Author Archives: Judith Pettersen

      Its been creeping up on me for a long time.   I finally have to acknowledge something that my children have known about me for awhile.  Like my father before me, I’ve begun whining about How Much Things Have Changed.  Sure, I never walked five miles to school, uphill both ways, inContinue reading “Uphill, Both Ways”

     I am aware of the fact that I have a good life.  This is true for most of the people I know, though all of us face adversity from time to time.  Still, I’m going to whine a little about something that my life is  missing.  In order to have it, Apple would haveContinue reading “The Sound of Your Life”

This is reprinted for Connor and Cheyenne, Susan and Brent, and for baby Mason, the newest addition to the clan. February is the month for stories of the heart.  If you’ve ever set sail on the ship of love, you’ll recall the intensity, the pain and the wonder of it all.  Yet ask any newContinue reading “Love Story”

2012.  Two thousand twelve.  It doesn’t matter how I write it, I love the look and sound of the new year.  Never mind the Mayans or anyone else who has a bad word to say about it.  I have a good feeling about this one.  For the first time ever, I’ve been able to writeContinue reading “Best Year Ever”

On Sunday, my dad turned eighty-six years old.  We held a small family party for him at our house, which is a little trickier than it used to be, because he can’t walk.  We had dinner in the garden, rolling his chair down the brick path and right up to the table.  It was a treat for all ofContinue reading “Holding on for Dear Life”

            Last night I dreamed that the oceans had turned to Jello.  Everything under the water was stuck, like chunks of pineapple in fruit salad that was a sad shade of gray.  I woke up with a post apocalyptic feeling that always seems to follow bad news.              The list of disasters around the worldContinue reading “Dear Mr. Harper:”

Culture days is a celebration of all things artistic.  We paint, we sing, we attend community events that bring us all together.  We dance and sometimes, we cry.  Last year’s song by K’naan, Waving Flag, was a HUGE success as our dance pick.  Most of us aren’t that coordinated, but we all danced and clappedContinue reading “Flin Flon Culture Days, Alive and Well”

 In the 1960’s, every kid I knew had the same idea.  Where can we scrape up a few nickels to buy a chocolate bar?  Forget the search for peace, love and understanding. The bigger question was, how many pop bottles can I find to trade for penny candy?  We’d check every ditch, and weren’t aboveContinue reading “When Candy was Dandy”

A unique situation that verges on a strange type of illness flares up within me every summer (at least, since I’ve become an adult.)  It started long before I had children, though having babies definitely made the symptoms a little worse.  Starting in mid spring I begin to feel overwhelmed by the approach of summer. Continue reading “Avoidance Behavior at its Best”