Michael: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Aaron had one excuse after another for not going to bed. It seemed as though he never slept. I would hear him late at night doing stuff in his room and I wondered when he'd get into a "normal" routine. Well, he's almost 40 now and he's still a night owl. It's not unusual for him to be up and working at 3:00 am!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I don't remember mushrooms being a bone of contention for us growing up because fresh ones were too expensive and canned ones simply disappeared into the stew. Mushroom soup was a staple gravy base and casserole sauce, so it didn't count either. When actual fresh fungi were finally introduced to our palates, we were all grown up. It's our children who have had the luxury of rejecting one of the most delicious culinary delights known to man!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Sometimes, the old chestnut command "If you don't like what we're having, make your own dinner!" backfired. I found the best way to make a less-than-yummy repast disappear was to offer no alternative at all. This, of course, might result in a stoic refusal to compromise followed by a midnight raid on the fridge. The one consolation was that they would eat at midnight the now frigid dinner they'd rejected at 6!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Lynn's Comments: After reading Tom Sawyer, I was convinced that spooks really did come out at night. My dad was no help; he loved to tell ghost stories. The Brothers Grimm book was a favourite of my grandfather's. Between the two of them, my brother and I were reluctant to go out in the dark until the year that my grandma gave us flashlights for Christmas. We used these to expel ghosts from corners, creeps from closets, and bugs from the bed sheet, until the batteries ran out!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Like my mother, I couldn't resist the hungry faces of kids at the door. It's amazing, isn't it, how fresh baking makes folks magically appear.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Lynn's Comments: When we had people over, my kids often sat quietly at the top of the stairs hoping for worthwhile gossip or a chance to sneak into the kitchen and swipe some goodies. I knew they were there. I could easily have shoved them off to bed, but as long as it wasn't a school night, I figured, out of sight, out of mind. This liberty came to an end when Aaron, after a huge ingestion of pop, decided to burp the alphabet. The hallway created the perfect amplifier. He was in bed by the time he got to "P."

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The problem was also compounded by the fact that the kids never liked those odd-coloured, molasses tasting, wax paper wrapped toffees that you only see during the last days of October--they'd always leave them for me. These ugly things are still given out at Halloween, they still taste the same, and I still like them!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Lynn's Comments: There were times that I did outshine my mom-in-law, but it was not in the pie-making department. I made great casseroles, soups, and stews; she did the breads, the roasts, and the baking. Both of us were fine in the veg department, so between Ruth and myself, we provided our men-folk with some mighty fine grub. There's nothing like two women in the kitchen--especially when they're both a bit competitive!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The original Farley really did love chewing gum. I discovered his penchant for gum when I saw him take some out of a wastebasket, work the Kleenex off it, and continue to chew for some time without swallowing. I had never seen a dog do this before, so Farley's gum chewing became a bit of a party trick. He particularly liked Juicy Fruit--even if it had been previously enjoyed. The thing was to make sure I was there when he spat it out, or I'd have a surprise on my foot later on.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My mother-in-law, having been an elementary school teacher for many years, readily took on the challenge of teaching our children whatever they hadn't been able to grasp in school. She once used a fresh pie to help Aaron learn fractions. My dad-in-law was in the room when she asked, "What do we call the biggest piece of pie?" and it wasn't Aaron who answered but Tom who, smiling easily, said, "mine!"

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My mother used to nag me to do my homework. She didn't have to--really, it was just something she had to do. Her nagging drove me crazy. I'd get my work done, just not at the precise moment that she wanted me to! Perhaps it was her need to have everything organized and under control--or perhaps it's because she was not allowed to finish her own education that she was so focused on homework and studying. My mom's father didn't believe in educating women because "they would just get married and have children and waste it all." How unfortunate. How narrow minded he was. I hope there's a life or two after this one and that she gets another opportunity!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Aaron was recently reminiscing about the great lunches I used to make for him; "Other kids might have a slice of cheese and some dry, white bread--but we got a great big, honking SANDWICH!" Katie didn't share his enthusiasm; "I used to trade mine with a boy who always had sugar sandwiches." (She's always had a sweet tooth.) I wasn't angry that Katie had given her lunches away--considering the poor diets of some kids, he probably needed a good, nutritious lunch more than she did.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The other place where a silent candy wrapper is needed is church! Mom never minded the peppermints Dad brought so we kids would stay awake during the sermon... she was embarrassed by the sounds of the wrapper!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Lynn's Comments: When I did this drawing, I actually felt my arm waving in the air desperately wanting to answer a question--it brought me back to my grade school days. I never missed an opportunity to show off. It was always disappointing to have the teacher ask someone else, someone less energetic than myself. There is one serious drawback to being chosen after such a wild display of shoulder-wrenching arm gestures, however: If you get the answer wrong, you look pretty darned silly!!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I think I see my school days through "rose coloured glasses." I remember mostly good times, positive times with good friends and good teachers. I tend to forget the teasing, the bullying, and the tears. I've put aside the failures, the fiascos, and the teachers who made me want to quit. I've forgotten all the bad stuff and the sad stuff... and things I did that I wish, if given a chance, I'd do differently. My years in the hallowed halls now seem like the "good old days," and perhaps that's for the best. If I learned anything I guess I learned how to laugh at myself and be happy.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I rarely saw my parents kissing. Sometimes they held hands but it was a discreet show of affection--which was quickly over if someone drew attention to it. Still, they were very romantic. They thought about each other and did things for each other easily and naturally. They were husband and wife, but they were also the best of friends. I often made fun of the two of them and their mushy ways, but in the end, I wish for all the world I could have had a marriage like theirs.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I always wondered how teachers, with all they have to do and all the students they have to keep track of, still, out of the corner of an eye, manage to catch the troublemakers red handed!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Lynn's Comments: There always has to be a villain in the classroom, someone who bullies and "breaks the law"--that's just the way it is. I bet we can all remember the names and faces of the kids who made our own young lives miserable.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I had two nemeses in elementary school--I can still picture them. I can remember the fear I had lying awake at night knowing that I would have to face them. I was a bit of a bully in my own right; I could fight tooth and nail if I had to, and I'd win. I wouldn't prey on just any kid, I'd go after the mean ones--the ones I thought deserved a good pummelling!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I loved comic books and considered myself a superhero. Not a female superhero with a huge bust, skimpy costume, and impossible sexy powers (these women were Barbies compared to me!)--I was a REAL superhero. If I saw a smaller kid being bullied by a bigger kid, I'd take the guy on--even if it meant getting my dress torn or my face bloodied. I was a fighter, and when the mood struck, the energy I could put into a good punch-up amazed me.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Lynn's Comments: I remember breaking a girl's finger once, because she wouldn't let go of my hair. The more she twisted my hair, the harder I bent her finger. Afterwards, I sported a bald patch and she wore a cast. Our parents forced us to make up. They couldn't believe the ferocity of our battle. We were both angry kids. It took a long time before either of us realized that we weren't angry with each other--we both were unhappy children who didn't know how to deal with their emotions.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Lynn's Comments: There is a lot being said these days about bullies and being bullied. I was picked on pretty viciously at school and I was guilty of bullying, too. We picked on each other because of our looks, our families, our clothes, and our income. We said mean things, wrote mean things, and passed on mean information--which was mostly untrue. Why? I can only guess. The thing is, we all grew up. The kids I went to school with have all lead full lives. With the perspective that only comes with age and experience, we have faced some of the kids we bullied. We can see now who they really are and they too can get to know us. With mature understanding comes respect and I confess, misgiving. As kids, we spoiled so many chances to connect with and enjoy one another. Because we were too young, too naïve, and too selfish to see past our own need for acceptance, we lost the chance to enjoy the friendship of some truly wonderful people!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Lynn's Comments: My taste in comics was much more tame than Michael's. I loved Little Lulu. She was a real girl with ordinary looks, cool friends, and a great imagination. I also loved the Disney books--Donald and the kids and Scrooge McDuck topped the list. I wondered what Scrooge did with a house-sized bin full of money. If it was mine, I'd have given it all away. I never imagined that I'd get to know two of the Disney writers who wrote those very books...but, that's another story!