trumpet...kinda looks like a funnel...the perfect place to pour a liquid down!

Lu Fraser, Sidney, BC

Dear Lynn Johnston, Some of your readers who read your LynnÂ’s Notes from May 17 might get the impression that your brother went from the career of being a musician to the career of being a teacher, after he got his teaching degree. As I recollect from your prior writings, your brother taught students music lessons before he got his teaching degree, and he continued to be a musician after he got his teaching degree. What the teaching degree got him was the credentials to take a job teaching music at a high school, if I remember correctly.

Paul S. Oro Valley, Arizona

Hi Paul! Yes, Alan has always been a musician. He taught music in high school up until recently when he retired. Now, he still enjoys playing, and has taken up the hobby of crafting beautiful canoes and kayaks. Loved yesterday's strip. I have a two and a half year old son and all of my conversations with everybody are just like that. Made me laugh out loud.

Tina, New Jersey

Calling a random child 'Short one' is really a bad idea, and not because someone might take offense because their child is short -- it's overly familiar. Think of it like those men in the habit of calling random women 'Sweet cheeks' or the like. A term that's sweet coming from someone you know becomes rather creepy from a stranger's mouth.

Molly S

I'm a scrapbooker and was thinking today about the influence Lynn has had on my life. Every time I tell the story of my son's birth FBOFW is a part of it. Figured it was about time to get it down on paper. Here's the page I made... http://www.flickr.com/photos/62394829@N07/7219991618/ Thanks for looking!

carol in seattle :)

While I can understand people being frustrated when their attempts to reach out like you did go wrong, I can't help but remember that I was raised to err on the side of caution. After all, since you can never tell how someone will react, why set yourself up to get yelled at?

Paul Jones, Saint John, New Brunswick

Regarding today's notes, it's like you have a camera in my house! My best friend is EXACTLY like that. Yeah, normally he's really serious, but when he tells stories of awkward or sad experiences, he makes them absolutely hilarious. I nearly died of laughter when he told me about his two-week-long marriage.

Bronn, Westeros

I was reading the Treasury " In the beginning There Was Chaos" and saw a comment Ms. Johnston had made about a small paperback book where the cover was wrong. I have one of these books ( I have all her books) . She said if anyone had one let her know. I'm a huge fan. I think I know every comic and book by heart. Thank her for the wonderful times I have had reading about the Pattersons world.

Lynda

Dear Lynda, I asked folks to let me know if they had a copy of "You Can Play in the Barn..." just to see how many people had actually purchased it. I wanted to apologize for the cover...it was meant to be on the NEXT collection. We pulled the entire run from the shelves when this appeared and the publisher cancelled their contract with us. No problem! This book is a bit of a square peg -- and the entire series came to an abrupt end...so,m anyone who had planned to collect the whole bunch would be stuck wondering what happened! Thanks for your message. Now that we're doing our own treasuries, I hope we won't be leaving anything out. All the best Lynn J. To L.L.: I agreed with everything you said up until you talked about girls not being allowed to take medication at school. Sorry, but that is not a new rule. When I was in school back in the 50's and 60's, girls were not allowed to have Midol or aspirin or anything else at school. If we needed medication of any kind, it had to be left with the school nurse and it had to be taken in her office in her presence. Our Jr. High School nurse was a pretty good friend of mine, and she once showed me the drawer full of meds she had for the students. It would not have occurred to any of us to defy the rule, either. If you did, you risked a very long suspension, and most of us weren't willing to take a suspension for the sake of controlling our own "cramps" medicine.

Jan C, Henderson, NV

Calling a child who is not kin to you "short one" or any other flippant name is not cool.

Ty L, King's Landing

I wouldn't exactly sell myself short on how much influence you have if I were you. After all, I remember a lot of letters from other fans who clip out favorite strips so they can explain what they want of their family members. If that isn't affecting the world, I don't know what is.

Paul Jones, Saint John, New Brunswick

Re: 5/14 comments: a mother berated you for cruel things to her child -- you called him "short one." I think that mother was totally wrong! You couldn't know! You said, and meant, nothing offensive. Our world has become so ridiculously, asininely, stupidly hipper sensitivity to any perceived (by the hearer) offense that life has become intolerable for everyone! Any innocent thing we say can be twisted & perceived as offensive modern sensitivity & zero tolerance to the extreme! Hearers of cruel things are the truly intolerant people! Zero tolerance is ridiculous because it ignores common sense! News reports stupidity like this daily! Innocent words called hateful! Girls can't use Midol or aspirin at school for pain! Harmless toys are prohibited as weapons! Bring back common sense & abolish modern asinine hipper sensitivity & common senseless zero tolerance!

L. L., USA

Lynn - In reading the comments about Phil's living conditions (May 15), I'm curious... did anyone ever see themselves in the strip and have that "ah-ha" moment where they realized their bad habit(s)? Did anyone ever change because of your drawings or storylines? I'm just curious if people used the strip as a mirror of themselves, and realized a change needed to come about. Thanks, as always!

Jim Inman, Bloomington, IN

Dear Jim...I doubt that anyone ever changed his or her life because of one of my comic strips...the only life it altered significantly was MINE!!! LJ

About renumeration for artistic work: I'm not an artist, but have studied business, I would suggest to anyone, who is in business for themselves, to take at least one course about contract law. It is good to know about copyrights, etc. how one can give them away without knowledge, and then find out years later that the company is making money from your characters, but you don't get one cent of royalty.

Jenny Jenkins, Brampton, ON

I had to comment on one of your notes, which quoted, "The philosophy seems to be; "The skill comes FREE to you, so it should come free to me, too!" As an art student, I disagree. Everything that comes with my skill is highly priced! Well, mostly. I had and will have to pay materials out of my pocket. Do these people know how much I paid for making my latest sculpture project? Despite that I've reused some things, it was still over a hundred dollars! I'll conclude by saying this to all artists: We create a world that nobody've dreamed of and guess what? Our hard work deserves to be recongized! Let's give each other a toast.

Luna, Georgetown, ON

In Japan there is an official holiday for children.

Rene, Lake Charles, LA USA

I couldn't agree more with Friday's strip. It's very important to be assertive and to make sure you are heard and noticed. I learnt very early on that if you want to be respected, you have to be confident in yourself and your thoughts and opinions, and be unafraid to voice them.

Joffery Lannister, UK

Here is to hoping that either the mom and or that son is reading today's notes with the strip and realizing what and why you did that. as for the mom. if she is reading this, feeling guilty for assuming you knew about the son's problem.

Sangelia of Minnesota

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO LYNN AND FIRST MOTHER'S DAY TO KATIE AND TO ALL WHO ASSUME THE ROLE, IN WHATEVER MANNER!

Geri C NYC

Thanks, Geri!! Happy Mother's Day to you too, and to everyone else celebrating motherhood this weekend! I can't believe how your strips regarding lack of payment for our art work hit home. I was recently asked to illustrate a children's book. Details and editing concerns are still being ironed out between the writer and the editor. My contract with the publisher has yet to be seen or signed, but they did mention payment by royalty. I bought a book on fair trade practices in the industry and hope I am able to protect myself. It will be a learning experience no matter how it turns out!

Diane Siracusa - Hollister, MO

Freelance writers have the same problems, only they are somehow a bit more invisible to the public. The problems are the same.

RuthE from Ohio

Yay Lynn! Thank you, as a mother of an artist I appreciate your bringing this to the fore ground. It is all well and good to volunteer for a project, appreciation is all well and good, but it doesn't put food on the table or gas in the vehicle. I know it takes my daughter many hours, days or weeks to produce an image. Then to have someone negate the effort is insulting.

VickiB

Lynn, just rereading the last few strips & comments - you are forgetting your North Van roots! St. Georges & St. Andrews are not "streets," they are "avenues" - they parallel Lonsdale Ave, the great "Main Street" of North Van. It's the numbered ones (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc) that are "streets" - and none of this Toronto nonsense of "3rd Street West/East", it's "West/East 3rd Street" thank you very much! I know both St. Georges & St. Andrews very well indeed, having grown up very close to them both, just further up the hill from you! Thanks for the great memories of hills of North Van!

Michelle, Rockies BC

OK, Avenue! It's been so long since I lived at 249 East Fifth Street, I'd forgotten. I might have forgotten the exact names of the streets, Michelle...but the place is indelibly engraved in my memory. People, friends, schools, events - growing up in the 50's and 60's on a hillside that was often wet and always glorious with colour. Forgive me this error and give me credit for loving a place I will always call HOME! Lynn Johnston All this talk about hide and go seek has brought up a bad memory from about forty years ago. Y'see, I was in first grade and decided to hide in a sort of toy chest that was shaped like a cartoon frog. The idea was that I'd leap out. Didn't work out that way, though. They had to force the lid open after what seemed like forever. Long story short, I haven't liked enclosed spaces much ever since.

Paul Jones, Saint John, New Brunswick

Recently, Amy D. wrote in regarding the current "splash" image on the main page. The image was taken from the strip that ran on July 25, 2004. The car was John's prized 1962 "Bushwhacker" (see ID #s 9100 through 9105--August 2001--for the arc where John buys it from Gordon). What's curious about the splash image is that it's reversed--notice how Liz appears to be driving a UK car!

Katje B., Albany, NY

This comment is directed at your Sunday,5-6-12 strip.My wife and I spotted the "under the sink" items problem before our first child was born 4-2-74.A bicycle lock and a clamp solved the problem!! We now are "DAYCARE" for our two year old grandson and our bicycle lock and clamp are still in use with several more years of usage expected per our younger daughter(1-22-80) in anticipation of more grand children from her!!

Ben Harte,Jr.___Millsboro,De,USA

My husband tells the story of playing hide n seek when he was about 10. He hid in some shrubbery. No one could find him and it went into hours. Even when his parents got into the seeking, he remained quiet. He finally relented when everyone started to get frantic, very proud of his prowess. He had so many mosquito bites he was ill the next day!

Betty, Tucson

At 18 I babysat for my sisters kids & anyone in her house had to join in weekly family games. I was annoyed to play hide-and-seek & I hid behind a door with a glass upper half, expecting they'd see me right away. But they kept running past the door never looking at it or me. A friend phoned me & my sister said, "she hiding & we can't find her." I was hysterical with laughter & had to come out. Talk about 'hiding in plain sight.' I was too big to get under the sink.

Bettyhere, Los Angeles CA USA

In reading the comments about Hide-N-Go Seek... when I was a child, I loved to go into department stores and hide in the circular clothes racks. I'd get in the middle and just stand there, not making a peep, and laugh when I heard my parents start searching for me. They knew what would entice me out of my hiding, however... when the store manager would come over the PA system and say "Would Mr. Jimmy Inman please come to the front of the store - your parents are waiting for you!" Ahhh, hearing my name called out in public was a huge thrill!! Of course, my parents didn't like my hiding, but I still thought it was fun!

Jim Inman, Bloomington, IN

The Sunday Strip ID#7448 which ran May 14 2006 and which appears to take place Saturday night shows Elly babysitting Meredith and Robin who deliver a homemade Mothers Day card for "Grandma". Elly puts it on the refrigerator.

Amy D.,Vienna, Va.

Ah, I have fond memories of playing hide-and-seek with my sister and cousin at my uncle's beach house in South Carolina growing up. One of my favorite places to hide was under the bathroom sinks because those double cabinets made terrific hiding places! This skill came in handy when I was 20 and volunteering with the local police department in my college town. Once we had to help the police academy by playing the "bad guys" during search practice, and some of those hiding places were bizarre, to say the least! Now I know why criminals who hide like that are on drugs half the time-it's the only way a person can stand being jammed into an impossibly small place such as under a desk, in a crawl space, under a sink, etc!

Amanda, Maryland, USA

I, too, remember the go-carts/scooters we built with roller skate parts and old lumber pieces. We made ramps which were a few feet high and, somehow, we did not kill ourselves as we flew down the ramps on our carts and out onto the cement driveway. We also cleaned things with gasoline soaked rags; I don't know how we ever made it to adult-hood.

Diane Siracusa - Hollister, MO

About the wooden boxes for shipping butter. We had a milk delivery door to door. I remember seeing these containers used for butter and they were large boxes. This is in the days before disposable shipping containers, so they were used year after year, until they broke apart. I suspect that is the kind of box in the strip. People sell these boxes on e-bay even nowadays, since they are collectors' items right now. I suspects it is the same as grape boxes. Even as early back as 10 years ago, grapes used to be displayed in stores in large boxes made out of wood and cardboard, and nowaways, they are in styrofoam trays... Packaging changes with the times.

Jenny Jenkins, Brampton ON

Why is Liz driving John's love object Jeep-by-another-name in the latest banner? Is he at a convention or something?

Paul Jones, Saint John, New Brunswick