Category Archives: Uncategorized

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: In parenting magazines, I read about "you messages." This is when someone turns a situation around and puts the pressure on YOU. We were taught that "you messages" were not good disciplinary tools and should not be employed when having a heart-to-heart conversation. Rather than say, "You made me angry today," a parent should say, "I felt angry today, and we need to talk." I practiced this as much as possible, but the art of defusing a situation by not putting guilt onto the other person failed to precipitate down to the offspring. Things that I could not possibly be responsible for suddenly became my fault. This candy wrapper incident enlightened me to the fact that my kids were as good at game playing with words as we were!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Now that I am dogless, I find dog breath hard to take. When I had Farley, his breath came with warm licks, and his enquiring sniffs were more than welcome. Even so, there were times when I couldn't stomach the smell. Once, when Farley ate my chives, I was overwhelmed by his breath, but there was one time that was much worse; I was standing at my kitchen window watching him happily lying on the warm driveway, chewing something he'd found with obvious relish. He chewed with that look of ecstasy, the look children have when they're eating ice cream, that blissful satisfaction that comes with flavour and fun and mouth-watering fulfillment. He'd toss his head back, reposition his prize, and chew again. He was happy. Eventually, my curiosity got to me and I went out to see what succulent something he was chewing on. I couldn't believe my eyes. The object he was blissfully savouring was a flat, well-rotted, dried-out toad. To Farley, it was dog jerky. To me, it was horrible. I would have shown the true source of Farley's halitosis, but really, it was too gross for publication! [Eventually this gag did make an appearance, with Edgar doing the dirty deed.]

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My father loved to dance. He would pick me up and dance with me until I fell asleep in his arms. He could sing so well and knew the words to so many songs that he never seemed to run out of waltzes or shanties or tunes from the bar. I remember the swoop of his body as he waltzed to the "Blue Danube" with theatrical panache. He could two-step and tango and polka and jive, and I melted into his shoulder with the rhythm and the warmth of his style.

Last November, my daughter, Katie, and her husband, Lane, presented me with my first grandchild. Laura is now almost two years old, and she loves to dance with me. I hold her the way my father held me. I sing the same songs, and I move with the same style. I thank him again and again for this memory and a gift that I'm now passing on.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My husband had all kinds of models. He loved to make them just for the fun of figuring them out. He even built a model aircraft when we were on our honeymoon, so modelling was definitely in his blood. He could focus for hours, shaving off an infinitesimal piece of plastic here, fitting an impossibly tiny piece there. He had endless patience when it came to building complicated model ships, vehicles, and aircraft. Interestingly, he had much less patience with kids!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I used this same punch line again years later, and even made it the title of a collection book. You'd think I'd remember every gag and not use it again, but sometimes I slipped up!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Even on the most miserable winter days, my kids seemed immune to the cold. Mittens, boots, warm socks and headgear were fought against in their hurry to get out doors. They only came in when they were blue and shivering and had to be thawed out in a hot bath. Knowing he was freezing, I once called out to Aaron saying, "What are you waiting for, why don't you come inside?" and he replied, "My fingers still work!"

Monday, June 3, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Neither Kate nor Aaron was ever so ill that they had to go to the hospital. We did live down the road, however, from a family whose young daughter had Cystic Fibrosis, and the threat of losing her was constant and cruel. Little Christine liked dolls, and I had a sizeable doll collection. I gave her one of my favorite handmade dolls, which started a sweet friendship. Visiting Christine and her family gave me new insight: it requires amazing strength of character to live with a chronic illness.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Lynn's Comments: When the stock began to run low, we ran home and dug through our own stuff--even though we had already sold everything we wanted to get rid of. Ruth and Tom went back into their house and did the same.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The great Johnston yard sale was an epic event. Everyone in Lynn Lake knew that Ruth had squirreled away some fine stuff and looked forward to seeing what would be up for grabs. Tables had to be borrowed from the church next door. It took us two days to price everything and set it out on display. As luck would have it, the event took place on the day of the high school graduation. Students in their best duds crowded around the tables, trying to score a deal ahead of the old guys.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I had fun drawing this character. I had meant her to be very sexy and very nice--someone who would possibly come between Elly and John. She would make Elly jealous, in any case. As the library job continued, Susan became less and less visible. I couldn't quite resolve her relationship to the rest of the characters...and, perhaps, I was afraid that life might imitate art!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This strip was the catalyst for several letters from post-birthday party moms who wanted to say, "Thanks for telling it like it is." Being able to throw a well-planned kids' party is something moms take pride in, and only WE know how much work it is!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Considering all the "health watch" infomercials and self-help columns, I've never read stats on the germ-spreading tradition of blowing out candles. Perhaps heat from the flame sears the bacteria! Anyone know if a study has been done?

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Party games were a must whenever I hosted a gig for my kids--and I had to keep finding new stuff for them to do. The best games were often the ones that elicited groans and complaints at adult parties but were a lot of fun--after you got started. Fortunately, kids don't need any "fortification" when it comes to being silly!