24 replies
  1. Harris497
    Harris497 says:

    Penny, this was very revealing. On the one hand, I can see years of pain and the efforts you made at coping. On the other hand, I see a declaration of freedom/independence.
    Now is your time girl. Continue to help others by being your authentic self.

    Peace
    D

    Reply
  2. Paul Hassing
    Paul Hassing says:

    Hi, P. This is a URL-free test. Your flipbook called to mind Laurie Anderson’s Tightrope (from Bright Red). Not sure why. But maybe if you listen/read, it may resonate. Keep going with the piccies. You do a mean beet(root)/turnip! Kindly, P.

    Reply
    • Penelope
      Penelope says:

      Thank you for identifying the food in the picture. I drew a lot of food before I thought one was acrtually recognizable, so I’ll take this as positive feedback 🙂

      Penelope

      Reply
      • Paul Hassing
        Paul Hassing says:

        It is positive! I used to convert AU Eng cookbooks to US Eng. You & your bloody scallions & courgettes! I was impressed you added a shadow line to the leaf. For a moment, I thought you’d cut craft paper, in keeping with the naive art style. The extra dimension game me courage to identify, even if it got lost in translation. Hands across the water, and all that. Keep going! Best, P. 🙂

        Reply
  3. Micaela
    Micaela says:

    I recognize some of these behavioral themes in my family, but not all, mainly because I’m an only child.
    My family was German and English and emigrated before Hitler’s rise and the great war. They emigrated because they were impoverished.
    It’s interesting how humans are so alike across cultures and times, including the cruelty to one’s family piece. Cruelty is a coping mechanism arising from the amygdala (I call mine Amy and she’s a beautiful green iguana).
    The cruelty to others and its inverse, self-flagellation, are completely unnecessary.
    Why is this a universal human adaptive response? There are no benefits I can see.

    Reply
  4. Mark W.
    Mark W. says:

    I don’t know what it is about me, but I notice every spelling error.
    On this blog and everything I read for that matter.
    I think grammar too, but especially spelling.
    Fourth flip page, Dinstance should be Distance.
    BTW, I do like your flipbooks!

    Reply
      • Mark W.
        Mark W. says:

        I’m glad to hear that you were able to fix the error without breaking everything else. I recommend backing everything up (or at a minimum the relevant file(s)) before making changes so that you’re able to restore file(s) to their previous state if you experience any problems.

        Reply
  5. Yvette in NH
    Yvette in NH says:

    “You’ve been doing all this performance for nobody” – hits hard.

    I feel like you’ve been speaking for our GenX experiences. Surely that will be worth something, someday. In the meanwhile, it was therapy.

    Reply
  6. Theresa Quintanilla
    Theresa Quintanilla says:

    WOW… excellent writing and images. My parents were good to us, but my father’s father was “Hell on wheels.” This brought back so many of my deceased father’s behaviors. Thanks for helping me reconnect with my memories of him… with deeper understanding.

    Reply
  7. Sean Crawford
    Sean Crawford says:

    As regarding projects, I related to a book on studying that said that after you have researched for a paper, and the last steps of making a cover page and typing it up seems frivolous, well, that last bit must still be done: it counts, and it builds character.

    I used to daydream about what I could say to help relatives, but I never did. So I never tossed flotation life rings: it says in the Old Testament (the Jewish one) something like “a prophet is honoured except in his own home.” I take that to mean that God’s plans to help folks in one’s old home do NOT include you.

    I have decided that, under God’s sky, “When they are ready, their teacher will appear.”

    Reply
    • Penelope
      Penelope says:

      I use Heyzine. You can export directly from Canva to Heyzine or you can upload a pdf to Heyzine. If you make a flipbook let me know! I have a fantasy that there will be a flipbook movement.

      Penelope

      Reply
  8. Louis
    Louis says:

    I’m pretty sure all of these either appeared in a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode or were pitched in one of their writer’s meetings

    Reply

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