Lynn's Comments: What I stomped on was wasps' nests! Ground wasps were plentiful, and when I found one, I'd place a rock over the hole, twirl around on it and run before the returning wasps could see what had happened. It was a game of chicken, and much more exciting than the game I was supposed to be playing!
Lynn's Comments: Even the scenario here with the baseball glove really happened. I will clearly remember this day forever--no matter how much it's embellished!
Lynn's Comments: When my marriage dissolved, I was on my own wondering if I would ever find someone to share my life with again. When I did go out with a gentleman, I always wanted to know if they met with my children's approval!
Lynn's Comments: Last year, I met someone with whom I have a lot in common. We have been seeing each other for almost a year, now. My children approve.
Lynn's Comments: I have friends who live in seniors' homes, and the number of connections made between the residents is heartwarming. What I never knew when I was young is that relationships can be exciting and fulfilling and romantic at any age. Thank goodness for that!
Lynn's Comments: I have a friend who was forced to break away from a man she dearly loved because his children were afraid she would get some of their inheritance. It was the saddest thing.
Lynn's Comments: As I wrote and drew these strips, the angst and the fury came back to me. It's so hard to be in the body of a young adult, with the imagination of a child and the knowledge of an adult. I knew a lot more than my folks did, and yet, I was trapped, unable to drive or be out past 10 in the evening, or make important decisions on my own. I was also embarrassed when times got tough and I desperately needed my dad!
Lynn's Comments: When you are writing material for a comic strip or for any other dialogue, be it a stage play or even stand-up comedy, you create a situation in which there is sentiment, a reason to question, observe or pontificate. Then you write a possible exchange of views as you see here. Sometimes the exchange is within yourself, but there is always a path to the punch line. In writing with the voice of a child, I wrote a question I thought would be realistic using the right turn of phrase. With luck and a little guidance from the "muse," I got a funny response. On days when the writing goes well, you feel like a genius. On days when the writing goes badly, you feel like a jerk. The roller coaster of this job sure made life interesting!
Lynn's Comments: This was based on my playground memories, but you don't see too many metal slides any more. They were hot in the summer, but with a bit of polishing and a pair of long pants, they were faster than poop through a goose! Nope. Modern plastic slides just don't cut it.
Lynn's Comments: More real playground memories…I remember the sound and feel of the swings, I remember the pinch of the u-shaped seats, the thump of a loose pole, the sense that I could fly over the top if I pumped hard enough. No wonder you see so many grandparents pushing youngsters on park swings; it’s a way for us to go back in time!
Lynn's Comments: I recently found a birthday card I’d made for my mother. She'd saved it in a photo album, something I hadn't opened for years. I had forgotten about the card. It said, "When you're very mad at me, you're awful for a mother, But even if I had a choice, I wouldn't want another." I think I was 8 when I made the card. She and I didn't get along well and I wondered why she’d kept it. I think I was trying to rewrite history here. The strip often had a sweetness to it that wasn't part of my own childhood experience.
Lynn's Comments: We never had a dog when we were kids, though my dad, my brother, and I all wanted one. Mom put her foot down knowing a pet would be another thing she would be responsible for. She said no to a dog, and she ruled the roost. Nonetheless, we dreamed that someday, we'd be able to have this kind of close and loving relationship with a dog. Neither my dad nor my brother ever adopted a puppy, but I did. My first dog was Farley; an old English sheepdog, purchased by my first husband, Doug Franks, and I on a Sunday afternoon drive into the Ontario countryside. He later became the character "Farley" in FBorFW. My next dog was "Willy": a sweet little black Spaniel. Katie picked him out of a pet store window and declared him "family" since he had such big feet. Willy became my pet and constant companion. My mom knew what she was talking about when she said a dog would become her responsibility. Willy was certainly mine, but it was a responsibility that brought me 8 years of fun, activity and genuine pleasure.
Lynn's Comments: Ruth Carrie Johnston, my mother-in-law, was a lifesaver. She was my co-parent; someone I could count on every day and at all hours. My in-laws’ house was a 5-minute walk from our house, and I thanked my lucky stars for their love, warmth, kindness and generosity.
Lynn's Comments: There were a lot of frogs in our old neighbourhood. You knew it was spring when you could hear them in the wetlands near our house. Our dog never went looking for them with this kind of enthusiasm…he was too smart. The kids, however, did.
Lynn's Comments: When I was about three years old, my aunt had given me a pair of very frilly under pants. The entire backside was ruffled, and I was thrilled with them. So much so that I went around the neighbourhood lifting my skirt to show them off. I didn't understand why my dad was so upset or why he made me come home and put on a pair of overalls.
Lynn's Comments: My boyfriend and I used to line up around the Stanley Park road with the rest of the couples and fog up the car windows. One night, just as we were getting serious, there was a knock on the driver's side window.
Lynn's Comments: The officer who knocked was about my dad's age but obviously used to dealing with amorous kids. We were grateful to be allowed to go home with nothing more than our supreme embarrassment.