Lawrence: Browse The Strips

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I have to give credit to one of Aaron's teachers for this punchline. Sheena told me that when one of her kindergarten students was severely ill, her class was comforted to see that her seat was still there. As long as her place in the class remained, they knew she was coming back.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Writing a series of strips about Valentine's Day brought back so many memories. In grade two, my girlfriends and I thought the boys in our grade were SO immature!

Monday, February 25, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Lunch is an all-important event. A disagreeable lunch can destroy the rest of an otherwise productive day. When my dad made lunch, I knew I was going to get a tomato and cheese sandwich. This is OK if consumed at the time of assembly, but after a lunch-bucket ride and time in a locker, a tomato and cheese sandwich is horrible. On "dad days," I should have made my own lunch....but when you're a kid, complaining is much easier.

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!

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, May 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This reminds me of a story. My friend Christa decided she wanted to learn the saxophone. So as not to disturb her husband one morning, she decided to practice on the back porch. We live in the country, so there were no neighbours to offend. She had just started to honk out some scales when her husband appeared in the doorway excited and out of breath. "Christa!" he cried. "Did you hear that? I think a moose has been hit on the highway!"

Friday, June 21, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Some of Aaron's friends did have keys to their houses, but again, the town was so small that we all looked out for each other. In general, the kids didn't get into too much trouble. Small towns are a relatively safe environment for kids--which is probably why they all say they can't wait to leave when they hit their teen years!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Aaron was eight years old when he decided that he'd like to go to Vancouver by himself and visit my mom and dad. We were surprised by his courage. Most kids his age would have been terrified of flying alone--and for such a long distance.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My friends who were lucky enough to own a piano and get lessons often complained about the torture they suffered having to practice for recitals and such. Years later, with the stress of learning far behind them, they thanked their parents at long last for giving them the gift of music.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Now that I am dogless, I find dog breath hard to take. When I had Farley, his breath came with warm licks, and his enquiring sniffs were more than welcome. Even so, there were times when I couldn't stomach the smell. Once, when Farley ate my chives, I was overwhelmed by his breath, but there was one time that was much worse; I was standing at my kitchen window watching him happily lying on the warm driveway, chewing something he'd found with obvious relish. He chewed with that look of ecstasy, the look children have when they're eating ice cream, that blissful satisfaction that comes with flavour and fun and mouth-watering fulfillment. He'd toss his head back, reposition his prize, and chew again. He was happy. Eventually, my curiosity got to me and I went out to see what succulent something he was chewing on. I couldn't believe my eyes. The object he was blissfully savouring was a flat, well-rotted, dried-out toad. To Farley, it was dog jerky. To me, it was horrible. I would have shown the true source of Farley's halitosis, but really, it was too gross for publication! [Eventually this gag did make an appearance, with Edgar doing the dirty deed.]

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Lynn's Comments: So many times I ran around my neighbourhood with a finger or a plastic gun, pointing at friends and crying, "BANG! You're dead!" It was exciting. It was fun. We heard the headline news and listened to our parents. Dad had been in the war, but nothing they said made a difference. We were on a mission to win something. We didn't know what. There was no real sense to it, nobody explained why we were fighting or what death meant. We were just caught up in the thrill and the energy and the noise and the fun. Later, as a cartoonist, I saw a striking similarity to a child's attitude and what really happens in a war.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I remember being so bored, I thought the day would never end. I'd lie on our old blue sofa and wish I could see into the future so I could know what to prepare for. I wanted to get started as soon as possible. Art came so easily for me (I never expected it to provide a living), so I worried about not being smart enough, not being liked, and not fitting in. Being a kid had so many limitations. I wanted to be grown up and gone! I felt imprisoned in a kid's body.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I thought that in time there would be a return to uplifting family friendly films--stories that left you feeling hopeful, the music rich with cadence and meaning; music that would repeat in your mind for hours afterwards. "The Lion King" has been a recent one, but to my mind there just aren't enough.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Because Aaron was four years older than Katie, she was left out of a lot of activities. She couldn't race away on her bike or cross the street alone or camp out with the boys in the backyard. She became attached to her dad (since I was working full time in the house) and spent hours with him in his workshop learning how to glue things and make stuff. I think this is why she is so comfortable with tools and to this day can build or fix just about anything!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The thought of not allowing my kids to dress like punk rockers makes me smile. Unlike some other moms, I encouraged my kids to dye their hair and wear crazy outfits. They wouldn't go for it. Perhaps it's because I insisted, or maybe they weren't into that kind of stuff. Either way, they never did the punk thing, and I'm OK with that, too!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This is the prayer my grandfather always said before a big meal. "For what we are about to receive, may the lord make us truly thankful." We thought it was a great prayer. It was sincere. It was genuinely heartfelt, and it said what needed to be said--before the gravy got cold!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Lynn's Comments: This strip made me laugh today. How funny it seems to have worried about looking older then. Right now, I'd give my left eye bag for a smooth neck and a waistline!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The snow in Vancouver was rarely the right consistency for making snowmen, but when it was, every kid (and lots of parents) would be outside rolling and packing, and making the most of the best construction material there was. As long as a project was in progress, we were oblivious to wet knees, frozen mitts, and running noses. I remember my dad out there with a shovel making the best forts and the biggest sculptures. One week, the local paper featured a page of photographs of the most outstanding snowmen in North Vancouver -- and despite competitive efforts in every neighbourhood, the snowman that received the most comment was done by a three year old!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: When I was in high school, I went out with a guy whose dad was a florist. I would often wait for Ken at the family flower shop, taking the opportunity to look into the big refrigerated room where the flowers were stored. I'd sneak into the back room where vases were kept and arrangements were designed. It was exciting. I loved the ambience, the colours, and the smell, and when Ken gave me a corsage, I kept it for as long as I could. Flowers are still my favourite gift--to give and to get!