daily: Browse The Strips

Friday, September 26, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Growing up in North Vancouver meant we lived on "the rain coast," where it was rumoured that some of us had webbed feet. Despite the fact that rain was inevitable, I was well into my teens before I agreed to use an umbrella!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Science projects for me were always a lot of fun. Both my parents were so keen to get involved, that all I had to do was know the facts and write an essay.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Katie asked to have her ears pierced as soon as she saw other little girls with earrings. We said she could have pierced ears for her fifth birthday. We took her to the local jewellery store, and she was almost too excited to sit still; however, she didn't expect piercing to hurt so much and refused to get the second one done. It took a while to make a decision: Either take the one out or have the second earring put in. She decided to go ahead with the second one--as long as her brother couldn't watch!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I first started to "notice" boys when I was in 3rd grade. I had a real crush on Jimmy Thompson--he lived near me, and I'd walk home from school with him whenever I could. One day I told him a story about my grandfather (my dad's dad) and how he had been in a terrible accident at the shipyards, where he worked in Collingwood, Ontario. I said his head had been crushed and he had a metal plate put in where his skull had been removed. I said you could attach stuff to his head with magnets, and this got Jimmy's attention. He walked home with me--straight to my house where he demanded to see my mother. He said I'd been lying to him, and when he told her my story, she said, "you know, Jimmy, it's actually quite true." He was duly impressed and agreed to be my friend. I had learned that a good story was a great way to get attention--and I also learned that (for the most part) it had to be true!

Friday, October 3, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Until perhaps grade 4, I believed in witches. I had seen "Sleeping Beauty," and the evil stepmother haunted my dreams. One night, I had a particularly vivid dream, in which I was being chased by a horrible witch. I climbed up a tree, but she was right behind me. As I climbed higher, the branches became thinner and thinner until I was stuck with nowhere to go. I looked down at the witch and said, "OK, do whatever you're gonna do. I don't care." As soon as I said that, she climbed back down the tree and ran off. I was never bothered by witches again! Guess you really do have to confront your demons.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Every time I did a Halloween strip, I based my ideas on what I remembered as a kid. Nobody bought costumes then--the kinds of disposable, commercial costumes just weren't available. Our get-ups were entirely original. I wonder how many folks still make their own stuff?

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The Barnstorf family lived across the street from us in Lynn Lake. Aaron and their youngest son, Roy, were great pals--always on the go, always getting into something. One would spur the other on, and although they could be troublesome, they never really got into trouble. The Barnstorfs' dog, Lady, was a wide, placid, and friendly English Springer Spaniel. She would put up with just about anything. One day, I went out to look for the boys and I heard the "Rmmmm-rummmm, neeeerooowwwww" sounds kids make when they're pretending to ride a motor bike. Around the side of the house, Aaron watched, waiting his turn--while Roy, standing astride Lady, loosely twisted her ears as if they were handles. Leaning forward like a racer, he drove Lady down an imaginary speedway, changing gears, changing lanes; you could almost see the wind whipping up their hair. Lady was expressionless, moving side to side, as if she were a hot machine and part of an improv comedy skit. I admonished both boys for teasing the dog, but inside, I laughed and looked forward to someday putting this scene into the strip.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My kids didn't feel the need to talk endlessly on the phone the way I did. Even with the advent of cordless handsets, they preferred to just go over to a friend's house and hang out. One thing about in living in a small rural community; your friends are all a short bike ride away.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of my better one-liners. When something like this hit my head, the whole week was in the bag! Coming up with a decent ending to each 4-panel strip wasn't easy, so one good one made the rest of the strips look good, too.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Here's where the "soap opera" comes into FBorFW. There had to be some romantic conflict in the story, so when Connie moved away, I enjoyed exploring some of the "what-ifs." Would people like John and Ted meet and talk like this in real life? Maybe not. Still, it was a way to answer some of the questions a sympathetic fly on the wall might ask: What if Ted felt badly? What if he realized his mistake? Exploring questions like these gave me the incentive to produce and to stay on deadline.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Lynn's Comments: When I was a kid, my friends would come to my house to talk to my mother. She and I didn't always see eye to eye, so it surprised me when my friends considered her advice worth seeking. I accepted her relationship with them with admiration and jealousy: admiration for her, jealousy because I couldn't confide in her the way they did.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My dad made us a leaf press and we used it a lot. After we left home, my mom continued to use it for the 4-leaf clovers she found. She would place the dried leaves between two sheets of sticky acetate and laminate them; then she'd put them into cards and letters--sending a bit of luck along with her regards. To this day, I have a box of her 4-leaf clovers. They are too precious now to send.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My friend Carolyn Sadowska (a professional comedienne who's known for her comic impressions of Her Majesty the Queen) and coincidentally Aaron's Grade 1 Teacher once told me that our monarch ate bacon with her fingers, which would render this approved mealtime etiquette. I wondered, then, how she would tackle a cob of corn. Food for thought.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of the best costumes my folks ever made for my brother was "the mad scientist." It consisted of a lab coat, an Einstein-style wig, a black moustache, pipe, and granny glasses. In the pockets of the coat Dad had placed severed fingers, a tube of fake blood, and a stethoscope. The bag Al carried was covered in mathematical formulae--a real nod to Dad's ability to do research. I don't recall what I wore that year, so--Al was a hit and I was a miss.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of my husband's favourite sayings--when he was facing a seemingly impossible task was, "Details! details!"--meaning that anything can be done. This was a family inside joke, which the kids really enjoyed.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Mike Peters (Mother Goose and Grimm) tells a story about how upset his girls would get if he embarrassed them in public. Now, Mike just can't help himself--he's a wonderfully theatrical guy with a prankster's edge. When one of his girls left her school lunch at home, he delivered it in person by leaping into her classroom dressed as Superman. This strip reminds me of that day, and how Marci still winces when she thinks of her dad in that costume.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Nope. Nobody in our family ever made a talking head on a table as a Halloween costume. This was another descent into the "writer's mind" where silly ideas lie. The prospect of sustaining such a monstrosity made me think about how a small group of boys would treat their experimental pal; whatever they did, it would be messy!