home: Browse The Strips

Wednesday May 17, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I was in a park the other day and there was a tree full of sneakers…pairs of them, just hanging there. Does anyone know the significance of this? All it does is make me think that some families can't afford shoes.

Sunday May 21, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Another embarrassing home truth. I did this, and felt like an idiot afterwards. Fortunately, we lived in the countryside–a good distance away from our neighbours. What made the strip work was the thought: "What if?" What if I had done that in a tightly knit, urban community? "What if?" was a muse I regularly relied on!

Wednesday May 24, 2017

Lynn's Comments: There comes a time when we all have to try and explain death to our children. My granddaughter, at the age of 5 is very curious about what happens after you die. She has asked me several times where I will go, and now that I'm close to finding out, all I can say is…I'll still be right here beside you. I can only hope that it’s true!

Thursday May 25, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My elder friends and I are now looking at our belongings and wondering who should get what when we go. It’s funny to note that some things I thought my kids would both want are not of interest to either!

Saturday May 27, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This thought came to me as I helped a friend prepare for her mother’s funeral. Her mom was someone I truly cared for, and yet, I seldom went to visit her. I felt guilty for thinking about her and doing more for her after she'd died than I did when she was alive. I am much more aware of time now, and how quickly it runs out.

Tuesday May 30, 2017

Lynn's Comments: This strip was done to counter the thought of death and bring everyone back, full circle, to new beginnings. Again, I received many letters from readers who felt this was an appropriate thing to include in the story. The strip was really a saga by now, and far from the "gag-a-day" ideas I'd started with.

Sunday June 4, 2017

Lynn's Comments: I had a lot of fun making up ads and slogans. Perhaps I would have done that for real had I remained in commercial art and advertising. Names of cereals, beauty products and cleaning agents were fun to dream up, and now and then I'd laugh out loud when I inked the drawings. Interestingly, some of the real ads for real products today, often sound like satire. Maybe there are too many products and not enough names to go around!

Wednesday June 7, 2017

Lynn's Comments: So many personal truths were told in the strip. As I reread everything, I see just how close to the bone some of my stories were.

Monday June 12, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My husband was certainly capable of remodeling the kitchen, but it might have taken years. In order to keep the marriage stable, we decided to get help. The dismantling, however, we did ourselves.

Wednesday June 14, 2017

Lynn's Comments: The trouble with design books is…they all seem to think you live in a tidy environment. They seem to overlook the fact that a space has to be lived in, and living means junk and clutter. I needed storage. Lots of it!

Monday June 19, 2017

Lynn's Comments: At the time of our kitchen renovation, we managed to dine in the hallway with the use of a borrowed hot plate and a microwave. This was fun…for a while.

Friday June 23, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Here’s where Annie’s husband, Steve, had a small role. Until now, he had just been a shadowy figure. I’d alluded to his infidelity, but had never gone into that story. It was a rather daunting one, and I wasn't ready. I did, however, see him as a bit of a hoarder, so when the Pattersons did their renovation, he was there to salvage their cast-off materials. At the time, I could see Annie and Steve’s garage crammed with stuff and all of the ensuing family squabbles it might cause. I imagined all of the interesting side stories this would generate…but in the end, I had only one statement a day to work with and my readers spent less than 30 seconds reading it! I never developed the "hoarder" side of next-door neighbour, Steve. There wasn't time.

Sunday June 25, 2017

Lynn's Comments: My first husband used to watch all kinds of sports on TV. It didn't matter what else was going on or what time it was, if there was a game on TV, he’d be lying on the couch watching it. I once suggested screwing legs onto him and turning him into a couch–that way he’d be useful. He didn't respond. He was too busy watching television.

Tuesday June 27, 2017

Lynn's Comments: Yes, I realized as we were dismantling the kitchen that this would be the perfect time to remodel the dining room, too. This meant removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room to create an "open concept." Open, much like my husband’s mouth when I made the suggestion.