wine glass: Browse The Strips
Lynn's Comments: Once in a while, I would put a bit of religion into Christmas and Easter strips to prove that I DID know the reason for the celebration and to assuage the readers who thought I was far too focused on the commercial aspects. I could guarantee three kinds of mail when a strip like this was released: One came from the Christian right, who asked that much more focus be put on ecclesiastical issues; one from the atheists, who felt that I was pushing religion down their throats; and finally the moderates, who appreciated the occasional reminder that festivals like this deserve a nod to the deity for whom the chocolate was fashioned and the bells were tolled. Again, I tried to answer every letter I received. Even if I disagreed with someone's philosophy, I certainly appreciated the time they took to write to me.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Lynn's Comments: My bed had a white headboard and, for as long as I can remember, a violet, flowered bedspread. I would turn it into a vehicle, a flying carpet, or a tent in the wilderness -- and with each incarnation came a different position for sleeping. I used the pillow for everything from a headrest and chest protector to a dashboard and helmet. The blankets could be a cloak, a tent, or a capsule in outer space. In my bed, my imagination went wild, which was good thing ... because I was sent to my room a lot!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Lynn's Comments: My brother is quite a good cook. He did like to use a wok. Most of the meals he made were in my kitchen, and I still have the wok to prove it!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Lynn's Comments: We didn't have a garage, so my brother's bands practiced in our basement. For as long as I can remember, the sound of their practicing was ambient noise, and when he wasn't rehearsing with his buddies, Al practiced his horn for hours. The scales, the trills and the tricks of the tongue had to be repeated endlessly, and there were times I just had to escape from it. No amount of teasing or pleading kept him from practicing--which is why he was, in later years, such an excellent musician!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Tuesday December 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Lynn's Comments: These strips are from a scene in my childhood. The morning after a New Year's Eve party, our house had been left as it was. Bottles of half-finished beer, glasses with the dregs, drying canapes, and stale chips covered the tabletops. Remnants of cigarettes and cigars filled the ashtrays. Alan and I were the first on the scene, and the place was ours!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Lynn's Comments: We drank what was in the bottles and glasses.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Lynn's Comments: Alan lit up and puffed a cigar. It was something he would later regret.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Lynn's Comments: Our folks didn't suddenly wake up and discover our deeds that New Year's morning. Dad went to use the bathroom and found Alan doubled over the biff (from smoking the cigar), and me in the tub smiling stupidly. As I recall, neither of our folks was angry with us for trying out contraband; they were mad at themselves for leaving it there. We all considered it a lesson learned.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Lynn's Comments: This is another example of how a common turn of phrase like, "on and off relationship," can lead to a punch line. Unfortunately, colloquial expressions don't translate well, so my work was more popular in English language newspapers. This can be a problem for the syndicates' sales reps, so some cartoonists make their dialogue less complicated. Jim Davis, for example, makes sure that Garfield is easily translatable!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Lynn's Comments: I was often asked to champion women's rights in the strip; to reinforce feminism. I never felt comfortable with the word "feminist "; it's a word that to me suggests a negative attitude towards men. Rather, I preferred the word "equalist, " and I thought Elly and her friends were smart and independent and funny enough to show they were indeed equal to the men.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Lynn's Comments: Little things stay in your memory, for example, I remember when my mother and dad finally allowed me to drink out of real glass. I felt so grown up. It was as though they were saying, in a significant way, "We trust you."
Friday, January 1, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
Lynn's Comments: This idea was given to me by a male friend. It was his observation that women's conversations were much more serious and meaningful than men's. What do you think? Was he right?
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Lynn's Comments: In reality, we could take the kids anywhere. They were always respectful and well behaved--or else! The restaurant "time-out" was to take the offending child to the car and sit with them until they saw the error of their ways. The hard part was knowing my own meal was getting cold as the rest of the family sat inside.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Lynn's Comments: My daughter, Katie and her husband, Lane, were married under a tree at English Bay in Vancouver. There were four of us in attendance, thus avoiding the dreaded wedding speech!
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Lynn's Comments: Some Sunday strips were so true, they were painful. This was me. This was my husband. He did try to help, but I actually prevented him from doing so. In drawing this strip, I hoped other wives would see themselves. I think some did!
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Lynn's Comments: I still buy nice napkins for my table and folks still refuse to use them--but I do.
Thursday November 24, 2016
Tuesday January 24, 2017
Lynn's Comments: Maybe this is one of the reasons Canadians are so friendly!
Thursday March 22, 2018
Lynn's Comments: This is true. There was a coffee house on Davie Street in Vancouver where I tried to be a folk singer! Many of us did. In the 60s, music and entertainment were everywhere. If you could sing and strum a guitar, there was always a place where you could play—for free. One night at The Bunkhouse, I opened for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. I was awful and they were very kind. My career, thankfully, went in another direction!
Saturday March 24, 2018
Lynn's Comments: Strolling across the parking lot at Canadian Tire today, my partner Paul and I were talking about our past and how much fun we'd had. We wondered about the new generation of kids, and it occurred to us that right now, is THEIR "good old days!"
Friday July 20, 2018
Lynn's Comments: These drawings were done with all of the sounds, sights, rides and disappointment I could remember. The only thing I ever won at an arcade was a big box of chocolates. Crazy with excitement, my friend Marian and I opened them up on the bus on the way home. Inside we found the dusty, grey, broken remains of what must have been the oldest chocolates in the world. Oh well, we did get a story out of it, which in the end, is better than a first prize after all!
Sunday August 26, 2018
Lynn's Comments: Ahhhh, 39. It seems so long ago. A friend of mine has just turned 40 and I told her that she is beginning the best years of her life: "You're mature and confident, you've found your career, your children are old enough to feed themselves, you're still young and active and you still recognize yourself in the mirror!" Yes, 39 was a great year, turning 40 is fine, too…and you have 10 years until the dreaded 5-0. Amazing how quickly those 10 years will fly by!
Tuesday December 25, 2018
Thursday June 11, 2020
Lynn's Comments: They call this "date night" now. When I had babies it was, "get me outta here, or else!"
Sunday May 15, 2022
Lynn's Comments: We have always enjoyed going out to eat as a family. Getting there wasn’t always easy. When the kids were tiny, we would remove them from the restaurant as soon as they started to fuss. One of us would go out and stay in the car with the fuss-budget until there was calm. This meant many interruptions, leaving a meal to get cold, and sitting in a car with an unruly kid. Eventually, we were all able to go out—to any restaurant, anywhere—and know that our kids would not cause a scene or get too out of hand. Whenever we see families with disruptive kids causing everyone in a restaurant to clench their teeth, we know there is a solution to the problem. It takes a walk out to the car and a few minutes of downtime. It works!