All posts by George Walters

George Walters is a Canadian columnist and author with more than forty years of writing experience. For over twenty years he has written a weekly column for Postmedia Network — Canada's largest newspaper chain — never missing a single week, publishing fifty-two stories a year. Combined with his work in Reader's Digest Community Voices, World News, Country Living, The Country Register, and farm and rural lifestyle magazines across Canada, he has published well over two thousand stories drawn from everyday life. He writes about farm work, fishing, old trucks, and the kind of people you only find in small towns — but just as likely he'll hand a voice to a weathered telephone pole, or turn his eye on something happening in the world today and tell you exactly what he thinks about it. No subject is off limits. If there's a story in it, George will find it. He has been called a philosopher of everyday life, a description that came up more than once during his television appearances over the years — and it's not hard to see why. His writing has a way of making the ordinary feel worth sitting with. He is the author of eleven books, including yearly short story collections and the Clay Moretti Files mystery series. Clay is a fifty-year-old private investigator who drives a 1967 Ford Galaxie, smokes cigars, and operates by a code the modern world gave up on a long time ago. The cases are present day. The man handling them is not. All titles are available in paperback and eBook on Amazon. Together, George and his wife Ruth have also created Elmer Finds His Way, the first in what he hopes will be a long series of children's books. Ruth did all the illustrations, as she has for every one of George's books — and beyond that she designed and painted the covers as well. Her work is woven into every page of everything he has published. A few words from readers: "I pulled up a kitchen chair and read your story three times." "You have a way of making a person homesick for a place they haven't been to." "Thank you for writing things that make old people and kids feel the same way at the same time." All my titles are available in paperback and eBook on Amazon.ca here.
George's Writers Corner

What’s Happening On April 20/23

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Good Morning!

It’s another cool morning here, waking up with the temperature sitting at 0 C | 32 F. However, it will warm up quite a bit as the day moves forward. But in saying that, we won’t be having any summer weather like we had last week for a while yet. What we will be getting is a lot of rain off and on, which is normal for this time of year, at least in our area. Highway 522 is getting busier every day with out-of-towners roaming around. It is nice to see folks out and about.

On another note, my lovely wife and I had to go to the big city yesterday, as they finally found time to remove her tooth that was bothering her for the past three weeks or so. It wasn’t very pleasant, to say the least. But it is done, and now she has to heal a bit. She hasn’t had any real food for a day now, so I am thinking she is getting somewhat hungry. While in town, we picked up some groceries along with some yogourt, so she should be able to eat that without too much difficulty. Hope so. Other than that, the ride to town was nice with the roads being dry, and we did have some sunshine following us which brightened up our life so to speak.

Today I will work here on my computer, being that it is still cold outside.

With that I am off for a bowl of shredded wheat and will then see what the day has in store. You never know, life is like a mystery novel, you never know what the next page might bring.

In Closing I Would Like To Wish You Well. GW

All my books are available on my Amazon Author Page.

If you purchase a book, a brief Amazon review really helps new readers discover my work—it means a lot.

Support my writing: Support My Writing

In Closing, I Would Like to Wish You Well!

George Walters | [email protected]

Other Things

Living Life to the Fullest

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One day I had lunch with some old friends.  Jim, a short,

balding golfer type, about 80-years old, came along with them; all in all, it was a pleasant bunch.

When the menus were presented, my friends and I ordered salads, sandwiches,

and soups, except for Jim who said, “A large piece of home-made apple pie, heated please.”

 I wasn’t sure my ears heard him right, and the others were aghast, When Jim continued, completely unabashed….”along with two large scoops of vanilla ice cream.”

 We tried to act quite nonchalantly as if people did this all the time, but when our orders were brought out, I didn’t enjoy eating mine. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Jim as I watched him savouring each bite of his pie a-la-mode. The other guys just grinned in disbelief as they silently ate their lunches.

 The next time I went out to eat, I called Jim and invited him to join me. I lunched on a white meat tuna sandwich, while he ordered a chocolate parfait. Since I was chuckling, he wanted to know if he amused me.

 I answered, “Yes, you certainly do, but you also confuse me. How come you always order such rich desserts, while I feel like I must be sensible in my food choices?”

 He laughed and said “I’m tasting all that is possible for me to taste.

I try to eat the food I need and do the things I should in order to stay healthy, but life’s too short, my friend. I hate missing out on something good. This year I realized how old I was. (He grinned)  I’ve never been this old before, so, while I’m still here, I’ve decided it’s time to try all those things that, for years, I’ve been ignoring.”

 He continued, “I haven’t smelled all the flowers yet. There are too many trout streams I haven’t fished. There are more fudge sundaes to wolf down and kites to be flown overhead.

“There are too many golf courses I haven’t played. I’ve not laughed at all the jokes.  I’ve missed a lot of sporting events and potato chips and cokes.

“I want to wade again in water and feel ocean spray on my face.

I want to sit in a country church once more and thank God for His grace.

“I want peanut butter every day spread on my morning toast.

 I want untimed long-distance calls to the one I love the most.

 “I haven’t cried at all the movies yet or walked in the morning rain.

I need to feel the wind on my face. I want to be in love again.

“So, if I choose to have dessert, instead of having dinner, then should I die before nightfall, I’d say I died a winner because I missed out on nothing. I filled my heart’s desire.

 I had that final piece of pie before my life expired.”

 With that, I called the waitress over… “I’ve changed my mind,

 ” I said. “I want what he’s having, only add some more whipped cream!”

All my books are available on my Amazon Author Page.

If you purchase a book, a brief Amazon review really helps new readers discover my work—it means a lot.

Support my writing: Support My Writing

In Closing, I Would Like to Wish You Well!

George Walters | [email protected]

George's Writers Corner

One of My Stories About School Days For You to Enjoy!

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“Dear reader, I am happy to share one of my stories about school days with you. It’s a tale that is both nostalgic and entertaining, filled with moments of laughter, friendship, and mischief. So sit back, relax, and let me take you on a journey through my memories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed living it.”

The old one room school house was warm that morning.  Laura and Reg, the folks that I lived with, also looked after the school, but today they were busy on the farm and couldn’t make it.   Usually they had all the windows open and the building swept out before anyone got there.  The oldest boys soon fixed the problem by opening the windows, while the girls swept the floors, in no time at all, things were ready to go. 
     Miss Jameson, had just started teaching at our school a few months ago.  Most of us kids treated her pretty good, but there were a few that liked to pull the odd prank once in a while.  They wouldn’t ever do anything that would hurt her or anyone, but scare, now that was a different story.  Only thing was, though, her being so nice, most of us didn’t want to play any tricks on her.  I kind of figured she had been lucky so far as no one attempted anything, but I knew that was about to change. There were two older fellows in grade eight, that usually came up with the ideas and then made the younger fellows do the dirty work.
     Well, on this day the two older fellows arrived at school earlier, and they picked up a Garter snake along the way.  They cornered this young fellow new to the school and told him to put the snake in the teachers top desk drawer.  The younger boy didn’t really want too, but in fear of getting picked on for the rest of the day, he said he would.  The snake was put in the drawer and pretty well the whole class knew about it, other than a few girls that were real friendly with the teacher.  If they had found out, for sure, they would have said something.
     We all opened our books and were sitting there waiting for her to open her desk. To our dismay, though, she never even went near the drawer, till around noon. Then it happened.
    “Lunchtime,” she said and started to put her things away.  We all sat there holding our breath. Thinking, now she will scream, jump from her chair and run to the other side of the room, maybe even out the door, like all the other teachers had done before.  The girls  that knew what was going on, were holding their hands over their mouth. The guys were on the edge of their seats, the teacher, well, she slowly reached down and opened the drawer.  But to our surprise, she just reached in, took the snake in her hand and laid it on her desk.
    “Well, she said, it looks to me like a few here in the class are interested in snakes.  So right after lunch we will get our science books out, and I will go over the different kinds. I am very happy you brought it to my attention.” 
     Every one that knew about it, just kind of sat there with a look of disappointment on their face.  The laugh, this time, was on us.
    No matter what they came up with, through the year, they just couldn’t scare her. Spiders, mice, more snakes, nothing seemed to bother her. She took them all in stride. 
     Later on we found she was raised in the country and while growing up she was kind of a tomboy.  I will say this, she was the best teacher that I ever had.  She taught all eight grades and never once complained.  Eventually, the older boys found other girls to bother, and the teacher was left alone to do her job.
    So there you have it, a day in the life of a country school teacher.

All my books are available on my Amazon Author Page.

If you purchase a book, a brief Amazon review really helps new readers discover my work—it means a lot.

Support my writing: Support My Writing

In Closing, I Would Like to Wish You Well!

George Walters | [email protected]

The Old Craftsman's Woodworking Shop

Old Wood Hold Secrets

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Now, some folks might say that old used lumber is about as useful as a one-legged cat in a sandbox, but I beg to differ. Why, that old wood has got character and charm that you just can’t find in the shiny new stuff.

Sure, it might have a few knots and knotholes here and there, but that just adds to its rustic appeal. And let’s not forget about the stories that old lumber could tell if it could talk. Maybe it was once part of a grand old barn that housed a bunch of rowdy farm animals, or perhaps it was part of an old homestead that saw generations of families come and go.

So, if you’re in the market for some good ol’ fashioned character and charm in your next woodworking project, look no further than old used lumber. It may not be perfect, but then again, neither are we.

My wife and I, who work in the woodworking business, crafted some truly unique wooden items. For a period of time, we rented a building situated in a sawmill in St. Catharines, Ontario. There, I established my shop and set to work creating wooden furniture and other pieces for our stores located in Thorold and St. Catharines, Ontario.
During this time, my wife took orders, designed them, and I brought them to life in the shop. One of the best aspects of having a shop in a sawmill was the unlimited supply of lumber that was readily available to me. Whenever I needed it, all I had to do was step outside, and I was surrounded by it.
On one occasion, I stumbled upon twenty piles of aged lumber that had been sitting there for over thirty years. Upon inquiring about it, Steve, the owner of the mill, revealed that his father had cut it many years before, and it had been abandoned ever since. Although he expressed his doubts, he allowed me to take it for myself.
A few days later, as I began to remove the top boards, which were of no use, I soon discovered a treasure trove further down the pile. I was ecstatic to find a beautiful yellow-colored wood that had aged gracefully and was full of character.
I utilized this lumber for almost all my orders, and it turned out to be the most successful year we ever had at the stores. I made the most of every piece of lumber, even the smaller ones that most people would have discarded.
I saved these smaller pieces and eventually utilized them to craft checkerboards and chessboards. These boards, made with a combination of the darker and lighter wood, were a huge hit with customers, and I sold a significant number of them.
New wood may be easily available, but it lacks the unique character of the old and weathered wood, with its nail holes, wormholes, cracks, and color. To me, the old lumber is like a wise old man, waiting patiently for his wife to return from shopping and reveal all the new treasures she has bought.

All my books are available on my Amazon Author Page.

If you purchase a book, a brief Amazon review really helps new readers discover my work—it means a lot.

Support my writing: Support My Writing

In Closing, I Would Like to Wish You Well!

George Walters | [email protected]

The Old Craftsman's Woodworking Shop

Item Of Interest

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Y’know, there’s this old tool I use a lot in my woodworkin’ shop called a Draw Knife. Maybe you ain’t never heard of it before. But back in the day, it was a darn versatile tool, let me tell ya.
There are two kinds, the Draw Knife and another one called Spoke-shaves. I got a couple of those, but they were made later than the Draw Knife and ain’t as good. They’re a real pain to keep in good workin’ condition.
Here’s the thing, a Draw Knife is good for rough cuts and takin’ off wood fast. Spoke-shaves can go both ways, but a Draw Knife can only be pulled towards ya. They both shape wood, though, so ya can use ’em for the same job.
Nowadays, I use my Draw Knife to make flutes. Some folks use a lathe, but with lots of practice, I can shape a flute faster doin’ it by hand. The trick is to keep it sharp, mine’s got handles on both ends made from cherry wood, and I sharpen it by hand with a file.
Besides flutes, I use it for plenty of other things too, like makin’ paddles for canoes and boats, trimmin’ bark off logs, and makin’ handles for chisels, hammers, and axes. Ain’t nothin’ better than a Draw Knife for shapin’ wood.
One thing ya gotta learn is how to read the grain of the wood. Once ya master that, it don’t matter how hard or wet the wood is.
Oh, and let me tell ya ’bout this other tool called a shave horse. I made one of those myself, and it’s a real time-saver. It’s like a bench with a foot-operated clamp that holds the wood steady while ya work on it.
My dad used to say they don’t make Draw Knives like they used to. He had his for over fifty years and only had to replace the handles six times and the blade twice. It took me a while to figure out what he meant, but now I know he was right.
So, if ya ever see one of these for sale, snatch it up. The older, the better, just like us old woodworkers.

All my books are available on my Amazon Author Page.

If you purchase a book, a brief Amazon review really helps new readers discover my work—it means a lot.

Support my writing: Support My Writing

In Closing, I Would Like to Wish You Well!

George Walters | [email protected]