Lynn's Comments: Again, this was a fabricated scenario. There wasn't much my kids wouldn't eat. Anything that went well with ketchup would go down; quiche included!
Michael: Browse The Strips
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This, I think is true. A couple needs to separate from time to time in order to reflect on their relationship. After a rough patch, you might wish your partner would just "take a hike" but when they are away for a few days, you realize just how much you depend on, rely on and love each other.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Lynn's Comments: To end a dispute between Kate and Aaron, I did divide the kitchen table so that each child had their own side. I then divided the couch and Aaron himself divided the living room. This bit of biblical rectitude resulted in a deep interest in equality. Both kids then wanted to divide the house, the hallways, and the stairwell into "what's yours" and "what's mine".
The task was not a small one, but they were determined. It gave them something to do together and the price of a roll of masking tape was a small price to pay for silence. I decided to use this in a Sunday strip. The thought that they might even have tried to divide the dog had me smiling for days!
The task was not a small one, but they were determined. It gave them something to do together and the price of a roll of masking tape was a small price to pay for silence. I decided to use this in a Sunday strip. The thought that they might even have tried to divide the dog had me smiling for days!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Lynn's Comments: When plastic glasses were introduced to our household in the 50's Alan and I used them for everything from sandbox scoops to stacking toys. It was fun to see how much water we could hold with the suction from our mouths before the glass would fall off. Hopefully we would catch it before it hit the floor and alerted the authorities. Having two kids in the strip allowed me to recall so many of my own childhood antics.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Another unmistakable "Aaronism".
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I like to think that I make good soup and, when I do make it, I tend to make a lot! I like to have enough to freeze and to share and some to eat right away. It was a blow to the ego when they preferred the canned or packaged stuff. Mine was chock full of "goodns"--a meal in itself. Somehow, with the passage of time, they have learned to appreciate homemade soups and often make it themselves. Katie makes enough to freeze, enough to eat and enough to give to me!
Friday, March 9, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This strip has a bit of a story behind it. I was travelling quite a bit for work and was often waiting to board a plane somewhere. I was en route to New York and sitting in the lounge were all kinds of folks heading to meetings and events and so on. Our flight had been delayed. Some were late for connecting flights, some were unable to contact people who were meeting them. We were all getting frustrated and anxious. An hour went by with no information. Then another hour passed. Eventually we were all furious. The tension was awful ... but then a miracle occurred.
A man went completely berserk--he stood up, cursing the airline, and the attendants at the gate. He threw down his briefcase and stomped on it, shouting and waving his arms. He threatened to sue. He screamed obscenities. At that point, the rest of us relaxed. We all watched as someone else acted out our frustrations perfectly. As he ranted, we said to ourselves, "Yeah, that's right. That's exactly how I feel."
By the time the authorities came, the lounge was a quiet place full of calm people. It was instant stress relief. It occurred to me that I performed this same service for my family; the more irate I became about something, the less they cared about it!
A man went completely berserk--he stood up, cursing the airline, and the attendants at the gate. He threw down his briefcase and stomped on it, shouting and waving his arms. He threatened to sue. He screamed obscenities. At that point, the rest of us relaxed. We all watched as someone else acted out our frustrations perfectly. As he ranted, we said to ourselves, "Yeah, that's right. That's exactly how I feel."
By the time the authorities came, the lounge was a quiet place full of calm people. It was instant stress relief. It occurred to me that I performed this same service for my family; the more irate I became about something, the less they cared about it!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This was when three dollars bought a toy that would last! We tried to introduce the concept of earning and saving and waiting until you could afford the things you want, but understanding money takes time.
Aaron had a weekly allowance and what didn't go to Fergy's candy counter, went to the toy department at "The Bay." The Lynn Lake Hudson's Bay store was a long cinder block building, which carried everything from groceries to long underwear. The toy department was smack dab in the middle of the store. We couldn't navigate the aisles without going past the toys and Aaron knew the entire inventory. He liked Lego, in particular, and wanted every kit available.
We insisted that he buy these kits with his own money. Every week, he'd skip down to see if his box was still on "hold" and put a dollar more down on his prize and calculate how much more he had to pay. It was a great way to make a toy mean something! Aaron learned about what things cost. He learned about taxes and he learned a lot about planning and patience ... and in so doing, I learned a lot about him.
Aaron had a weekly allowance and what didn't go to Fergy's candy counter, went to the toy department at "The Bay." The Lynn Lake Hudson's Bay store was a long cinder block building, which carried everything from groceries to long underwear. The toy department was smack dab in the middle of the store. We couldn't navigate the aisles without going past the toys and Aaron knew the entire inventory. He liked Lego, in particular, and wanted every kit available.
We insisted that he buy these kits with his own money. Every week, he'd skip down to see if his box was still on "hold" and put a dollar more down on his prize and calculate how much more he had to pay. It was a great way to make a toy mean something! Aaron learned about what things cost. He learned about taxes and he learned a lot about planning and patience ... and in so doing, I learned a lot about him.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Farley had great wide hairy feet and every time he came indoors, I wiped them as best I could--knowing that dirt would come in anyway and I'd just have to deal with it. When my kids came in carrying the same amount of flotsam, however, I bounced around pointing at the inevitable grime and water, telling them in no uncertain terms that they had to be more careful and considerate and bla, bla, bla.... Maybe we're so much more patient with them because dogs can't talk back!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Lynn's Comments: The concept of being born a sinner confused me. As a kid, I was unable to process this--it just didn't make sense. I hoped in time I'd understand. I'm still waiting.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Lynn's Comments: One tradition we really enjoyed every Easter was colouring eggs. My mother was a fine artist who tried every technique she could find to make our eggs different from the norm. She had us work with white wax crayons which kept the dye from colouring the shell. We then warmed and wiped off the wax so that another colour could be added where the wax had been. This was similar to the way the beautifully decorated eggs are done in the Ukrainian style. Ours were rough and "kid-like" but neat, just the same. She mixed vegetable oil with the dye to create swirling patterns. She put rubber bands around the eggs to make straight lines so we could draw around them. For us it was an art lesson as well as a great way to prepare for the coming of the E.B. who would hide them in the night!
Eating the eggs we had so carefully coloured was difficult because we hated to destroy the shells. This resulted in mom's "Easter tree". She would carefully break each shell in half, use a needle to tie a thread to the top and hang the shells from the branches of a small shrub she'd placed in a vase. For us, Easter Sunday was as enjoyable as Christmas--and without the expense!
Eating the eggs we had so carefully coloured was difficult because we hated to destroy the shells. This resulted in mom's "Easter tree". She would carefully break each shell in half, use a needle to tie a thread to the top and hang the shells from the branches of a small shrub she'd placed in a vase. For us, Easter Sunday was as enjoyable as Christmas--and without the expense!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This was a story my dad told us; "If you get up early on Easter Sunday morning, you will see the sun dance as it rises." Dutifully, Alan and I would get up to see if the story was true, but we never saw the sun dance on Easter morning. I think Dad had bet on two things: one, he never expected my brother and me to actually get out of a warm bed so early and two, in Vancouver, it always seemed to rain on Easter. His explanation for why the sun hadn't danced was that we probably didn't BELIEVE enough! I guess we believed enough in the Easter bunny, though--because every year, he showed up without fail!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Lynn's Comments: My friend Loretta Clarke has four beautiful daughters who were wonderful babysitters. Lynn Lake was so small that we were always within walking distance from home. If there was an emergency we could return in a flash, but Loretta would often be called before we were and would solve the problem first! The character "Paula" was a mix of all four of Loretta's girls: Sandra, Lorraine, Terri and Catherine. I love you all!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Lynn's Comments: This is from my own recollection as a teenaged babysitter; I'd have to be a disciplinarian, but I was too young to be taken seriously, so I had to play two roles: the friendly big kid, and the tough cop who'd turn the kid in to the authorities if they didn't shape up. It wasn't an easy job sometimes and I earned every cent I made.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Aaron slept with his teddy for many years. This was a secret he would never have wanted let out!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Lynn's Comments: The punch line says it all!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Aaron did eat two bars and he then had to pay for them.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Lynn's Comments: The number of times we were faced with the daunting task of selling chocolate bars door-to-door was absurd. This subject brought in a lot of mail. Some folks sold them at work, but for us a dental clinic was not the place to fundraise with candy!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Lynn's Comments: After Aaron was "taken" by big kids on the school bus who promised to pay him later, we ended up buying all of the chocolate bars ourselves. I put them in the freezer, I gave them away and I ate them. The next time there was a drive, I asked if we could just contribute directly to the school.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Because of the three-hour time difference between Ontario and Vancouver, we had a hard time making phone calls. Either my folks were having dinner (and hated to be disturbed) or we were. If I called during the day, the kids were out. In the afternoon, my folks were out. The odd time we had a conversation (at a good time for both parties) everyone wanted to talk at once!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I was happy with this punchline. In cartooning, a phrase like "turning over a new leaf" usually leads to a smart reply. You can also change the words: "A nerd in the hand is worth two in the bush". I always caution new cartoonists against using a familiar quote unless they are planning to use it in a zinger in the last panel.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Lynn's Comments: In my own small way, I took every opportunity to chastise the media for incorporating so much bad language into everything we see. Movies and television shows are filled with trashy material--this destroys our children's respect for our language and for us as well!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Lynn's Comments: I could never find my kitchen scissors. After looking high and low, I would buy a new pair and eventually those would disappear, too. This scenario was typical of a time when Kate and Aaron were small and things ended up in the garden, at the neighbours', or in the workshop--never to be seen again.
When Katie was a teenager, I made a declaration one day: she was grounded until she cleaned her room. Begrudgingly, she did so. The result? No less than nine pairs of scissors were discovered among the debris. The moral of the story? ... A string on the kitchen scissors might look silly, but you'll always know where to find them!
When Katie was a teenager, I made a declaration one day: she was grounded until she cleaned her room. Begrudgingly, she did so. The result? No less than nine pairs of scissors were discovered among the debris. The moral of the story? ... A string on the kitchen scissors might look silly, but you'll always know where to find them!