Lynn's Comments: When those thigh-exposing, bosom-baring bathing suits came out, I was one of millions unwilling to buy one. I waited until the elastic was shot in my old ones before I even looked.
Lynn's Comments: I went from store to store trying to find something that was both youthful and attractive. It wasn't an easy task. The choice was "fogey" or "fatale."
Lynn's Comments: You have to be in a good mood to shop for a new bathing suit. You have to feel good, and you have to feel thin. You also have to be ready to completely undress, perhaps many times, so an optimum day must happen for the search to begin.
Lynn's Comments: I have a fantasy: for a day, I am a sculpture in progress. I am also the sculptor. I have a day to remove stuff and add stuff to my body, until I am completely happy with it. Then I can come to life and enjoy the results. Yeah. I might need more than a day.
Lynn's Comments: I’ve said these very words. And then I try on an evening gown…and the quest for a diet that works is on again.I once found a diet that worked. The trouble is…I was hungry all the time!
Lynn's Comments: A mother with an entire day to herself…this, I thought would be the ultimate gift. Perhaps when this was printed, others thought the same. Funny how something precious often comes for free.
Lynn's Comments: Another embarrassing home truth. I did this, and felt like an idiot afterwards. Fortunately, we lived in the countryside–a good distance away from our neighbours. What made the strip work was the thought: "What if?" What if I had done that in a tightly knit, urban community? "What if?" was a muse I regularly relied on!
Lynn's Comments: There comes a time when we all have to try and explain death to our children. My granddaughter, at the age of 5 is very curious about what happens after you die. She has asked me several times where I will go, and now that I'm close to finding out, all I can say is…I'll still be right here beside you. I can only hope that it’s true!
Lynn's Comments: My elder friends and I are now looking at our belongings and wondering who should get what when we go. It’s funny to note that some things I thought my kids would both want are not of interest to either!
Lynn's Comments: This thought came to me as I helped a friend prepare for her mother’s funeral. Her mom was someone I truly cared for, and yet, I seldom went to visit her. I felt guilty for thinking about her and doing more for her after she'd died than I did when she was alive. I am much more aware of time now, and how quickly it runs out.
Lynn's Comments: This strip was done to counter the thought of death and bring everyone back, full circle, to new beginnings. Again, I received many letters from readers who felt this was an appropriate thing to include in the story. The strip was really a saga by now, and far from the "gag-a-day" ideas I'd started with.
Lynn's Comments: I spent a lot of time with my father-in-law after my mother-in-law died. He talked easily and openly about his feelings, as did my dad when he lost my mother. I was grateful for their candid conversation and their heartfelt expressions of love and loss, and their hope for reunion. I felt as if they were preparing me for my own experience yet to come. You never stop learning.
Lynn's Comments: I had a lot of fun making up ads and slogans. Perhaps I would have done that for real had I remained in commercial art and advertising. Names of cereals, beauty products and cleaning agents were fun to dream up, and now and then I'd laugh out loud when I inked the drawings. Interestingly, some of the real ads for real products today, often sound like satire. Maybe there are too many products and not enough names to go around!
Lynn's Comments: My husband was certainly capable of remodeling the kitchen, but it might have taken years. In order to keep the marriage stable, we decided to get help. The dismantling, however, we did ourselves.
Lynn's Comments: The trouble with design books is…they all seem to think you live in a tidy environment. They seem to overlook the fact that a space has to be lived in, and living means junk and clutter. I needed storage. Lots of it!
Lynn's Comments: At the time of our kitchen renovation, we managed to dine in the hallway with the use of a borrowed hot plate and a microwave. This was fun…for a while.