For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for December 16, 2021

Pretty much.

Either Elly is the only parent watching the bus leave or all those other people there got on the bus. Regardless, it makes for an interesting visual.

Kids grow up so fast.

That’s perfect Lynn!

Elly is almost as big a PITA as June Cleaver!!

Choirs wear identical outfits so they DON’T stand out. Forget the red bow.

And Ellie will hear her voice singing (I know she won’t but the song will resound in her heart).

..and everyone we know will be looking for you.

I was the kid whos mother was always standing there alone….Thanks Mom!

Mothers.

Gotta love ’em!

“♪ ♪ I love you, a bushel and a speck…” d;o)

So true. They don’t even remember how much we beamed with pride in the audience (and how they avoided us after so their friends wouldn’t see us gush over them.) I will never forget at my son’s high school concert hearing a voice introduce” Let’s do the Timewarp” and it was my super shy but apparently really goofy son!” I can’t believe he talked them into it, but it was a blast.

My mother took part in the local choir at a Billy Graham crusade once. Yes, she was just a speck in that group, but she was MY speck and yes, I did manage to pick out her face from the rest of the choir.

The rest of Elly’s sentence in the last panel:

“…and I don’t want that speck to embarrass ME!”

The theme of the last two strips has been Elly telling Liz that she’s an embarrassment. What a prig!

How Elizabeth became Elly’s speck:

“On behalf of Mr. Moreau, Ms. Johnston, and the Children’s Trafficking Union, thank you for coming out tonight. Mr. Moreau has asked me to remind you that all winning bids must be paid upfront, and we are only accepting cash. First up, we have Elizabeth. A good choredoer, and with practice will become an excellent packer and room cleaner. Again, this is a fine specimen. No scars, no visible injuries and examined personally by Mr. Moreau’s doctors. Opening bid for Elizabeth will be $1,000. Do I hear $2,000? $2,000, how about $3,000? $4,000? Going once, wait, $5,000? Going once, going twice, sold to Elly Patterson! Elizabeth is now property of Elly Patterson, to be bought and sold of as the case may be.”

Playing on yesterday’s strip, which showed Elly farting in the last panel, there could be a strip about that, where Elizabeth forgets something important. Elly solves the problem by putting on roller blades, eating a bean burrito, then blasts off to catch the bus.