Keep the Home Fries Burning: Browse The Strips

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One thing I have tried to do as a doting Gram is to be in sync with the parents: to adhere to the same discipline, to provide the same healthy treats, and to not say anything critical of the parents in front of the children. I think I've scored an "A" on everything--but the treats.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When my paternal grandmother came to stay with us for 6 months, I was 16 and very independent. My parents both worked, so it was my job to get the dinner on and Gram's appearance in the kitchen was "one too many cooks!" She had just lost her husband, was lonely and depressed, and my dad had invited her to stay. Having spent her adult lifetime looking after others, she naturally put herself to work--on my turf! From the day we set eyes on each other, we were rivals. Gram had my bedroom. I was sleeping in the basement in a "room" made of plywood boards and a curtain. I resented this terribly. I resented her teeth in a glass on my dresser and her clothes in my closet. I also resented being told what to do by someone other than my parents, and her criticism irritated me beyond belief.

One day I saw her fidgeting with the oven. It was a gas oven, and she wasn't familiar with the way the oven worked. When I tried to tell her how to do it, she barked at me to mind my own business, that she knew how to operate an oven, and to get out of her way. Figuring this would be a great opportunity to see what would actually happen if you lit the oven the wrong way, I crossed my arms, leaned against the doorway, and watched. First she turned on the gas. The oven door was closed. Interesting. Then she looked for a match. She found the matchbox on the wall and took out a match. She went to the stove, struck the match on one of the elements and opened the oven door. Well--Ka-BOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!! The explosion blew Granny across the room. She wound up on the opposite side--sitting on the floor with her back against the cupboard doors. Her eyebrows were gone, and all the hairs on her chin were frizzled black. The best thing of all was the look on her face. Her mouth had formed a little "o." I was thinking, "Wow! So THAT's what happens!" It took a few seconds before I reached out to help her up, and a few more for us both to realize that she could have been very seriously hurt! With grateful relief, we hugged each other, and for the rest of her stay, we held a truce.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Here again was potential for some really fun story telling. I wanted to show Ted and his secretary, I wanted to delve into this new relationship, but the restricted space I had to work in held me back. The thing about a daily comic strip is I had to focus on the central characters as much as possible, or I would lose them to other characters who might take the spotlight. There are a number of sit-coms which resulted in separate stories: "Frasier" comes to mind, a spinoff from "Cheers." (Such great writing in these!)

In television, they have the freedom to write for a number of characters; to delve into their lives and personalities, but with static lines and panels, we are limited to showing small glimpses of the lives of the secondary characters around them.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This story was told to me by our good friend Larry Boland. We were sitting in his living room. His wife, Marilyn, was bringing in the tea, when I looked up and admired their lovely ceiling. Marilyn smiled and said that thanks to Larry, it had just been redone. Larry described putting his foot through the plaster with such detail that I had to put the story in the strip. Things people WANTED me to include rarely made the grade. I preferred the embarrassing stuff!

Monday, January 26, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I think I gave Larry and Marilyn the original strips for this story. It was something I liked to do when I embarrassed a friend in public!

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This part of the story was entirely made up. This is what's fun about a comic strip storyline--the possibilities are endless. This is where the ability to fantasize comes in: a fantasy could take me completely away from reality--to places I didn't even know I could go!

Monday, February 2, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I've just been talking to a friend about guilt. Seems it hangs on long after the deed has been atoned for and forgotten by everyone else. I will remember a stupid thing I said at a party or something I did during an interview, and I'll clench my teeth--willing the memory to fade. It never goes away. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe it keeps me from doing other stupid things--I wish.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I once saw my mother-in-law flapping her apron at the top of the basement stairs. I asked her what in the world she was doing, and she explained that the menfolk were in the middle of a project down there and she wanted them to come up for dinner. She was wafting the smell of roast beef, mash, and gravy down into the basement. It worked!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Aaron once actually climbed into a suitcase and asked my mom to take him to Vancouver with her. It was funny, and became a kind of game. Old suitcases, destined for the "nuisance grounds," were perfect to play with. He and his friends would slug each other around in a suitcase until the handles broke. This was before the advent of wheels--an excellent addition to unwieldy bags. Another example of obvious inventions--Why didn't I think of that?!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Around this time, we did have a ceiling redone, and I marvelled at the artistry our man of the plaster was capable of. He had been doing this for over 30 years, and it was wonderful to watch him work. I have often admired the ease by which people pour cement, for example, or frame a window: cutting the wood to perfect lengths and fitting it into place with precision. So often we dismiss talent like this, but just try to do it yourself! It won't take long before you're wishing you'd made the right decision and called the guy with the skill!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Dental practices generally employ a lot of women. Women go on maternity leave, and at times, will have to leave the practice in order to follow a husband who has been relocated elsewhere. We were always thinking about staff: how to replace someone, or how to cope when a very well trained assistant, for example, had to take time off. It was a challenge, but it also introduced us to new and talented people who became part of our extended family.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My little grandson will be a year old when this strip runs. He has just started to walk, and is curious about everything. Whatever he can grasp, goes into his mouth. If a cupboard can be opened, he'll be into it. He has a very small attention span, which is great because he can be easily distracted. He is also teething and wants to be with us (attached) a great deal of the time. I had forgotten how much work the one year old was. I have a lot of stamina and I put time aside just for him, but I can hardly keep up. Our daycare provider is an angel many times over! She gives my daughter and me the freedom to work in the studio, which in turn gives baby Ryan the freedom to be himself. It's all good!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When we first arrived in Lynn Lake, we had no front desk person for the clinic and no chair-side assistant. With Aaron in kindergarten and my mom-in-law willing to look after Katie, I thought I might be able to work with Rod part-time while he trained someone else.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I had assisted Rod when he was in dental school. There was a free clinic in the evenings, and students got extra experience if they volunteered to work on patients after class for free. Spouses often accompanied the students--just so they could spend some time together. University took a toll on relationships. With this bit of training under my belt, I believed I could fill in for a while in our new clinic.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My mother often said that she wished we would go to other people's houses and make a mess there for a change. It was true. Our friends always came over to our house. Maybe it was because Mom worked at home, and was kind enough to let everyone in. Maybe she permitted herself to be the local daycare provider so she would always know where we were. Other moms were at home, too, so it always bothered her that they never took their turn. They never offered. Maybe it's because she just never asked.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When this strip appeared, I was criticized for stereotyping the Enjo family: they were Asian, therefore they were intellectuals. It was interesting to note that the complaints didn't come from people of Asian descent!