Author Archives: stripfix

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This is a scene from my childhood--trying to jump off the high diving board at Mahon Park pool. We called the pool, "Typhoid Tank" because it was emptied infrequently, and when it was, the water was so cold, you thought you'd die. Nobody ever died from the cold water, but we sure took our chances on that board!

Friday, July 15, 2016

Lynn's Comments: While writing this short vignette, I remembered very clearly the vigils we made in our cherry tree. I could feel the branches, smell the leaves, sense the movement of the tree, and anticipate the pummeling my mother would give us if she caught us up there. A cartoonist has to have a good memory and an even better sense of "what if?"

Monday, July 11, 2016

Lynn's Comments: The cherry tree in our front yard on Fifth Street was tall and sturdy, and one branch afforded us a great view of the neighbours' houses. Every time we hid up there, we hoped to see something important, something about which we could tell the police. If we didn't see anything, it didn't matter. Alan and I could always make something up.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My dad had a friend who'd had surgery on his throat. The result was that he couldn't speak. He had learned to talk by what Dad said was called, "an educated burp." This fascinated my brother and me, so Dad challenged us to see how much of the alphabet we could recite in one long burp. Unimpressed, Mom told us off--saying we should have better things to do with our time. As soon as she was out of earshot, Dad, my brother and I continued our efforts. Yes, Dad didn't have to do much to convince Alan and me, and all the kids in the neighbourhood that he was one of us.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This scenario dates back to my own childhood. My brother and I would torment each other by simply staring. This "game" even had a name: it was "Seeing" (from the lament, "Daddy! She's seeing at me!") This could get intensely annoying, and when my brother finally broke down and asked Dad to intervene, he got into the act. He invented the "one eye see," the "two eye half see," the "blinking see," and so on. With Dad ready to play the game along with us, the sport quickly lost its competitive sting and we gave it up. That is until I told my kids about it--and the tradition carried on.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was able to project this type of thinking onto Lawrence because this is exactly how my mind worked. Friends who have known me since grade school now tell me I was a serious pain in the wazoo, but likable!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Throughout my life, I have had wonderful friends--both men and women, who were there when I needed them. Likewise, I have always been there for them, too. Good friends are the bandages, the bed rest, and the chicken soup of life!

Monday, June 27, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Having Connie, Lawrence, and their new family move back into the Pattersons' neighbourhood gave me much more to write about. Elly and Connie were a good mix of characters, and Lawrence was a wonderful sidekick for Mike. I had written them out of the strip without realizing how much they added to it!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This was, and likely still is, a contentious issue. By opening the door to conversation on the topic of "when does life begin?" I was rattling a few cages. Knowing I was treading on thin ice, I made sure the punch line was innocuous, but I got the angry mail anyway. In the end, I was glad I had drawn this strip. It was something we were talking to our kids about and I knew other parents were struggling with this question as well. This shows you how much freedom I was given by my syndicate and many editors to write and say things that were sensitive and not easily mentioned in a comic strip.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My husband really was happiest when he was in his workshop. No matter what was going on around him, his hobbies and his various projects kept him focused and content. If you wanted to spend time with him, the workshop was the place to be. Katie learned this at a very young age, which is why she can now fix or make just about anything!

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I think there's a play out there somewhere called, "I Love You, You're Perfect. Now Change." Does anyone know anything about this? Is it still running somewhere? I thought it was the best title, but never got to see the play!