Author Archives: Judith Pettersen

 Okay, it’s not what you think. But first I should fill you in on some gifts I’ve received from my daughters over the years. Mysterious boxes arriving in the mail with items like candles and books, uplifting quotes and interesting tchotchkes. They were shipped three months apart, and I felt like a happy little kidContinue reading “Anti-Masker?”

I got my kayak out today for the first time in 2021. It feels a bit early, but I dipped a toe into Hook Lake and it was so much warmer than last spring, thanks to our amazing winter. Yet off in the distance, snow still sugared the edges of the water in some places.Continue reading “Home of the Beaver”

I have to repost this because tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I don’t know how she survived us all. Growing up in a house with six other children required a certain amount of hardiness. After a traditional baptism, another followed that was more like an ongoing episode of Fear Factor. It involved loud squalling, bare knuckleContinue reading “All My Siblings”

 I was out for a walk the other day, my old, uncool headphones clapped over my ears, (I can’t wear earbuds anymore – they cause wax buildup) when I had a revelation. There is plenty of rhyme and rhythm in my music playlist, but not much order.  Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven is followed by I Could HaveContinue reading “Life and the Playlist”

 Today, I did something I’ve thought about for a long time. I took the Meyers Briggs personality test. Overall, I’m happy with the results, though it was spooky how right they were about aspects of my personality. Friendly, diplomatic, intuitive and feeling, with 65% assertiveness, and 35% turbulence. I sound like bad weather. But howContinue reading “Quentin Tarantino and Me”

 Dear Pepe Le Pew, I had a conversation with my daughter this morning that helped put things in perspective. In her delicate way, Hilary pointed out that I seem to be having a few anger issues. Every time we talk, I give her an earful about whatever is ticking me off at the moment. I’mContinue reading “It’s Not Just You, Pepe, it’s Me”

I hardly ever use rubbing alcohol these days. The bottle I found in my bathroom cupboard this morning had expired back in 2007. How can alcohol go bad? Is it the rubbing part? My husband had inherited a bottle of Mezcal that his father bought in Mexico in the early seventies. When my niece and aContinue reading “What’s It All About, Pepe?”

 I never thought young adult fiction (or YA as it’s known in the biz) was a thing before the sixties. Back in the day, books were just books. It didn’t matter if the protagonist was just fifteen, like Jo from Little Women.  Now, bookstores and libraries have separate sections for teen fiction. It’s too bad,Continue reading “Wherefore Art Thou, Babe?”

 I’m doing okay as a widow. Occasionally, it feels like a prison sentence where I’m locked up in solitary. Other days, I’m released early for good behavior. What took a while to manage was my ability to stand alone, metaphorically. Even grumpy couples might not notice how they’ve leaned in over the years. It weakensContinue reading “Lean on Me”

 Like many folks, Covid 19 has left me feeling a bit Miserable. Not all the time, not every day. It comes at me in unexpected ways. Today I was heading inside Walmart when I passed my next door neighbor on her way out. We shouted greetings typical of people in -22C weather and wearing masks.Continue reading “I Dreamed A Dream in Walmart”