Elly: Browse The Strips

Friday, July 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: In the story, I had pity on the security guard and made him human. After all, it's a thankless job with guidelines that have to be met. The guard we encountered, however, took himself and his position a bit too seriously, and I wished I'd remembered what he looked like so I could draw a better likeness!

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Strips about littering were always well received. This one was made into a poster and was put up at a lake in Saskatchewan. It was also a limited edition print, which was given to volunteers who helped to clean up local beaches.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This storyline came from a real life adventure, which I wanted to have fun with and share. I used photographs of my sister in law, Beth and her husband, Don in order to get a likeness and although it's not easy for me to do caricatures, I managed to draw "Uncle Danny" so well, he was once recognized on the street in Winnipeg!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Two prominent features of the prairies are the endless flat spaces and long, straight roads. A city person might wonder why cars and trucks cruise these roads at a snail's pace, but it's all part of the job. Farmers like to drive slowly and do their "crop-watching," while searching the horizon for rain. It often seemed that crop watching was more important than getting to where you were actually planning to go!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I used photos of Beth and Don's house as reference, too. The older lady here is "Dan's" mother--she made few appearances after this.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Laura was a combination of Beth and Don's three daughters: Lauren, Chrissy, and Arli. It was much easier writing about one cousin in the strip than three!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Here's an example of where I redrew the last panel for republication. If I suggested that spanking was a disciplinary tactic in our home, I got mail. Rarely did things get so out of hand! There were times, however, when a swat happened and was more of a blow to the ego than a sting on the behind. Still, any "violent" image was seriously frowned upon by my readers--who in the crafted and edited world of cartoons, preferred clever commentary to a loss of control.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I soon learned not to look at the landscape for respite from our labour, but to look up instead. There is nothing more beautiful than a prairie sky! It goes on forever. The pink and purple sunsets, and brilliant stars in a cloudless sky made up for the featureless land around us. I soon understood why folks who live on the prairies love it so much.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Lynn's Comments: People in rural areas watched this series closely--to see if I'd "get it right". I soon got letters telling me that the bailing twine was going the wrong way in this illustration! No matter what you THINK you know, it's best to check your references!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Lynn's Comments: What I wanted to say here, was--Michael had a kind heart. He wanted to cheer up an elderly neighbour, but was embarrassed by his own actions and played down the gift by saying the flowers were something his mother wanted to get rid of. I don't think the punch line worked too well and this strip sort of missed the mark. Sometimes the hardest thing about describing a situation like this is...well, describing a situation like this!!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I asked Don to let me know when one of the sows was having her piglets so I could be there to watch. What I learned was babies of all kinds come when they're ready, and it's often very late at night!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I dressed fast, got my boots on, found a flashlight, and followed Don out to the barn. Don was often alone when "farrowing" took place and was glad to have the company. This was a wonderful opportunity to attend an actual birth--my own experience having been clouded by anaesthetic, excitement and pain.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The sow in labour walked around the pen, her babies visibly squirming in her belly. When her contractions came, her belly became firm and smooth. She'd lie down and pant for awhile, then get up and wait for the next one. It wasn't the most comfortable place to be--but still, we were waiting for a miracle.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: There were two pig barns on Donnie and Beth's farm. One was for farrowing and had the "honeymoon suite" at the back. The boar was brought here when his services were needed. The rest of the stalls were like a maternity ward. It, too, was clean and well ventilated. The babies came at all hours of the night and watching a sow give birth was interesting. Her tummy ripples, she lies down and SQUIRT! Out pops a piggie. Don would wipe it off on the straw and put it aside so mom wouldn't step or roll on it and the process would begin again. The thing that struck me was how fast these babies were born. I struggled and snorted for hours to produce my offspring. This "pop 'em out" method just didn't seem fair!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Once the piglets recovered from their ordeal, they quickly lined up for dinner. Teats were evenly spaced, and there was enough milk to go around, but they still scrambled over each other to get into position--the stronger ones shoving the weaker ones aside. Mother pig didn't get involved. She just lay there. One of the piglets had a small hernia and would eventually be mauled by its siblings, so Don decided to hand feed her. I thought this was a sweet gesture until he said she'd make a great roast when she fattened up. Surprisingly, I still like pork!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The day Aaron was found playing in a grain bin the guys were preparing to empty, was the day my in-laws took him home with them. If we hadn't spotted him in time, he could easily have drowned in the seed or been caught in the auger. I was unprepared for so many dangers. On a farm, you have to be vigilant and prepared for just about anything!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Lynn's Comments: One morning, I awoke to a strange noise. I looked out the window to see the wheat field parting like the red sea. In a cloud of dust, smoke, and flying chaff, Freddy Parkinson (Don's brother-in-law and neighbour) was driving towards the house on an old snowmobile. He roared into the yard and then calmly announced that he'd come for coffee.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Beth and Don had a hired man who rarely spoke--but when he did, it was about crops and weather...and nothing else!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Lynn's Comments: During the harvest, we had to get a full meal plus cold drinks and dessert out to the fields every lunch hour. The hired men needed lots to eat, and real home cooking was expected. When I had the chance to drive the swather, tractors, trucks, or combine, I took it fast. Sitting in an air conditioned cab and going around in circles beat the hot kitchen job any time.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Driving the combine was like piloting a ferry. These machines are enormous. They grind their way around the fields, picking up swath left to dry and crushing the seed out of the grain heads. The seed is then augured up into a box where it's stored, and when the box is full, it's augured again into a truck running parallel. Both machines work in tandem until the work is done. When the weather is threatening, crews work from dusk until dawn. Fields look like harbours as lights from the combines float across them like ships in the night.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Lynn's Comments: One of the pleasures of living on the farm was eating fresh garden veggies. We had fresh meat, too. We knew where it was raised and where it had been butchered. This was all new to someone used to buying groceries in cellophane packages.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Yes, this was another opportunity for readers to reprimand me for not being a responsible dog owner. Still, one has to wonder: even with all of their good intentions, did these people never have something like this happen? "He who is without sin," and all that? I always wanted to say, "Folks, it's a cartoon dog!" When you make a published statement every day, and you tell it like it is...be prepared to be told off!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Lynn's Comments: In the real world, Aaron and Katie got along well with their Manitoba cousins. At the time this work was done, there were two Cruikshank girls, Lauren and Chrissie; Arli came along later. I wish I could have shown everyone, but there was no time or space for more characters. As it was, I had more people in the strip than I could comfortably write about!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Aaron loved playing with the barn kittens. Cats were kept to keep the mice at bay and kittens appeared regularly. He begged us to let him keep one or more, but we couldn't manage a pet at the time.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Farley was long gone when this was drawn. I relied on my friends' pooches for dog related input, and they were always keen to keep me up to date regarding kennels, shots, skunk encounters, and table manners. There was also a vet in the family to keep me in the know!