Author Archives: Judith Pettersen

I got a letter a month ago saying we had to surrender our old PVR. (DVR, for my American friends.) Apparently, Flin Flon has been stuck with analog television for far too long, and Shaw was bringing us into the 21st century. The boxes arrived (three instead of one!) and I let them sit untilContinue reading “The Cable Guy”

Please forgive the cliche, but I have a bone to pick with you. Back in the day, you suggested that the words we sometimes mis-speak are laden with some alternate meaning, usually having to do with sex. Some of us happen to disagree with you. For example. I was at our church tea after communityContinue reading “Dear Sigmund Freud”

We’ve been on the road so much lately, I can hear Willie Nelson serenading us from the back of the car. I love seeing people, doing interesting things and being in the driver’s seat. My brain is so much more creative out on the open road. I could solve half the world’s problems if I only had a machine to record my deeply profoundContinue reading “Rambling”

Thanks for the warm welcome to your lovely city. Y’all are so friendly that even the teenagers are talking to me. One asked me to weigh in on the purse she was picking out for her mother. Such confidence in a complete stranger! I hope I didn’t steer her wrong. (This is a pun. It was a very western looking purse.)  Some of my otherContinue reading “Dear People of Houston”

Last Saturday, I went downhill skiing for the first time in forty-three years. I prayed that my Zumba trained legs would be fit enough to survive the slopes at Kananaskis. It helped having my two granddaughters there. Claire, at six, is a natural. Charlotte, at four, is getting very comfortable skiing with her dad. I figured that as long as IContinue reading “Where Eagles Dare”

Not everyone enjoys cooking. For most, it’s something we do out of necessity. But now that our kids are grown, I’ve found that I don’t mind cooking meals. After raising a family, making dinner for two is easy. My stove ,er, my range and I are old friends. I’m quick, too. With no fanfare atContinue reading “@ Home on the Range”

When I was kid, there were times when I realized I was not in charge of my situation. These moments would appear out of nowhere, like snakes hiding in the grass. This may be less true for children today, what with helicopter parenting and being tethered to the house. When I was young, we wereContinue reading “Could I Get a Little Help Over Here?”

It’s impossible to live in Flin Flon and not know who Mark Kolt is. Lawyer and administrator for the City, pianist (and more) for the Community Choir, musician extraordinaire for multiple bands and many special occasions. But that’s not all. Mark is also a composer. Anyone fortunate enough to attend one of the choir’s ChristmasContinue reading “The Fifty Shades of Mr. Mark Kolt”

I like to move briskly. Plodding along sets my teeth on edge, so my tendency is to gallop. The plus side is, I get lots done. The downside? Sometimes I drop things, or occasionally fall down. I’m quick, but not necessarily graceful. I can fake graceful, but it doesn’t offer me much protection. The otherContinue reading “The Hitch in My Step”