Halloween: Browse The Strips

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Penny candy was my childhood weakness. For a dime (my allowance), I could buy 30 jawbreakers or 5 liquorice pipes or 5 packages of Lik-m-Aid. Pop was 5 cents a bottle, and for a quarter the Dairy Queen made a cone too big to eat. My favourite things of all were the big 5 cent heart-shaped suckers which came out for Valentine's Day. I could work the whole thing into my mouth, unfazed by the numbness in my lips and laboured breathing. I was a candyholic. Halloween was the night of the big score--the candy rush and the fun of eating all the best stuff first. I could walk for hours even in the rain as long as porch lights were on. One neighbour used to give us money instead of candy, and when my mom told me I should save it, I thought she was crazy. Having a bit of cash meant another run to the corner store for more penny candy!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Every time I did a Halloween strip, I based my ideas on what I remembered as a kid. Nobody bought costumes then--the kinds of disposable, commercial costumes just weren't available. Our get-ups were entirely original. I wonder how many folks still make their own stuff?

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Lynn's Comments: When I was a kid, my friends would come to my house to talk to my mother. She and I didn't always see eye to eye, so it surprised me when my friends considered her advice worth seeking. I accepted her relationship with them with admiration and jealousy: admiration for her, jealousy because I couldn't confide in her the way they did.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of the best costumes my folks ever made for my brother was "the mad scientist." It consisted of a lab coat, an Einstein-style wig, a black moustache, pipe, and granny glasses. In the pockets of the coat Dad had placed severed fingers, a tube of fake blood, and a stethoscope. The bag Al carried was covered in mathematical formulae--a real nod to Dad's ability to do research. I don't recall what I wore that year, so--Al was a hit and I was a miss.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of my husband's favourite sayings--when he was facing a seemingly impossible task was, "Details! details!"--meaning that anything can be done. This was a family inside joke, which the kids really enjoyed.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm) tells a story about how upset his girls would get if he embarrassed them in public. Now, Mike just can't help himself--he's a wonderfully theatrical guy with a prankster's edge. When one of his girls left her school lunch at home, he delivered it in person by leaping into her classroom dressed as Superman. This strip reminds me of that day, and how Marci still winces when she thinks of her dad in that costume.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Nope. Nobody in our family ever made a talking head on a table as a Halloween costume. This was another descent into the "writer's mind" where silly ideas lie. The prospect of sustaining such a monstrosity made me think about how a small group of boys would treat their experimental pal; whatever they did, it would be messy!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Lynn's Comments: When people called it "puppy love" I can't imagine a weaker label. Even in elementary school, the feelings I had for boys my age were so strong, they governed most of my thoughts. Sly looks, soft touches, love notes and straight out rejection were as real and powerful then as they were later on. Most grown-ups just don't understand. Those with good memories do!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Lynn's Comments: After Halloween, Katie would save up her goodies until Aaron went dry. Unlike her older sibling, she could restrain herself from eating all of her stash at once--which surprised me. Of the two children, she had the sweetest tooth. We even called her "Cake" instead of "Kate" because she liked desserts so much. At the end of October, however, willpower set in. She could hoard her gains in full view, then savour each morsel after Aaron's was long gone. I remember watching him as he pretended not to be fazed by the sounds of crinkling wrappers followed by lip smacking and the sound of "mmmmmm." I was surprised that he didn't pounce on her or ask me for a treat to make up for the discrepancy. He just put up with the injustice, and I wondered when and how he'd get even, because this would come about, guaranteed. Like my brother and me, my kids were creative teases!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Friends of ours held a pumpkin carving contest every year on the porch of their big North Bay home. There were pumpkins of all colours, shapes and sizes, and the resulting array of faces and pumpkin personalities, which decorated their outdoor staircase, was something we'll always remember.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This scenario is from a Little Lulu cartoon I read as a kid. Little Lulu had found a potato which looked exactly like her friend Tubby. When he found out, he went crazy and chased her all over town to get it. The story line ended with him eating the raw potato. I thought it was hilarious! Funny--the things you remember.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Lynn's Comments: The North Bay Capitol Centre was almost torn down but was saved by a group of very determined people. After its restoration, it became something the politicians liked to point out as the "jewel in the crown."

Friday October 28, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was glad that the fireworks tradition wasn't part of an Ontario or Manitoba Halloween. On more than one occasion, we were threatened by big kids who wanted to ignite our paper costumes with "lady fingers" (small, red, tube-shaped fireworks) or sparklers. Every year, someone got hurt.

Sunday October 30, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This Sunday page wasn't a brilliant piece of writing, but the visual fun of the yell, the swipe, and the "WHACK," made it worth sending in.