daily: Browse The Strips

Saturday October 22, 2016

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!

Friday October 28, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was glad that the fireworks tradition wasn't part of an Ontario or Manitoba Halloween. On more than one occasion, we were threatened by big kids who wanted to ignite our paper costumes with "lady fingers" (small, red, tube-shaped fireworks) or sparklers. Every year, someone got hurt.

Tuesday November 1, 2016

Lynn's Comments: When my son, Aaron, was about two and a half years old, I enticed him into the bath, telling him he could have any colour water he wanted. I put a box of food colouring on the edge of the tub and he chose blue. I let him put a few drops into the water, and just as his blue bath was ready, the phone rang. The kitchen phone was right around the corner. I briefly talked to a friend as I listened to Aaron playing in the bath. I couldn't, however, see what he was doing.

Wednesday November 2, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I soon returned to the bathroom. I'd left the box of dye where he could reach it, and he had emptied every bottle into the tub. My son was sitting in a dark, murky swamp happy as a clam. I lifted him out of the water, and was surprised to see that his small behind had been dyed a dark, greenish-blue like an Easter egg. I thought it was funny, but Aaron was terrified. "I've got a green BUM!" He wailed. "I got a green bum!!!!" The colour lasted for over a week. He went to daycare afraid to ask for help in the bathroom in case someone saw. Fortunately, the staff had been forewarned and had the courtesy not to laugh out loud! This is a story I haven't let him forget.

Tuesday November 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Here, a fast dip into green food colouring turned into a week's worth of ideas. Things like this made the strip into a saga rather than "gag-a-day." For me, it was important to resolve a situation, which often meant taking one simple punch line and making it into a series.

Monday November 14, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Before I had my own business, I dropped my son at daycare and went to work like most other single moms. When Aaron was sick, I had, of course, to leave work, pick him up, and take him home. I felt guilty for leaving my job. I felt guilty for resenting the interruption in my day, and I felt guilty for not being a stay at home mom.

Monday November 21, 2016

Lynn's Comments: My husband often came home exhausted. Working with sensitive people, using tiny instruments and fidgety materials in an awkward space, takes endless patience. Added to this is the management of staff and copious paperwork. I think dentistry is one of the most tiring jobs there are.

Wednesday November 23, 2016

Lynn's Comments: In order to inject a little intrigue into the story, I made John's Doctor friend, Ted, a very bad influence. Although he was completely fictional, I was often asked who he "really was."