Elly: Browse The Strips

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My friend Beth's daughter, Ellie, keeps several tarantulas in her room. These eerie creatures inhabit a large glass terrarium, and every so often, Ellie will carefully take them out and handle them. Beth said they didn't bother her at all because they're quiet--but the crickets they eat chirp all night long! Ellie apparently can sleep through the racket.

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.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Lynn's Comments: After a week of sawdust, nocturnal scuffling, fights over him, and the omnipresent rodent smell, Sallie was pleased to return the school hamster to his rightful home--happy in the knowledge that she would never buy one for her kids!

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!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This quote was right from the dentist's mouth. My husband told me that in university there was so much going on in his residence, he went to the library to sleep!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Lynn's Comments: In order to inject a bit of jealousy between my two main characters, I showed John firing off a definite ogle in the direction of Elly's shapely co-worker, Sue. I planned to take this farther and have something of a relationship evolve between John and Sue resulting in a serious exchange amongst all three. As in other attempts to show some "straying from the fold," I lost my nerve and never continued with the storyline.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The punch line here came from my experience with McMaster University. When I was first hired as a medical artist, everyone was working in temporary facilities as we waited for the new medical centre to be finished. We all had direct contact with the doctors, for whom we were working, and information was easily transferred from the physician to us to the drawing board. Later, when we moved into the new building and the department expanded, supervisors were hired to supervise supervisors, and direct access to the doctors became impossible. Suddenly the artists were trying to get information through a chain of command, which naturally resulted in misunderstandings and mistakes. Going directly to a surgeon to find out exactly how to interpret a procedure was discouraged. What was once a straightforward process became... well,... like trying to take seeds out of a watermelon with rubber gloves on! In frustration, I became the class clown again; a jokester--it was the only way I could survive the assistants who were assistants to assistants!

Friday, March 29, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Aaron was at least eight before we would leave him at home on his own. We never left him for long--just an hour, perhaps. He always knew where we were, and it was a way to show him that he had our trust. We were able to do this because we had grandparents nearby and neighbours who knew everything that Aaron was up to...and would tell!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I recently visited my son in his west coast apartment, and was gratified to see that he lives in a clean, tidy, and attractive environment. Amazing. After all that nagging, I really DID have an impact on my lethargic son... and it only took 30 years!

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!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This statement led to several daily strips. Women rarely get to hear this kind of stuff, and I thought it was a nifty insight.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This was the rule in our house when it came to birthday parties. Although the "rule" was often broken, it did help to reduce the number of kids in attendance.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The creation of "the dollar store" has been a boon to the party-organizing moms of North America. If there's more in a package than we need, the cost is minimal. Besides, you can always use the leftovers later. On more than one occasion, I have served adult guests using Sesame Street paper plates!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I was in the best shape ever when I lived in Lynn Lake. The community centre gym was a block away, I walked everywhere, and I was constantly carrying the kids around. There were times when I would carry Katie on my back in a carrier and have Aaron on my hip at the same time. These days, I'm lucky if I can heave a small piece of luggage into an overhead bin!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Lynn's Comments: When I look at this now, I smile. I was not yet forty, but I could see myself aging. Every wrinkle was worrisome. The tiniest hint of an eye bag sent me looking for creams. We had been married for a few years and I was wearing some pretty tattered nightgowns. I didn't care much about looking good when I went to bed... as long as the face looked good in the morning.

Now that I'm 65, I have given up on the face, but I wear pretty nightgowns--I seem to be doing things in reverse!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I gave Aaron this lecture and then watched as he welcomed his guests into the house. The first thing they did, of course, was to hand him their gifts so they could take off their shoes and jackets. He grabbed for the gifts and had the last laugh again.

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!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My brother is quite a good cook. He did like to use a wok. Most of the meals he made were in my kitchen, and I still have the wok to prove it!

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!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My first husband was seven years my senior, so quite few of our married friends were older than I and had young families. One young mother was taking an early childhood education class. We'd agreed to meet for coffee afterwards, but she invited me to attend. The speaker was child psychologist. I didn't think he knew what he was talking about. I thought I could teach the class better than he could--and I was the only one in the class without children! Later, my kids made me humble.