Lynn's Comments: There were leeches in Harrison's pond. This we discovered after a frog hunting expedition. Leeches are strange creatures and super interesting to look at…unless they are stuck to your legs.
Lynn's Comments: Somebody told me once that it takes 10 positive comments to overrule one negative comment. Seems like a lot, but then we tend to be very sensitive creatures.
Lynn's Comments: Looking at this, I have to smile. I used to worry about my kids going out on their own at night. Now, at 72 and not keen to drive when it's the dark, my kids worry about me!
Lynn's Comments: This comment was from an encounter I had with one of the people I met at "Wheelchair Rugby." I learned that it's rude for an able-bodied person to lean or sit on a wheelchair while talking to the occupant because the chair is effectively part of the user's body. I also learned that sitting down to talk to someone who is in a chair is a sign of respect and consideration. These are things I should have known instinctively, but did not. This was a wonderful education!
Lynn's Comments: I was hoping the item on the wire looked like a jock strap! When newspapers reduced the size of the comics page, we had much less space in which to make a gag work. Every square centimeter had to count and small details had to be drawn with real care so that they were evident to the reader. I hoped that I'd had enough space in the last panel to include the characters (for expression), the dialogue and the gag. Maybe not!
Lynn's Comments: The name "Enjo" was for my 5th grade home economics teacher. She was great! The Enjo characters were based on a Japanese-Canadian family I knew in North Bay, Ontario. The scenes inside the Enjo house came from the Masuda's, as did some of the story line ideas. Asking for their help was both fun and educational.
Lynn's Comments: The Patterson kids were now starting to have lives outside of the home. This meant adding new characters: friends, teachers and acquaintances—some of whom needed to be "fleshed out" and given substantial roles.
Lynn's Comments: A better punch line would have been if the woman on the left says, "Why do kids do that?" and the other one answers, "It's a mating call."
Crafting the dialogue is important. I should have noticed this before I finished the strip. It would have been better as a Sunday page!