It's All Downhill From Here: Browse The Strips

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: We once owned the full set of The Encyclopaedia Britannica. I bought this enormous set of books when we lived in tiny Lynn Lake, Manitoba. It was an arctic community into which you really had to fly. At the time, the population wasn't much more than 1200. There was only one radio station, there was no library, and the newspaper came a day late. Other than folks selling things like Avon, there were no door-to-door salespeople--it was just too far to go! When a young Britannica salesman came to our door, I was surprised. I invited him in. I had been thinking that in this area some encyclopaedias would be a great investment. He started to rattle off his pitch, but I stopped him and said it was OK! I was going to buy the whole set! He looked me in the eye in absolute disbelief. "Lady," he said, "I have flown to just about every small community in northern Manitoba, and you are my very first sale!"

Monday, October 12, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Although I've never walked around with a sandwich board, I've done what I could to make folks aware that our local theatre had wonderful live performances.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: For awhile, I organized the schedules for performers interested in touring northern Manitoba. I would go to an event in Winnipeg called "Contact," where performers would showcase their work and arrange with people, like myself, to go to remote communities. By scheduling them into several towns at a time, we were able to get some wonderful shows into the north; dance, magic, bands and theatre delighted everyone, and selfishly, I got to meet and get to know some of the people we hosted.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Lynn Lake did not have the best hotel, so performers were billeted with families in town. We had a great downstairs retreat in our house--a huge party room with two fold-out couches, a bar, and a Jacuzzi. One of the performers I remember most was Brian Glow, a magician who brought his entire kit of special effects to our house. He was a lot of fun and very good at his craft, but no matter what he did to surprise us, my son, then about four, was un-convinced of Brian's magic abilities.

Brian made coins and cards disappear. He pulled live birds out of his sleeve, and Aaron would say "but can you make it rain? Can you fly? Can you turn into a dog?"

Brian soon had the look of a man ready to run, so I made Aaron disappear. The resulting quiet was--magic.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One of the neat things about living in a small town is that you have access to so many things just because you know the people who work there. I came to admire and respect the woman who ran the Capitol Centre Theatre in North Bay. The first time I met Dee she was wearing overalls and was on her hands and knees in the basement trying to get the boiler to work. I asked her why she was the one who had to do this and she said, "We can't afford a maintenance guy--this is a theatre!"

Friday, October 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One year, the theatre did sell off a lot of the costumes. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for those wanting an Edwardian dress or a set of feathered tights. Sadly, it was because there was no money for proper storage.

Monday, October 19, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Friends of ours held a pumpkin carving contest every year on the porch of their big North Bay home. There were pumpkins of all colours, shapes and sizes, and the resulting array of faces and pumpkin personalities, which decorated their outdoor staircase, was something we'll always remember.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This scenario is from a Little Lulu cartoon I read as a kid. Little Lulu had found a potato which looked exactly like her friend Tubby. When he found out, he went crazy and chased her all over town to get it. The story line ended with him eating the raw potato. I thought it was hilarious! Funny--the things you remember.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I had a terrible time with math. I used my fingers until I was stopped. Then I learned that if I kept my ruler on top of my desk, I could use it to help me add and subtract.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was my grade two teacher. She actually rapped me on the head with my pencil, calling me "Germ spreader!" The thing which really got me down was that I hadn't bitten my pencil. I liked to keep my stuff in good shape. They were my brother's teeth marks she'd discovered.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The North Bay Capitol Centre was almost torn down but was saved by a group of very determined people. After its restoration, it became something the politicians liked to point out as the "jewel in the crown."

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: You'd think a lesson learned once would be ingrained forever. Not so: the hangover. Even without a partying lifestyle, I think I still average one every five years.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One thing I have never been good at is small talk at big parties. Some folks can rip into a crowd and have a great time chatting about trends, politics, and the weather--I'm more likely to say hello to the folks I need to talk to, then head for my hotel room and bed.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was one of the strips I really didn't like. I tried to literally make this man "talk in circles," but I wasn't happy with the result. Sometimes when I was on a tight deadline, I'd let something like this go through.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was another true-to-life scenario. I was down and out. Katie brought me a blanket and offered to rub my back. True to the punch line, she now has two sweet kids and is a wonderful mother.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Lynn's Comments: As a volunteer for a number of community projects, I discovered you can accomplish great things when the credit is evenly shared.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Comic strips and comic books take great advantage of the visual gag. There is no way this punch line could be translated into video!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My son, Aaron, did play the trumpet for a while in band class at school, but he was never really interested in it. His heart was in film and photography--as soon as he could hold a camera! Still, it was important for me to include music in the Patterson Family's routines, so Michael began trumpet lessons with uncle Phil. This allowed me to recall my brother Alan's lessons, performances, and serious dedication to the trumpet. His long hours of practice, with the repetitive "tattica-tattica-tattica," are still vivid in my memory.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My brother, an accomplished performer, still teaches music, even though he has been retired for several years. There are still those special talented students to whom passing on all he has learned is a joy and a privilege. He has met his share of students who don't practice and don't have the passion. The line about playing darts was a genuine comment made at a time when teaching was often a chore.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I think I've grumbled about this before. When a woman (or anyone for that matter) becomes the chief cook and bottle washer--charged with shopping for, planning out, making, and serving up to three meals a day, she or he deserves at least a grunt of pleasure from the bodies who are shovelling in the grub. Actual thanks is wonderful!