JUST A GAL FROM GLIDDEN: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By Kate Winquist
Well folks, it’s been one of those weeks. Not your average busy week either—more like a Clint Eastwood, squinty-eyed, spaghetti western week: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Cue the theme music.
The Good
Goose Festival Days. If Kindersley has a superpower, it’s throwing a party where you can eat your body weight in food and still find room for pie. The 2025 edition didn’t disappoint. Crowds buzzed from Thursday straight through the weekend, and Saturday’s parade—the highlight of the event—drew hundreds from across west-central Saskatchewan and even East-Central Alberta.
Every year, I tell myself I won’t take as many photos. I’m not exactly petite, but I love wandering around with my camera, capturing every awkward pose and perfectly timed wave. And every year, I also tell myself I’ll either lose some weight or slow down—my hips are not exactly festival-proof. With the sun shining—not too hot, thankfully—I sweated like a turkey in a sauna, but hey, that’s festival fitness. Shoutout to the Better Together crew for handing me a bottle of water—hydration saves lives, people! It’s incredible how many folks now recognize me and actually welcome the photos. Memories matter.
Also, thanks to everyone who wished my husband and I a happy anniversary after my last column. You made us feel like small-town rock stars. One subscriber even phoned, expecting voicemail, and got me live. The poor woman just wanted to leave a message and wound up in a full-blown conversation. Jackpot!
The Bad
Oh, Canada Post. Two years without a contract? Even Ross and Rachel weren’t on-again, off-again this long. Our local postmasters are caught in the middle, while my husband has become the Prairie Pony Express—covering more towns in a week than Greyhound ever did. Seriously, Canada Post treating community newspapers like junk mail is no joke. It holds publishers hostage and deprives Canadians of fact-based local news. And if my husband has to make many more two-day road trips, I fear our 25 years of wedded bliss may take a hit.
On a more personal note, I’ve realized I need to get back into shape. I went out to check out Get Jacqued’s fitness event at Bernard Field on Friday night. Those girls were amazing—dancing and moving to the beat, and not all of them were spring chickens, either. I even chatted with one just before the parade—she looked fabulous! Meanwhile, I looked at all those people staying active and had to face the truth: I need to move.
Then came the high blood pressure hiccup. I saw Dr. Leila and had to add a new medication to my routine. Fine, no problem. I went to the Kindersley Co-op Pharmacy to pick it up… and promptly forgot to pay. I woke my husband at 2 a.m., panicking about getting arrested for shoplifting my own meds. Robert saved the day Saturday morning—apologies, Co-op Pharmacy, I promise I’m not a criminal!
The Ugly
CRA. Because, of course, life is too peaceful without a little government chaos. Payroll and GST from 2021 to now—my name was plucked from the Hat of Misery. Who has time to hunt down four years of receipts during the busiest season of the year? I’m juggling four newspapers, a family, and apparently, a new career as a filing cabinet archaeologist.
Perspective, though: it could’ve been worse. It was done by Thursday afternoon, and the auditor gave me the thumbs-up. Imagine being audited during Goose Festival weekend—now that would’ve been ugly.
So I’ll count my blessings, pour another coffee, and keep wandering through the wild west of small-town life. Until next week, this gal from Glidden is signing off—still good, a bit bad, and officially CRA-ugly. Just don’t tell them about the $10 emergency photocopy job that went straight into my pocket. A girl has to have some spending money for Goose Festival Days.