cup of coffee: Browse The Strips

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I never went shopping with my husband; having a man wait patiently, or impatiently, while I peruse a dress shop would be horrible! I would have to rush, which would take away from the true shopping experience. Whenever I see some sad chap sitting uncomfortably outside the change room in some frou-frou boutique, my heart goes out to him. I want to say, "Get off your duff, go do something YOU want to do, and meet her somewhere else!" This strip was done in solidarity with those who shop and those who wait.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This part of the story was entirely made up. This is what's fun about a comic strip storyline--the possibilities are endless. This is where the ability to fantasize comes in: a fantasy could take me completely away from reality--to places I didn't even know I could go!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Dental practices generally employ a lot of women. Women go on maternity leave, and at times, will have to leave the practice in order to follow a husband who has been relocated elsewhere. We were always thinking about staff: how to replace someone, or how to cope when a very well trained assistant, for example, had to take time off. It was a challenge, but it also introduced us to new and talented people who became part of our extended family.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When we first arrived in Lynn Lake, we had no front desk person for the clinic and no chair-side assistant. With Aaron in kindergarten and my mom-in-law willing to look after Katie, I thought I might be able to work with Rod part-time while he trained someone else.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This is one of my favourite punch lines. If you can work a famous line into a gag, it's very, very satisfying.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This punch line came from Jim Unger's brother, Bob. Jim, who did the wonderful cartoon panel, "Herman," had come with Bob to visit us here in North Bay. Soon after their arrival, I served them a big breakfast and noticed that Bob was wearing a rather hideous sweater--kind of a greeny-yellow, rather "pilly," and in need of a wash. When I made a crack about the sweater, he leaned back in his chair, scratched his tummy and said in his thick British accent, "I've got a sweater for every day of the week--This is it!" I never forgot the line and shamelessly used it in this strip. I don't think I ever told him--and he died not long after their visit. Jim, sadly, has gone, too, so this strip is a nice reminder.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My friend, Ghislaine, has been a teacher for many years. She is strict, smart, funny, and fair. She has recently begun to tell me some of her adventures with today's generation of teens, and the things they do and say make me cringe. The reward in teaching, she tells me, is that, "now and then someone learns something." Interestingly, this strip was published almost 30 years ago!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This was my one bit of grandstanding in support of the arts. From community to community and from school to school, it always seems that athletics are better funded and better equipped than anything else. We called it, "The jocks VS the smocks."

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Lynn's Comments: Back home, I was beginning to worry. My father-in-law knew exactly where Rod had gone, and he knew almost to the minute when he'd return--if all went well. The ETA came and went. My mom-in-law took the kids, and I drove up to the airport to wait. Rod's dad joined me. The weather was clear but cold and it was getting dark. The men at the airport assured us that the guys would be safe if they'd had to put down on a lake somewhere, but nothing sounded right to us. We filed a missing persons report and waited for Search and Rescue to respond.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Lynn's Comments: This is true enough! I thought about all the petty things we had done and said to each other when all that really matters is life and love, and the knowledge that everyone is safe. When someone is gone, you go through the litany of "what ifs" and "if onlys," and ask "why?" It made me realize how suddenly things can change, that we should appreciate each other each and every day, and be truly grateful for what we have.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Lynn's Comments: When we first arrived in North Bay, Ontario, the local theatre had just been restored to its original beauty. I was asked if I'd join the board of directors, which I did with enthusiasm. For several years, I worked on fundraising, advertising and sponsorship, and I learned a great deal about managing a small community theatre. It's a heck of a lot of work. I have great respect for the folks who keep these wonderful resources open and operational, and I wanted to draw some attention to them in the strip.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Lynn's Comments: We once owned the full set of The Encyclopaedia Britannica. I bought this enormous set of books when we lived in tiny Lynn Lake, Manitoba. It was an arctic community into which you really had to fly. At the time, the population wasn't much more than 1200. There was only one radio station, there was no library, and the newspaper came a day late. Other than folks selling things like Avon, there were no door-to-door salespeople--it was just too far to go! When a young Britannica salesman came to our door, I was surprised. I invited him in. I had been thinking that in this area some encyclopaedias would be a great investment. He started to rattle off his pitch, but I stopped him and said it was OK! I was going to buy the whole set! He looked me in the eye in absolute disbelief. "Lady," he said, "I have flown to just about every small community in northern Manitoba, and you are my very first sale!"

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lynn's Comments: My brother, an accomplished performer, still teaches music, even though he has been retired for several years. There are still those special talented students to whom passing on all he has learned is a joy and a privilege. He has met his share of students who don't practice and don't have the passion. The line about playing darts was a genuine comment made at a time when teaching was often a chore.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Lynn's Comments: I think I've grumbled about this before. When a woman (or anyone for that matter) becomes the chief cook and bottle washer--charged with shopping for, planning out, making, and serving up to three meals a day, she or he deserves at least a grunt of pleasure from the bodies who are shovelling in the grub. Actual thanks is wonderful!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: You can say something serious if the punch line is light. This was my way of keeping the characters "cartoons," while covering a sensitive topic.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was once part of a study in which single women were being asked what it was that attracted us to certain men. My answer was fairly complex, but when I asked the counselor what gave her the right vibes, she said, "he has to smell right."

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I had no idea how hard it was for smokers to quit. My brother tried time and again and finally succeeded. It was a real triumph.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Friendships can be complicated. Being a "best friend" can saddle you with unreasonable expectations. My strongest friendships are with men and women who don't define our relationship. We are simply "there for each other."

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This was a one-liner of which I was particularly pleased. Sadly, like so many remarks, word play and colloquial expressions, it could not be translated, so FBorFW remained an English only comic strip. Imagine the world of wonderful humour we would all enjoy if we could only understand each other's languages!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Does anyone out there remember Melmac? I don't care how innovative it was supposed to be. I always thought it was horrible!