Lynn's Comments: This is so close to the bone, I hardly want to comment! Ah, but I'm into this now, so here goes. I had a real crush on Calvin, a boy in my class. After school, he delivered the paper on East 5th street (my street), so I'd wait for him and walk with him as he folded and tossed the papers onto porches—house after house.
Lynn's Comments: Although he enjoyed having company, he never returned my feelings. That didn't deter me. I was sure, with perseverance, he'd come around.
Lynn's Comments: The food colouring dyed my head a deep brick red. I don't think it coloured my hair, but I was convinced I looked beguilingly different.
Lynn's Comments: It did rain. I was wearing a light blue coat and the red colouring dripped down onto my collar and shoulders. I didn't want to spoil our walk, so I didn't run home until the colour ruined my coat.
Lynn's Comments: Calvin did show my notes to his friends. I can still see them laughing. I can still feel the humiliation, but I still liked him. A lot.
Many years later, when I was well into the comic strip and a bit full of myself, I saw Calvin in a restaurant. He recognized me and stood up for a moment to say hello. He said he knew my work. He said he was driving racecars for a living and I told him I'd love to watch. We haven't seen each other since, but now and then, I do wonder what he's up to and if he ever thinks of me. Yes, anyone who says there is no such thing as young love has never been young and in love. The first time is unforgettable!
Lynn's Comments: I was treading some sensitive ground here when I wrote this. Midwifery was still a developing career, and home birth was still being discouraged. Expectant parents were, for the first time, taking control of how and where their babies were going to be born.
Lynn's Comments: I didn't have swollen feet when I was pregnant, but many of my friends did. I got letters from readers who used these strips to explain how they were feeling to folks who didn't understand.
Lynn's Comments: Elly in the last panel was fun to draw. I wanted to show exactly what it feels like to be in the 9th month of pregnancy and I think this did the trick!
Lynn's Comments: When the pregnancy story was coming to an end, friends of mine decided to throw a surprise baby shower for my "imaginary baby." I was spirited away from the house long enough for them to cover the front lawn with flamingos and a big stork carrying a baby in a bundle. When I went inside, there was a party all set up with gag gifts, munchies and an open bar. It was a great success. The funny thing is…I never had a baby shower for either of my REAL kids!!
Lynn's Comments: The scenarios that took place in grocery stores and pharmacies were fun to draw, but the artists who helped to ink and colour the backgrounds for me hated them—there were just too many little details.
Lynn's Comments: With computers today, this just might work. The operative word is "might." Folks who don't have kids or whose kids are grown and gone have no idea (or have forgotten) how much time a baby takes!