home: Browse The Strips

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My mother joined a weight loss program for which she needed one of those tiny food scales. After buying both Alan and me a pack of Smarties, she actually weighed them to prove that neither of us was getting more than the other.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Lynn's Comments: When the Smothers Brothers did that routine: "Mom liked you more than she liked me," it was no joke. Those of us who truly felt like the family disappointment saw this skit as confirmation that inequality was a reality for many kids. In our "British" family, boys were definitely preferred!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: As a kid, I had a talent for making insults. This "gift" could be quite a threat. Woe to the child who had a name that rhymed with something funny or initials that spelled a word. If I was suffering at the hands of a bully, I'd go into my repertoire of insults and "win." When I began to change from kid to teenager, however, I became a butterball, and if somebody called me "fatso," I'd crumble. What goes 'round, comes 'round!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Lynn's Comments: My brother and I fought like crazy until we were both safely out of the house and on our own. Now, in our sixties, we are the best of friends. We've talked about our childhood and tried to figure out why we were so hard on each other. The old Smothers Brothers line "Mom always liked you best" was part of it but, we were also creative, competitive, and bored. Yes, it's a family fact: boredom is nicely relieved by a good dust-up!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Again, a Sunday strip that didn't have to be invented. Word for word, this was real dialogue, and I wrote it down on a paper towel in the kitchen. I never seemed to have a notebook available. There was one in my bedside table for ideas that came in the night, but during the day, I had to grab whatever scrap of paper I could find. I learned quickly to capture an idea as soon as I could. My chequebook, which was always in my purse (before credit cards), was filled with punch lines, fast sketches, and ideas for future strips. Trying to remember these things later was impossible, and if I let a good one get away, I'd be miserable! This exchange made for a cathartic cartoon and saved my son, once again, from the wrath of Mom.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I have a wonderful costume trunk. Over the years, I have amassed a huge variety of dress-up clothes, masks, wigs, props and makeup. We never lacked for materials when Halloween, plays, and local ice shows came along. I was never too protective of the supplies, which have been lent to family and friends, and now, passed from generation to generation.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Lynn's Comments: One of my favourite props was a punk-rocker "wig" which I gave to the accordionist, Ray Johnson, of the Newfoundland comedy team, "Buddy Whatsis Name and the Other Fellas." After attending a show, I realized that one skit needed a punk-wig, so I offered it as a gift. It was a gift that keeps on giving. I got to know these talented and fabulously funny guys--just a bit. I get a card from Wayne Chalk (guitarist) every Christmas, and some day, I've promised myself that I'll go to see them live on stage in St. Johns.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Lynn's Comments: I thought that in time there would be a return to uplifting family friendly films--stories that left you feeling hopeful, the music rich with cadence and meaning; music that would repeat in your mind for hours afterwards. "The Lion King" has been a recent one, but to my mind there just aren't enough.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Lynn's Comments: One of the children's books I loved best was about a family of rabbits who painted the woods with all the colours of the rainbow. In spring they painted the buds bright green, in the fall they painted the leaves different colours, and in winter, they painted the shadows on the snow. Even now, whenever I see long turquoise-grey shadows stretching across a snowy lane, I remember the illustrations in that book.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Because Aaron was four years older than Katie, she was left out of a lot of activities. She couldn't race away on her bike or cross the street alone or camp out with the boys in the backyard. She became attached to her dad (since I was working full time in the house) and spent hours with him in his workshop learning how to glue things and make stuff. I think this is why she is so comfortable with tools and to this day can build or fix just about anything!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This is one of the most reprinted strips I ever did. Many dads received a signed copy for Father's Day, and others received it "just because." It pleased me to think that dads who spent real, quality time with their children were getting the thanks they deserved.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Like me, Aaron and Katie truly appreciate good costumes. Every year at Halloween, they just had to look in the costume box or make a suggestion, and we had a plan. We would all get into the spirit of making wearable art. There was nothing too complicated or too farfetched for us to make and, our kids had the best homemade outfits ever (if I do say so myself). We had a Sherlock Holmes hat, pipe, and cape, but the year this strip was done, Aaron didn't want to dress as Sherlock. I was insistent and said that all I had to do was make the jacket, but no deal. Instead, he painted himself green and went out as the Hulk. Left to mourn for Holmes, I did this series of strips in his honour.

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, November 9, 2013

Lynn's Comments: This storyline was really about the hiring of a new receptionist for the clinic. Our ad in the paper resulted in over a hundred applications. Many of these were instantly set aside due to the reasons I put in this strip!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Lynn's Comments: Our first dog escaped the humiliation of being dressed up. Aaron was only a few months old when I sent our big Old English Sheep Dog, Farley, to live on a farm. Willy, our next dog, wasn't so lucky. Patient and easy going, Willy, a small black spaniel, succumbed to the creative energy of two kids with a full costume box. Willy put up with wigs, hats, pants, bras and footwear. He wore baby clothes and pirate gear. Without protest, he allowed himself to be transformed into whatever the kids conjured up, and I guess from a dog's perspective, this gentle abuse was a means to an end. When Willy was in full drag, he got what all pets yearn for: extra treats and loads of attention!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Lynn's Comments: After the applications for a new receptionist had been whittled down to a few, we called each girl out of the blue to see what her telephone attitude was like. An answer like, "Who? Who's calling? Hey, you kids shut the H*** up, I'm on the %#*&@^ phone!" was a definite "no."