Michael: Browse The Strips

Sunday December 4, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My mom always had the sheers drawn. Heaven forbid that anyone should see into the front window of our little house on 5th Street. If we wanted to look out the window, my brother and I would kneel on the couch, press our faces to the glass, and see what we could through the sheers: the white, almost transparent drapery, which smelled of dust and cigarettes. I hated them. As a kid, I thought the curtains should always be open. Surprisingly, when I had a house of my own, I too was determined to have the curtains closed for privacy. This Sunday strip was, again, a true story!

Saturday December 10, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I have always looked at a vehicle as something that would transport a family of four, with a load of groceries and a sheet of plywood, if necessary.

Monday December 12, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This happened. Of course it did. It's happened to everyone, right? The thing I didn't tell you about here was that I slipped in the soap, dislocated my knee, and had to be taken away in an ambulance. I was in my nightgown at the time, and the thing I was upset about most was that I had no underwear on. I wasn't going to be picked up by a couple of men and deposited on a stretcher if I wasn't wearing underwear! My daughter had to help me, howling and growling, into my stuff before the ambulance came. In the hospital, the doc checked out the dislocated kneecap then popped it back into position with one quick slap of his hand. Nothing to it. Still, it took an entire morning--upsetting all of us and humiliating yours truly...all because someone put the wrong soap in the dishwasher!

Sunday December 18, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My mom called these small annoying carpets "scatter rugs." I never really thought about it until I had hall floors to protect, then the word "scatter" made sense.

Wednesday December 21, 2016

Lynn's Comments: The dialogue in this strip may result in some cranky mail. The word "nidiot," of course, doesn't exist. But the way kids talk to each other is exactly like this. I was constantly trying to create sound effects and speech patterns, which would read the way someone casually speaks.

Friday December 23, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Some of the funniest strips have no words at all. My son did put Christmas balls on the dog's ears and this was the result. I see in the second panel that I only drew Elly in part. Strange how the eye fills in the details that aren't there. In my later work, I meticulously drew everything clearly, and I think I lost this fluid spontaneity.

Saturday December 24, 2016

Lynn's Comments: When you listen to the news and you hear about children displaced by war or living in destitute and dangerous situations, you wonder why life is so unfair. From time to time, I let the strip convey my feelings about things like this. Positive messages always came back.

Friday December 30, 2016

Lynn's Comments: One of the best New Year's Eves we ever spent was the first year we stayed home with the kids. We had a junk food dinner, watched the celebrations on TV, and went to bed just after midnight. The next time we tried this, the charm had worn off a bit, and after that, we let serendipity take her course. The first time was the best time and something to remember.

Sunday January 1, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Yes, this is from my childhood, then from my children's childhoods...and I'm still writing letters on everyone's behalf! Mind you, they email more than I do. I still send hard copy. Maybe that's what's hard about it.

Monday January 2, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I used to ask the kids to help take the tree down. I thought it was a nice way to spend time together. Their help lasted for a few minutes, of course, and after awhile, I did it all myself. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, thanks to all the moms who make it happen!