About Me

My photo
Lake Arrowhead, California, United States
I live for my family, teaching, reading, and the joy of every new day, and I write to live! I've written both non-fiction, and adult and young adult fiction, and am currently working on a novel set in both California and London. This means I get to travel! Qualifications/Education: M.F.A., Creative Writing, 2009 Goddard College, Vermont. California Single Subject Teaching Credential Program, English, 1996 University of Redlands, Redlands, CA. B.A., English Literature, 1996 California State University, San Bernardino, CA.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Alicia, if I could make the sky bluer, I would, but it wouldn't be true.  More for you when I return.  This was a glorious day, St.Paul's Cathedral, The Millenium Bridge, The River Thames, and Big Ben across it.  Cool and breezy, but not cold.  No jacket required.  Mostly there were blue skies in England.  A great place to wear nice outfits, I would think! 

Not that I did...

Today, it is the flu or one of its cousins, and Paris, and thunderstorms and lightning.  For me, other than the flu, this is perfect writing weather.  Only went out for supplies and have been in all day since, writing and napping, trying to breathe through my useless nostrils.  Can I learn to love Paris whilst held up in my flat?  You Betcha.

I still have days of wandering ahead of me.

Oh.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention my amazement at the Paris flat washing machine.  One, only one, tiny machine set in the kitchen, and guess what?  You put your clothes in and the soap, you follow the directions, and before you know it. voila!  The clothes are clean and dry and you can hang them up.  It was so easy.  I must confess that I wasn't as good at learning the language of the coffee maker.  This was nearly as daunting as the London Tubes.  But without the pressure.  I read a manual, which our hosts thankfully provided, for the first time probably ever, telling me step-by-step do this then that.  Tough.

Now I want that type of brewer, because it comes out frothy--sweet in a way even without milk.  Not that I haven't found milk.  Lovely.  Really, without ever having formally met Paris, I love her.  Will try to seek an audience tomorrow!

Posted by Rachel Lorene "Lori" Johnstone Pohlman at 1:18 PM
Labels: , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Your comments make the blog; thank you for taking the time to help make this space interactive!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Bodies of Smoke

From Bodies of Smoke

"The day was suddenly quieter, or maybe it just seemed to hush as Jan witnessed the spectacle of ashes falling all around him, slowly turmbling out of the sky, carried on the soft breeze from some unknown fire. He looked toward the forest, thinking of a wildfire, but the sky in that direction was serenely blue. The wind was blowing from the other direction, anyway. It was coming from town. Oswiecim. There was a railroad station there, and a camp.

Jan continued to stand, face upturned, wondering what was happening. What new calamity might this foretell? Maybe the whole world was going to light itself on fire. Maybe it already had.

Ashes continued to float down on his face, his head, his shoulders, cradling themselves in his outstretched hands. Finally, ashes covered all of the roses."


Bodies of Smoke

copyright protected, R L Johnstone-Pohlman, March 14, 2010

What Are You Reading? The Two-Minute Book Review Series

  • Wallace, David Foster. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.
  • Foer, Jonathan Safran. Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
  • Irving, John. A Widow for One Year
  • Didion, Joan. The Year of Magical Thinking.
  • Dunn, Mark. Ella Minnow Pea.
  • Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light.
  • Kingsolver, Barbara. Prodigal Summer. This is one of my favorite novels; it's lush and filled with nature imagery, humorous and thought provoking. Entirely wonderful.
  • Knapp, Caroline. Drinking: A Love Story. For anyone wondering about the alcoholic experience, here's your book. Exceedingly readable and feels absolutely honest.
  • Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye
  • Gaiman, Neil. Neverwhere
  • Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. As my writer friend says, "This is the book I wish I wrote." A book narrated by Death about a little girl living in Germany during WWII. This book will always live in my library!
  • Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. YA Graphic Novel. Some of my teen readers loved it, others found it too simple.
  • Colfer, Eoin Colfer. Airman. This book was voted favorite of the year with my middle school age book club.
  • du Maurier, Daphne. Rebecca
  • Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game
  • Proulx, Annie. Brokeback Mountain
  • Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed
  • King, Stephen. On Writing
  • Hamilton, Edith. Mythology
  • Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird. My favorite book on writing!
  • Gilbert, Elizabeth. Committed.
  • Skibell, Joseph. A Blessing on the Moon. An amazing Holocaust tale..this book stays with me. I want to read it again for the first time!
  • Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
  • Harris, JoAnne. The Girl With No Shadow

Poetry Corner

"August in Waterton, Alberta" by Bill Holm


Above me, wind does its best

to blow leaves off

the aspen tree a month too soon.

No use wind. All you succeed

in doing is making music, the noise

of failure growing beautiful.



"Lincoln by Vachel Lindsey"


Would I might rouse the Lincoln in you all,

That which is gendered in the wilderness

From lonely prairies and God's Tenderness.

Imperial soul, star of a weedy stream,

Born where the ghosts of buffaloes still dream,

Whose spirit hoof-beats storm above his grave,

Above that breast of earth and prairie-fire--

Fire that freed the slave.



Read!

Read!