Author Archives: stripfix

Monday, October 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My kids didn't feel the need to talk endlessly on the phone the way I did. Even with the advent of cordless handsets, they preferred to just go over to a friend's house and hang out. One thing about in living in a small rural community; your friends are all a short bike ride away.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The Barnstorf family lived across the street from us in Lynn Lake. Aaron and their youngest son, Roy, were great pals--always on the go, always getting into something. One would spur the other on, and although they could be troublesome, they never really got into trouble. The Barnstorfs' dog, Lady, was a wide, placid, and friendly English Springer Spaniel. She would put up with just about anything. One day, I went out to look for the boys and I heard the "Rmmmm-rummmm, neeeerooowwwww" sounds kids make when they're pretending to ride a motor bike. Around the side of the house, Aaron watched, waiting his turn--while Roy, standing astride Lady, loosely twisted her ears as if they were handles. Leaning forward like a racer, he drove Lady down an imaginary speedway, changing gears, changing lanes; you could almost see the wind whipping up their hair. Lady was expressionless, moving side to side, as if she were a hot machine and part of an improv comedy skit. I admonished both boys for teasing the dog, but inside, I laughed and looked forward to someday putting this scene into the strip.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Every time I did a Halloween strip, I based my ideas on what I remembered as a kid. Nobody bought costumes then--the kinds of disposable, commercial costumes just weren't available. Our get-ups were entirely original. I wonder how many folks still make their own stuff?

Friday, October 3, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Until perhaps grade 4, I believed in witches. I had seen "Sleeping Beauty," and the evil stepmother haunted my dreams. One night, I had a particularly vivid dream, in which I was being chased by a horrible witch. I climbed up a tree, but she was right behind me. As I climbed higher, the branches became thinner and thinner until I was stuck with nowhere to go. I looked down at the witch and said, "OK, do whatever you're gonna do. I don't care." As soon as I said that, she climbed back down the tree and ran off. I was never bothered by witches again! Guess you really do have to confront your demons.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I first started to "notice" boys when I was in 3rd grade. I had a real crush on Jimmy Thompson--he lived near me, and I'd walk home from school with him whenever I could. One day I told him a story about my grandfather (my dad's dad) and how he had been in a terrible accident at the shipyards, where he worked in Collingwood, Ontario. I said his head had been crushed and he had a metal plate put in where his skull had been removed. I said you could attach stuff to his head with magnets, and this got Jimmy's attention. He walked home with me--straight to my house where he demanded to see my mother. He said I'd been lying to him, and when he told her my story, she said, "you know, Jimmy, it's actually quite true." He was duly impressed and agreed to be my friend. I had learned that a good story was a great way to get attention--and I also learned that (for the most part) it had to be true!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Katie asked to have her ears pierced as soon as she saw other little girls with earrings. We said she could have pierced ears for her fifth birthday. We took her to the local jewellery store, and she was almost too excited to sit still; however, she didn't expect piercing to hurt so much and refused to get the second one done. It took a while to make a decision: Either take the one out or have the second earring put in. She decided to go ahead with the second one--as long as her brother couldn't watch!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Science projects for me were always a lot of fun. Both my parents were so keen to get involved, that all I had to do was know the facts and write an essay.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Growing up in North Vancouver meant we lived on "the rain coast," where it was rumoured that some of us had webbed feet. Despite the fact that rain was inevitable, I was well into my teens before I agreed to use an umbrella!

Friday, September 19, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I did get complaints about this one. People said I was stereotyping Asians as being intellectuals. Ironically, none of the complaints came from Asians.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Lynn's Comments: In junior high, our teacher used to cut things so short we had no time to change before our next class. Her rule was, we HAD to shower. She'd watch us as we scrambled, slipped, and slid through the water and into our clothes--barking at those of us who tried to get away with not taking off our underwear. Some of us wondered if she was "unusual" or just plain mean!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I never looked forward to phys ed, and as soon as I could, I dropped it in favour of--well, anything else! This series was done for the teachers who loved to watch us tail-draggers squirm! In their defense, they kept us in the best shape we'd ever been in.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Lynn's Comments: After this strip ran, I had all kinds of letters from folks with similar backgrounds wondering where our family had originated and if there was any connection. I wished at the time we could have met some long-lost cousins, but sadly, that didn't happen.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Lynn's Comments: These ornate dolls were based on a collection in Louise Masuda's house. Children in Japan often receive these lovely figures as gifts. They form a large retinue of characters with different levels of importance, so after many years, you can have a sizeable number--arranged in order of their station. They are heirlooms not toys, and eventually a showcase is needed to display them in. I thought this was a wonderful idea and so I included them here.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The Enjos provided both Elizabeth and Michael with friends to play with--I wanted the whole family to integrate with the Pattersons. This is always the hope when new folks move into the neighbourhood, and I could make it happen in the strip!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My folks used to take us to farms in the Fraser Delta for fresh strawberries. Both Alan and I were too young to enjoy picking, but we sure liked eating them. One day when our family was standing at the checkout with our baskets of strawberries, the man at the till looked at my brother with a curious smile. Alan was covered from his mouth to his navel in red juice. The man picked him up, put him on a big metal scale, and announced that he had to charge for the extra weight of the berries inside. He was kidding, but Dad paid him a little extra anyway.

Every summer we went as a family to get fresh fruit in season. In the Okanagan, we got peaches, plums, and apricots. It was a long drive but worth it. Mom canned everything, so we had the luxury of fruit preserves all winter long. Nothing tasted like the fresh stuff, though, and on one trip, Dad said we kids could eat whatever we wanted--so we did! As I said, it was a long drive home. With two kids full of fresh fruit, it's easy to imagine the results. We used the "roadside" washroom many times, with Mom hiding us behind her skirt as Dad looked madly around for paper!

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The name "Enjo" was for my grade six home economics teacher. Miss Enjo was a sweet and lovely lady and must have been in her twenties at the time. My dad guessed that her last name had been longer and had been shortened when her family immigrated to Canada. The family I made up was based on the Masuda family--who had known my in-laws in Lynn Lake, Manitoba. They had also moved to North Bay, which was a nice coincidence: We had friends here to make us feel at home.