Lynn's Notes:

When I'm working, I will make the same faces as the characters I'm drawing. It was funny for the kids to watch me - especially if the face I was drawing was screaming or just plain mad!

Lynn's Notes:

There were times when I did accompany Rod to dental conventions and I admit, I did feel a bit awkward. We had many mutual friends in dentistry- people we had known since he graduated from university, but if they or their wives were not in attendance, there was little for me to do while he attended lectures but go shopping. This made the decision to go with him a bit challenging. If the convention was in Chicago- I would go!

Lynn's Notes:

It was common in our household to have one of us gone due to business commitments, so our kids were quite used to having one parent at home- with grandma Ruth and Grandpa Tom nearby to balance our team. In this series of strips, I tried to imagine how other mothers felt when their husbands went to conventions. The thought of one's partner staying in a nice hotel and enjoying prepared meals with adult company must have been a source of jealousy. Even if they were objective and realistic these women must have felt left out!

Lynn's Notes:

Rod was away often, as he worked in the isolated villages in Northern Manitoba one week out of every month, so it was a treat to be able to go to a convention once in awhile and stay in a nice hotel. On one occasion, Aaron was told that his dad's absence made him the MAN of the household which was a serious position with a lot of responsibility. As Rod left, he asked Aaron if he had any questions. Aaron thought it over and said, seriously; "What will you bring me?" I used this punchline instead!

Lynn's Notes:

I did do all the packing when we went on trips. It seemed to make sense then. We could get away with one huge suitcase and two carry-ons. My willingness to pack for conventions quickly ended when I forgot important items- such as socks and underwear...and I once packed a "joke" tux by mistake- (a crazy thing I'd found at a flea market, with long tails and a stripe down the pants. It fit ME!) when we went to NY for a formal event. We had to rent one for my husband in a hurry from a place in Manhattan- and almost missed the cocktail party. Next time, he packed his own bag!

Lynn's Notes:

After looking for the bathtub plug for some time, I once settled on a spud that fit right into the hole. I'll do anything to have a nice, hot bath! Years later, I was visiting friends in Cuba. A neighbour kindly invited us to her house for dinner and when we went to do the dishes afterwards, there was no plug in the sink. She was about to use a soup pot to wash up in when I saw a basket of fresh potatoes under the counter. I selected one the right size and popped it into the hole.

Potato is "papa" in Spanish and the word for plug is "tapa". So, I said, "Look! You have a papa for a tapa!" She laughed and I promised her that I would bring her a plug the next day. My friends and I went to every hardware store in Havana and could not find a simple rubber stopper for a sink! There were a number of things we couldn't find: a large garbage pail with a lid, a good pair of scissors, and masking tape - these things are found everywhere back home. I couldn't believe that these small, useful items that we all take for granted were so hard to find.

The following year, I went back to Cuba. I took our friend a plug for her sink and a number of other things. She was more than pleased - she was grateful. Circumstances there are different now. Cuba has opened up and stores are able to carry more products. I still visit my friends and we always recall the time I used a papa for a tapa... a little trick I brought from home.

Lynn's Notes:

It was my brother who played Atari until his legs fell asleep. The TV was on a stand, too far from the couch to allow for serious and intense interaction, so players sat on the floor in reverent communion with the screen. After a marathon of gaming, Alan couldn't walk and Aaron had forgotten to go to the bathroom. Both staggered up the stairs in search of relief and I took advantage. Another strip was in the bag!

Lynn's Notes:

Atari and Pong were the two big video games of the day and my son, Aaron, played them endlessly. The beep, bop, zap sounds drove me crazy...but compared to the earth-shattering sound effects of today's offerings, these were musical interludes!

Lynn's Notes:

Looking out the front room window requires a face print. There's no way around it. Combine a check on the neighborhood with a greasy facial negative and you have accomplished two things at once. Forcing one's nose and lips onto a glass surface is a satisfying form of artistic expression which I'd continue to do today if I didn't personally have to clean it off.

Lynn's Notes:

Some strips require no explanation; no example of how it came to be. "It's MINE" played out between my brother and then, naturally, between my kids. This is one of those timeless scenarios which parents are so used to, that the only intervention considered is on behalf of the TOYS!

Lynn's Notes:

Here's another example of how to bring readers up to date with a few underlying story arcs. In the first panel, you catch up with what's going on in two relationships and still get a kid-fuelled smart remark as a punch line. I loved this ploy!

Lynn's Notes:

These words came directly from my mother's mouth and later from mine. Seems to me that kids enjoy being in on the local gossip as much as we do! Trouble is they, too pass it on!

Lynn's Notes:

Here is another word for word exchange between my husband and me. The punch line was exactly as written. I didn't toss a measuring cup - but I sure wanted to. This resulted in his taking over the pressing of his own shirts and clinic gowns - until we hired a housekeeper who came once a week and actually enjoyed ironing!

Lynn's Notes:

Since Michael had visited an art gallery and had been exposed to some sculptural "exposure"...I wanted to have some fun with his snowmen. This strip got me into some hot water, but not enough to melt the scene. Fortunately, my easy-going readers thought it was a funny idea and the editors agreed.

Lynn's Notes:

When there was enough snow to build something, my dad would be outside with a shovel and a trowel, ready to make anything we wanted. He built us forts and snowmen, which, in temperate North Vancouver, lasted too short a time. He built us toboggan runs and pulled us in sleighs- it was all part of his own winter upbringing in Collingwood Ontario- where winter was white from November 'til March!