Author Archives: stripfix

Sunday February 19, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I didn't learn to skate until I was over 35! What gave me the courage to try was a really good pair of skates and the lure of a rink made by the neighbours on Trout Lake outside of North Bay, Ontario. It was one of those perfect days. The ice was thick and the snow was fresh. Just a few passes of the snow blower and a small private rink was cleared. The kids both had skates that still fit, and my mom-in-law had borrowed skates for the rest of us. She’d made hot chocolate in a big thermos and the Harrisons, whose house we were visiting, had built a fire in the pit down by the dock.

For the first time since I was a kid, I strapped on skates (dull rentals) and shoved off from the snow bank. To my surprise, I discovered the bite of a sharp blade and was actually scraping my way forward. That’s it. I never went again, past those surprising few turns around the ice, but it was enough to let me know how it’s done and why some people become champion skaters. You just have to experience this exhilaration when you're young!

Friday February 17, 2017

Lynn's Comments: As a hockey mom, I saw some interesting stuff. Parents who dropped off their kids and left never knew how important it was for those young players to see supporters in the stands. Some of the parents who did attend were so determined to see their kid be a star that they also ruined a great game. Kids were shouted at and bullied from the stands, and volunteer coaches were criticized. I'm hoping things have changed since I was a hockey mom.

Wednesday February 15, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I had so much fun with the English language. These strips won't translate, so my work was generally only in English language papers. The good thing is that folks are using comic strips like mine to teach ESL. Seems the puns and wordplay are a great way to get right into a language, and what better way to learn than through funny words and pictures.

Friday February 10, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Moving to North Vancouver has given us a break from shoveling snow. Wet snow falls here, but few people shovel it because the rain will come and wash it away. The rain does come, but frost might come first. Dangerous and slippery sidewalks make going anywhere treacherous. Seaside living means bone-chilling cold. Long underwear (for me), is a necessity. You can't win in Canada!

Tuesday February 7, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Some of our best family times have been when the electricity was out. Not only did it make us creative and prepared, it gave us a break from sound. Until the appliances are off, we have no idea how much ambient sound we live with!

Monday February 6, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This was an opportunity to make an important observation, I hoped, without sounding preachy. There are serious things a cartoonist wants to say; the challenge is in choosing the right time and the right way to say them.

Sunday February 5, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This is the story of my life. As a non-sleeper, I am often reading or doing my mail in the middle of the night. Oddly enough, when I have an early morning deadline, I manage to sleep so soundly that I am comatose when the alarm goes off. Strange stuff!

Saturday January 28, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Here is when writing and drawing can take you away on an imaginary flight. You see others in turmoil as you fly over and around them in safety—trying to figure out what they are going to do next. I often wonder if, in reality, there is someone out there writing and orchestrating the comic strip I live in!

Saturday January 21, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Every first snowfall, I used to hit the ditch. Maybe it’s because I was used to driving fast on rough, flat surfaces and didn't have my winter reflexes. Whatever the reason, I would call our friend Gerry Voyer and ask him to pull me out. A couple of times, this happened on our country road and I'd walk to Gerry’s garage where he’d get out his truck and take me to the scene of the "accident." One winter’s day, I was taking a long stroll down MacPherson Drive when Gerry passed me in his truck. He stopped, rolled down his window and sighed. "OK," he said. "Where is it?" He thought I had hit the ditch again and was coming for help. It was then that I realized just how often I had run off the road!