons than the pond can contemplate or remember.
Reptile lover: Let me see your reptile content.
Pond (waving hand slowly) You don't need to see the reptile content.
Reptile lover: [pauses, dumb, in a slow sotto voce]  I don't need to see the reptile content.
Pond: This isn't the reptile content you're looking for.
Reptile lover: [pauses, dumb, in a slow sotto voce]:  This isn't the reptile content I'm looking for.
Pond: You can go about your business.
Reptile lover: [pauses, dumb, in a slow sotto voce]:  I can go about my business.
Pond: Move along.
Reptile lover: [pauses, dumb, in a slow sotto voce, gesturing] : I'm moving along, I'm moving along ...
Pond: Hang on, hang on, there's a few cartoons to see …
Reptile lover [pauses, dumb, in a slow sotto voce]:: A few cartoons to see …

(As the reptile lovers are distracted by the prospect of a few cartoons, a few words with Luke...)

Luke: How did the the pond persuade that reptile lover to forget about the reptiles and check out the cartoons? I thought we were dead ...
Pond: Simple Luke. Repeated exposure to the reptile force can have a strong influence on the delusional, the weak-minded and the foolish. Accustomed to a world of black and white, stereotypes and clichés, they mistakenly assume that cartoons are a form of reptile content ... unaware that cartoons might have hidden adult content ...

And in that spirit the pond has provided the cover of a decent bunch of cartoons. Here no reptile content, no reptile content here for the holiday silly season …