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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Working at home meant that I could wear anything. I was usually in jeans and a sweater when my day began. After a few years of this kind of garb, I began to envy the ladies who actually dressed up for work: whose wardrobe was current and whose appearance was groomed. When I told them I wished I had an excuse like they did to get gussied up and look professional, they did say they envied me the freedom I had. I still got them to admit, however, that it does lift one's mood to be dressed up and looking GOOD once in awhile!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The changes in my studio space and the hiring of new staff made work-related gags easier to do. Now, I was dealing with a group of people, my job had become a real business, and we had an established routine. In the strip it would not have made sense to have Elly suddenly confronting a situation like this herself, so I gave her a part-time, more believable job. The only thing about this strip that was true was--we really were all mothers!

Friday, February 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My mother-in-law was one of the primary school teachers in Lynn Lake, which meant she had to teach her own kids. They complained that she was harder on them than she was on everyone else!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Around this time we were both well into our careers, and from time to time, felt like we were stuck in a rut. I guess even the most satisfying jobs can become routine! Taking flying lessons helped me to "stretch my wings," and Rod began a lifelong passion for model railways.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Lynn's Comments: The kids were never far away--I used to listen to their banter as they made up games, created forts in the living room, and played house. I was impressed by their ability to fantasize. I remembered my own childhood, when a mud pie tasted like the real thing, and if you rolled up in a blanket, you could fly. Even though we seemed to be "in a world of our own," we were still aware of our immediate environment.

Aaron, Katie and Aaron's friend, Roy, were playing one day, and some of their dialogue disturbed me--they were talking about bombs, murder, divorce, and other things they had heard about on television. This had to be absorbed, of course, and dealt with as much as any other experience outside of Sesame Street and Saturday morning cartoons. I worried that I was not talking to my kids enough. Later, when Roy had gone home, I asked them about their conversations, their ideas, and their perceptions. I felt good about being there to answer questions and explain some facts. In return, Aaron asked me if life was the same for me when I was a kid and I had to say that it was--we just didn't hear or see as much as they do now. We were far more protected from negative realities. When I think about it, we were really naive, and for that, I'm somewhat grateful!

I now have a grandchild. I see kids as young as two, happily using computers, eBooks, and iPads and I wonder how much more the babies of today are learning...too soon, too fast.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I have to give credit to one of Aaron's teachers for this punchline. Sheena told me that when one of her kindergarten students was severely ill, her class was comforted to see that her seat was still there. As long as her place in the class remained, they knew she was coming back.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Lynn's Comments: We gave Aaron a key to the house, hoping he wouldn't lose it. He did. The key was as much of a concern to him as his glasses, which he hated to wear. He lost them, he broke them, and he left them at home. The frustration his glasses caused was part of the reason why they never appeared in the strip! When he was finally old enough for contacts, he was overjoyed. Now that I too have to wear glasses, I can see how hard it was for an active, conservative kid to accept them.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Expressions like "nose out of joint" are a natural lead in to a punchline. Any time I work with blossoming cartoonists, I discourage them from using an expression like this unless they plan to take advantage of it. As a reader, I expect a smart comeback and I am disappointed when the expression is left to die on the vine!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: In Vancouver during the 50's, there was a popular children's radio show called, "Kiddie's Carnival." It was done in a small studio with a live audience, which you could be part of by writing into the program and asking for tickets. It was first write, first serve. My mom managed to score two of them. Not only did she and I have tickets, but we were told that I would get to be one of the children allowed to say "hello" on Kiddie's Carnival radio!

It was an exciting day. I had never been in a radio station before and when it was my turn to go up to the microphone, I was terrified. The host was reassuring. He moved the big silver microphone right under my nose and said, "Lynn, it's your turn to say hello! Who would you like to say hello to today?" Meanwhile, my dad was at work. He had the radio on and everyone in Shores Jewellery was listening. Sweating and shaking, I leaned into the mic. and said, "Hello, Grandma and Grandpa!" Dad was crushed. He had expected me to say hello to him. I wasn't thinking. I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. When he got home later that evening, it was clear that I had let him down. Mom thought it was nice that I had thought of her parents, though, and decided to call them and ask what they thought of the broadcast. Sadly, they hadn't been listening. To this day, I think about that missed opportunity and I wish that I'd acknowledged the one person to whom it really mattered.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Even during the 80's there was stuff on the television--even the news--that I thought was too graphic to be shown or discussed during the daytime. We all want to shield our youngsters from sex and graphic violence but nowadays, it's nearly impossible. The trick is to try and explain that there is good in the world, real intimacy is not ugly, and that justice (especially here in North America) is possible. God willing!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Lynn's Comments: We would never identify the good times as being good if we didn't have crap to compare it with. There's no way Heaven could be perfect bliss because we wouldn't appreciate it! Humans need the rollercoaster of ups and downs... which is why we continue to make life so darned difficult for ourselves!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Valentines came in big plastic bags when I was a kid. We'd get, perhaps 25, pretty little cards for a few dollars and we'd give one to everyone in your class. This meant that we all came home with a fistful of valentines. Nobody was left out. It was tradition. In grade one, I had a crush on a boy named Jimmy Thompson. I was crazy about him until Valentine's Day when I gave him a card, but he didn't give a card to anyone. I was hurt--I never knew that his family just couldn't afford them.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I have to admit, when I had a crush on a boy in school, it lasted through rejection, embarrassment, and blatant teasing. When it eventually wore off, it was gone for good. I don't see a lot of difference in the way I handle my relationships now!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Lynn's Comments: There was a law in our house: if you didn't like what was on your plate, it didn't matter--you had to eat it all. This rule was enforced unless we were too sick to sit there or were absent altogether! My brother, Alan, was always trying to escape the likes of cold creamed peas, canned corned beef, or liver in gravy. He would hide a wad in his pockets or the cuffs of his pants and, convincingly full, would leave the table.

Once he was being so gross at dinnertime, he was sent to his room to eat. He went happily and returned minutes later with a suspiciously empty plate. He said he had eaten everything, but there was evidence to the contrary; the gravy was scraped to the side of the plate and the toilet had just been flushed. With her hands on her hips, Mom accused him of lying, but he stuck to his story. It was his word against the gravy. She gave him "the glare" but he stared her down. Mom dragged Alan to the biff. She wanted to scope out the scene of the crime but found nothing to pin on him. The gravy trail was the only real evidence; the one thing that could trip him up. With Alan's ear between her thumb and forefingers, she marched him brusquely back into the kitchen to resume her interrogation...and found our dad happily washing the dishes. The accused's plate was clean. From that day on, the rule was altered to allow for differences in tastes and appetites. Once again, Alan had defied our mom, and Dad was a hero. Until then, even HE had to eat stuff he hated!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Like my mom, I welcomed my kids' friends into the house all the time. On the odd occasion when it just wasn't convenient, I was the villain. It was "No fair!" I wondered what the kids said about moms who never let friends come in--even to use the bathroom.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I had a couple of friends who were latchkey kids. Their parents worked and after work, they'd spend time at the bar before going home. Both girls were the guardians of younger siblings. They literally raised their brothers and sisters because their parents were never home. I remember being jealous of my friends' freedom. We played "house." We'd put the little ones to bed and pretend we were grownups. For me, it was a wonderful game...but later, I could go home and be a kid again.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Farley, the real dog, hated baths. If he just heard the word, he'd head for the hills. I usually washed him outside, but during the winter, I would stuff him into the tub, which meant the entire bathroom got wet along with him. After I dried and brushed him, Farley looked like a massive plush toy, his fur poofing out as if he'd stuck his tail in a light socket. He would look like this until he had to go outside, where he'd find something dirty to roll in. He was a lot of work, but I didn't mind. He was family...and a real character!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Here is another strip that got me into hot water. Readers thought John had actually KICKED the dog in panel two! What I had tried to show was John putting his foot under Farley's rump and moving him. I would never have shown someone kicking a dog! This taught me to never draw an action unless I could draw it well! .

Monday, March 4, 2013

Lynn's Comments: At this time in the evolution of the strip, I decided to have Mike's friend, Gordon, be a bit of a negative force. In my mind, all of the auxiliary characters were becoming clear and defined, and it seemed right for Gordon Mayes to have some baggage. Something in his life made him cynical and tougher than the other kids, but I hadn't yet figured out what it was. It sounds unbelievable, but these characters evolved on their own. In a way, they told me who they were and how they lived.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Lynn's Comments: As a young dentist setting up a new practice, my husband had a lot of expenses. Equipment and rent and a staff of four gave him little left over for frivolous things. Elly didn't have a well paying job (like I did), so the Patterson family kept to a tight budget for a while.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: As kids, we were allowed to have a pet if it was very small, didn't require too much upkeep, and had a short lifespan. At first, my brother and I were host to chameleons--tiny little lizards which came from the pet shop with chains attached around their necks and a pin so you could attach them to your shirt! I don't remember them changing colour at all, but they did eat live mealworms, which was a cool thing to watch. Perhaps we overfed them or maybe we played with them too much, because they never lived very long. Fortunately, this rather barbaric way of packaging creatures is no longer permitted.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Naming a pet or a person in a comic strip requires about the same amount of thought as naming something or someone for real. I tried to imagine what I would call a hamster--and a name beginning with "H" seemed like a good idea. "Humphrey" appealed to me both because it's not a name commonly heard, and because I liked the "Humph" sound at the beginning.... it's sort of a British "snort," an expression of contempt or dissatisfaction. You never actually hear a "humph," it is most commonly seen in print. I think in the US one might say, "harrumph!"--but this has a slightly different connotation. Ahhhh... the semantics of sound.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Lynn's Comments: After the chameleons, we were allowed turtles and frogs, and when our charges could survive our "care and feeding," Mom let us have a budgie. This came about when I found a blue budgie on our back lawn. Mom borrowed a cage and tried to find the owner. She put an ad in the newspaper and called the radio station, but no luck. By this time, we had bought seed and a mirror and the bird was ours. We called him Robbie and he was great fun. He made a lot of noise during the day, but unlike the hamster in the strip, he was very quiet at night.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Back to my friend, Sallie. She kept the school hamster in her kitchen--the best place, she said, because she was always there, so it was safer for something so small and edible! (Her cat was always hoping for a chance to pounce on him.) I remember thinking how cute he was, but he sure could make a mess. I wouldn't have wanted the little guy in MY kitchen!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This is another strip that brought in the mail. "Never get sick on a weekend" could have been the title of a book as stories of interrupted sleep, well-meaning remedies, and all the things a mom still has to attend to despite fever and chills, came rolling in. No matter what I was going through, the letters I received told me I was far from alone!

Monday, March 18, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Going back to my friend with the big heart and too many animals: The hamster had one of those transparent exercise balls, which the kids found fascinating--as did the family cat. When the hamster was not inclined to run for his pleasure, the kids encouraged him by rolling the ball themselves. I remember them saying that they wished they could ride in a ball like that, and putting myself in place of the dizzy, disoriented hamster, I thought... yeah... maybe not!