The Monroe Times is debuting columnist Jill Pertler on Page A4 today. Pertler has been syndicating her column, "Slices of Life," since 2002. It currently appears in more than 95 newspapers across the nation. Pertler lives in northern Minnesota, with her husband, four children, two cats and dog. She says she'd miss them if she moved "somewhere warmer, like Iowa. Still, a girl can dream."

Pertler says her columns are written for "regular folks ... who know the meaning of hard work, do their best with what they have, love their families with their whole heart and somehow manage to squeeze in time to appreciate and laugh at the small moments that make life worthwhile."

"Slices of Life" will appear every Thursday on Views.