daily: Browse The Strips

Friday, October 31, 2014

Lynn's Comments: When people called it "puppy love" I can't imagine a weaker label. Even in elementary school, the feelings I had for boys my age were so strong, they governed most of my thoughts. Sly looks, soft touches, love notes and straight out rejection were as real and powerful then as they were later on. Most grown-ups just don't understand. Those with good memories do!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The malapropisms kids use while learning the language are so much fun. Words like "awfuls" for "waffles" and "Anointed Stakes of America" made me laugh out loud. My mother told me she once wrote an essay on the copulation of Canada and how it grew bigger after the first world war. I never thought I'd get away with using that one, but I did.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Lynn's Comments: The strips I did on skating and hockey moms always struck a chord. Parents who spend a good part of their time sitting on hard benches in cold arenas while their offspring scramble over the ice should be given their own special place in heaven. It will be warm, have comfortable seating and the coffee will not taste like socks.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Lynn's Comments: This was another home truth I shared with my skate-mom audience. After hours of watching from the bleachers, you really do think you have good advice to give. Sadly, if you don't skate, your offspring will not be listening to anything you say--even though they OWE you the courtesy of a nod and a thank-you.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Lynn's Comments: In North Bay, we had access to some great sports facilities, so the kids were soon skating, swimming, and playing hockey. My car was on the road constantly--ferrying them to the rink or the "Y," or wherever the game was to be, and I had a rule: four trips only. I would only drive into town four times in a day. This was met with some confusion, as I had counted each way, there and back, as separate trips! The rule was then changed to eight trips. AAAUGH!

Monday, November 10, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Every now and then I could work in a "public service announcement" thanks to our in-house dentist. Grinding your teeth at night is something many of us do without being aware of it. You can even crack a filling with the strength of your jaw. A "bite splint" will help to relax your jaws at night and keep you from having that awful head-achy feeling in the morning. Sadly, it can't help to solve the problems that make you grind your teeth in the first place!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I have a friend whose worst accidents at home have been because of her dog. She has tripped over him, fallen over him on the stairs and she even broke her foot when he pulled her down an icy sidewalk one winter. Her favourite quote was "When I saw him at the shelter, I just fell for him!"

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Lynn's Comments: My dad always had beautiful window displays in his jewellery shop. The front windows were small, so we could really go to town--especially at Christmas. We couldn't afford new things, so we made do with wedding dresses from the Salvation Army for the snow, last year's Christmas cards for sparkles, and tinsel from our own tree. Mom found and painted tiny branches. She cut elaborate snowflakes from tissue paper saved from gifts and shoe boxes--and I have to say those windows were spectacular. Eaton's and the Hudson Bay stores in Vancouver had nothing on us. Folks would bring their kids by dad's shop windows just to see what we'd done that year, and if we were lucky, they'd come in and buy a gift or two. Interestingly, that wasn't the goal. We all loved the challenge of making that display the best it could possibly be.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Lynn's Comments: I was a member of the Art Centre board in North Bay for a few years. In an effort to make the theatre more profitable, a friend and I drove to a neighbouring town's theatre to find out how they managed to stay in the black. Thinking they had a magical formula, I begged them to tell us the secret to their financial success. The answer, sadly, was Bingo. Bingo became one of our main resources, too. You'd think the wonderful art of live theatre would have brought in enough to pay the bills!

Friday, November 21, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One year, my mother found a recipe for sugar plums. They were a lot of work, tasted awful, and gave us the trots. After that, "visions of sugar plums" had an entirely different meaning.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Lynn's Comments: One of the reasons I don't volunteer to be a board member now is that I always have suggestions. My philosophy is--if you make a suggestion, you should be willing to act on it! With this in mind, I graciously decline opportunities to be a board member. Even at the age of 65, I still can't keep my mouth shut!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Farley was couch height; his face was perfectly aligned with yours if you were in repose. Should you then feel the smog of dog breath, hear the sound of heavy breathing, and smell kibble, it was not advisable to stir. Once you let Farley know you were conscious, he'd smother you with affection--and drool!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Lynn's Comments: Having gone on several Medical Missions to Honduras and Peru, I am well aware of how little some people have and how much we in North America take for granted. When my kids said they were "starving," I was grateful that they had no idea what "starving" meant.