Elly: Browse The Strips

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I'm not someone who reads in bed. In fact, I find it really uncomfortable and can't quite see why people do it. Still, when you have a fantasy character to work with, you can have him or her do a lot of stuff you wouldn't normally do. I guess this is why avatars are becoming so popular with folks on the internet. Neat idea...but I won't get involved until an avatar can do my laundry!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Feeling soft and out of shape, a few of us decided to create an exercise group. We found a capable leader who, for a modest sum, agreed to make us sweat a couple of afternoons a week. She turned out to be a drill sergeant. After a few serious workouts, we were all stiff and sore. I remember lying on the couch in pain, feeling muscles I didn't know existed. I thought that running after, picking up, and carrying kids would have put us all ahead of the game.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My friends Jim and Nancy Lawn had just moved to Lynn Lake with their two daughters, Jennifer and Deanna. As Nancy was unpacking the children's clothes, she noticed that two black plastic bags full of her daughters' best clothing was gone. Thinking the bags were garbage, Jim had inadvertently taken them to the dump. A long and fruitless search made it clear that someone had already found and taken the clothing home. Our dump wasn't called "the exchange" for nothing!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Sadly, this happened to a lot of folks until clear bags came onto the market. After this series of strips ran, we had many letters from folks who had done the exact same thing. At least, the Lynn Lake dump was well maintained and if you went in empty handed, you could just as easily come out with a trunk load of good stuff, in return!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lynn's Comments: It's so easy to criticize someone else for doing something stupid. In fact it feels great to point out shortcomings in others! Feeling smug and full of myself, I really did burn a whole pot of soup one day while gossiping to a friend. I was criticizing another mother for the way she managed her household!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I like to think that I make good soup and, when I do make it, I tend to make a lot! I like to have enough to freeze and to share and some to eat right away. It was a blow to the ego when they preferred the canned or packaged stuff. Mine was chock full of "goodns"--a meal in itself. Somehow, with the passage of time, they have learned to appreciate homemade soups and often make it themselves. Katie makes enough to freeze, enough to eat and enough to give to me!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This strip has a bit of a story behind it. I was travelling quite a bit for work and was often waiting to board a plane somewhere. I was en route to New York and sitting in the lounge were all kinds of folks heading to meetings and events and so on. Our flight had been delayed. Some were late for connecting flights, some were unable to contact people who were meeting them. We were all getting frustrated and anxious. An hour went by with no information. Then another hour passed. Eventually we were all furious. The tension was awful ... but then a miracle occurred.

A man went completely berserk--he stood up, cursing the airline, and the attendants at the gate. He threw down his briefcase and stomped on it, shouting and waving his arms. He threatened to sue. He screamed obscenities. At that point, the rest of us relaxed. We all watched as someone else acted out our frustrations perfectly. As he ranted, we said to ourselves, "Yeah, that's right. That's exactly how I feel."

By the time the authorities came, the lounge was a quiet place full of calm people. It was instant stress relief. It occurred to me that I performed this same service for my family; the more irate I became about something, the less they cared about it!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Kate and Aaron liked to answer the phone. I made sure they were polite and respectful. Aaron could write a message and take down the number. Katie just had to say I was busy and to please call back later. She answered while I was in the bath one day and had this very chat with the person who called. I never did find out who it was!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This was when three dollars bought a toy that would last! We tried to introduce the concept of earning and saving and waiting until you could afford the things you want, but understanding money takes time.

Aaron had a weekly allowance and what didn't go to Fergy's candy counter, went to the toy department at "The Bay." The Lynn Lake Hudson's Bay store was a long cinder block building, which carried everything from groceries to long underwear. The toy department was smack dab in the middle of the store. We couldn't navigate the aisles without going past the toys and Aaron knew the entire inventory. He liked Lego, in particular, and wanted every kit available.

We insisted that he buy these kits with his own money. Every week, he'd skip down to see if his box was still on "hold" and put a dollar more down on his prize and calculate how much more he had to pay. It was a great way to make a toy mean something! Aaron learned about what things cost. He learned about taxes and he learned a lot about planning and patience ... and in so doing, I learned a lot about him.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: We were still in our thirties when we started to grumble about looking older. Small wrinkles, the inevitable tummy bulge and the discovery of an early grey hair lead us to believe we were over the hill. I look at people in their thirties now and I think "Wow, wouldn't it be nice to be young like that again?!"

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Eddy King, our local barber, was a neighbour and friend. Our cabins on Berge Lake were side by side. Whenever Rod had a chance to talk to Eddie, it was usually a long conversation. When it came to giving a haircut, Eddie would cut for as long as the conversation lasted. Occasionally, Rod would come home with almost no hair left --I hated it! I kept hoping that next time he had his hair cut, they would have much less to say!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Those of us who still want to retain some dignity on the beach have a hard time finding the swimwear to do it in. When I vented my frustration in the paper, I would always get mail from grateful women who shared my point of view.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Here is an embarrassing moment from my personal file. While stewing away about something, I ran into another driver who had stopped at a stop sign. He was understandably irate and came to my driver's side window to say so. I felt like a kid who was about to be sent to the principal's office. I rolled down my window and listened while he berated me. What I recommend doing at a time like this is to just agree with the other driver. It's hard for them to do you in when you keep saying; "You're absolutely RIGHT!"

Friday, March 23, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This offense took place on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg. I had been driving in a small, northern town for so long--where there were few cars and no traffic lights--that I had actually forgotten how to drive in city traffic.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The kids weren't with me when I rear-ended this guy, but if they had been...I'm sure the secret would not have been safe with them. We are all storytellers in my family, and some stuff is just has to be shared!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Farley had great wide hairy feet and every time he came indoors, I wiped them as best I could--knowing that dirt would come in anyway and I'd just have to deal with it. When my kids came in carrying the same amount of flotsam, however, I bounced around pointing at the inevitable grime and water, telling them in no uncertain terms that they had to be more careful and considerate and bla, bla, bla.... Maybe we're so much more patient with them because dogs can't talk back!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I expected my first spouse to change after I married him. I hoped that he would have more confidence and more self-control. In retrospect, I'd now advise people to accept their prospective partners the way they are. "If your partners' quirks irritate you before you marry, I guarantee they will drive you stark raving mad afterwards!"

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I still have this little outfit, carefully preserved in my closet upstairs. Some things you just shouldn't part with!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Katie did not want to go to the Easter Parade. She didn't want to be in the parade. She didn't want to wear the hat. What finally persuaded her to go was Aaron saying that he'd get all the chocolate, the cake, and the other goodies and she'd get none. Even though I was not pleased with his sentiments, I appreciated his help.