John: Browse The Strips

Monday, April 4, 2016

Lynn's Comments: The two-step was one dance we did manage to get down. When we figured the waltz was sort of like a slow polka, we aced that one, too--but anything else was a shuffling tangle of feet. I now watch "Dancing With The Stars" with my mouth open in awe. (I might also be eating popcorn.)

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This is true. Both parties do have to want to learn how to dance. It's an activity that requires concentration and some passion, too. I think my husband regarded ballroom dancing the way I regard golf: It's a neat thing to be able to do, but please don't ask me to do it!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I thought for sure I'd have to change this punch line. Things relating to birth control or anything related to sex was, and still is, a very sensitive topic. Maybe the editors were feeling charitable--or maybe they just agreed!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Lynn's Comments: In the end, the classes paid off. We actually looked forward to convention dinners--and it gave my husband the ammunition to say: "What do you mean I never do anything for you?!"

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Lynn's Comments: "Should I or should I not cut my hair?" This was a recurring concern for me. Since I was 18, I had worn my hair long, but now and then I yearned for a new look. It took time to grow my hair. Cutting it was a huge decision, and it was one that nobody in the family wished to weigh in on. In the strip, Elly Patterson wore her hair long and tied back--the way I did. Readers would often say, "Why doesn't Elly get a new hairstyle? She looks so old fashioned--so the same!" The thing is--a comic strip character has to have a certain "look"; a certain sameness so that continuity is kept from year to year. To cut Elly's hair would have created a major change in the way I drew her (almost as traumatizing as cutting the hair on my head). So, both Elly Patterson and I retained the same look for many years. I did, however, allow myself the fun of changing the way the kids looked. This is all part of the subtle "rule of thumb" which governs the way we draw and perceive the characters in syndicated comics!

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I haven't done this yet; sort through all my photographs, but I will! Someday, when the time is right, I'll actually put all my photos together in albums--in the right order. Just saying this makes me wonder if the folks who make a living doing these kinds of things really exist. If they do--I wonder if they ever get around to putting their OWN stuff in order!

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: In reality, we could take the kids anywhere. They were always respectful and well behaved--or else! The restaurant "time-out" was to take the offending child to the car and sit with them until they saw the error of their ways. The hard part was knowing my own meal was getting cold as the rest of the family sat inside.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was happy with this one. Yes, even though puns and wordplay cost me the ability to have my work translated easily into other languages--I used every one I came up with!

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My (now ex) husband never forgot the indignities he suffered in high school, at the hands of the ladies for whom he pined.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This Sunday page was hastily written as soon as I got home from the car wash. It was a funny incident, but thoroughly annoying as well. I was always happy to vent into the strip whenever something like this happened!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I put a lot of private, embarrassing truths into the strip. I often wonder if identifying all these faults and making fun of them made me a better person. If not, it surely made me more aware!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Lynn's Comments: One of my husband's favourite lines was, "It's best to be honest. And, once you've faked honesty, you've got it made!"

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My husband really was happiest when he was in his workshop. No matter what was going on around him, his hobbies and his various projects kept him focused and content. If you wanted to spend time with him, the workshop was the place to be. Katie learned this at a very young age, which is why she can now fix or make just about anything!