I never miss your column. Love it. Reminds me of my Grandfather Nicholas.
 A gentle hard working orderly person who never wasted a thing in
his life and could make me a whistle or a toy or a very useful item out of
something he knew the exact where-abouts-of. He went overseas during World
War I, and the only stories I remember him telling were in relation to the
kindly and appreciative people he met and the countryside. He raised a
wonderful family of 5 after his wife died in child-birth. Mom was the oldest
and had to quit school at the age of 13 to stay home with her siblings. You
are so right. It WAS a hard life, but those people will never be forgotten.
Thanks for keeping their memories alive.  Elva.
(Just read "It truly was a Family Tree")

Very much enjoyed. I read your column this morning and have been busy on Google ever since.

I believe that I enjoyed all the same experiences that you had. To add to yours,each fall we would spend Sunday afternoon,there were five children,

gathering beechnuts,hickory,walnuts. etc. Dad would tie a weight onto a light rope and fling it into a tree and then shake. We kids would be holding a tarp to catch the nuts.

Also,each spring we would do the watercress trip and also we gathered the buds from a tree. These buds were then boiled and a salve was made for cuts mostly as we were butchers and cuts were common.This salve had a very quick healing power.But, my problem is that I can not remember the kind of tree we gathered from. I have a feeling it was an Aspen but I am not certain.I am in my eighties so it was a long time ago.Any help would ease my mind.

There is a name that sticks in my mind,at least something like “babaygilan”.In the Bible it speaks of salve being used on the women of Babylon so there may be some connection. My Dad was a self-educated but a well-read man. Perhaps that was his name for it.

And so ,Mr Walters,thank you again for an interesting read.

Sincerely,,Ed

Hello George

You do not know me but I feel I know you.
The reason I feel I know you is due to the fact I have become a big fan of
your column in the Community Voices
Not sure how I started checking it out but I have been enjoying it for some
time now....I am guessing we are a generation apart and as such I did not
experience most of the experiences you describe but I have heard similar
ones from my father. (just this past thanksgiving we had our dinner at the
hunt camp and I watched my dad show my sons where his father had built him a
hobby horse between 2 trees some 60 years earlier...you could still see the
boards in the trees)
Their is something comforting in listening to stories of yesteryear
Anyhow, I know in life we often fail to recognize people who unknowingly
bring smiles into our lifes... I just wanted to let you know you have a fan
who certainly looks forward to your musings each week
PS: another great one this week about the horses.

Darryl

Good day

just wanted to say i am enjoying reading your columns

look forward to see where and what you are going to choose for a topic.

Chris

This was concerning a story I wrote awhile back called Grocery Shopping.

Greetings Mr. Walters:

My husband and I have discussed this issue at great length

over the holidays.

We are appalled at the rudeness you endured.

Having raised three beautiful daughters we are confident that neither one would ever treat a customer in this manner.

The clerk is wrong, she is paid to perform these small tasks in order for the establishment she is working for encourage customers to return and therefore secure more profit for the store. (the one who is paying her wages)

Since when is it part of any job description to be rude to a customer?

As for the accusation of stealing the bread, it was at the very least

unacceptable actions on the part of the young man who took you into the store.

He should have returned to the outside and apologized to you in front of the starring public.

As for the opening of doors, why on earth should anyone change their habit of politeness to a accommodate the new generation?

We personally are so tired of people using the phrase ( politically correct or the modern way) as an excuse for clearing the world of all that is decent.

My husband opens doors, pampers me and our family and says thank you to everyone who shows any act of kindness.

We all think he is wonderful and I do not want my husband or anyone else changing their lifestyle including you for I may be the next women that you open the door for and believe me I will say

Thank You.

Friends of the Polite Generation.

We wish to thank you so much for the lovely visit and good old fashioned
hospitality. Could you please forward your mailing address for mom.   thanks
again , mom was sooo thrilled and happy. Lana

Hello Mr. Walters. My name is Lana and I was wondering if I could
bring my 81 yr. old mom for a drive to your place tomorrow? Mom (me TOO)
loves your articles and has told me she'd love to meet you and I would also
love to see your garden. Seeing it's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow and
we can enjoy the fall leaves on our journey I thought I'd surprise mom as
she's mentioned a few times already she would love to go to your place. I
have no intention of staying for long maybe 30 min. max.  If this is
agreable ,and you have no other plans tomorrow please email your directions.

 Have a good evening, Lana

Hi George, I again wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your column and it is so true that journaling is a very good way to tell our stories ..I just had a old family friend tell me I should start my own book and it is ironic but I have actually thought about it but would never even know where to start..so it is good to see that someone like your self is actually doing it . Take Care Tracy

Hi Folks well the my column in the Community Voice was printed this week so just thought I would let you folks know.  It  is called, Lost Wisdom and  pertains to my younger days and how I came to writing short stories, along with my views on our Elders and all the wisdom that will be lost when they are gone. Also a lot of other tips, info and bit of my wisdom that I know you will enjoy. So if you get a minute go out and get yourself a copy of the Community Voice, in North Bay and surrounding areas. Talk Soon.

Well not sure what the paper is doing any more when it comes to my columns so decided on not entering anything till the story  is published. Safer that way as I know that you folks look forward to them each week and me being from the old school, well,  I just don’t like saying something then have it not happen.

On another note my first book which I mentioned awhile back is in the works, or should say that the cost is in the works. There have been a lot of  folks  registering for the book and it gives me great pleasure knowing so many folks are that interested.  Feel free to call me if your interested or E-Mail me at [email protected]  or my phone number is  1 705 757 1040. Talk soon.

This is another picture of our business’s sign out along HWY 522. Great country.

This picture is taken from HWY 522 in front of our home. The small building to the right is our store. Not big but lots of very unique things.

One More That I Thought was real nice.

Just up the road from us is this real nice view of some fall colours and thought I would share.

For a bigger view of the pictures just click on the picture. Enjoy.

Hi Folks well I see the story I sent to the Community Voice didn’t run not sure why so from now on I won’t put any notices on here till I make sure they have run. Simple way of making sure you are able to read them. In this world of today things change and News Papers are one of them. Talk Soon.

Hi folks well this week the column is called, Lost Wisdom. It pertains to my younger days and how I came to writing short stories, along with my views on our Elders and all the wisdom that will be lost when they are gone. Also a lot of other tips, info and bit of my wisdom that I know you will enjoy. So if you get a minute go out and get yourself a copy of the Community Voice, in North Bay and surrounding areas. Talk Soon.

Well I think my Column in the Saturday Nugget should be in there this week, as they took it out last week as they needed space.  Well what can you do its their paper.  At any rate here is a bit on what its about thought I would share.

This week I wrote one up on Messages and how we got them out to folks years ago back on the Dairy farm where I was raised.  I got to say when writing this story a lot came to mind and brought back a lot of fine memories. Folks of today would probably wonder how we made out as good as we did back then, but we did ok.  The Story is called Messages but we will see what the paper calls it as they have a Tendency of changing the titles on me.  But what can you do.  At any rate look for it this week in the North Bay Nugget.  Talk Soon

WRITING A GOOD ARTICLE QUERY

Most magazine editors prefer authors send them a query letter
rather than the entire article. This helps minimize the size of
the unsolicited submissions stack towering over their desks, and
allows them to quickly judge if an idea is right for their
publication. Some editors will buy an article on the strength of
the query alone, especially if the author is previously
published. So, while you can send out queries before you
actually write the piece, it’s essential that you complete your
research and have a good idea of the direction your article will
take before committing to it in the query letter. Also, be sure
you can finish the article quickly if the editor writes back and
asks to see the whole piece. If you’ve never written a magazine
article before, I suggest you do so before sending out queries,
just to be sure you can deliver what you promise.

Like your article, the query letter should be lively, well-
organized, and entertaining. Open with a strong sentence that
sets the tone for your article–an interesting fact about your
subject, a question you intend to answer, or a line of dialog
from someone you interviewed. Complete the paragraph by
presenting the five basic facts about your topic: who, what,
when, where and why. Sprinkle in a few statistics if you have
them, and don’t forget to list the projected word length. Your
second paragraph introduces the questions you intend to answer
in the article, and the slant you’ll take on the subject. This
is your opportunity to show the editor why your article is
unique. If you have unusual information or have interviewed
experts, include that in this paragraph.

The third paragraph states the market for this topic. Show
you’ve done your research and explain why your article would
appeal to the magazine’s readership. You should know that your
particular slant on the topic hasn’t been done before (search
magazine databases at the library under subject headings), so
tell the editor of your findings.

Your final paragraph includes any pertinent information about
yourself. List previous writing credits, areas of expertise that
are related to your article, writing organizations to which you
belong. Anything that gives you credibility as an author should
be included. If you have no relevant experience, skip this
paragraph.

Some magazines request an annotated bibliography of resources
used in writing the article. This can be attached on a second
sheet of paper. Be sure your letter also includes your full
address, phone number, and email. Submit with a self-addressed,
stamped envelope for the editor’s reply.

It’s best to query one magazine at a time unless you are
slanting the article differently for different publications. If
two magazines request the complete work, send to your preferred
market first. If they buy the piece, be sure you retain the
appropriate rights to write about the same subject for a
different market before submitting a new article elsewhere.

Good Luck!