Thelma Baird: Browse The Strips
Friday, September 18, 1987
Monday, October 12, 1987
Tuesday, October 13, 1987
Wednesday, October 14, 1987
Thursday, October 15, 1987
Friday, October 16, 1987
Saturday, October 17, 1987
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Foreign-Language Versions:
If there's a non-English version of this strip available, it'll show up below. Or, you can browse our entire collection on this page.
French Strip:
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Lynn's Comments: Farley the dog - in real life - had come from champion stock and had a list of names a yard long (aside from the names I called him). For a while, my first spouse and I belonged to the Old English Sheepdog Owner's Association. We attended shows, meetings and picnics and I did the heading for the monthly newsletter. We thought about breeding Farley and happily chatted to members about all the caveats involved. He was a beauty. Unfortunately it was discovered that he had mild hip dysplasia and we had to make other plans. I often wonder how life would have changed had we become more involved with the serious business side of dog ownership!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Lynn's Comments: From time to time friends who didn't have children would come by for tea, to chat about whatever ladies chat about during their spare time. I didn't have much time to spare, so unless the topic was a "grabber" I'd find myself drifting off, eyes wide open, trying to digest something that wasn't being swallowed. My kids noticed this ability to daydream - especially when I was working - and would ask if they could have a beer or a raise in their allowance just to see if I was tuned in! Suffice it to say, it became embarrassing when I'd run into folks later and ask a question I should have known the answer to. Eventually they knew me well enough to expect the occasional lapse of memory!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Lynn's Comments: Sometimes a friend would tell me something that was so perfect for a comic strip that I couldn't wait to go home and draw it up. My friend, Loretta, was a wonderful cook. She often had friends over for dinner and was always well prepared ahead of time. In our small northern town, certain fruits and vegetables were hard to come by, so when a shipment of fresh food arrived, we all got into cooking mode.
Loretta had filled her fridge in preparation for a neighbourhood get-together but had forgotten to remind her family that the food was for company. By the time she discovered their scavenging, it was too late to replace the groceries. When she told me what had happened, I remember laughing so hard that I couldn't catch my breath. A few weeks later ... the same thing happened at MY place!
Loretta had filled her fridge in preparation for a neighbourhood get-together but had forgotten to remind her family that the food was for company. By the time she discovered their scavenging, it was too late to replace the groceries. When she told me what had happened, I remember laughing so hard that I couldn't catch my breath. A few weeks later ... the same thing happened at MY place!
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, November 24, 2013
Lynn's Comments: Ours was an "English" household. My mom would often invite someone over for tea, and tea was served with a ritual of cubed sugar and freshly baked cakes. Kids had to be seen and not heard. If we wished to stay in the living room within reach of the desserts, we had to be patient, quiet, and still. This gave us ample time to research the guest's physical attributes and to think of suitable questions to ask later. Sometimes the questions came out before the guest's departure. I made some gaffes, but I don't remember saying anything punishable.
What I do remember is my mother telling me something she had once done. One of her mother's tea time guests was a stern, humourless woman who disapproved of children being within hearing distance of an adult conversation. My mom waited and watched in silence as the two women drank and gossiped. Eventually her mother acknowledged her presence and asked if there was anything she'd like to say. Surprised by the opportunity to speak, my mom turned to the haughty lady at the table and said, "You have a very pretty hat. It would look better if it had a smile under it."
What I do remember is my mother telling me something she had once done. One of her mother's tea time guests was a stern, humourless woman who disapproved of children being within hearing distance of an adult conversation. My mom waited and watched in silence as the two women drank and gossiped. Eventually her mother acknowledged her presence and asked if there was anything she'd like to say. Surprised by the opportunity to speak, my mom turned to the haughty lady at the table and said, "You have a very pretty hat. It would look better if it had a smile under it."
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Lynn's Comments: This is the prayer my grandfather always said before a big meal. "For what we are about to receive, may the lord make us truly thankful." We thought it was a great prayer. It was sincere. It was genuinely heartfelt, and it said what needed to be said--before the gravy got cold!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Lynn's Comments: Mrs. Baird was a background character who was meant to be put aside once Farley came into the family (her hobby was breeding Old English sheepdogs). To tie in with this, I also did a few strips about her being a friendly neighbour. I guess her short appearance struck a chord with some readers who asked to see her more often. In this Sunday page, I have her working in her greenhouse and talking to Michael--in a way that enabled me to say more about her personality and her past.
If Mrs. Baird was based on anyone at all, it would have been the ladies who lived across the street from us when I was growing up in North Vancouver. They were sisters, the "Miss Stewarts." They taught kindergarten and piano and were endlessly patient with me. I made a habit of going to their home uninvited and was rarely told that they had no time. When I needed an extra hug or another grown-up opinion, I headed for the Miss Stewarts' house and twisted the ringer on the front door to be let in.
Not long ago, I was in North Vancouver and I went for a nostalgic walk down Fifth Street. Their old wood frame house is still there, though mine is now a condo complex. A notice was on their fence to say the house and the one next door would soon be condos as well. I'm glad I got to see it one more time. There have been many unforgettable folks in my life, and these two ladies are certainly among them!
If Mrs. Baird was based on anyone at all, it would have been the ladies who lived across the street from us when I was growing up in North Vancouver. They were sisters, the "Miss Stewarts." They taught kindergarten and piano and were endlessly patient with me. I made a habit of going to their home uninvited and was rarely told that they had no time. When I needed an extra hug or another grown-up opinion, I headed for the Miss Stewarts' house and twisted the ringer on the front door to be let in.
Not long ago, I was in North Vancouver and I went for a nostalgic walk down Fifth Street. Their old wood frame house is still there, though mine is now a condo complex. A notice was on their fence to say the house and the one next door would soon be condos as well. I'm glad I got to see it one more time. There have been many unforgettable folks in my life, and these two ladies are certainly among them!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Lynn's Comments: I toyed with the idea of making the punch line something like: "But, Mom, you don't PAY me!" But then, I thought back to the times in my own childhood when I hated doing menial tasks at home but would help a neighbour just for the fun of it. I didn't actually enjoy doing things for my parents until I was well into my teens! When it comes to understanding kids, it's a good thing we have our memories to rely on. We just have to admit that we did the exact same things.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Monday, January 25, 2016
Lynn's Comments: There were several Mrs. Bairds who thought this lady was named for her. One was a friend of my father's. Another was a neighbour we had in North Vancouver. When I needed a name, this one popped up, and I have no idea where it came from!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Lynn's Comments: It's strange to be reading this again and writing notes on the subject because this: I have just sold my big lakefront house and have purchased a small townhouse. I get to move in this spring!
Friday, January 29, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Lynn's Comments: The third panel says it all: this is what makes a house a home.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Lynn's Comments: It was fun to see these dailies again. For the past week, I have been helping a friend move, and soon I will be moving to a new place of my own. I have been going through my friends' keepsakes, collections and personal things, as well as my own. It's important to go through the items we have collected and treasured throughout our lives. It gives us the opportunity to revisit some wonderful moments in our history. It also gives us the opportunity to chuck out a load of #*%$##@* junk!!!
