In The Beginning, There Was Chaos: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Again, this was a fabricated scenario. There wasn't much my kids wouldn't eat. Anything that went well with ketchup would go down; quiche included!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This is a serious point and I wanted to make it -- people can avoid so much pain and expense if they just brush and floss their teeth regularly!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Kitchenware and home cosmetics demonstrations were actually a big deal in Lynn Lake. We all looked forward to the opportunity to get together and if we bought some overpriced items, well, we had supported the seller and the hostess and all was well in the world.

The best home demo party I ever went to was here in Corbeil. It was my first opportunity to meet the local ladies, so I spruced up and took my chequebook. What I discovered was a relaxed and welcoming group, dressed in jeans and T's, drinking beer and gossiping about the neighbors. After several drinks, we were ready for the pitch and with all of us happily into the sauce, the demonstrator sold us everything!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: When I did the weekly comic panel for the Dundas Valley Journal, they paid me $10 for each one. At the time, I was living on a shoestring and was desperate for a few dollars more. When I asked if they would increase my rate to $15, they refused. This is when I started doing cartoons for my obstetrician--preferring the approval from his patients and staff to the paper. I guess my pride was more important than my pocketbook.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This was an inside joke between Gunther Hildebrandt, a long time family friend, and ourselves. Gunther enjoyed reading the news and discussing current events, especially with my father-in-law. Together, they would solve the problems of the world. Gunther loved to talk, so in this strip I am having a bit of fun at his expense. The dental clinic was never the place to have a really good conversation, especially for the patient.

Gunther was a good sport. In fact, friends and family always enjoyed seeing their names, and it undoubtedly resulted in mail and phone calls from their own friends and family, from all across the continent, saying, "I saw you in the funny papers!"

Monday, February 13, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This scenario is based on the time I lived alone with Aaron in Dundas. Our house was not close to the neighbouring houses and backed onto a steep ravine. The wind would often whistle across the awning over the front windows and the sound would creep me out! Even though you know you're safe and there's nothing to worry about, the childhood fears still come back. Sometimes, I really did think there were spooks in the rafters!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Every so often, I'd realize that I had not featured Farley in the strip for a while, so I'd find a way to write him in. Although I never slept with any of my pets, this is how I imagined sharing my space with a character like Farley.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The gift from the airport gift shop was a subject that brought a number of responses. Some letters came from travellers who bemoaned the fact that a small gift was expected. Others enjoyed shopping for treasure and the surprise it would bring. It was a really divisive subject and I learned that when it comes to gifts and the business traveller, it's much better to receive. Personally, I love to shop for "gifties" and sometimes the airport has the best shops!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This, I think is true. A couple needs to separate from time to time in order to reflect on their relationship. After a rough patch, you might wish your partner would just "take a hike" but when they are away for a few days, you realize just how much you depend on, rely on and love each other.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Lynn's Comments: To end a dispute between Kate and Aaron, I did divide the kitchen table so that each child had their own side. I then divided the couch and Aaron himself divided the living room. This bit of biblical rectitude resulted in a deep interest in equality. Both kids then wanted to divide the house, the hallways, and the stairwell into "what's yours" and "what's mine".

The task was not a small one, but they were determined. It gave them something to do together and the price of a roll of masking tape was a small price to pay for silence. I decided to use this in a Sunday strip. The thought that they might even have tried to divide the dog had me smiling for days!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My brother, Alan, moved from my home in Dundas to Hamilton and eventually to Stratford, Ontario--where he was principal trumpet for the Stratford Festival Theatre. In the strip, "Phil" only moved once and I never specified to where.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Alan's ordeal with the vegetarians did not end with the fridge and the juicer. He remembers giving them a list and some money for groceries.... and all they brought home was carrots! It wasn't long before he was making plans to move again.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: When plastic glasses were introduced to our household in the 50's Alan and I used them for everything from sandbox scoops to stacking toys. It was fun to see how much water we could hold with the suction from our mouths before the glass would fall off. Hopefully we would catch it before it hit the floor and alerted the authorities. Having two kids in the strip allowed me to recall so many of my own childhood antics.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Alan did have a fish tank and Aaron wanted one as well. I allowed him to have a goldfish for a while...kind of a "Starter" pet. The fish lasted about a week before it died from over stimulation. I think it must have been glad to go.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I'm not someone who reads in bed. In fact, I find it really uncomfortable and can't quite see why people do it. Still, when you have a fantasy character to work with, you can have him or her do a lot of stuff you wouldn't normally do. I guess this is why avatars are becoming so popular with folks on the internet. Neat idea...but I won't get involved until an avatar can do my laundry!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Feeling soft and out of shape, a few of us decided to create an exercise group. We found a capable leader who, for a modest sum, agreed to make us sweat a couple of afternoons a week. She turned out to be a drill sergeant. After a few serious workouts, we were all stiff and sore. I remember lying on the couch in pain, feeling muscles I didn't know existed. I thought that running after, picking up, and carrying kids would have put us all ahead of the game.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My friends Jim and Nancy Lawn had just moved to Lynn Lake with their two daughters, Jennifer and Deanna. As Nancy was unpacking the children's clothes, she noticed that two black plastic bags full of her daughters' best clothing was gone. Thinking the bags were garbage, Jim had inadvertently taken them to the dump. A long and fruitless search made it clear that someone had already found and taken the clothing home. Our dump wasn't called "the exchange" for nothing!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Sadly, this happened to a lot of folks until clear bags came onto the market. After this series of strips ran, we had many letters from folks who had done the exact same thing. At least, the Lynn Lake dump was well maintained and if you went in empty handed, you could just as easily come out with a trunk load of good stuff, in return!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lynn's Comments: It's so easy to criticize someone else for doing something stupid. In fact it feels great to point out shortcomings in others! Feeling smug and full of myself, I really did burn a whole pot of soup one day while gossiping to a friend. I was criticizing another mother for the way she managed her household!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I like to think that I make good soup and, when I do make it, I tend to make a lot! I like to have enough to freeze and to share and some to eat right away. It was a blow to the ego when they preferred the canned or packaged stuff. Mine was chock full of "goodns"--a meal in itself. Somehow, with the passage of time, they have learned to appreciate homemade soups and often make it themselves. Katie makes enough to freeze, enough to eat and enough to give to me!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This strip has a bit of a story behind it. I was travelling quite a bit for work and was often waiting to board a plane somewhere. I was en route to New York and sitting in the lounge were all kinds of folks heading to meetings and events and so on. Our flight had been delayed. Some were late for connecting flights, some were unable to contact people who were meeting them. We were all getting frustrated and anxious. An hour went by with no information. Then another hour passed. Eventually we were all furious. The tension was awful ... but then a miracle occurred.

A man went completely berserk--he stood up, cursing the airline, and the attendants at the gate. He threw down his briefcase and stomped on it, shouting and waving his arms. He threatened to sue. He screamed obscenities. At that point, the rest of us relaxed. We all watched as someone else acted out our frustrations perfectly. As he ranted, we said to ourselves, "Yeah, that's right. That's exactly how I feel."

By the time the authorities came, the lounge was a quiet place full of calm people. It was instant stress relief. It occurred to me that I performed this same service for my family; the more irate I became about something, the less they cared about it!