Category Archives: George’s Writers Corner

Great Spot to hear about anything and everything concerning writing. Also information on my books, book signings, speaking engagements and events that might be happening in and around our town.

The Working Man’s Carrying the Weight

Only On The Walters Post

Funny how some things sneak up on you. You look around and think about all the students coming in from overseas. Schools love them—they fill seats, bring in tuition, make the numbers look good…on paper. But here’s the thing: once they’re done, a lot of them don’t leave. They stick around, looking for work, looking for housing, using services we’re already stretched to cover. And meanwhile, they’re taking jobs that could’ve gone to folks who’ve been here their whole lives, just trying to make a living. You start to see the strain—the traffic, the rents, the lines at the clinics…

And then there’s the money side. Everyone talks about how students “spend money,” but it’s not all theirs. Some of it is their cash—sure—but a lot comes from government subsidies, loans, programs. And in some cases, we even bring them here and pay their way, hoping they’ll stay and contribute. But that’s a gamble. And if they don’t stay, or don’t contribute the way we hope, it’s the working man who ends up carrying the weight while the folks in the high towers shake their heads and write it down in a report somewhere.

Meanwhile, governments keep printing and borrowing, adding debt, making it look like everything’s fine. And some economist—Carney, I think—comes out and says, “Well, people are going to have to buckle down and pay the price.” But here’s the truth: it’s not the working man who’s the problem, it’s the ones making the rules, the ones spinning the numbers so it looks good when reality is…well, it ain’t good for the people who actually do the work.

So yeah, call me old-fashioned, but I say stop bringing people in until we can handle it. Fix the housing, fix the hospitals, fix the schools, make sure there’s work for the folks already here. Take care of the people who built this country in the first place. And while you’re at it, deal with the criminals and freeloaders, the ones just coming in to take without giving back.

The thing is...what looks great on paper can be a nightmare on Main Street. And we’re the ones feeling it, while the numbers and reports keep stacking up in some office somewhere.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. 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]

Notes Collected Between Work and Rest

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Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario
Sunday, November 9, 2025

Good Morning: Cold one out there this morning, 21°F (–5.9°C), and it feels every bit of it. The humidity’s sitting at 85%, so the cold’s got that damp bite. Barometer’s sitting at 29.19 inHg … low and holding steady, maybe easing up by evening. Wind’s are calm coming in from the east-southeast, which usually keeps the sky gray and the woods still.

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a few light flurries drifting around late morning into the afternoon. Air’s heavy, no real wind to move it. High near 28°F (–2°C).

Tonight: Overcast continues, maybe a dusting of snow or a little freezing mist toward dawn. Temperature dropping near 18°F (–8°C). Roads could get slick in the shaded spots and bush trails will crust over.

Tomorrow (Monday): Cooler but brighter, especially toward midday. Pressure should rise a bit, meaning steadier weather. High near 27°F (–3°C) with a light northwest breeze , good tracking day if we get a touch of snow and it firms up some.

Best Deer Hunting Times:
Right now, deer are moving slow in the cold mornings, bedding down early when the wind’s calm. Your best windows today are around 7:00–9:00 AM and again from about 4:00–5:30 PM, just before dusk. Tomorrow looks better for mid-morning movement once the sky clears and they start browsing again. The thing is… with that east wind and damp air, scent’s hanging low, so watch your approach … they’ll catch you easier today than you’ll catch them.

Nature’s Signs:

I noticed this morning that the chickadees were calling for me to fill the bird feeder at dawn—that soft, steady chatter they make when I forget to give them their breakfast. The crows, too, caught my eye, sticking to the open fields, flying low and lazy, not wasting any energy. And yesterday, I was looking at the birch bark—still tight against the trunk. That usually means this damp spell we’re in isn’t ready to lift anytime soon.

It’s something, really—what nature can tell a person if they take the time to notice. The chickadees, the crows, even the bark on a tree. All of it’s saying something, if you’re listening and paying attention.

On another note, it’s a cold morning here in cottage country… the kind of cold that settles into your bones before you even get your boots on. My old woodworking shop was more than just “kinda cool” this morning… truth is, it was damn cold. So I lit the shop stove earlier. Should be warming up by the time I finish this post and get through breakfast. One of those little rituals, you know… fire first, then food, then work.

Yesterday I managed to get a bit done on my flutes, which made me happy. But most of the day was spent helping my wife out in the gift shop… the one we’re opening come spring. That took up most of the day, really. I’m the muscle, moving things, lifting, holding stuff in place. Then she gets in there and works her magic.

And she really is magic at this. She’s a fantastic designer when it comes to making stores and storefronts look just right. She’s been at it a long while now… here, and back down south, where we had three shops with those big windows facing the street. Not to mention all the other stores we’ve had over the years. Each one different, but somehow always exactly what it needed to be.

One thing’s for sure… come spring, that gift shop is going to look mighty fine.

Oh, and on top of all that, she’s also getting her art studio set up at one end of the house. Busy gal, for sure.

Pretty one, too.

So what are you up to today, GW?

Well, today now that I have my wife looked after, I’m planning on getting back to working on them flutes. I have a long way to go before they’re singing nicely… the thing is, there are a lot of steps in making them and each one takes time. And one hell of a lot of patience.

For the most part, I’ve managed to find that patience in my woodworking shop. Something about the work itself, I suppose… the wood doesn’t rush you, and you can’t rush it. But other things… well, let’s just say being the age I am now and seeing how the world is going, sometimes patience takes a back seat in that department.

Funny how that works, isn’t it… you can sit there for hours getting a flute just right, sanding and tuning and listening, but then you turn on the news or hear about some foolishness going on out there and that patience just walks right out the door.

So with that, I’m off for my breakfast that my lovely wife has made for me… which consists of some pancakes this morning. Should give me the energy to make it through the morning till coffee time.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. 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]

Paying More for Less

Only On The Walters Post

You know, I’ve been thinking about grocery stores lately. Don’t know exactly why, but I was standing there the other day in front of the milk cooler and it just hit me. You know that feeling when something you’ve walked past a hundred times suddenly strikes you a bit different?

There it was, a whole lineup of milk, 1%, 2%, skim, lactose-free, and then a couple jugs of plain whole milk hiding at the end, like some guilty pleasure. Funny how the regular thing became the odd one out.

At any rate, I picked up the skim milk, looked at the price and found it cost more than the whole milk. To me that seemed a bit backwards. The thing is… skim milk is whole milk with the fat taken out, then they add things back in… stabilizers, sometimes sugar to make up for the flavor that left with the fat. What most don’t know is that the fat carries vitamins and balances what nature put there for a reason. Strip it out and somehow that’s supposed to be healthier.

Once you start noticing it, you see it everywhere. I also picked up bread that stays fresh for three weeks. My grandmother’s bread went stale within two or three days because it was just flour, water, salt, and yeast. Somewhere along the way, we got convinced that natural isn’t enough.

Our grandparents drank whole milk, cooked with butter, and ate what was local. They worked hard and didn’t need labels to tell them what was good.

Anyways, maybe it’s time we stop letting marketing tell us what’s better. Makes you wonder what we’ve gained from all this improvement… and what we’ve already lost without noticing.


Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. 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]

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Evening of Saturday, November 8th, 2025

Only On The Walters Post

Well, it feels like winter’s easing in for good now. The temperature’s sitting around 30.6°F (-0.8°C) and the air’s a bit damp at 64 percent humidity. The barometer’s reading 29.06 inches of mercury, which is on the low side, so the air’s unsettled and we might see a change overnight.

Winds are calm from the east, hardly moving. When it gets that still and the pressure’s low, it usually means clouds are thickening up and maybe a little snow or mist before morning.

Tonight: Calm and cold, staying near the freezing mark. Expect a heavy frost on anything left outside, especially metal and grass.

Tomorrow (Sunday): Starts off gray, maybe a few flurries or a light drizzle. Should climb to about 36°F (2°C) through the day, but it’ll feel colder if that east wind picks up. Could see a touch of clearing by late afternoon.

Nature’s Signs: The chickadees have been darting in and out of the feeder like they know something’s coming. Deer went quiet early, hiding away somewhere warm. When the woods go still like that, it’s a fair bet winter’s slowly closing in on us.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive.

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]

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Friday, November 7, 2025

Only On The Walters Post

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario
Friday, November 7, 2025

It’s a damp, chilly afternoon here in Port Loring. Last check around 12:45 PM had the temperature at 3.8°C (38°F), humidity high at 87%, and the wind drifting from the south-southwest at 11 km/h (7 mph). The barometer’s down at 966.9 mbar (28.56 inHg), so we’re looking at some unsettled weather moving through — clouds and moisture hanging around the bush.

Today: Expect clouds and drizzle through the rest of the afternoon, with the air feeling raw and damp. Temperature will hold in the 3–4°C (38–39°F) range. Not much sun in sight today, so it’s a good one to keep the coat on if you’re heading out.

Tonight into Saturday: Chilly, near 1–2°C (34–36°F), with clouds sticking around and a fair chance of light rain. The SSW wind will continue, keeping the air moist and the forest quiet but soggy.

Tomorrow (Saturday): Clouds will start to break a bit as the low moves off. Expect highs around 5–7°C (41–45°F). Some lingering drizzle in the morning is possible, but by midday things should start to brighten. Winds may shift a little west or northwest, bringing a fresher, cooler feel by evening.

Nature’s Signs: With the damp air and low clouds, birds and squirrels are keeping closer to the ground, moving cautiously, and deer will likely stick to the thicker cover until mid-morning. Mushrooms might be popping up in the wet spots — perfect little reminders that the woods are still alive even in this gray weather.

Deer Hunting Outlook: This afternoon and evening, the damp, cloudy conditions can actually be good for movement. Deer tend to move cautiously in the moist air, often using thick cover near feed areas. Best chances will be late morning into mid-afternoon and again just before dark — stay alert near the trails leading to the edges of the bush.

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]