By Mr. Schnell
In his sick, deranged, evil plot Putin wants a western nation to put boots on the ground and provide military assistance to Ukraine. That will give him the justification to escalate, of course, only in his currently ill and paranoid state of mind! Since the Soviet Union’s collapse his only obsession is to “reunify” and reestablish the USSR. To attain that goal, he bombs and destroys Ukraine, whose only “crime” is the geopolitical misfortune of bordering his broken-up, former USSR. Is this the bait a suicidal, short, balding, old, degenerate, has-been that Trump calls “a genius”, is using to draw the United States and the rest of the “unified” NATO member countries into nuclear war???
Looks that way, at least to me!
These last 7-8 days have been so damn depressing. The previous three years the world dealt with the Covid fiasco, daily dismal, worldwide climate change floods, hurricanes and tornados and now this potential World War III nuclear nightmare scenario!????!!!?
I was watching a news report of a young women fleeing the bombing in eastern Ukraine. She reached the western border and was interviewed by a reporter. She spoke of the killings, the rockets, the planes, and the bombings. In tears she looked upward and said words to the effect that she will never see a clear, blue, peaceful sky and take it for granted: EVER AGAIN! This poor kid! Her sad, choked up, emotional words … the shaking, frightened demeanor … all evidence she had seen, experienced and escaped hell. For now!
I have always been a tree hugger type of guy. When people tell me they need a vacation and take off for Europe or the Bahamas … that is not what a vacation is for me. That is not my escape. I head for seclusion … the woods. Peace, quiet, nature, and unique, short lived, fleeting, scenic skies. I would later return to the rat race, the man-made world, recharged. In short time, however, I wore down and couldn’t wait to get away again. The recharge wasn’t lasting long enough. It got shorter. I finally retired (September 2018). I was praying for at least 5 years of peace, quiet and avoiding people, their nonsense and their contrived urgency.
Then Covid hit in December 2019. So did a return of man’s nonsense and contrived urgencies. (I tried avoiding but you can’t…people are everywhere).
The wife and I isolated, wore masks, and social distanced. Sold everything and moved out of a politically red state to a blue state; far north and far east. Got a new house and bought a small piece of land to fulfill my goal of being able to carry in/carry out camp, camp, and camp some more. I never took the outdoors for granted and cherish every minute I am privileged to be surrounded by it.
Go home, see the wife, shower, resupply, see if she wants to camp (“No? Okay. See you in a couple days.”) then head back to the Wolf Pup, sitting in a field I now call Wolf Pup Meadow.
No more haircuts, no more work schedules, no more petty people nonsense.
I want to give a shout out to my blogger buddy in England, Schnark.
Schnark plays the mandolin and it would be great to have him strumming out some chords while we share a great campfire and watch a gorgeous sky with its ever-changing clouds, colors, and picturesque beauty.
Schnark anytime you are in the area stop by! (I don’t know how to sail but my cartoon persona does.)
Since Putin’s Insanity has the world hostage I have decided to live vicariously through my cartoon characters in their peaceful and sane cartoon world.
There are no nukes here and no petty human contrived urgencies.
May there be renewed freedom and peace on earth. Good night all and may tomorrow bring a better day. Glory to Ukraine.
There are no nukes here and no contrived urgencies
Does Anyone Know Where I Set My Coffee? 
My partner and I live in small town Alberta, Canada, way way up North. We don’t live in the wilderness, but being a peacenik hippie and a cat-loving non-religious woman in the middle of RedNeckLand we might as well be hermits. We barely even know any of our neighbours, most of them won’t say Hi to us.
But no matter where we live, the world still butts in. Covid was a non-starter, we did our social responsibilities, and fortunately stayed healthy–not even colds and flus since we started wearing masks. But now with Convoy dummies driving around town every Saturday blasting their horns for hours, and Putin flexing his muscles in the Ukraine, and American Republicans taking away people’s freedoms IN THE NAME OF WHITE FREEDOM, we wish we lived on the moon, or in the Antarctic with the penguins. People are the worst animals on this fucked-up planet. Not to be mean, but, maybe Nukes are the answer–nothing else, not even climate disasters, seem to shake people out of their own little worlds. As long as they are happy looking through their rose-coloured eyeglasses, nothing else matters. NO ONE ELSE MATTERS.
PEACE BE WITH YOU, SIR!
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RG, When I think of all the life on this planet: animal as well as plants … sequoia trees to a seedling of grass, whales, rhinos, wolves, deer, rabbits, penguins, sharks, even feral dogs and cats … all life … land and sea … and that man is the supposed “steward of the planet”… it is a thought that depresses the hell out of me if I dwell on it. Animals generally avoid man and rightly so. The thought that man, in possession of a nuclear arsenal, can determine the fate all life on this planet is an abhorrent aberration, in my humble opinion. I used to hunt but after a few years as an ICU nurse the job pretty much took the blood lust out of me. If I wanted blood and guts, I went to work. When I retired, I avoided all that ugly and got the added pleasure of just sitting outside my camper and watching the deer and birds down by the woodline. I could sit to my heart’s content and I finally am lucky enough to be able do just that. Then comes this Putin bullshit … Dayum!
I wrote your gmail address.
Also … upstate new york is pretty much red country rural. I know your isolation!
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I did some ugly things as a child, before I understood. I am not proud of them, but I cannot deny them. I have never hunted. My father made me fish, once! I refuse to let a once-living tree be brought into my house to celebrate the birth of a ficticious character. My friends all think I am crazy. Let them. I will look for your email. I don’t look there very often, anymore.
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We are kindred spirits. I regret my hunting childhood and work to make amends. As I started cartooning I was told how crazy I am. So what. Crazy be fine by me!!! My best friend (second to my wife) is my feral cat Bunky. Bunky came and went as he pleased. I wrote a few blogs about him. Good talking with you RG! (I bet northern Alberta is gorgeous!)
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It was, until the wildfire of 2019. I mean,it is still beautiful, but the bjrned out forest needs rejuvenation.
Meanwhile, no email yet. gewcolo@…
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resending email from feb 22 2022
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Ah, thought you meant a new one. Misunderstood.
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https://quickschnell.com/2020/11/20/bunky-the-feral-cat/
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Dear Mr Schnell,
There is part of me thought I might be a Putin apologist, but now hearing the latest news, not the bombing of the nuclear power plant, (I see a logical possibility that that could have been talked up by our media, I haven’t seen pics…), but the outlawing of anti “war/not war” reporting/graffiti etc. That does sound scary, and I can’t see how it could have been misreported. He seems to be all out to finish this off now at all costs, and it begins to sound like the West will need to face up to him soon. But I don’t think now is the time. America isn’t ready and Europe is not tooled up. Expect to see another hike in taxes to pay for the preparations that will be made. The hope that the Russian people will step in is just that. I share it, but not with any confidence. I honestly think Ukraine should be encouraged not to fight, there is no help for them. Many people through history have lived under oppression, and their lot if they do capitulate will be bad, but I don’t think it fair to put children through this fight, even if they would choose it.
However it’s not my choice or yours, and they must know what the score is by now, so if they fight they do so knowingly. I think they can stand down with their honour intact, but many won’t even if the government surrenders. It is all ghastly and we would love not to know it, but we do.
I’m going to my boat now, so should be off line, keep smart phone bat for emergency coms and weather reports.
I’ll let you know how I get on!
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I finished an extensive study and review of WWII and Hitler’s slow but steady takeover of Austria, Czechoslovakia and then his invasion of Poland. I read of Neville Chamberlin’s attempts for peace with Maniac Hitler and Churchhill’s rise and the efforts to get FDR to commit while the United States wanted nothing to do European affairs…It took the bombing of Pearl Harbor to awaken America. I have been aware of Putin game from Day #1 when Trump entered the presidential race in 2016. Putin is the reincarnated version of a nuclear Hitler. Here we are!
Smooth sailing my friend … would enjoy joining you …
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I chickened out, I was heading for Sheerness, an exposed beach that faces north, but the wind was north, so I might have struggled to get off. My only alternative was 12hrs out on the marshes, which can be glorious, but the rain was not conducive to that sort of enjoyment.
Still, I saw the river, and heard the seabirds, and helped a friend fit his rudder.
I think the key difference with Mr Hitler, was the economic situation. To some extent Hitler and his evil intentions were welcomed by folk who were very poor.
The key similarity is the sense of wounded national pride, for having been unfairly disadvantaged. Germany, for 1st war reparations, and being constrained on empire building, Russia felt immasculated after the fall of the Soviet Union.
There are nationalists all over the world, and any nationalists in Russia will find it hard to resist Putin’s spin on world affairs, and “anti Russia” policy. He will make it easy for them.
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