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I understand that Lynn wants to take a break and heartily deserves more free time! I just wanted to say how much I love the comicstrip. I love the story line about Liz and Anthony and am anxious to see more about how their relationship develops. I love that it is real life relationships and not fairy tales - it is romantic and hopeful but real. I do like the flash backs but am also impatient for the "story" of the family and friends.

Thanks for all the work and the heart that goes into this strip. I look forward to reading it everyday and have it bookmarked on my computer.

Kitty, Seaford DE

Even people who claim to "hate" the re-run strips might be "won over" if you simply PUT A WAVY BORDER around each "Panel"! This effectively moves it into the realm of recollection and reflection. (The late Walt Kelly understood the importance of "Cartoon Borders" and made his own hand-drawn ones an integral part of his stories, having characters stumble against them, pull them askew. and even strike matches off of them! )

"Bookending" a flashback sequence with one or two modern-day story panels might also help integrate it into the FBorfW "Experience", but what do I know? I'm a READER, not a "Writer": just ask any of my friends patiently waiting for "Letters"...*G*

Anna M, Winnipeg

I remember the Michael of the last few reminder strips and why I never liked the character even when he was just a kid. I don't remember him softening to be such a Mum's lad as he turned out to be in his role as a young author; Did I miss out on some revelationary development? Seriously - when did he become an adult, or good guy? I just don't remember? and these recent strips don't help. He is not attractive.

Caz, Melbourne Australia

Elly/Lynn Thank you, I really Enjoy following your strip & the retrospect comics are like reliving my kids growing up all over again...when I think back all I seem to remember is saying "no" alot & yelling all the time, but when I read your strip & see some of the emotions Elly's gone through as a new mother & then with the 2 kids, I have to sit back & laugh, because it's like raising my kids all over again, but only seeing what a joy they were & how much I really missed. Now they're all grown with families of their own & when you feature something that hits close to home they all get E-mails of the strip. Thanks again for my daily dose of laughter & occassional tear. P.S. I like your coffee mugs!

Bobbi, South Bend, In

Dear Lynn & Company,

So this selfish, spoiled, willful, foul-tempered little brat you've been spotlighting all week is the same Michael that will "inherit" the focus of the strip, eh?

Good Lord! spare us. So far every flashback has only increased my contempt for this character. And there's Elly, enabling the little jerk the whole way. He's learned absolutely NOTHING this whole time and is now priming his offspring to stride down the same arrogant path.

Do you not even SEE this aspect? Can you understand why it annoys those of us who expect something ADMIRABLE out of comic strip protagonists we are supposed to admire?

Truman F, Georgia

Lynn, have been following your comic strip since Day 1, when I was a young mother of 3 kids, all less than 2 years apart........(yes, I was busy in those days). I have kept a scrapbook (it has now grown to two scrapbooks) for my now adult kids........and with your flashbacks, am re-living those "great years with young kids" through my grandkids.

Young parents, the years with the little ones really are great...........if only you had the time to enjoy them! Now we get to enjoy the grandkids!
Keep up the good work, so enjoy your daily strips, glad I discovered your web-site.

Maxine K, originally Canada, now retired in Mexico

I have been greatly enjoying the reprints of the old strips featuring Michael as a small boy. Every time I read them I have the overpowering feeling that my mother has been telling you stories about my childhood.
I have a mixed reaction to the series of strips though. My outer adult thinks it very funny.
My inner child thinks Michael makes perfect sense.

Roger R, Tacoma WA

In regard to some of the comments defending Liz and Anthony:

The strips that we can see in the collections, and right here on the website, make it more than clear that Anthony still had strong feelings for Liz as early as his engagement, and yet still went ahead with it. You don't marry someone else "in order" to try and get over another person. You marry when you are ALREADY over the other person.

If the storyline was supposed to illustrate that a good person can make mistakes in marriage, then it has, unfortunately, fallen short--because NOT ONCE has Anthony's own part in the marriage's failure even been acknowledged, by Anthony, or by any other character. It seems obvious to the readers that Anthony married one woman while not being over another, that he tried to make Therese into what HE thought a good wife should be, that he didn't make any effort to compromise in major matters like where they'd live. It often takes two to make a failed marriage, but Anthony presents himself as the innocent victim of Evil Therese--instead of owning up to his own obvious mistakes. If this storyline is meant to be a presentation of two decent people who rushed into marriage without thinking of their different goals, if it's meant to be a story of two old sweethearts whose experiences made them fit for each other after all these years--then unfortunately, it doesn't play that way on !
the page.

Now, this isn't meant to excuse Therese of her own mistakes, but in light of what we came to know, she seems to come off more sympathetically. She may have had an affair, but Anthony was emotionally cheating long before that. She may have left the marriage, but months before that, Anthony was proclaiming the marriage over--yet he waited for her to walk out on him. She may not be the primary parent in Francoise's life, but in regard of the fact that she didn't want a child, she at least seems to be keeping in some kind of contact, enough for Francie to recognize her easily.

And Liz isn't entirely blameless herself. She may have tried to distance herself, but she acknowledged to others that she knew Anthony still loved her--without ever telling her supposed "friend", point-blank, "Look, Anthony, it's obvious you still have feelings for me and this isn't going to help your marriage."

Finally, there's one image that neatly sums up why so many readers dislike Anthony and feel sorry for Therese--the image of Therese, breaking down from post-partum depression, while Anthony stands away from her, his back towards her, looking nervously over his shoulder--not reaching out to her, not embracing her, not even putting a lousy hand on her shoulder.

That sums it up better than any words of mine could.

Jennifer S, New Jersey