For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 08, 2017

of course

Well, she has a point. If they can see the world, the world can also see them!

They do make one way glass these days, & even reflective, to keep out the sun & extreme heat.

This change to the Patterson home makes it more like Lynn Johnston’s house in Dundas, Ontario, the house on which the Pattersons’ house is based. While in the comic strip Elly refers to this as a glass addition, Lynn Johnston calls it a greenhouse which she and her first husband converted to be her studio. The way the glass extends out from the house, it looks a little like a greenhouse to me. My house has a couple of big windows, but they line up with the walls of the house.

Ellie’s reaction is pretty typical. “I want the light, but not the view.” :D

As much as people grouch about Ellie, as if she’s exactly Lynn, it’s nice to see that Lynn isn’t afraid to make Ellie look silly, and point out the absurdities in her behavior.

But they will see you peeping out from behind the shrubs.

This dialogue is so realistic, it’s frightening. As a husband, I can totally relate.

When I lived in dense suburbia – people didn’t seem to care about drapes or blinds. They have these huge windows all over their houses – even right next to the bathtub and shower – the houses are less that 10 feet apart – and it’s not difficult to see all the nudity you could stand to see 24 hrs a day. And it’s not a pretty sight.

TYPICAL!!!

When I first glanced at panel 3 I thought I was looking at Linda Blair,all grown up!

I had a set of two French doors from my living room to my deck. They would sometimes blow open. When I got fed up, I went to Home Depot and ordered sliding doors with built in blinds. They are wonderful!!

Get some Venetian shrubbery! Just pull the cord when you want to look out . . .

I like the way Elly talks about getting large shrubbery when there is giant, menacing black shrubbery looming in the foreground that is just there and not lined up with the house at all. The next day it will be:

Elly: That was fast! Thanks for getting the large shrubbery for the window, John.

John: I didn’t get a large shrubbery. I thought you got the large shrubbery.

During the day it is easier to look out, at night, easier to look in.

Lynn’s Notes:

Because the Patterson house was a combination of two houses I had lived in, it was a real challenge when it came to renovating. The real house on which this aspect of the cartoon house was based had a bedroom on this side, and there was no room for an addition anyway. My head sometimes spun with the decisions I made, and the storylines I fabricated.

Time to consult Roger the Shrubber.

“We are the Knights Who Say Ni! And we require… a shrubbery!”