Ducks got such a response, and I am overwhelmed, and heartened.  Thank you for your kind words.  I think more seriously about a larger work, after this.  I’ve read a lot about people’s experiences in Fort McMurray, articles and exposés, and what have you, but not too many matched the things I saw and felt, not many came from people who had been there for any length of time.  And it never feels like the time when I am up the task of doing the place justice, like my comics talent has not hit that point yet, but at the same time, I’ll eventually lose the details if I wait too long.  

I wondered what to follow that up with, since this blog is a random mix, and will go back to being that.  I figure a post about Stan Rogers might be the ticket.

If you’re unfamiliar, Stan Rogers was a Canadian folk musician.  What made him great, in my eyes, is the ability to get at the heart of a matter, evoke loss, convey great feeling, without being overly sentimental.  He could really paint a picture.  And though most of his best known work is heavily Maritimes, he could convince you he came from anywhere in Canada, depending on the song, because he wrote with a powerful understanding of place and identity.  

The album here is a greatest hits sort of thing, but I encourage you to look up more if you never have.  If I take storytelling cues from anywhere, I hope many of them come from Stan.