Where the Apple Falls, An Easter Story, now on Audible

Where the Apple Falls, An Easter Story, now on Audiobook (Amazon)

It is set at Easter and has some family-related themes that relate indirectly to Easter, but it doesn’t have to be Easter for to you to enjoy it and you don’t have to be particularly religious, either.Where the Apple Falls.  On e-book and audiobook.

Where the Apple Falls, An Easter Story

This short story (approx. 6500 words) focuses on the complex and somewhat troubled relations between children, parents, and grandparents.  It also revolves around the mysterious forces of the universe, including the various notions of the divine held by the people in the story, which sometimes conflict, much as they do in the world in general.  An Easter service and a freshly planted apple tree draw the parties together, over one fateful Easter weekend.

The story is just 99 cents U.S. (or equivalent in other currencies) and is also available on Kindle Unlimited. It is periodically on free promotion on Amazon as well.

Amazon:

U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Apple-Falls-Easter-Story-ebook/dp/B00JSDW6XY 

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Apple-Falls-Easter-Story-ebook/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Australia: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Germany: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

France: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Spain: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Italy: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

India: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Japan: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Mexico: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Brazil: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

 Food Sharing with the Squirrel(s)

Our resident squirrel(s) (there may be more than one) has taken to leaving apples in prominent places around the house, generally near the front and back door, including the porches and stairs. Sometimes he or she leaves them on the porch railing, sometimes just outside the door.

The apples are from our apple tree, on the front lawn. It is a spectacularly productive tree during some years, and quite a barren one during other years. Given that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, the appearance of these doorway apples must be the work of some life-form and the squirrel is the obvious candidate. Plus, I have actually seen the squirrel do this on a few occasions, so there is witness testimony as well as circumstantial evidence.

A former colleague, who grew up in China, said that her family refereed to this as food-sharing with the animals. We sometimes leave leftover food (if it is the right kind of food) on the deck for the birds – usually it is the magpies that take up the bulk of it, though the little birds also sometimes (carefully) go in for a quick snack. The squirrel sometimes takes its share as well. So, it is hard not to think that the squirrel is reciprocating, showing its willingness to share the apples.

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Given the above text, I can’t help but plug this short story by Helena Puumala (Ok, no squirrels but an apple tree does play a prominent role):

Where the Apple Falls

This short story (approx. 6500 words) focuses on the complex and somewhat troubled relations between children, parents, and grandparents.  It also revolves around the mysterious forces of the universe, including the various notions of the divine held by the people in the story, which sometimes conflict, much as they do in the world in general.  An Easter service and a freshly planted apple tree draw the parties together, over one fateful Easter weekend.

The story is just 99 cents U.S. (or equivalent in other currencies) and is also available on Kindle Unlimited. It is periodically on free promotion on Amazon as well.

Amazon:

U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Apple-Falls-Easter-Story-ebook/dp/B00JSDW6XY 

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Apple-Falls-Easter-Story-ebook/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Australia: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Germany: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

France: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Spain: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Italy: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

India: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Japan: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Mexico: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

Brazil: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JSDW6XY

The Stalkers, now on Audiobook (Amazon)

A crime story. Quite noir in style, not for the faint-hearted. A sort of rough justice is done by the end, but with a twist.

The Stalkers Blurb

A sexual predator stalks the city. He has chosen his unwary victim - he waits, he watches, he stalks. But, who stalks the stalker?

I wrote this some time back, when there were a number of rapes in the Toronto Scarborough area by someone who became known as “the balcony rapist”. At the time, he hadn’t been caught yet, though he was arrested later, for these and other horrible crimes.

So, the story is fictional, but loosely based on that era’s events, though with purely imagined plot twists. I suppose this was a sort of fictional rumination on evil, attempting to get into the mind of such a person. But, even after writing a million words, I doubt that it is possible to get into a mind like that.

This is a short story of about 6000 somewhat disturbing words.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0BJJM9W53

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BJJM9W53

Driving on the Old Smith Highway, near Slave Lake Alberta

This blog is a cut from a longer potential log (and ultimately a section of a travel book). It is about an interesting road in northern Alberta, near Slave Lake, that my son and I visited on a day-long road trip from Edmonton Alberta. It is part of the loop at the top of the map below.

Intersection Hwys 44/2A to Slave Lake, via Old Smith Highway, and Highway 2/2A

• As noted above, Hwy 2 has an alternative route to Slave Lake, which is called Hwy 2A, up to the town of Smith. From there on the road signs call it the Old Smith Highway, though Google Maps show it as a series of township and range roads.

  
  
   

• The section from the intersection of 2/2A to Smith is paved, after that it is mostly gravel.

• The Old Smith Highway is pretty easy to follow, basically just follow the route without turning off anywhere, until you get close to the town (small city?) of Slave Lake. There are frequent road signs along the way, as well as kilometre markings, letting you know how far you are from Slave Lake.

  
  
   

• There are many turnoffs to minor roads which lead to acreage developments or farms, but as noted, it is pretty easy to follow the main road.

• The road is used by logging trucks and oilfield trucks, though on the day that we were there, it wasn’t too busy. There is also a fair bit of infrastructure related these activities, along the road. Plus, there is plenty of need for graders and snowplows.

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• There is also local traffic, as there are various residences along the way, including those in the towns of Smith and Hondo. I should note that it is also a school bus route, though that was not an issue in July, obviously.

• However, it was very dusty during our visit, so the relatively light traffic did throw up a lot of dust. An examination of the car later showed that this dust is a sort of tan brown colour. I suspect if it was a fairly rainy summer, the route could become quite slick.

  
  
   

• The town of Smith as a pleasant appearing old place. It had a fairly historic look. It seemed as if the local people made a practice of maintaining this somewhat rustic look, including some false front type artifacts that were on the main road, as one drove in.

• There were two river crossings along the route. One was of the Athabasca River, not far from Smith. Another was of the Lesser Slave River, as one approached Slave Lake. The bridge across the Athabasca River was fairly big, but it was a one-way only bridge where vehicles on one side of the bridge had to give the right of way to those on the other side, if the others arrived there first. Since traffic was light, that wasn’t a problem.

• 
  
   

  The Lesser Slave River flows out of the Lesser Slave Lake and into the Athabasca River. It is a fair-sized river, though not that long, as it does join up with the Athabasca River within about 70 km.

• The route is somewhat hilly and twisty, as it follows the contours of the Lesser Slave River. That makes for an interesting driving experience.

• Along the way, there as a mother bird crossing the road, who was being followed by 4 (possibly 5) little ones. We weren’t sure of the species. The bird was not very big and was rather plain, so perhaps a small female grouse?

• As we neared Slave Lake, it turned out that the road into town was closed off, by the Sawridge Native Band, according to a sign. So, we took the alternative route, which went through an industrial area, then a few miles on Highway 2 into town.

• Once in town, we searched for a spot to eat our picnic lunch, since it was mid-afternoon and we were getting hungry. With a bit of touring about, we located a Lion’s Club park (Schurter Park), not far from the center of town. It was a nice facility, with trails, a playground, administrative facilities and a rink.

• We found a spot with picnic tables under some shady trees and had our break. There was a family of crows hanging about, no doubt hoping for some food. A young crow was following the mother crow around, as if she was showing it the ropes. I have seen that behaviour before with magpies, so I guess it is a corvid thing. While doing so, it vocalized a lot, with the usual “caw, caw” of crows.

• As I noted above, the park held a playground, with lots of young kids on monkey bars and such, and parents supervising and observing. One young kid kept on incessantly repeating a rhyming phrase to his mother as he played (I can’t recall the exact phrase). It reminded me of the crow and its mother. Crows and magpies and people have a lot in common, I have often thought.

• This was the turn-around point of the day-trip. We decided to begin the return journey by retracing our route along the Old Smith Highway, switching drivers, so that each of us would get a crack at driving it.

  
  
   

• A return trip along the same path always seems shorter than the outbound trip. That is true whether driving, hiking or cycling. Much of that is probably just a psychological phenomenon, but there are also some benefits from experience. For example, one knows what a reasonably attainable maximum speed can be. One also knows about any potentially hazardous areas to be avoided or at least dealt with cautiously.

• From a psychological point of view, some research has discovered that having new experiences seems to make time go slower. So, the first time on a trail is bound to seem to take longer for that reason as well.

• Naturally, the sights on the return journey were similar to those on the outbound trip. However there were a few things worth mentioning.

• At one point, a big logging truck came by, while also taking a bend in the road, raising an enormous cloud of dust. It was temporarily like being caught in a sudden thick fog, such that you couldn’t see more that 10 or 20 feet ahead of your vehicle. That was quickly followed by another big truck. Fortunately, the “fog” lifted after 15 or 20 seconds, so we weathered that ‘storm’.

• There was a big tree hanging over the road, which seemed like it might come down at any time and block the road. I hadn’t noticed it during the earlier trip. I suppose someone will get around to cutting it down soon.

• As we got into the town of Smith, an older fellow walking two dogs was crossing the road. We stopped for him, to let them pass, but one of the dogs wanted to play. It looked like a younger dog, a Rottweiler, I believe. They have a bit of a reputation, but this one seemed like a big playful goof, with its tongue hanging out and a kind of smile on its face. As its owner tried to coax it across the road, it kept returning to the car to make the owner chase it (which he did, but at a much slower pace than the puppy). That was great fun for the puppy, but not so much for the older man or for the older dog that he was also walking (it looked like some type of Collie to me). Finally, the puppy gave in and allowed itself to be taken across the road, and to let us and the car carry on. But everyone got a good laugh out of the goofy puppy’s game, including the owner, who smiled and shrugged, then went on his way with the two dogs by his side.

  When we first met up with the man and his dogs, we had stopped very near the railway tracks.  Scott quickly moved ahead, once he could do so without hitting the man or his dogs.  There was no train in view at the time, but a short time later we did meet up with a train, as we carried on up the road.  So, it’s always good to be careful around train tracks.

  
  
   

• We stopped to get some fuel at the gas station in Smith. It had a rather antique set of gas pumps, which took a while to figure out. In this case the employee did seem to be a temporary foreign worker, based on his accent. But he was reasonably patient with us, as we figured out these anachronistic gas pumps.

• One thing the cashiers at the gas stations had in common – they tried hard to push lottery tickets on us. I suppose that is now a thing everywhere. Personally, I only bet on horses and hockey.

  ========================================================

  If you made it this far, you might want to read about some other back-roads trips in Alberta:

  A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around Southwest Alberta

  There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.
  

  This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as a road trip on scenic Highway 22. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the show-jumping at Spruce Meadows. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.

  

  Southwest 1 – A Road Trip on Scenic Highway 22

  Southwest 2 – The Equestrian Competitions at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)

  Southwest 3 – The Bar U Ranch, south of Long View

  Southwest 4 – Kananaskis Country

  Southwest 5 – Blackfoot Crossing

  Southwest 6 – Back-roads, from the Prairies to the Foothills: Brazeau Dam Trip

  Southwest 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Hinton and the Forestry Trunk Roads

  The reader may wonder “what about the Ice-fields Parkway?” or “where is a visit to Banff?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.

  I should note that the other three quadrants of Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but those are material for some other books which will be published in due time.

  Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCMJP47G

  ===========================================================

  A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around Southeast Alberta

  There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.

  This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the Viking Ribstones. The collection even includes a train trip, on the historic Alberta Prairie Railroad, which strictly speaking isn't a back-road trip but rather a back rail-road trip. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.

  

  Southeast 1 – Stettler Train Trip – Living History on the Alberta Prairie Railway

  Southeast 2 – Viking Rib Stones – Indigenous Heritage and Tradition

  Southeast 3 – Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta

  Southeast 4 – Cypress Hills – An Island on the Prairie that Escaped the Ice Age

  Southeast 5 – On the Road with Bronco Billy, A Trucking Journal – Southern Alberta Section

  Southeast 6 – A Back-road Trip to Bittern Lake and Lake Miquelon Provincial Park

  Southeast 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Rochon Sands, Buffalo Lake Provincial Park

  The reader may wonder “what about the Tyrell Dinosaur Fossil Museum?” or “where is a visit to the Calgary Stampede?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.

  I should note that Southwest and Northern Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but that is material for some other books. The southwest collection is available now on Amazon, the northern excursions will be published in due course.

  Just $1.99 on Amazon, or free if you have Kindle Unlimited. It is also periodically on free promotion.

  Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

  Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

   

   

   

   

A Goofy Puppy Crossing a Country Road (Old Smith Road, near Slave Lake, Alberta)

As we got into the town of Smith, an older fellow walking two dogs was crossing the road. We stopped for him, to let them pass, but one of the dogs wanted to play. It looked like a younger dog, a Rottweiler, I believe. They have a bit of a reputation, but this one seemed like a big playful goof, with its tongue hanging out and a kind of smile on its face.

As its owner tried to coax it across the road, it kept returning to the car to make the owner chase it (which he did, but at a much slower pace than the puppy). That was great fun for the puppy, but not so much for the older man or for the older dog that he was also walking (it looked like some type of Collie to me). 

Finally, the puppy gave in and allowed itself to be taken across the road, and to let us and the car carry on. But everyone got a good laugh out of the goofy puppy’s game, including the owner, who smiled and shrugged, then went on his way with the two dogs by his side.

 Love and Rebirth on the Prairie, now on Audiobook (Amazon)

A love story with many dimensions. Now on audible, as well as ebook on Amazon.

Love and Rebirth on the Prairie

This is a love story, about love in its various forms and how those feelings intermingle – romantic love, family love, and love that endures forever. Meg and Mike experience all three, over a memorable six months. 

It is an uplifting story, with a complex emotional texture. 

It is a short story of about 12,000 words, priced at $0.99 U.S., proportionally in other currencies. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is periodically on free promtion.

Amazon U.S.:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TGOASEY
Amazon U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TGOASEY
Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00TGOASEY
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00TGOASEY
Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00TGOASEY 
Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00TGOASEY

Amazon Japan:  https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00TGOASEY

 Magpies Getting Very Excited (July 2025)

The magpies were getting pretty excited yesterday afternoon. My wife Helena said that they were arguing and getting very angry, whether at each other or something else, she wasn’t sure. She said that it seemed like one “dropped out of the air”, after which the birds went kind of nuts.

We do have a large nest in a tree near the house (it has been named “the condo”), which seems to have had babies in it this year. Perhaps a fledgling tried its luck flying a bit too early?

However, I have seen some hawks around lately, so it could be that which got the magpies going. In addition, I encountered neighborhood cat on our back porch yesterday, when I went out to hit some golf balls into the backyard net. So, perhaps the cat got the magpies excited, earlier in the day.

Edmonton declared the magpie to be winner of the vote for “official city bird” a few days ago, so maybe they were celebrating that.