Monthly Archives: August 2013
Lynn's Comments: My folks went out of their way to make sure that Aaron had something fun to do every day. And.... typical kid.... he figured this was the way life should be--ALL the time!
Friday, August 2, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Even though she was the centre of attention when he was gone and even though they fought often, Katie really missed her older brother. She'd lie awake and talk about him. One night, she even asked if she could sleep in his bed.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Lynn's Comments: My father loved to dance. He would pick me up and dance with me until I fell asleep in his arms. He could sing so well and knew the words to so many songs that he never seemed to run out of waltzes or shanties or tunes from the bar. I remember the swoop of his body as he waltzed to the "Blue Danube" with theatrical panache. He could two-step and tango and polka and jive, and I melted into his shoulder with the rhythm and the warmth of his style.
Last November, my daughter, Katie, and her husband, Lane, presented me with my first grandchild. Laura is now almost two years old, and she loves to dance with me. I hold her the way my father held me. I sing the same songs, and I move with the same style. I thank him again and again for this memory and a gift that I'm now passing on.
Last November, my daughter, Katie, and her husband, Lane, presented me with my first grandchild. Laura is now almost two years old, and she loves to dance with me. I hold her the way my father held me. I sing the same songs, and I move with the same style. I thank him again and again for this memory and a gift that I'm now passing on.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Lynn's Comments: The habit of bringing home gifts when I travel has been handed down to my children. Now whenever they travel, I can't wait to say, "What did you bring me?"
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Lynn's Comments: This really happened--Katie did hide in a photo booth. Unfortunately, we were too upset to have her picture taken!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Rod spent every minute he could in his treasured workshop. He could make or repair almost anything. Even though he was usually very careful, there were times when he did go to the clinic with a bandage or two! This always gave his patients a laugh and inspired me to do this strip.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Nothing is worse than not knowing where your child is. Even though this was a story that quickly resolved itself, readers were anxious and a bit angry with me for doing it. In a sit-com, there is an outcome within minutes. In a comic strip, you have to wait a day or more to find out what happens.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Aaron did bring a gift for each one of us--fortunately, there were no crabs. This idea came from one of my own attempts to keep wildlife. Trips to the beach on the west coast often included digging in the tide pools, where we'd find all kinds of neat sea creatures. One day I brought home a pail full of crabs, which I left in the trunk of the car. I didn't remember them until my mom said there was a horrible smell coming from the trunk. That smell stayed for weeks ... and so did Mom's anger!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Now that I am dogless, I find dog breath hard to take. When I had Farley, his breath came with warm licks, and his enquiring sniffs were more than welcome. Even so, there were times when I couldn't stomach the smell. Once, when Farley ate my chives, I was overwhelmed by his breath, but there was one time that was much worse; I was standing at my kitchen window watching him happily lying on the warm driveway, chewing something he'd found with obvious relish. He chewed with that look of ecstasy, the look children have when they're eating ice cream, that blissful satisfaction that comes with flavour and fun and mouth-watering fulfillment. He'd toss his head back, reposition his prize, and chew again. He was happy. Eventually, my curiosity got to me and I went out to see what succulent something he was chewing on. I couldn't believe my eyes. The object he was blissfully savouring was a flat, well-rotted, dried-out toad. To Farley, it was dog jerky. To me, it was horrible. I would have shown the true source of Farley's halitosis, but really, it was too gross for publication! [Eventually this gag did make an appearance, with Edgar doing the dirty deed.]
Monday, August 19, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Lynn's Comments: So many times I ran around my neighbourhood with a finger or a plastic gun, pointing at friends and crying, "BANG! You're dead!" It was exciting. It was fun. We heard the headline news and listened to our parents. Dad had been in the war, but nothing they said made a difference. We were on a mission to win something. We didn't know what. There was no real sense to it, nobody explained why we were fighting or what death meant. We were just caught up in the thrill and the energy and the noise and the fun. Later, as a cartoonist, I saw a striking similarity to a child's attitude and what really happens in a war.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Lynn's Comments: The quote "my lungs sound like a barn full of owls" came from my dad. He was a pack-a-day smoker whose health was steadily deteriorating. Cigarettes were a staple for many musicians, but Dad's declining health and Alan's growing maturity made him see that he had to quit before he couldn't play the trumpet any more.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Lynn's Comments: The quote "my lungs sound like a barn full of owls" came from my dad. He was a pack-a-day smoker whose health was steadily deteriorating. Cigarettes were a staple for many musicians, but Dad's declining health and Alan's growing maturity made him see that he had to quit before he couldn't play the trumpet any more.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Lynn's Comments: We all experienced the pain of withdrawal with him.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Lynn's Comments: When he found himself checking the garbage for butts, he realized what a serious addiction smoking was!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Lynn's Comments: This was an actual quote from my brother. I whooped when he said it. Not only was it funny, it was a punch line I didn't have to come up with!