Elizabeth: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: As kids, we were allowed to have a pet if it was very small, didn't require too much upkeep, and had a short lifespan. At first, my brother and I were host to chameleons--tiny little lizards which came from the pet shop with chains attached around their necks and a pin so you could attach them to your shirt! I don't remember them changing colour at all, but they did eat live mealworms, which was a cool thing to watch. Perhaps we overfed them or maybe we played with them too much, because they never lived very long. Fortunately, this rather barbaric way of packaging creatures is no longer permitted.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This is another strip that brought in the mail. "Never get sick on a weekend" could have been the title of a book as stories of interrupted sleep, well-meaning remedies, and all the things a mom still has to attend to despite fever and chills, came rolling in. No matter what I was going through, the letters I received told me I was far from alone!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Going back to my friend with the big heart and too many animals: The hamster had one of those transparent exercise balls, which the kids found fascinating--as did the family cat. When the hamster was not inclined to run for his pleasure, the kids encouraged him by rolling the ball themselves. I remember them saying that they wished they could ride in a ball like that, and putting myself in place of the dizzy, disoriented hamster, I thought... yeah... maybe not!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Sallie's guest did not get away like this, but a reader told me about their hamster's disappearance. It was eventually discovered months later in a nest he had made for himself inside their couch. A rodent is a rodent after all!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Now that I have a granddaughter to chase about, I have all the paraphernalia; including crib and highchair. Laura is just learning how to feed herself, so the above illustration says it all. Allowing for leaks, spills, and the occasional avalanche, I sometimes wish we still had our dog.... to help wash the floor beneath her.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I would occasionally use the floor of my studio if I had larger illustrations to sort through--or to dry. Art supplies are a magnet for kids, and mine were often in the room looking for scrap paper and other things they were allowed to have. One time I did have posters drying on the floor and Katie did accidentally walk on them. Fortunately they were dry, but she was so upset, she cried. Today she is an artist, too--so even then, she had respect for original art!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Eldon Park was just down the lane from our house in Lynn Lake. It was a small space; room enough for a roundabout, a slide, and a three-seater swing set. The Kinsmen took care of the grounds and the equipment, and thanks to them, we had an Easter egg hunt each year. It was always a skirmish when the big kids got to the goodies first. Some parents helped the little kids, much to the annoyance of others, but we always managed to escape an altercation. I remember Katie standing by the fence upset because she couldn't find anything. To me, the eggs were visible everywhere, but when I squatted down to her level, I could see what the problem was. Everything was either too high or buried in the grass, which was too tall for her to see over. Sometimes, you really DO have to look at things from your child's point of view!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Aaron took a sort of aptitude test one day, and one of the results was that he had an adult vocabulary. This why it was hard to put anything over on him. My brother and I were always encouraged to learn more words; "You can't express yourself properly if you don't have enough words in your head!" was something my mom drilled into us. Aaron had a natural affinity for words and often surprised us with big ones!

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!

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?

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!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My grandfather had the only car in the family, so if we went anywhere the bus didn't go, we went with him. He always exacted a price. In order to make a trip profitable for him, we had to stop off at one of his clients' homes first. Gramps was a stamp dealer, so en route to a family picnic, we had the horrible task of having to sit in some old fart's dreary home and behave ourselves until he had ended his talking, his tea, and our patience. As Alan and I sat fidgeting and contemplated his demise, I looked to the future. I thought about having my own home and I vowed that I would always have toys for kids to play with, even if I had no kids myself. One of the first things I bought when I had my first apartment was a teddy bear. Toys have always been essential in my life... to the extent that I still buy them, still find joy in the innovation of new ideas, and still play with them whenever I have a child around to encourage me. My grandfather was a grouchy old miser... but thanks to him, the kids who visit my house enjoy their time!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Alan did encourage Aaron to play the trumpet. He gave him a few private lessons. The trumpet we had belonged to the school and had to be kept in pristine condition. This was one of the many reasons Aaron gave for not wanting to practice.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Lynn's Comments: A little artistic license here. I don't think I ever showed a fish tank in the house before this sketch, and I didn't show one later--unless it was in the clinic. It simply appeared for this gag. Later on, I paid more attention to such details, but at this time, I just drew whatever came to mind!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Aaron did learn to play a few pieces on the trumpet. Through perseverance and some threatening, his junior high school music teacher succeeded in placing him in the school band, where he suffered along with the rest of the uncommitted until summer came.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Sometimes my readers made some very astute but troublesome observations. When this strip appeared, a woman from Maryland wrote to say that the punch line didn't work because Elizabeth was not actually looking at the caterpillar. I explained that I needed to draw her face and also her dad's face, so I'd taken a bit of artistic license. Had I positioned her the way she should have been, the audience would just see the back of her head.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The first panel in this strip was (and is) what I live for: Goofy expressions, exaggerated poses, and lettering that looks the way it sounds.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I have always been interested in bugs and snakes and creepy-crawly things. The only thing I don't like to catch and examine in my hands are spiders, but they fascinate me just the same. When I was a kid, some of my insect "pets" succumbed to my examinations, and I would create small but elaborate burial ceremonies for them. When one of my garter snakes died, I buried him in a long, flat tie box, and gift wrapped him before I put him into the ground. It was the least I could do.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Whenever I left my family on their own for dinner, I made sure there was a really good meal just waiting to be heated up. It was my way of showing how much I cared (and how guilty I felt as well). I kind of knew they'd take off to a fast food joint in my absence, which didn't hurt too much--it meant I didn't have to prepare a meal the next day!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: It took days to sort through everything. Behind every stack of familiar flotsam was stuff we never knew she had. Parting with some of it was going to be hard. We had several family meetings to determine the fate of Ruth and Tom's collection.

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 27, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This is why schools and daycares are the world's great Petri dishes. Along with the paper plate art projects and newly acquired skills, kids bring home a plethora of microbes. As a young mom, I really resented this bacterial exchange--until it was my turn to decide: is she sick enough to stay home or should I send her?