Elly: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When we first arrived in North Bay, Ontario, the local theatre had just been restored to its original beauty. I was asked if I'd join the board of directors, which I did with enthusiasm. For several years, I worked on fundraising, advertising and sponsorship, and I learned a great deal about managing a small community theatre. It's a heck of a lot of work. I have great respect for the folks who keep these wonderful resources open and operational, and I wanted to draw some attention to them in the strip.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Lynn's Comments: There was a very funny variety show on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) called "Madly Off In All Directions." The host was Lorne Elliott. When he asked me to do a 10-minute comedy spot on the show. I agreed and then discovered how hard it is to do stand-up comedy! This adventure resulted in a friendship between myself and Lorne, and --(here's the reason for this story)--he told me about a band he once played in. The name of the band was "Free Beer." He said they would put a sandwich board on the street in front of the bar they were playing in. The sign would say, "Tonight, from 9:00 until midnight, Free Beer!" People would pile into the bar waiting for 9:00, and when they discovered that "Free Beer" was the name of the band, they'd be really ticked off--but would already be sitting at a table with a beer in hand and looking forward to a show. The band now had a good sized but angry audience. "This," he said, "forced us to be a really good band!"

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Lynn's Comments: During the 60s, I loved a band called "The Ventures." I had all their records and I played them over and over. My mother would clap her hands over her ears and beg me to turn it off. "That is not music!" she'd tell me, "That is just horrible, awful noise!" The other day in the car I turned my satellite radio station to the "oldies," and right there was a tune by the Ventures! I hadn't heard them for years, and there they were! I tapped my hands on the wheel along with the straining, wowing chords, and remembered dancing with my girlfriends in the basement--trying to look like the kids on "Dance Party." I could see what my mom was talking about though; to someone who sang along to Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, and Rogers and Hammerstein, it was a lot of awful noise. I guess it's all about what you grew up with. This makes me wonder--will my grandkids wax poetic about Pop?

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was a very personal bit of commentary. By the time I had a few books out, I was traveling far too often and working long hours when I was home. Having a studio in the house meant that I was working whenever I could find the time, and often, the time was when my kids needed me to be just a mom and not a working mother.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I did feel guilty. I did feel that I was not giving my kids the attention they needed. On the other hand, when my kids were old enough to do stuff on their own, they were often out when I did have the time to spend with them. Ahhh--the pendulum of guilt vs. reasoning still swings back and forth.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When she was four years old, my daughter, Katie, wanted to have her ears pierced. I told her it was a painful procedure and perhaps she should wait until she was a bit older. She insisted. Her friends had pierced ears and she wanted to be part of the crowd. I finally gave in and took her to Robert's Jewellers, the local jewellery store.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Kate happily chose the studs, which would be inserted. She understood that she wouldn't be able to wear anything else until she had healed. Mr. Roberts cleaned her ears and put a small blue dot on the lobe of each ear, where he would make the piercing. Her brother watched eagerly.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lynn's Comments: POP!!!! The piercing gun made the first puncture in Kate's right ear lobe. She winced, blinked, looked straight at me, and howled! Her brother was delighted. When she'd regained her composure, Kate refused to have the left ear pierced. She'd had no idea it would hurt so much, and wasn't about to go through the procedure again. We had a problem. She could have the first stud removed so the ear could heal over, she could live with one pierced ear, or she could put up with another "pop" like the first one. Kate's tantrum continued. Mr. Roberts suggested we go home, think it over and come back later. The three of us left the building. Katie walked ahead with Aaron who pranced with glee at his sister's dilemma. Half way down the street, Kate suddenly turned and pulled me back in the direction of the store. "Let's do it." she said. The second stud was placed without a fuss, and off we went to get ice cream and groceries. "What made you change your mind?" I asked her. "He did." she said flicking her thumb in her brother's direction. "He was enjoying this too darned much!"

Friday, October 2, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I still believe this theory to be true. My mom-in-law's secret for serving the best hostess meals ever was: offer lots to drink and no nibbles. Then, when your guests are ready to eat the coasters, whatever you serve will be the best they ever tasted.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Our dog, Willy had a permanent roost under Katie's chair. As soon as she was seated, he'd race into position and wait. It didn't take long for her to become an accomplice in the game of "don't feed the dog." This charade went on relentlessly, and the only player who lost was me.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I received countless letters from folks who told me that their dog hated peas as much as Farley did. I mean, they really hated peas! You'd think an animal that will happily chow down on road kill, old bones, and horse manure would (if covered in gravy) eat anything! --Who knew?

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Lynn's Comments: In my northern Ontario living room, I had several spectacular plants. One was "Rupert," a large 40 year old jade plant, the only plant I've ever named. Rupert was named because he stayed with me, no matter what. Every other house plant had died from maladies related to neglect; the plants that made up the lovely jungle in my window were simply survivors in spite of me. "Rupe" hung in there, no matter what. He was in for the long haul--and we hauled him from Lynn Lake, Manitoba to North Bay, Ontario.

I have just sold my northern home and have moved to BC where friends and family reside, and winter is like a northern spring. The lovely folks who bought my Ontario home, graciously accepted the gift of my three big plants, one of which was Rupert! Just before the moving van was about to leave the driveway, and Katie, Lane and the kids were set for their long drive across Canada, Katie ran into my empty house and took a piece of Rupert. "He has to come with us to Vancouver!" she said. After all this time, you can't abandon a friend!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This happened. It's one of those situations where you don't want to get angry--after all, when a kid does something she's asked to do, you want to show encouragement. You hope that by thanking her graciously for her efforts now, you are creating a willing and helpful teenager down the road. --Heh.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: For awhile, I organized the schedules for performers interested in touring northern Manitoba. I would go to an event in Winnipeg called "Contact," where performers would showcase their work and arrange with people, like myself, to go to remote communities. By scheduling them into several towns at a time, we were able to get some wonderful shows into the north; dance, magic, bands and theatre delighted everyone, and selfishly, I got to meet and get to know some of the people we hosted.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Lynn Lake did not have the best hotel, so performers were billeted with families in town. We had a great downstairs retreat in our house--a huge party room with two fold-out couches, a bar, and a Jacuzzi. One of the performers I remember most was Brian Glow, a magician who brought his entire kit of special effects to our house. He was a lot of fun and very good at his craft, but no matter what he did to surprise us, my son, then about four, was un-convinced of Brian's magic abilities.

Brian made coins and cards disappear. He pulled live birds out of his sleeve, and Aaron would say "but can you make it rain? Can you fly? Can you turn into a dog?"

Brian soon had the look of a man ready to run, so I made Aaron disappear. The resulting quiet was--magic.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One of the neat things about living in a small town is that you have access to so many things just because you know the people who work there. I came to admire and respect the woman who ran the Capitol Centre Theatre in North Bay. The first time I met Dee she was wearing overalls and was on her hands and knees in the basement trying to get the boiler to work. I asked her why she was the one who had to do this and she said, "We can't afford a maintenance guy--this is a theatre!"

Friday, October 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: One year, the theatre did sell off a lot of the costumes. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for those wanting an Edwardian dress or a set of feathered tights. Sadly, it was because there was no money for proper storage.