I love this post so much! I've had a similar experience. Geese were the first animals I dared to draw, and I was surprised at how often they turned up in my haiku comics once I started making art a priority in my life.
You have an incredible way of bringing geese to life! It was fun to see all these drawings over time
Lots of thoughts about your story but oh wow, your course sold out! I didn’t realize it had the limit the first time I read through the description. Congratulations on the response, Kelcey, and I’ll be looking out for future chances.
I’m haunted by the way snapping turtles sneak up under paddling goslings and yank them to their deaths. So sinister! And yet, I’m a carnivore too, so who am I to lay blame? When I walk by clutches of geese with goslings, I’m always counting. Did the little one survive its transit across the inky black, dangerous pond this morning?There’s a terrifying children’s book in there somewhere.
Geese have eight goslings for just that reason: two for the snappers, two for the foxes, two for the coyotes, two to replace mom and dad. Nature is cruel and smart that way. And there doesn't seem to be any shortage of geese--except for when your AI driven elected officials single them out for a cull. Mustn't disturb golfers with goose poop on the greens.
I’m just going to throw this out there - I work at a college, a place you would think would still be champions of your own thoughts and words, yet AI is being crammed down our gullets. We are supposed to use it for our “customer emails” to ensure “accurate grammar and spelling” etc. I refuse to use it myself despite it being aggravating to cancel out of all of the “helpful” suggestions and “are you sure you want to send this thing you wrote yourself with no AI input?” The point being that I know employers are racing to embrace the wave lest they be left behind (in their view) and kind of trying to force it on their people. So while it’s still lamentable and I agree with your sentiment - I wonder how much choice that person really had in using it.
I hear you! I work at a university too, and I get the same "helpful" suggestions via email, and my students use it to send their emails, and we are constantly offered AI workshops so that we can use it in the classroom. So yes, I'm sure it's just what they do in the city now. I suspect that the person I wrote to didn't even see my email since I sent it after hours and the reply came 30 min later.
Oh lol even better - the ole canned response. We have yet another workshop on how to use AI in our work AND personal life and I can’t decide if I want to go and monopolize the whole thing with a massive rant about AI slop and the environmental impact of using this crap or if I just skip it. Feels like old person yells at Sky to fight it.
Oh Kelcey, this is so heart-wrenching and I know how it feels. Wild geese fly over our house during migration, sometimes right overhead, and there's nothing quite so stirring than to see them and hear them honk as they go over and sometimes even hear the beat of their wings - it always makes my heart leap. And I often think of the poem. When you become involved daily with wild creatures as you did it brings about such a strong connection. Thank you for this beautiful post! XXX
Sara and I look for the geese and ducks and other flying home-mates every day as we walk about the lake and celebrate. I often remember the moment when Merlyn returns to Arthur in the King's last days, exhausted by war and yet preparing for one more. Merlyn takes Arthur back into the cave with the committee of animals who had been and will now again be his teachers.
Changing him into Wart, his boyhood self, Merlyn further transforms him into a goose. As the flock rises up in unity and flies across the cold marches they are and the experience is for Wart, in the community of air and sky and clouds, majestic. I felt it with him in that climatic realization of the Once and Future King. Wart-Arthur wanted to stay with the geese but was called back to move forward with this greater and more humane knowledge of nature and the animal worlds. You, too, Kelcey, are nurturer of the Geese. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed your cartooning very much. Please keep drawing and being inspired by geese. In the 70s there was a fear that Canadian geese were disappearing. My dad was hired to help build nesting sites for them at Isaac Lake in Ontario.
We live near a lake and love seeing the little "Ryans" every spring, too. I'm sure I've been annoyed by geese more than once in my life, but never to the point of wanting them GONE. That just seems wrong. Hopefully next year's migration will bring them all right back.
Yeah nobody ever said they're not annoying! I'll be interested to see what happens next year. These geese don't seem to migrate--they just live here all year. Or, they DID.
Wonderful story Kelsey! Bittersweet. Geese get such a bad rap. Our property has lots of geese and crows, even one goose with a gimp leg! Did you ever see the movie Fly Away Home?! ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Barb! We've seen several with gimp legs but only one that became my pal (until I left town for 3 weeks and she wasn't there when I returned). I never saw Fly Away Home but just watched the trailer--so sweet! 🥰
I love this post so much! I've had a similar experience. Geese were the first animals I dared to draw, and I was surprised at how often they turned up in my haiku comics once I started making art a priority in my life.
You have an incredible way of bringing geese to life! It was fun to see all these drawings over time
Dear Kelcey,
I love geese!
In fact, one of my least favorite things is car horns honking but one of my more favorite things is geese honking!
Thank you for sharing as always!
Love
Myq
My mom used to addle the eggs of geese on our pond, my job was to distract them.
Lots of thoughts about your story but oh wow, your course sold out! I didn’t realize it had the limit the first time I read through the description. Congratulations on the response, Kelcey, and I’ll be looking out for future chances.
Oh bummer, Aimee! But thanks for your interest, and yes there will be future workshops!
I’m haunted by the way snapping turtles sneak up under paddling goslings and yank them to their deaths. So sinister! And yet, I’m a carnivore too, so who am I to lay blame? When I walk by clutches of geese with goslings, I’m always counting. Did the little one survive its transit across the inky black, dangerous pond this morning?There’s a terrifying children’s book in there somewhere.
Gah! This is not something I have witnessed!
Geese have eight goslings for just that reason: two for the snappers, two for the foxes, two for the coyotes, two to replace mom and dad. Nature is cruel and smart that way. And there doesn't seem to be any shortage of geese--except for when your AI driven elected officials single them out for a cull. Mustn't disturb golfers with goose poop on the greens.
Your terrifying children's book is emerging!
Shel Silverstein could get away with it. I’m not sure I can! But also, worth a stab. In this world, a terrifying tale isn’t a bad intro to reality.
Yikes... that made me feel sad. Reaching out to humans to get an answer about disappearing birds, and getting a response from a robot. COLD.
Right?! Cold indeed.
Sound OFF! CAW!! Honk! CAW!! Honk!
Birds are so cool. But they become scary when they are really big or outnumbered us. Good story.
You've got me thinking of The BIRDS! The BIRDS!! 😂
😁 I really enjoyed this. This year I have more appreciation for birds.
It is unfortunate that customer service is becoming so disconnected. 😔
I look forward to the whole live stream! 💃🏻
Thanks, Connie! There is certainly plenty to appreciate about birds! Not so much AI!
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Finally someone took my title literally!!! 😂
It felt so good, I’m going to do it again! Honk! Honk! Honk!
HAHAHA!! HONK! HONK! (it DOES feel good 😂)
Kelsey, hoping you’ll offer your workshop again
sometime down the road. Can I wait list for it?
I’m just going to throw this out there - I work at a college, a place you would think would still be champions of your own thoughts and words, yet AI is being crammed down our gullets. We are supposed to use it for our “customer emails” to ensure “accurate grammar and spelling” etc. I refuse to use it myself despite it being aggravating to cancel out of all of the “helpful” suggestions and “are you sure you want to send this thing you wrote yourself with no AI input?” The point being that I know employers are racing to embrace the wave lest they be left behind (in their view) and kind of trying to force it on their people. So while it’s still lamentable and I agree with your sentiment - I wonder how much choice that person really had in using it.
I hear you! I work at a university too, and I get the same "helpful" suggestions via email, and my students use it to send their emails, and we are constantly offered AI workshops so that we can use it in the classroom. So yes, I'm sure it's just what they do in the city now. I suspect that the person I wrote to didn't even see my email since I sent it after hours and the reply came 30 min later.
Oh lol even better - the ole canned response. We have yet another workshop on how to use AI in our work AND personal life and I can’t decide if I want to go and monopolize the whole thing with a massive rant about AI slop and the environmental impact of using this crap or if I just skip it. Feels like old person yells at Sky to fight it.
Yell at the SK-AI! :)
Oh Kelcey, this is so heart-wrenching and I know how it feels. Wild geese fly over our house during migration, sometimes right overhead, and there's nothing quite so stirring than to see them and hear them honk as they go over and sometimes even hear the beat of their wings - it always makes my heart leap. And I often think of the poem. When you become involved daily with wild creatures as you did it brings about such a strong connection. Thank you for this beautiful post! XXX
Yes, I feel connected to them both through living with them and drawing them. Thanks for sharing this, Deborah!
Such lovely illustrations and a wonderful telling of an ultimately sad story.
Thanks so much, Marcy. ❤️
Sara and I look for the geese and ducks and other flying home-mates every day as we walk about the lake and celebrate. I often remember the moment when Merlyn returns to Arthur in the King's last days, exhausted by war and yet preparing for one more. Merlyn takes Arthur back into the cave with the committee of animals who had been and will now again be his teachers.
Changing him into Wart, his boyhood self, Merlyn further transforms him into a goose. As the flock rises up in unity and flies across the cold marches they are and the experience is for Wart, in the community of air and sky and clouds, majestic. I felt it with him in that climatic realization of the Once and Future King. Wart-Arthur wanted to stay with the geese but was called back to move forward with this greater and more humane knowledge of nature and the animal worlds. You, too, Kelcey, are nurturer of the Geese. Thanks for sharing.
This is amazing, Jay! I love this connection! ❤️❤️❤️
I enjoyed your cartooning very much. Please keep drawing and being inspired by geese. In the 70s there was a fear that Canadian geese were disappearing. My dad was hired to help build nesting sites for them at Isaac Lake in Ontario.
Thanks so much, Laurie! I appreciate the encouraging words and am glad to hear about your dad helping the geese!
We live near a lake and love seeing the little "Ryans" every spring, too. I'm sure I've been annoyed by geese more than once in my life, but never to the point of wanting them GONE. That just seems wrong. Hopefully next year's migration will bring them all right back.
Yeah nobody ever said they're not annoying! I'll be interested to see what happens next year. These geese don't seem to migrate--they just live here all year. Or, they DID.
Wonderful story Kelsey! Bittersweet. Geese get such a bad rap. Our property has lots of geese and crows, even one goose with a gimp leg! Did you ever see the movie Fly Away Home?! ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Barb! We've seen several with gimp legs but only one that became my pal (until I left town for 3 weeks and she wasn't there when I returned). I never saw Fly Away Home but just watched the trailer--so sweet! 🥰