Elly: Browse The Strips

Sunday June 25, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My first husband used to watch all kinds of sports on TV. It didn't matter what else was going on or what time it was, if there was a game on TV, he’d be lying on the couch watching it. I once suggested screwing legs onto him and turning him into a couch–that way he’d be useful. He didn't respond. He was too busy watching television.

Tuesday June 27, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Yes, I realized as we were dismantling the kitchen that this would be the perfect time to remodel the dining room, too. This meant removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room to create an "open concept." Open, much like my husband’s mouth when I made the suggestion.

Saturday July 1, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My mother used to make us sit at the table until everything on our plates was gone. My brother and I might sit there until bedtime, and if the meal wasn't finished, we'd find it set out (cold) for breakfast the next morning. No fooling! "Waste not, want not" was the catch phrase of the day…and I never really did understand what it meant!

Monday July 3, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I have a friend whose husband refused to eat leftovers. He simply refused. He wanted everything to be "fresh," so she went out of her way to make him happy. (Yes, even in this century!) From time to time, however, she would make quiche or a delicious casserole. Served with a light salad, it was a perfect meal, and he would eat with gusto not knowing that yesterday’s veg, ham, bacon, and whatever else would cook up, had gone into the meal. It was years before he realized he’d been eating leftovers. This is a true story. They are still married, and he now eats whatever is put in front of him. Stir-fry anyone?

Friday July 7, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I wondered how these folks who were outraged by bug abuse felt about devastating world health issues.

Saturday July 8, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I had fun knowing that the angry voices would die down when they read this strip and saw that the danger had been averted. The spider was free.

Sunday July 9, 2017

Lynn's Comments: We never had a dog when we were kids, though my dad, my brother, and I all wanted one. Mom put her foot down knowing a pet would be another thing she would be responsible for. She said no to a dog, and she ruled the roost. Nonetheless, we dreamed that someday, we'd be able to have this kind of close and loving relationship with a dog. Neither my dad nor my brother ever adopted a puppy, but I did. My first dog was Farley; an old English sheepdog, purchased by my first husband, Doug Franks, and I on a Sunday afternoon drive into the Ontario countryside. He later became the character "Farley" in FBorFW. My next dog was "Willy": a sweet little black Spaniel. Katie picked him out of a pet store window and declared him "family" since he had such big feet. Willy became my pet and constant companion. My mom knew what she was talking about when she said a dog would become her responsibility. Willy was certainly mine, but it was a responsibility that brought me 8 years of fun, activity and genuine pleasure.

Wednesday July 12, 2017

Lynn's Comments: We did get a new fridge, but it was delivered and installed by professionals. During the delivery, I wondered how we’d have managed on our own. Asking myself, "What if?" was always a great way to start a series of strips.

Thursday July 13, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This was a serious comment. Those of us who are polite, understanding, and non-threatening, often find ourselves left to the last, in favour of customers who are demanding and miserable to deal with. Go figure.

Thursday July 20, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This series of strips is based on the wonderful and dilapidated "Camp Tillicum" just outside North Bay, Ontario.

Friday July 21, 2017

Lynn's Comments: We were not able to send our two kids to the same camp at the same time, but for the sake of the story, this is what the Pattersons did.

Sunday July 23, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Puns were a favourite punch line. They were untranslatable, however, which made it difficult for my syndicate to sell my work to non-English-speaking countries. I knew that word play limited my sales, but if I could come up with a good pun, I figured it was worth the loss.

Tuesday July 25, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This was another serious comment. I have always wondered how a mother would feel if she lost her child to war. In jest, I could voice an opinion in very subtle ways.

Sunday August 6, 2017

Lynn's Comments: King-sized beds were invented for a reason. Our bedtime habits truly establish our tolerance threshold. If you are OK with your partner’s sack-time etiquette (or lack thereof)…then you might be destined for a long lasting relationship. If not, you are doomed. King-sized beds and separate bathrooms have been touted as saving graces. I wouldn't have dreamed of separate bathrooms until this luxury presented itself in my most recent living space. Yes…give me a home where the buffalo roam, but make the privy a two-holer!

The strip you see here was inspired by a friend of mine. He once complained to me about his wife’s ability to swipe all the blankets in her sleep: she would roll toward him, tucking the blanket under her side. Then she would clutch the top of the remaining blanket and roll the other way, pulling everything with her. He called it "The Russell roll." (Russell is her maiden name). I thought it would make a great strip…but this is how the muse made it turn out.

Tuesday August 8, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Because the Patterson house was a combination of two houses I had lived in, it was a real challenge when it came to renovating. The real house on which this aspect of the cartoon house was based had a bedroom on this side, and there was no room for an addition anyway. My head sometimes spun with the decisions I made, and the storylines I fabricated.

Sunday August 13, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I have had yard sales. I have helped with yard sales. I now know they are far more trouble than they are worth. Still, the fun factor makes them a good idea anyway. One year, I joined the "5-Mile yard sale"; an event, that happened every three years or so on the 5-mile stretch of Macpherson Drive in Corbeil, Ontario. The word would go out and everyone on this country road would bring their stuff to the end of their driveway. This made for a great 5-mile walk as we perused each other’s cast-off clothing, kitchen gadgets, car parts, and other effluvia. I had my own pile of junk to sell, and found myself rooted to my post. When I told my kids they could keep what they earned by selling their unwanted toys, they volunteered to take over while I bumbled off down the road in search of treasure.

I came home with a purse. When my husband saw the purse he laughed. He said all we were doing that day was exchanging junk! This was true. I told him that on my hike down the road, I had seen an old blue tractor for sale. He lit up. A few minutes later, he came back on the tractor as happy as a clam. I asked what he was going to do with a tractor. We had property, but weren't farming or mowing it. He didn't know. The thing is…he had always wanted to own a tractor. The moral of this story is: if your husband buys a tractor (that he doesn't need) at a yard sale, you are free to buy whatever you darn well please from then on. A short while later, I came home with a puppy. Game on!