For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 15, 2022

This is the one comic strip that had a map showing how the town of Milborough was laid out. It answered a lot of questions I had about how Michael and Elizabeth could walk to the mall, or to the movies, or to the ice skating rink, or back home from school. As you can see, everything is really close to where the Pattersons live.

Why apologize to the Family Circus cartoonist when drawing that imaginative map?

I still enjoy reading that comic too.

This is going to be like having catnip around and telling a cat to ignore it.;-D

Wondering why John thinks Mike will skip the street south of the park…

“Come right back.” That’s a good one!!

I wonder if today’s strip will continue next week, with Michael joyriding—and maybe wrecking—John’s car.

Two and a half blocks and she can’t walk?

Billy grows up.

You just know he is going to show off and plow into a cement truck…

Get out of bed and drive the kid yourself. I have chronic back pain due to deteriorating discs. And I have found that the car seat actually eases the pain since it offers so much support.

Based on this map, the skating rink us only two blocks away. She can’t walk?

I would have set a time limit but it’s hard to enforce and sometimes trust is a two-way test.

Lynn’s Comments:

Here is an homage to Bil Keane’s comic strip, Family Circus. I’m pretty sure that every cartoonist has done this at some point.

How is Michael going to pay for gas? Grandpa is not here to float him.

This doesn’t look zoned for residences and their house isn’t actually shown so we don’t know how far away it really is.It’s

Looks like John has already been to this rodeo…years prior when he was Mike’s age.

Should have reminded Michael, that he has to pay for the gas

Where’s the make out point where he can take chicks?

That path is impossible without backtracking.

I used to drive a turbo Miata mx5 with suspension upgrades and all kinds trick stuff.It was my daily driver and a whole lot of fun.I had a similar event with my youngest son where he needed a car for a ‘quick’ errand.So I gave him the keys. When he came back he placed the keys back in my hand and very sincerely said, ‘ please never let me drive your car again ‘. He was a bit overwhelmed by the power and handling of such a small vehicle and pretty convinced it would quickly lead him straight to hell. Horsepower and testosterone! What a combo! Lol

Well John, at least it’s taken your mind off your bad back.

Cruising by the chicks real slow.

John summed it up on Mike, take off of Family Circus.

In 1969, my senior year, a friend of my step-dad came to see him and parked his 1967 yellow Corvette convertible in front of our town house. It had a 427 aluminum block engine with dual four-barrel carburetors, a Hurst close-ratio transmission, rack and pinion steering, and a posi-traction rear differential. When I came inside and commented about his car, he tossed we the keys and asked if I knew how to drive a “stick.” I had never driven a stick before, but I understood how it worked in principle, so I smiled and said, “Yes, I do.” He told me to be back in two hours. By the time I drove out of the parking lot, I knew how to drive a stick. That was a fun two hours driving around Kansas City.

Given that the proposed route seems to be only a few blocks long, what could possibly go wrong? See Jan And Dean’s classic 45, Dead Man’s Curve for details…..

What I find amusing is that Liz presented Elly with a list of her activities when school started - times, places, events - so Elly knew that Liz had skating practice on such-and-such a day. Yet, Elly scheduled Tot Swim at the same time as when she should have been taking Liz to practice. Tot Swim? Lord, have mercy! Like that couldn’t have been put off a while - Ape isn’t even two yet - the swimming could have either waited or other transportation arrangements could have been made. Ah, I know, there wouldn’t be an “amusing” arc

John, I hope you mentioned that you would be checking the mileage on the car!

Not Me!

Nervous Norvous sings “TRANSFUSION”.