street: Browse The Strips

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Some of my childhood friends were only children. They often told me how lucky I was to have a brother. From my standpoint, I'd have gladly traded places with them - or exchanged my brother for something more practical, like a bike or a movie projector. The only time Alan and I really got along was in the face of a common enemy. We might have belted each other about, but we always came to each other's defence.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Katie learned how to press Aaron's buttons long before she could speak. With subtle looks, sarcastic expressions and covert sabotage, she kept him on his toes. One thing she could do was cry on demand. This gave her a distinct advantage. Who could resist the tears of a sweet innocent when a fight broke out? Aaron's friends were his greatest allies. Nobody can figure out little kids... like another little kid!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Vancouverites always have an umbrella somewhere handy - ready to use at a moment's notice. My folks had a stand in the front hall full of them. We used them as swords, canes, and crutches. We filled them with water and we let the wind blow them inside out. I was always surprised by how much abuse they could take and still do the job. Much like mothers, umbrellas are always there when you need them!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Lynn's Comments: We tried to prepare Aaron for the arrival of his new sibling by telling him his position in the family would be elevated to "Big Brother" status. This didn't go down nearly as well as the promise that when the new kid arrived, there'd be gifts for him, too!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Lynn's Comments: The town of Lynn Lake was small enough that kids could be out on their own and you knew they wouldn't be much more than a block away. Even so, one of us always accompanied the trick or treaters - as much for the social interaction as for their safety. Aaron resented having Kate along - he didn't like to be slowed down. So this didn't happen. This was another "what if" moment. What if Lizzie's appearance resulted in more loot?

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Lynn's Comments: When I was 12, I saved up enough money to take my family to Vancouver for dinner and a movie. It was my Christmas present to them. It cost everything I had been able to save. It cost me $12.00. We took the bus and ate at a Hastings street beanery. We saw "Danny Kaye in Hans Christian Anderson" and I paid for everything. My parents were so proud. It was the first "big" present I ever gave- and I still think of it as one of my best!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Lynn's Comments: This happened to me outside Woodward's Department store when I was small. My folks were standing close to the curb, watching for the bus to come. I was next to the window checking out the Christmas display and watching the Salvation Army Santa. He wasn't doing much, so I started to ask him questions (not in a disrespectful way) and he barked at me! This was very un-Santa like behaviour. My mom explained that this wasn't the real Santa, just a helper in a red suit and beard. Even then I was aware of bad advertising and felt that Santa should know he was being misrepresented!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Lynn's Comments: Whenever I was with a group of kids, the temptation to shoplift was greater. There was a thrill to be shared and safety in numbers. My chums were more likely to talk about it than to actually do it, but once in awhile, one of us would give in. After a hasty escape and covert examination of the booty, the accusations would come and the "winner" reduced to the level of common thief. I remember sneaking back into Orek's department store to return an object after we had stolen it- and I have to say, this was more fun than taking it!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Since Michael had visited an art gallery and had been exposed to some sculptural "exposure"...I wanted to have some fun with his snowmen. This strip got me into some hot water, but not enough to melt the scene. Fortunately, my easy-going readers thought it was a funny idea and the editors agreed.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Our dad was a big kid at heart. He enjoyed riding the hills as much as we did. I always wondered why he was so eager to join us in our games and our fantasies. I later read in his sister's (my aunt Bessie's) diary, that he had always held a part time job, and after his dad was injured in the shipyards, he was sent to work full-time at the age of seventeen to help support his family. He never really had a childhood--and loved to share in ours.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Katie was able to crawl into the tiniest places and we did "lose" her in our roomy house from time to time. One of her favourite spots was under the kitchen sink, which meant I had to put the soaps and cleaners in another place. Convenience always takes a back seat to safety!

As a kid, I loved hide and seek. I attended kindergarten in a private home across the street from ours. Our teacher, Miss Stewart, often had us play this game, but we had to stay within the classroom. How dull! I knew her house well and when it was my turn to hide, I left the room and hid in her broom closet. Kids searched for me and Miss Stewart hollered. I eventually got bored waiting for them to find me, so I decided to surprise them all by taking my clothes off. When Miss Stewart opened the door to the broom closet, there I was in my birthday suit. Immediately, she pulled a small rug off the floor, flung it in front of me, and told the class of giggling kids to go back to their chairs and wait. At once, I was shoved into my duds. Miss Stewart's sister watched the class as she marched me across the street to my house. Mom opened the door to a barrage of complaints, accepted me into the house, thanked Miss Stewart, and sent me to my room. That day, I was expelled from kindergarten. I guess this was the last straw!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Michael has been smitten by Deanna and has heard his uncle talking about Georgia. He knows that love, whatever it is, carries a powerful punch and serious consequences--should you fall! I remember being hopelessly in love in first and then again in third grade. Nobody would have believed the extent of my "crushes" or how badly I wished the boys I liked would return my affection. Puppy love really is serious stuff to a kid and shouldn't be casually dismissed!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lynn's Comments: In a neighbourhood where boys outnumbered girls (and the girls were GIRLY) I tried to fit in by being as gross, grubby and rude as the boys were. I wanted to join their club--but the initiation was: you had to pee through the knot-hole in Gary Perkins' garage. Not having the necessary equipment, I offered to spit my way to acceptance. This I had learned to do on the back porch with my dad and when the time came for my initiation, I beat Gary by two feet, six inches. As a member, I had to constantly impress the guys with outrageous acts and better my last indiscretion to prove I was worthy. When you think of it, this was preparation for jobs later on--where women were not treated as equals!

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Down the lane behind our house, the garbage cans waited. Every lid was a potential shield, every can a treasure chest. Eldon Avenue residents checked their cans as soon as school was out--knowing that a stream of kids would soon be tumbling by, looking for fun and mischief. After a year in Lynn Lake, none of us knew whose lid was on which can--and it never occurred to us to wire them on!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Janice was going to be a regular character in FBorFW. I was looking forward to having a rough and tumble girl down the block who would be an even match for the boys. She was named for a tough kid I knew growing up, and I hoped to explore some of my more daring exploits through her. I imagined Mike and Lawrence battling Janice and other "enemies" in an ongoing quest for neighbourhood supremacy. Sadly, Janice soon disappeared. Perhaps she came on too strong. Perhaps I bowed to reader criticism. Either way, I lost a neat character and some potentially good story lines.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: The kids who were eager to show their report cards, always had good ones--no F, D, or C appeared on their neatly prepared sheets. I always tried to avoid these too-good-to-be-true types. Instead, I gravitated towards the mixed-bag students who had As in the stuff they liked and a "pass" in everything else!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Telling the truth when indeed the truth is obvious should be, well....a no brainer. Still, I remember telling some whoppers, for which I was severely punished. It was always a toss up: which will get me into deeper poo... the deed or for the cover-up?!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Despite his father's shortcomings, Gordon Mayes was being raised with a good work ethic and a sense of fair play. He feared and avoided his father, but his respect for his mother gave him some balance in a seesaw world. His difficult life at home gave him both courage and maturity. He might have looked like an underdog, but Gordon, in many ways, led the pack!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Buying my own things gave me pride and independence. On the year of my twelfth birthday, I saved twelve dollars. During the fifties, this was enough to take my family to Vancouver on the bus for dinner and a movie. It was wonderful to be able to pay for everything with my own earnings. That twelve dollars made me feel like a million bucks!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Lynn's Comments: What I wanted to say here, was--Michael had a kind heart. He wanted to cheer up an elderly neighbour, but was embarrassed by his own actions and played down the gift by saying the flowers were something his mother wanted to get rid of. I don't think the punch line worked too well and this strip sort of missed the mark. Sometimes the hardest thing about describing a situation like this is...well, describing a situation like this!!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Lynn's Comments: Yes, this was another opportunity for readers to reprimand me for not being a responsible dog owner. Still, one has to wonder: even with all of their good intentions, did these people never have something like this happen? "He who is without sin," and all that? I always wanted to say, "Folks, it's a cartoon dog!" When you make a published statement every day, and you tell it like it is...be prepared to be told off!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Lynn's Comments: On really hot days, my folks would put the sprinkler on, and my brother and I would play all day in the spray. We did the same thing for our kids. One hot summer day, while walking to a friend's house, I saw a sprinkler and thought, "if I was five years old I'd run through that thing in a heartbeat!" Then I thought..."Why can't I do it now?" So, I did.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Lynn's Comments: This gave me the opportunity to show how worried the children would be seeing their dog go to "the hospital." We take each healthy day for granted, and to a child, the family dog seems invulnerable to anything that could take him away. Showing concern for Farley's well-being was, I thought, a story that families could relate to. My sister-in-law Beth (the vet) was a great resource at this time.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Lynn's Comments: After reading Tom Sawyer, I was convinced that spooks really did come out at night. My dad was no help; he loved to tell ghost stories. The Brothers Grimm book was a favourite of my grandfather's. Between the two of them, my brother and I were reluctant to go out in the dark until the year that my grandma gave us flashlights for Christmas. We used these to expel ghosts from corners, creeps from closets, and bugs from the bed sheet, until the batteries ran out!