Full of Beans?

My, what an odd phrase Elly uses to describe April's infanthood. "You were so full of beans." Say what? Is this more Lynn-manufactured hip lingo? (We checked FBoFW.com, but as of yet, no treatise on the derivation of "full of beans" has been posted.) Or, is this commonly used terminology in the northern provinces? Anyone else ever seen this phrase used in this context?

It's easy to dismiss today's installment as just another dull car scene (the ninth such one we've been treated to this year). But, there is the interesting question from April at the end..."Do you miss me?" Perhaps Elly's use of past-tense to describe her affection for April ("You were adorable.") did not go unnoticed.

Which leads me back to something I've wondered outoud before about the depiction of St. Elly. Some of her behavior seems downright boorish (for example, abandoning April for long stretches of time or encouraging Liz to try to steal Anthony away from Frenchie). But, I assume this isn't Lynn Johnston's intent, since she describes Elly as her alter-ego.

But, is April's comment Lynn's acknowledgement that Elly's parenting sucks? Or, is it just one of those "kids say the darndest things" moments, intended to make parents reading the strip say, "Aw, ain't that cute? My own daughter Laverne Jr. said something like that just the other day."

Guess we'll find out tomorrow. If April grabs the steering wheel and says, "I've had enough, Mother! Prepare to meet Grace Kelly" and then drives off a Toronto cliff, we'll know Lynn really was trying to make a statement about parents' insensitivity to teenage angst.

But, I suspect this won't happen. It will be another day of Elly the wise and April the sassy. Perhaps the ladies will even decide to forget who they really are and cruise Yonge Street together.