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I am so happy for the new collection book! I have missed the Pattersons of today so very much. While I miss my daily dose of what will happen next, it has been fun to go back in time. I frequently flip through my old collection books and enjoy seeing and comparing the old strips with the new art in the daily's. Not the same, but still fun!

Doreen C, Maplewood, NJ

I liked Sunday's strip because of the funny names Lynn gave the hockey players, the continuation of the TV watching theme from previous strips; and because it appeared on the same Sunday that many folks down here were watching the Kentucky Derby with its horses with equally "distinctive" names. My husband felt it had an 80's flavor and must be an old one. My hunch was that it was new for intuitive vague reasons, and also because it didn't happen to be in any of the FBorFW books we have. I also compared it with the September 28 2008 strip of Elly's night out with her women friends of various ages. I think she got more out of this dinner and conversation than John got out of watching hockey with Ted. If anybody can I.D. the book it's in, (if it is)it will save me spending time I can't spare in the Library to comb over their collection. Thanks.

Amy D, Vienna, VA

For all those pointing out that the strip reflects the values of days gone by--please check out the Q & Eh section of this very site. Asked when the "re-run" strip is set, Ms Johnston answers "the modern day." And the strip was never set in a rural, old-fashioned part of Canada, no matter where Ms Johnston happened live at the time. The Pattersons always lived in a suburb of Toronto. But--who expects consistency? On March 1, Liz used a complete sentence. Now she's using baby talk. A few weeks ago, Elly was glad she'd balanced her checkbook & paid the bills. Just last week, we saw her saving pennies to avoid having to ask John for money.

KM, Houston, TX

Nice to see someone else remembers party lines. We (living in rural Pennsylvania) had one into at least the mid-80s and my Dad never got used to having a phone line to himself. He was still telling me "someone else might need to use that" clear into the 90s. And I think we had a rotary phone into the late 80s as well. Just a note for the reader who questioned Elly's majoring in English. You don't have to graduate from college in order to have a major.

Angela, PA

I laughed so hard at Friday's strip where Elly muses how she majored in English only to end up baby-babbling! I've felt the same thing many times through the course of my days; our lives rarely follow a planned course but we just go with the flow!

JB, NJ

I love seeing the old strips. My kids are now 26, 22 and 18, and I have no grandchildren yet, so I greatly enjoy reliving the joys and travails of a young family by going back in time with the Patersons. The Chicago Tribune has always carried the strip, but today's installment was a rerun of the final strip, so I hope they are not dropping it. They are in bankruptcy, so who knows. Please keep the strips online! I love the site and watching the Pattersons grow up once again is so dear to me as a way of reliving my own family's past. Thank you for that -- it is a gift.

Mary D, Chicago, IL

So glad you are rerunning the older strips. My daughter is a stay at home Mom. She has her master's degree and is now taking care of her 2 year old. I send her the strip on line to let her know that her life is "normal". Thank you!

Annie M, Boston, MA