Only Regrets -The First Reveal
I patted his scar and grieved for whatever had happened to him over the last ten years, then left without looking back. Continue reading Only Regrets -The First Reveal
A Little Chocolate Now and Then Doesn’t Hurt
The magic of chocolate—so many of us are grateful for its power to transform a gloomy winter afternoon into a cozy cuddle with a steaming mug of cocoa and a book, for the bitter-sweet flourish of a flourless chocolate cake at the end of a meal, or for mirthful mischief while stealing from a box of cocoa-dusted truffles. The French/American actress and dancer, Leslie Caron had a small part in a film called Chocolat released in 2000. She played an elderly woman, quite the opposite of her ingenue starring role in An American in Paris 50 years earlier. … Continue reading A Little Chocolate Now and Then Doesn’t Hurt
Wee Free Men[tion]
We’re emerging from the Time of Plague and Social Disruption. All through this period, I’ve read at least one article every day from The New Yorker. Whether provoking massive anxiety about an illness I’d never heard of or an exploration … Continue reading Wee Free Men[tion]
Who’s in Control Here?
An essay delivered May 17, 2021 to the Chicago Literary Club, a venerable institution founded in the late 19th century. My Life in Puppetry: ©2021 Susan Bass Marcus Where Did It All Start? Have you ever invented a caption for … Continue reading Who’s in Control Here?
Bird is the Word
THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER
These days, when an intelligent and determined person like Greta Thunberg conveys the urgency of climate degradation and hopes to lead others to effect change, her actions and message defy societal limitations often imposed on people who manage their lives … Continue reading THE KITCHEN DAUGHTER
Another Terning Point
Something about that word tern that drives me to punning. Terns, related to gulls, often look as though they are up to something. David Allen’s beautiful and informative new book, What It’s Like To Be A Bird says that Arctic … Continue reading Another Terning Point
Woolgathering
Mornings, if peaceful and the cat doesn’t barf a hair ball, mean a mug of hot coffee and almond milk and a date with my sort-of easy crossword puzzles. After I complete a puzzle, I linger over my last sips of coffee and doodle wherever there is space on the page. Here are some samples. Continue reading Woolgathering
A Terning (sic.) Point – for Gerty
As many of my followers have seen, I like to draw. Most of my work is about an older middle-aged woman I call Gerty. She started her journey through my mind as a plump, positive, and perceptive icon of goodness. … Continue reading A Terning (sic.) Point – for Gerty
Lived a Mole
Bodies of water are bigger than moles, but no mole can live in water. Continue reading Lived a Mole
Like Our Age
Although a few sections of Mark Twain’s The Gilded Age are gratingly detailed, especially when describing the complicated humbuggery of embezzling ‘tycoons,’ this novel often reads like an Axios News analysis of our contemporary social-political state of affairs. Enhanced by Twain’s acerbic wit and sarcasm, the novel resonates in our own times as well as the period in which the story takes place. Grift, patronage, theft, and abuse of power, among many forms of corruption, dominate most interactions between major characters. Adding some love, light, and drama to the wretchedness are romantic situations among younger characters, but dark motives and … Continue reading Like Our Age
