St. Jude showed up at my door today with a little package tightly wrapped in pale blue paper, adorned with a large clump of curled white ribbon (he’d obviously had it wrapped at the store.) I was surprised to see him; I was unaware he made house calls. It seemed impolite not to invite … Continue reading Goose Girl
Author: Nancy Schoellkopf
Alive in the Moment
Alive in the Moment Written with my Thursday night group with the prompts: urge to be alive in the moment, sound of waves lapping around the house, whipping like an energetic tornado, longing for a perfect moment to move you, manage, strolling, pollen, cheat, skins, lines, big giant plane, tired of hearing Dad’s stories, Tower of … Continue reading Alive in the Moment
The Saga of Charlie and Mabel
As a Valentine treat, I'm reviving a little romantic tale of an amorous, adventurous couple. Charlie was a regular guy living a regular life. Then he met Mabel and he slipped over the edge. Mabel was a force of nature, a combination Earth Mother/Ruth Bader Ginsberg no-nonsense intellectual feminine feminist who believed the world was a place … Continue reading The Saga of Charlie and Mabel
Dot Dot Dot
Anderson Cooper came by my house to repair the busted slats on my back fence and to tell me I use too many ellipses in my writing. I told him I use ellipses because I like them!— but I told him not in a “I’ll do what I want” kind of way. I told … Continue reading Dot Dot Dot
Twelve Dreams of Fiji
Written with my Thursday night writing group with the prompts: couldn’t find my keys, night in Fiji, half-life, listening to trees, embracing endings, where shall we go, plumeria I dug in my purse—life savers, lip stick, coin purse, tissues. When I couldn’t find my keys, I decided I was too drunk to drive home. So I ordered another … Continue reading Twelve Dreams of Fiji
My Capitol
I have lived in the city of Sacramento, the capital of California, my entire life. So it was disturbing a few weeks ago to learn that alt right organizations were threatening unspecified acts of terrorist violence in state capitals. Since I continue to “shelter” during the pandemic, I have not gone downtown to take a look, but … Continue reading My Capitol
What I Miss Most
I wrote this a month ago with my Thursday night writing group, and I didn’t use too many of the prompts, though I did use these: out to lunch, for whose eyes do I write today, shedding inhibitions, “A writer is not one who answers questions but who asks them.” What I miss most is going … Continue reading What I Miss Most
Deacon King Kong, a review
In the first paragraph of Deacon King Kong by James McBride, the title character, aka Cuffy “Sportcoat” Lambkin, shoots a young drug dealer on the plaza of a public housing project where they both live in 1969 New York City. The surprise is that a story with such a gritty opening turns out to be a genuine, feel-good, … Continue reading Deacon King Kong, a review
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you a Blessed Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! I'm feeling the need for a long winter's nap. See you in January. . . Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Meditation on an Advent Wreath
Greetings! This week I've updated a Christmas post from a few years past. It seems more meaningful than ever right now. Long ago, in the pagan cultures of the far north, work and travel were severely limited by cold and snow as days grew shorter. Farmers and their families would remove a wheel from their carts … Continue reading Meditation on an Advent Wreath