Connie: Browse The Strips

Friday, July 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My dad had a friend who'd had surgery on his throat. The result was that he couldn't speak. He had learned to talk by what Dad said was called, "an educated burp." This fascinated my brother and me, so Dad challenged us to see how much of the alphabet we could recite in one long burp. Unimpressed, Mom told us off--saying we should have better things to do with our time. As soon as she was out of earshot, Dad, my brother and I continued our efforts. Yes, Dad didn't have to do much to convince Alan and me, and all the kids in the neighbourhood that he was one of us.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This is exactly what I did! Yes, if I was determined to succeed at something, I was relentless--which is a good trait to have when it comes to a project or a career. Love, on the other hand, isn't something you can make happen!

At summer's end, I returned home, and as soon as I had some privacy, I called my silent "boyfriend" and asked why he hadn't written. He said he had but the letter must have been lost. I didn't believe him. He then said he'd written one but had been too shy to send it. I said, "show it to me." He couldn't find it. He said he would rewrite it, but by then, my jets had cooled and the relationship turned into a casual "hello" in the school cafeteria.

We graduated without anything more being said. Years later, we met in a Vancouver coffee shop. He was delighted to see me and I was more than happy to see him. We hugged and laughed about the crush and the silent summer, and bless his heart, he said he wished for all the world, that he had written.

Friday February 24, 2017

Lynn's Comments: If I was doing the strip today, I’d be even more intrigued by the ability to talk almost subliminally in coded texts and abbreviated comments. Today, it is communication as fast and as simple as it can be, but nuances and subtlety are lost along the way. I wonder how many serious misunderstandings occur now, because people don't use or don't know enough good words to be able to express themselves!

Monday February 27, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Living with teenagers is a challenge for all parents. Living with adopted teens must be an incredible challenge. I tried hard to imagine it.

Monday March 13, 2017

Lynn's Comments: As I recall, I, too, left my room in an unruly mess. Thing is, in those days, there were some pretty harsh punishments, and I had to decide if going against the matriarch was worth the risk!

Wednesday April 26, 2017

Lynn's Comments: The first year it was my turn to host kids from the out of town hockey team, I prepared for mayhem. I bought kid-friendly food items, borrowed strong camping gear and restocked my first aid kit. I was going to hold up under pressure…after all, other moms did!

Tuesday May 9, 2017

Lynn's Comments: When those thigh-exposing, bosom-baring bathing suits came out, I was one of millions unwilling to buy one. I waited until the elastic was shot in my old ones before I even looked.

Wednesday May 10, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I went from store to store trying to find something that was both youthful and attractive. It wasn't an easy task. The choice was "fogey" or "fatale."

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 November 2, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I introduced this rather ominous character "Dirk" to give both my readers and myself a break from the "sweetness" of the Patterson family. I wanted to inject a bit of creepiness into the mix.

Friday November 3, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I also wanted the challenge of dealing with teenaged stepkids. This wasn't something I knew about from experience, so as soon as I began to do some research, I found myself in over my head!

Monday November 6, 2017

Lynn's Comments: With friends who were dealing with step-children and new, mature marriages, I had plenty of material to work with. The tricky part was in keeping the identities of the moms and children who talked to me openly about their lives secret.

Friday January 5, 2018

Lynn's Comments: My friend Deborah and I walked past a bunch of construction workers who were sitting on a sidewalk having their lunch. We were in New York—it was a narrow space and they had to move their legs to let us by. As we passed, they continued their conversation and politely ignored us. When we reached the next block, Deb turned to me, smiled and said, "Remember when?"