Where Did the Year Go? - Barbara Baker

 

 

    The ski season started. The Christmas tree is up. Outside decorations are hung. I'd like to say the shopping, baking and meal planning are under control or complete, but I'd be lying. It's never under control, let alone close to completion.

    I can't believe there's only 21 days left before we start 2024. We went from a winter which got almost too cold to ski, wearing jackets in March to hike in Arizona, the smokiest Alberta summer in history followed by a stunning fall, to now - winter. The season we adapt to because it can last six months and, this year, winter is full of surprises. 

 

 

   Three golf courses were open in Calgary on December 5th. Tee times were all booked. We saw a rainbow in the Crowsnest Pass on December 6th when southern Alberta received rain. The ski hills struggle to make and/or keep their precious snow. What a year.

    Throughout 2023, I hammered away at Book 3 of Jillian's last story. Until September, hammered away might be an exaggeration. Peck is probably a better word to describe my progress. When my manuscript didn't even show up in Word's most recent files, I realized I needed motivation and fewer distractions to finish it.

    So, I made a commitment. I made myself accountable to 'sit my butt in the chair' and finish writing the novel. I set a goal to have the first draft completed by the end of the year. And so far, it's working. My solution - I set the alarm clock for 5 AM. When it goes off, I head to my office to write. Trust me, my husband loves the alarm clock idea especially if I wake up before it rings and sneak out of the bedroom without turning it off.

    For two solid hours, without interruptions, I write. I don't open Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn or Instagram. I start by reading the last few paragraphs of the previous days writing. Then I check the Notes option on my iPhone and the slips of paper in my tray which have scribbled 'must add comments', 'snappy dialogue' or 'scenes the story can't live without.' I add them if they're appropriate for where I'm at in the story or put them back in the tray.

    And, it's working!

    But now with all the baking and shopping staring me in the face, the clock ticking and the year's end creeping closer, I feel myself faltering. Sharing my goal with people makes me accountable. I hate to fail. I'm competitive. But I also procrastinate and hit snooze.

    If just one person asks me on January 1st, 'Is your draft done?', I can't imagine letting them down. Or me. So wish me luck as I attempt to schuss through the finish line and get to The End.

    All the very best of wishes for 2024. May the holidays and Mother Nature be kind to us all.

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara: 9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies by Baker, Barbara (amazon.ca)

 

Distracted Biking - by Barbara Baker

 

 

Most days I’m over the embarrassment and if just one person rethinks what they do because of my incident, my work here is done.

I was biking on a quiet, paved path behind my seven-year-old granddaughter. The sky was pink. A mountain loomed in the foreground. On a slight downhill, Ainsley crouched low behind her handlebars, hair flying, pedaling like she was headed for a finish line. What a picture.

With my right hand, I dug deep in my shorts’ pocket for my cell phone. Pulled it out. Glanced down to open it. Looked up and there she was - right in front of me. No time to think. My left hand hit the front brake. Hard. My bike stopped. I could feel the back end lift. Over the handlebars I flew. I think I tucked and rolled and landed beside Ainsley. Thank God I didn’t hit her.

I got up fast and looked around. How stupid is that? I just crashed and my brain is worried someone might have seen it happen.

“Gramma,” Ainsley screamed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, honey.” I picked up my cell phone, groaned at the cracked screen and shoved it in my pocket. “Can you lead the way back to Grampa?”

“You’re bleeding really bad.”

“Not a big deal.” I glanced at the blood pouring from the road rash on my knee. “We have lots of band aids. Lets go.”

Off she pedaled towards home.

The handlebars were off centre so my steering was all wonky but I managed to keep it straight and focused on pedaling.

“Grampa,” Ainsley shouted. “Gramma fell off her bike.”

“I hit the front brake,” I said.

David looked at me with puzzled eyes. I knew those eyes were saying “what the hell, your front brake? Why?” but his outside voice said, “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” I nodded.

I put my bike away and took my helmet off. The top was scratched and chipped and chunks of gravel stuck out of the air vents. The visor hung on by one arm. I hooked it on my handlebar and went to the outside tap.

First, I stuck my bleeding palm under the cold water. It felt so good. Then my knee. Then my elbow. I repeated the process until the body parts were numb and my embarrassment subsided.

“I cannot tell a lie.” I looked up at David. “I was getting my phone out of my pocket with my right hand and when I looked up, I was right on Ainsley’s tail.”

He nodded. And frowned. Checked my scrapes and got out the Polysporin.

I stayed awake long into the night fretting about what could have happened if I hadn’t had a helmet on. If I hadn’t stopped in time and hit Ainsley. World’s worst grandmother ever. When I closed my eyes, the worst-case scenario made me open them again. It was a long night.

A few ribs on my left side screamed at me when I got out of bed the next morning and brushing my hair made me wince. Weeks later the ribs still reminded me of the crash.

 

When I see kids or adults riding bikes without helmets, I want to yell at them to put a helmet on. Road rash and ribs heal. The head, not so much. If you see a gramma sitting on a street corner handing out helmets to helmetless riders, it might be me. And yes, I will buy a new helmet for myself.

Now when I follow the grandkids on my bike, I keep both hands on my handlebars and my head up, capturing the moment to memory - it saves the bytes taking pictures would use and more importantly, any further injury to myself.

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

 

From Big to Little by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

https://books2read.com/Romancing-the-Klondike

https://books2read.com/Rushing-the-Klondike

https://www.bookswelove.com/authors/canadian-historical-mysteries/

I am a Canadian writer and all my mystery, historical, romance, and young adult novels are set in Canada. Canada is the second largest country in the world and home to a wide variety of rocks, plants, and animals. Here are some of the oldest, largest, and smallest examples.

Canada’s largest tree is a western red cedar called the Cheewhat Giant. It is in the Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island. It is 56m (182 ft) tall and has trunk diameter of 6m (20ft). The Cheewhat Giant is also the biggest western red cedar in the world.

Canada’s tallest tree is a Sitka spruce in the Carmanah Valley on Vancouver Island. It stands 95m (312ft) high.

Canada has the oldest exposed bedrock on earth and it is the oldest section of our planet’s early crust. It is known as the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt and is in Northern Quebec on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay. It has been analyzed by geologists and they have determined that the rock samples range from 3.8 to 4.28 billion years old. The earth its 4.6 billion years old and there are very few remnants of its early crust, since most of it has been rotated back into the Earth’s interior by the movement of the large tectonic plates over billions of years.

 The Banff Springs Snail isn’t the smallest snail in the world; that is held by the Augustopila psammion species found in a cave in Vietnam and four of them fit inside a grain of sand. However, the only place in the world where the Banff Springs Snail is found is in a handful of thermal springs in Banff National Park in the province of Alberta. The snail was first discovered in 1926 and the largest of the snails are about the size of a small fingernail.

The world’s largest colony of Lesser Snow Geese can be found on the Great Plain of the Koukdjuak on the western side of Baffin Island in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. Beginning in late May as many as two million snow geese migrate there to breed and when the young hatch, they and their parents go further inland to feed. By early September the young are large enough to head south for the winter.

NEW RELEASE - What About Me? / by Barbara Baker

 

What About Me is a sequel to Summer of Lies and follows Jillian as she starts grade 10 in Banff a month after the semester begins. Being the new kid is always hard. Being the new kid in a small town, at a small school where everyone knows her business is the worst.

She loves her Opa but moving from Toronto to help Aunt Steph take care of him was not Jillian’s idea. As she navigates unfamiliar hallways and attempts to fit into her new surroundings, Jillian makes choices which impact her relationships and a potential boyfriend. Will the last choice she makes be the right one?

*****

If you’re familiar with Banff, you may recognize the sites Jillian sees. If you’ve hiked in the area, you may have walked the trails she takes. And, if you went to high school there, the formaldehyde smell will lead you right to the biology room.

Whether or not you’ve been to Banff, enjoy the landscapes through Jillian’s eyes.

*****

Banff attracts tourists from all over the world. They browse through the shops, take selfies with the dramatic Rocky Mountain backdrop or simply stroll the streets and take in the sites.

Since COVID, only pedestrian traffic is allowed on Banff Avenue during the summer holiday season. People amble about without dodging cars.

If crowds and shopping are not your thing, go a few streets west and access the wide walking trail which parallels the Bow River. Stroll out to Vermillion Lakes for post card views of Mt. Rundle.

Or go in the opposite direction and view the Bow Falls.

Elk, deer, or coyotes  may keep you company along the way but do not approach them. They’re wild animals. Attempting to get a selfie with an elk could be detrimental. To the elk. If it charges or hurts you, the elk will pay the price. It will be removed. Not you. Admire them from a distance.

If you want a great x-country bike ride, head past the Banff Springs Hotel and follow the Spray Lakes trail – the same road Jillian mountain biked. 

Within minutes, you’ll leave the busyness of town behind. The trail follows the Spray River and winds through the forest valley, flanked by mountain ranges on both sides. But DON’T forget your pepper spray in case you encounter a bear. The canister won’t do any good if you leave it in the car. Jillian is reminded often to be sure she has hers with her.

A couple days after the release of What About Me? I got a picture and text from a reader who went to one of the spots Jillian visits. 

Then another picture came. It makes my day to see people enjoying my story. Thanks to all you readers out there. You’re the reason I keep on writing.

I hope you enjoy What About Me? and if you’re thinking of visiting Banff and want suggestions, follow me on Facebook  Barbara Wackerle Baker | Facebook, Instagram Barbara Wackerle Baker (@bbaker.write) or send me a note bbaker.write@gmail.com.

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

https://books2read.com/What-About-Me

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

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