For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 26, 2020

Happy Birthday Elly!

When it comes to Elly’s age, confusion usually reigns. You may remember that in the comic strip reprinted Sunday August 26, 2018, Elly was celebrating being 39, but that was 2 years ago. That would mean Elly should be 41 this year and not 40.

SPOILER this next part. Don’t read if you don’t want to know.

Today’s comic strip from 1991 would put Elly born in 1951.

In the comic strip Wednesday, February 16, 1994 (to be reprinted in 3 years), Elly talks about turning 45, which would mean she was born in 1949.

Then in the comic strip from Friday, February 25, 1994, Mike reminds Elly that she doesn’t turn 45 until next year, which would mean she was born in 1950.

In the comic strip Friday, July 28, 1995 (to be reprinted in 4 years), they have a surprise 45th birthday party for Elly, so for once Elly’s birth year remains the same.

when was this day’s strip originally published? does that mean Elly was born circa 1960?

Wait till you’re 50!

Life begins at 40.

Ha…wait til you wake up on your 80th birthday. Talk about a day of reckoning!

Recently turned 50 and call me a “Debbie Downer” but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to celebrating it. To me it meant there were more days behind me than there were ahead of me and I was one step closer to doing the “danse macabre” with the Grim Reaper.

So Elly had Mike when she was 24 and Liz when she was 29 and April at 39.

That should go in the top ten in the list of rules for husbands: do not include the age ordinal in any birthday greetings!

Makes it sound like she’d rather have died than aged. I hate this sort of attitude. But it’s kind of an old comic strip, to be fair.

Happy birthday to Elly, to my 98 year old mom and to me! And happy 100th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment!

I can’t believe it’s been 21 years since my 40th birthday, that was the hardest birthday for me. My mother said she cried all day on the day she turned 30 but 30 didn’t bother me that much. 40 just seemed so… middle aged. 50 was cool as it was a whole half century. 60 was… meh. Mentally I’m as young as I ever was but growing in wisdom. If it weren’t for the physical ravages (arthritic knees, gray hair, wrinkles blah!) it wouldn’t be so bad.

So Elly’s a Virgo. That explains a lot!

Don’t know how my Mom felt on her 40th birthday— I was away at college. But to me, birthdays are always sort of fun. As I grew older though, they sort of morphed into fun without fun.

A couple of decades ago, I was at a birthday party for a colleague who had just turned 50. He exclaimed, “well, I guess I have to consider myself middle aged now”. Another older colleague then quipped “so, how many folks do you know who are 100?“ Both gone now, probably still razzing each other wherever they are. RIP guys.

I loved being 40! Kids almost grown, I was pretty much free. And in the best shape of my life. 50 was also cool…half century, still in great shape. 60, well….seeing age now, but it’s all good. I have too many friends who haven’t made it this far and I am often mistaken for 10 years younger, so I guess I don’t look awful. Check in with me in 7 years, though, when I hit 70….I hope I’m still happy with myself. (I think I will be).

My 40th birthday was the best – I spent it in NOLA celebrating the end of a disastrous relationship & the start of the best part of my life :D

I don’t really care how old I am. I figure if I die tomorrow I’ll have had a lot more time than many people get. When I was still working one of my co-workers turned 21. He thought he’d give me a little dig by hinting I was old enough to be his mother. I just said “Honey, I’m old enough to be your grandmother.” Next year I turn 70. We’ll see if that bothers me.

When my husband turned 30, he was so depressed (he grew up with a mother who was “always 29”…even going so far as to buy the number candles; she wasn’t pleased the year he switched them) that I contacted everyone we knew and told them that we were NOT going to celebrate. When he turned 40, he was so happy & we celebrated at an amusement park. Soon after he turned 50, he almost died. This year he’s turning 60, and he’s just glad to be here to celebrate. As for me, I’m 55 and haven’t hit my “traumatic” birthday yet.

I don’t celebrate birthdays, I achieve levels : )

Good heavens, but John looks way worse than she does! There, I just made Elly feel better…I think.

She’s only 40? What made her freak out so when she got pregnant? Didn’t she know she could still pop out babies at that age? Heck, she could probably have at least 5 more if she tried.

Wish Iwas 40 !!! I’m 72 now ugh!,, wish I could reverse my age to27!!!!

I don’t mind getting older, per se, it’s the regrets for everything I ‘should have done.’

hey at least he remembered!

Trying to remember 40… a long time ago. But, if you are not getting older, that means you are dead. Not a great alternative.I can’t stop aging, but I refuse to be old!

40 was not bad for me. 62 now!

Hey, you made it. Rejoice! Those aren’t flaws. Their badges of life.

Sheesh really? A little too self-focused, IMHO.

50 is the new 30. People are a lot healthier at 50 than people were at 50 twenty years ago.My daughter had a meltdown when she hit 30. I told her to think of the alternative. NOT reaching 30.

For my wife’s 40th our friends put a sign in our front yard. Some neighbors quickly donated black balloons for the sign.

What I wouldn’t give to be only 40 again!

40 is one of the good decades. 50 is rough for women (menopause). 60…it’s a cr*pshoot. So far I’m not impressed.

I just turned 60 and I swear I just saw Death standing in the doorway looking at his watch. ;-)

Followed by Happy 50th, followed by Happy 60th, followed by Happy—DON’T YOU DARE!!!

I’m happier in my 60’s than I was in my 40’s. Back then I was busy raising kids and I could never do what I wanted to. Now I can do what I want, whenever I want. Still have good health.

For me rough time, back then age 40 no biggie, now I have Medicare Supplement calling all time, yes in September I have to knock Medicare, yup I turn that last day of the year, at least I had that major surgery for women a couple of years ago.

When I turned 40 (was that really 30 years ago?), my co-workers decorated my office for me with black crepe banners and black balloons that said “Over the Hill” and “Happy 40th”. I still have the polaroid photos that were taken that day. Good memories.

i’m 70 and i earned everyone one of my wrinkles, gray hairs, cellulite plus it is better than being 6 feet under or in an urn on a shelf somewhere. be happy and enjoy your day.

My bride didn’t cry or lock herself into the bedroom when she turned 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70. She says she’d rather get older than NOT get older.

Ahhh…The Great Birthday Debate. IMHO, being able to have birthdays sure beats the alternative.

I don’t get it. She doesn’t want to hear the words Happy or Honey? I guess it’s to show how self-absorbed people can be for no reason.

My sister is 39 years old 39 years after she turned 39.

No,NO NO! It’s happy 29th Birthday, Again!

I toyed with conspiring with my wife’s workmates to pretend that June 25, 1996 (her 40th) was really June 26. Ended up just giving her a moratorium on age jokes.

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I’m 64.” Cool song & a cool age.

Cool! Her birthday is the same as mine!