Posts filed under ‘writing family stories’
Inviting you to my new site
After a wonderful start at this site, I have secured my own domain at storygal.ca.
I hope you’ll come and see my posts at my new site too. Since then, I’ve published two new books and continue to blog and put out my newsletter FineTuned. Also my website has seen a whole new overhaul at a new website domain.
Blessings to you this New Year of 2020.
Author Afternoons– I’m on!
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be part of Author Afternoons. On Saturday, June 29th, from 1:00-3:30 pm, I’ll be at the Waterloo Visitor and Heritage Information Centre on 10 Father David Bauer Drive, Waterloo.
I’ll be giving a workshop titled Begin to Write Your Memories. The workshop will be hands on, as in you get to write, so bring paper and pen or your laptop and be prepared to participate.
This is a new initiative by the City of Waterloo Arts and Culture to introduce residents and visitors to the authors in the area. It’s exciting to be part of it.
See you there!
Upcoming event for Piece by Piece
I’ve received some amazing reviews, personal notes and kind words about my new book, Piece by Piece, from fellow writers and readers thus far. I am grateful for their sincere and generous comments.
My official launch happens this Saturday, May 11th, in my hometown of Tavistock, ON, at the Tavistock Public Library, 40 Woodstock Street South and begins at 11 am.
Come and join us, and get your signed copy. I look forward to seeing you there.
For those who cannot make it to the launch, my book is also available at Words Worth Books in Waterloo and from me.
For more information on my book, and to contact me, here’s my website https://www.carolynwilker.ca/books/
Off to Palmerston today
Today I’ll be in Palmerston for a book signing, featuring my newest book, Piece by Piece, and I’ll have copies of my other books along too.
This book makes a great gift for a mother, grandmother or friend. You can treat yourself to a new book to read as well.
Glynis Belec, from Angel Hope Publishing, will be joining me for this event at Family Home Health Centre on 237 Main Street West in Palmerston. From 11 am-3 pm.
We have small treats and a draw prize, and you can get your book signed too.
Time to get ready, hope to see you there.
Piece by Piece book signings
Please note that I have several book events already set up for Piece by Piece
April 13th, at Family Home Health Care Centre in Palmerston ON, from 11 am to 3 pm
May 11th, at Tavistock Public Library, Tavistock ON, at 11 am, reading and signing books
And I will be at the Tavistock Fall Fair in September. More news on that one later. All of my books available at this event.
More in planning stages
Piece by Piece
Having a new book is very exciting. A lot of work goes in to getting it this far, including years of writing, then editing, revision and even more editing.
Once the book is about to be released comes the task of letting people about the book and when it’s printed, getting it into other people’s hands. That can be fun or it can be daunting.
My book contains many stories about experiences, both good and challenging or sad. Everyone has those times. I share how it’s been for me.
Go about life as positively as you can. Gather the support of friends who can help you get through the tough times, know who you can lean on. And remember to celebrate the joys and achievements no matter how small. And know that God cares about you in all those circumstances.
My book published by Angel Hope Publishing, Drayton, Ontario. Book events coming up. I’ll list them in a follow-up post.
The things we do as grandmothers
on holiday outings together
First I’ll declare outright that I am a grandmother. Have been for awhile and our count is up to five. I don’t have to raise them or pay attention to their financial keep. But I can spend time with them and I enjoy being with them.
We bake cookies together, plant garden in season. We play, read and do puzzles together. Those things I like. And recently we had a cookie decorating session, with plenty of icing and add-on decorations.
Decorating Christmas cookies with all the trimmings
supervise their play
Enjoy the out of doors, even the shadows the sun makes in our paths
join in their make believe
When we dare to sit with our small grandchildren, we learn a little about what they’re thinking. When we engage with their play, they learn too.
We have no guarantee how much time we’ll have to enjoy these young ones and so it’s a good thing to build the relationships at an early stage. It builds trust too.
There’s no doubt that it takes energy to play with them, especially the smallest ones, but the time we spend together and the smiles make it worthwhile.
Looking after the garden we planted together
checking on the fairy garden and building the path for fairies
climbing into his car
I’m grateful that my grandchildren all live in the same city. It takes only minutes to get there. We get together for dinner, for play and special celebrations.
I look forward to spending time with them at Christmas, to see the delight on their faces as they open their gifts from us, for the hugs too. And today we will go to the older grandchildrens’ school for the holiday assembly. We sit back and watch them perform and then see their surprise when they see us on the way out. Blessed beyond measure.
All photos on this site, unless otherwise noted © C. Wilker
Holidays in the Kawarthas, Day One
Buckhorn docking
It was the time of year again to visit our daughter and son-in-law and two granddaughters at their trailer in the Kawarthas. It’s a wonderful opportunity to set aside daily duties and get away.
After slow-moving traffic on the 401, it was good to get on the less congested 407 for a good chunk of the journey. That driving is easier, especially on a clear sunny day until our GPS, Matilda, got caught up with trying to redirect us on what was once country road. Guess it’s past time to update her maps. Oops.
Back roads and then the 115 highway to Peterborough were similarly unremarkable that day and finally at 12: 20, give or take a few minutes, we arrived at Grandview Resort, where our daughter Laura was waiting in the golf cart with her two girls. We drove through to the trailer site and parked then hugged and greeted our family members.
In the heat of the day, it was good to relax a bit and have some lunch. I’d asked for a boat ride and the plan for it was already in motion. We headed for the launch area and assembled ourselves, life jackets and all, for Buckhorn, where we’d go for ice cream, a favourite trip for the girls.
Heading for the bridge to cross, Laura waiting for us
The Shaw’s new favourite ice-cream shop in Buckhorn, on the main street
So hard to choose from so many flavours. We enjoyed the taste.
The ice cream shop offered a bucket of chalk and opportunity to draw on the boardwalk to the sidewalk.
Down the road a bit we saw a giant moose—not a real one, of course— where the girls posed.
Posing for fun
Walking further, we came upon a small beach area, where the girls cooled off in the shallow water. It sounds as though this area is designated for a small park sometime in the future.
Down the road a bit sat a building that might have been a church or school at one time. It was now a curiosity shop with some neat crafts and gift items in it. Loved these owls. Had I brought some money, one of these little owls might be in my garden today.
We headed back toward the lock area where we’d cross to the place their boat was parked.
On our way back we saw that more boaters had their boats tied to the dock and had pitched a picnic shelter.
That evening, I accompanied Dave and the girls to the family swimming pool on the grounds. The water was a bit cool, but the six-year-old got in anyway and began to play in the water and swim. Eventually her Dad got in too. The eight-year-old, deciding the water was a bit too cold for her, got permission to go to the playground situated close by.
Stopping at the playground for a short time, I had opportunity to see how well the girls handled the monkey bars. Then it was back to the trailer to get the girls ready for bed.
Holidays had only begun, and we were off to a good start.
Photos on this blog are copyright of C. and L. Wilker unless otherwise noted. Please ask permission if you wish to use one.
Writing our stories
My mother once called me the historian of the family and I wasn’t sure why. Was it that I asked more questions about events and people? Was it that I displayed keen interest in the stories of my grandparents? Wherever it began, it has most definitely become true, and that’s one development I’m glad about.
The year of my parents’ 60th anniversary was upon us—2009—and my mother and father wanted to leave a legacy for their family. Mom wasn’t speaking in dollar values when she shared their wish with us, but of stories and values they’d shared. What would it mean to us after they were gone?
farm home where my siblings and I grew up
Mom had gotten in touch with a writer she knew who was doing family stories for other folks. She engaged the woman to help them get started. The challenge became how to tell the stories. What would be included? What would be left out?
Each of my siblings and I wrote some pieces of what it had meant to us growing up in the country, of where we were at the time in terms of our immediate families and our employment. In the end what my parents shared of their stories, and what we added, is of great value.
The first copy was ready for their anniversary day and more produced later. Sister Kim was the layout specialist and we all agreed she did a wonderful job in arranging the photos with the text. Her layout experience with her day job and a computer program capable of handling graphics and photos was a great asset.
Nine years later, Dad has died and the family has further blossomed with more great grandchildren for Mom and another great granddaughter about to be married this summer. In between those years, I published my memoir, Once Upon a Sandbox, of growing up on a family farm in the 50s and 60s, and then last year, in memory of Dad, Harry’s Trees, my picture book was published, which is not about me, but my Dad’s passion, beyond his family (always very important to both my parents).
Dreaming of spring but living in the now
We can well dream of the season ahead when plant life begins to poke its head above the soil and the sun warms them and helps them grow, yet we must live in the now and not in dreamland. For as Janice L Dick says in her post today, then we have material to write about. She wrote:
“No matter who we are, we will experience uneven roads on our respective journeys. Writing is living out our thoughts, dreams, fears..
some of the gaillardia from my garden last year
photo courtesy of KW Snap 2015
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