I don't want to give up on you, Alberta

A 2021 comic about owls and hope

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve shared some of my old comics from my old sketchbook, “The Drawing Book.” But I don’t have any old sketchbook comics this week, either. Instead, I thought I’d share a more recent comic, written in 2021 for Calgary-based independent journalism outlet The Sprawl. It’s really been on my mind, this week. For a few reasons!

Reason #1: On Hallowe’en night, we saw a great horned owl on my street! Here’s a not-great photo:

Seeing the owl reminded me of this old comic, which starts with an owl. Back in 2021, during the stay-home-from-school period of the pandemic, an owl took up residence in a spruce tree in my next-door neighbour’s back yard.

(The “Defend Alberta Parks” campaign was a grassroots movement that started around that time, leading to many lawn signs being put up around the province.)

Reason #2 that I thought of this comic: I vividly remember the anxiety I felt around the time of the last American presidential election - something I’m feeling again, now!

The poem is seven minutes long, but if it’s a dark night and you need a spoken word piece that is essentially an analysis of hope, Bob Dylan’s 1963 “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie” might be just what you are looking for.

Reason #3 that I thought of this comic: I was just thinking about researcher and professor Jared Wesley. I’ll be listening to his online talk on “Finding Common Ground in Polarized Times” on November 6, right after the American election (and Alberta’s UCP leadership convention). Looks like the talk is sold out, but maybe a recording will be available afterwards?

Our dreams might come true in ways we just didn’t expect. I’ll try to remember that in the days ahead. Stay well, everybody! Let’s get through the next week, and hopefully then we’ll get back to the old Drawing Book comics.