Pushing 40: Browse The Strips

Monday June 19, 2017

Lynn's Comments: At the time of our kitchen renovation, we managed to dine in the hallway with the use of a borrowed hot plate and a microwave. This was fun…for a while.

Friday June 23, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Here’s where Annie’s husband, Steve, had a small role. Until now, he had just been a shadowy figure. I’d alluded to his infidelity, but had never gone into that story. It was a rather daunting one, and I wasn't ready. I did, however, see him as a bit of a hoarder, so when the Pattersons did their renovation, he was there to salvage their cast-off materials. At the time, I could see Annie and Steve’s garage crammed with stuff and all of the ensuing family squabbles it might cause. I imagined all of the interesting side stories this would generate…but in the end, I had only one statement a day to work with and my readers spent less than 30 seconds reading it! I never developed the "hoarder" side of next-door neighbour, Steve. There wasn't time.

Tuesday June 27, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Yes, I realized as we were dismantling the kitchen that this would be the perfect time to remodel the dining room, too. This meant removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room to create an "open concept." Open, much like my husband’s mouth when I made the suggestion.

Saturday July 1, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My mother used to make us sit at the table until everything on our plates was gone. My brother and I might sit there until bedtime, and if the meal wasn't finished, we'd find it set out (cold) for breakfast the next morning. No fooling! "Waste not, want not" was the catch phrase of the day…and I never really did understand what it meant!

Monday July 3, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I have a friend whose husband refused to eat leftovers. He simply refused. He wanted everything to be "fresh," so she went out of her way to make him happy. (Yes, even in this century!) From time to time, however, she would make quiche or a delicious casserole. Served with a light salad, it was a perfect meal, and he would eat with gusto not knowing that yesterday’s veg, ham, bacon, and whatever else would cook up, had gone into the meal. It was years before he realized he’d been eating leftovers. This is a true story. They are still married, and he now eats whatever is put in front of him. Stir-fry anyone?

Wednesday July 5, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This is another true story. Considering the "one-comment-a-day" nature of comic strip story telling, you can imagine the response I got from the SPCI (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Insects) supporters when they read this panel. There was outrage!

Thursday July 6, 2017

Lynn's Comments: The outrage continued as the second comment appeared. There was no internet, so I heard from my editors at the syndicate (who knew the ending to the story) and from newspaper editors who were fielding complaints from readers who were phoning in.

Friday July 7, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I wondered how these folks who were outraged by bug abuse felt about devastating world health issues.

Saturday July 8, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I had fun knowing that the angry voices would die down when they read this strip and saw that the danger had been averted. The spider was free.

Wednesday July 12, 2017

Lynn's Comments: We did get a new fridge, but it was delivered and installed by professionals. During the delivery, I wondered how we’d have managed on our own. Asking myself, "What if?" was always a great way to start a series of strips.

Thursday July 13, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This was a serious comment. Those of us who are polite, understanding, and non-threatening, often find ourselves left to the last, in favour of customers who are demanding and miserable to deal with. Go figure.

Saturday July 15, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I heard from readers whose kids created "no girls aloud" forts because of this storyline. Good thing. Not only did it get them out of the house, it created serious discussion. TV can’t provide that kind of entertainment!