Ellen Snortland

1 week ago | pasadenaweekly.com | Ellen Snortland

“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king; the palace instead becomes a circus.” — Turkish proverb. On a macro level, the world is aghast at our palace full of rogues, thieves, liars and nasty people, led by someone who probably has dementia or, at the very least, sociopathic levels of narcissism. On a micro level, the scorched communities of Altadena and the Palisades have our own clowns to contend with: capitalist scavengers.

1 week ago | ladowntownnews.com | Ellen Snortland

“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king; the palace instead becomes a circus.” — Turkish proverb. On a macro level, the world is aghast at our palace full of rogues, thieves, liars and nasty people, led by someone who probably has dementia or, at the very least, sociopathic levels of narcissism. On a micro level, the scorched communities of Altadena and the Palisades have our own clowns to contend with: capitalist scavengers.

2 weeks ago | pasadenaweekly.com | Ellen Snortland

We were sitting in our high-ceilinged living room, where I’d softened the clangy acoustics by hanging wall-to-wall drapes on one side and a gorgeous hand-knit bedspread on the other. A loud sound overhead startled me. “What are they doing up there, bowling with frozen turkeys?” I said. Ken said, “It’s ‘Mr. Lead Foot’ upstairs tromping around again. He’s starting at 6 a.m. now.”“I’ve had it with the constant noises above and outside our apartment, setting the dogs off.

3 weeks ago | pasadenaweekly.com | Ellen Snortland

For almost 20 years, I’ve participated with a group of people from around the world in a regular practice of sharing what we’re grateful for, followed by how we’re shaping our day. It’s almost like a digest; we keep our lists short and sweet so we have the space to read everyone’s contributions. My participation has dwindled since the fire; instead of my regular daily post, I now send a “gratitude list” every other week or so. Others are more consistent. I am proud to say that I do read them all.

3 weeks ago | ladowntownnews.com | Ellen Snortland

For almost 20 years, I’ve participated with a group of people from around the world in a regular practice of sharing what we’re grateful for, followed by how we’re shaping our day. It’s almost like a digest; we keep our lists short and sweet so we have the space to read everyone’s contributions. My participation has dwindled since the fire; instead of my regular daily post, I now send a “gratitude list” every other week or so. Others are more consistent. I am proud to say that I do read them all.