Author Archives: stripfix

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The number of times we were faced with the daunting task of selling chocolate bars door-to-door was absurd. This subject brought in a lot of mail. Some folks sold them at work, but for us a dental clinic was not the place to fundraise with candy!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I always thought the word "babysitter" was funny. As a teenager, I actually sat on one of my charges once in order to make a point ... and then bribed the little runt not to tell his parents!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This is from my own recollection as a teenaged babysitter; I'd have to be a disciplinarian, but I was too young to be taken seriously, so I had to play two roles: the friendly big kid, and the tough cop who'd turn the kid in to the authorities if they didn't shape up. It wasn't an easy job sometimes and I earned every cent I made.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My friend Loretta Clarke has four beautiful daughters who were wonderful babysitters. Lynn Lake was so small that we were always within walking distance from home. If there was an emergency we could return in a flash, but Loretta would often be called before we were and would solve the problem first! The character "Paula" was a mix of all four of Loretta's girls: Sandra, Lorraine, Terri and Catherine. I love you all!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This was a story my dad told us; "If you get up early on Easter Sunday morning, you will see the sun dance as it rises." Dutifully, Alan and I would get up to see if the story was true, but we never saw the sun dance on Easter morning. I think Dad had bet on two things: one, he never expected my brother and me to actually get out of a warm bed so early and two, in Vancouver, it always seemed to rain on Easter. His explanation for why the sun hadn't danced was that we probably didn't BELIEVE enough! I guess we believed enough in the Easter bunny, though--because every year, he showed up without fail!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Lynn's Comments: One tradition we really enjoyed every Easter was colouring eggs. My mother was a fine artist who tried every technique she could find to make our eggs different from the norm. She had us work with white wax crayons which kept the dye from colouring the shell. We then warmed and wiped off the wax so that another colour could be added where the wax had been. This was similar to the way the beautifully decorated eggs are done in the Ukrainian style. Ours were rough and "kid-like" but neat, just the same. She mixed vegetable oil with the dye to create swirling patterns. She put rubber bands around the eggs to make straight lines so we could draw around them. For us it was an art lesson as well as a great way to prepare for the coming of the E.B. who would hide them in the night!

Eating the eggs we had so carefully coloured was difficult because we hated to destroy the shells. This resulted in mom's "Easter tree". She would carefully break each shell in half, use a needle to tie a thread to the top and hang the shells from the branches of a small shrub she'd placed in a vase. For us, Easter Sunday was as enjoyable as Christmas--and without the expense!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The concept of being born a sinner confused me. As a kid, I was unable to process this--it just didn't make sense. I hoped in time I'd understand. I'm still waiting.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Katie did not want to go to the Easter Parade. She didn't want to be in the parade. She didn't want to wear the hat. What finally persuaded her to go was Aaron saying that he'd get all the chocolate, the cake, and the other goodies and she'd get none. Even though I was not pleased with his sentiments, I appreciated his help.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I still have this little outfit, carefully preserved in my closet upstairs. Some things you just shouldn't part with!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I expected my first spouse to change after I married him. I hoped that he would have more confidence and more self-control. In retrospect, I'd now advise people to accept their prospective partners the way they are. "If your partners' quirks irritate you before you marry, I guarantee they will drive you stark raving mad afterwards!"

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Lynn's Comments: As in any sitcom, my saga had to have characters who were "pawns". These are people who ask the questions the audience wants to ask and pressure the characters to give more information than they could otherwise give. In a strip, you can do this with thought balloons, which work from time to time. The best gags usually require some repartee. This not only gives you the opportunity for TWO smart minds to make a remark, but provides the artist with appropriate facial expressions as well.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I wanted Ted to be desired by Connie, but thoroughly disliked by the readers and it worked! People regularly told me to have her dump him, but a good story requires a "bad guy", and like all relationships, this one needed to work itself out.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: It's interesting to think about how almost "desperate" I was as a single mother. Not to "snag" a man; not to find a replacement for my ex.--I just wanted to be wanted by someone who would treat me and my child, with respect and affection. I was responsible for another life, but I needed someone in MY life, too.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Farley had great wide hairy feet and every time he came indoors, I wiped them as best I could--knowing that dirt would come in anyway and I'd just have to deal with it. When my kids came in carrying the same amount of flotsam, however, I bounced around pointing at the inevitable grime and water, telling them in no uncertain terms that they had to be more careful and considerate and bla, bla, bla.... Maybe we're so much more patient with them because dogs can't talk back!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The kids weren't with me when I rear-ended this guy, but if they had been...I'm sure the secret would not have been safe with them. We are all storytellers in my family, and some stuff is just has to be shared!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This offense took place on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg. I had been driving in a small, northern town for so long--where there were few cars and no traffic lights--that I had actually forgotten how to drive in city traffic.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Here is an embarrassing moment from my personal file. While stewing away about something, I ran into another driver who had stopped at a stop sign. He was understandably irate and came to my driver's side window to say so. I felt like a kid who was about to be sent to the principal's office. I rolled down my window and listened while he berated me. What I recommend doing at a time like this is to just agree with the other driver. It's hard for them to do you in when you keep saying; "You're absolutely RIGHT!"