5 Reasons Why I Blog
"Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell reclaims her life by cooking every single recipe in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of one year. It's a hysterical, inconceivably redemptive journey -- life...
Focus Your Gaze, Feel Renewed
When life speeds up, I want to slow down. As I change the tempo of my life, I notice my breath deepen, my pulse slow, and my gaze narrows its focus. I may fix my eyes for a while on something small that catches my attention: a lizard-y critter scampering along the...
Ted’s Wild Adventure in the Snow
Cold in Florida The weather has been rough this January by Florida standards. Not rough like in Winnepeg, Manitoba or Litchfield, Maine, but rough enough to potentially kill plants. At 31° Fahrenheit, the Beamans have had to cover their tender plants with tarps....
Persimmon is IN. What Else is New?
Persimmon is IN. Yes, Pantone, that persnickety arbiter of color, has decreed that persimmon is the accent color for 2024. It's the color of pumpkin, saffron, and orange itself. In a sunny room, persimmon looks sorbet-like, which reminds me of the mushy fruit which...
Uplifting Organ Transplant
MARY: “Guess what! My Mom gave me her home organ. I may have it any time we can figure out how to get it moved from her house to where Alexei and I are moving. It’s really heavy!” SARAH: “Cool! Okay, let me check with Joel. Maybe we can help you and...
Medical Musings and Playing with Words
Medical Musings and Playing with Words Mercifully, I’ve skated through more than seven decades of life with few aches and pains. Over the years, my sympathy for others has extended to sending get-well cards, making phone calls and hospital visits. Sympathy---that’s...
Locked! Where Does This Door Lead?
Your thoughts? Curious readers want to know. Lowest Prices of the Year! Click on the titles below to gift these books to a friend. Or, treat yourself this holiday. Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl Educational and thought-provoking ...
Sharpening Knives, Carving Turkey, and Being Thankful
'Tis the season for roasting turkey. . . carving the bird. . . and expressing gratitude You can find dozens of tips on how to carve a turkey online. I found this one, on a website dubbed Webstaurant, demonstrating in 59 seconds flat a surefire way to handle the...
Book Club Mom Meets Mennonite Daughter
How do you listen to a podcast or Zoom interview? Sit and stare into space? Take a walk? Lounge on your couch? Chop vegetables for soup? Multi-task in some other way? Last month, Barbara Vitelli, also known as blogger Book Club Mom, interviewed me via Zoom. She was...
20 Snaps Amid the Purple Mountains of Virginia
Last week, Cliff and I attended my 60-year-college class reunion at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. Harrisonburg, VA is a long way from north Florida, so we took a Delta flight. The distance measured in time: a 14 to16-hour car trip, or a 4-hour flight,...
Painted Barn Faces: Wordless Wednesday
Deuteronomy 28:8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
Craving Sleep: More Than 40 Winks
Do you crave sleep? Do you have a hard time going to sleep? Or, staying asleep? Falling Asleep Sleep is a sweet respite from the daily pressures of life. I treasure what Walt Whitman called the “free flight into the wordless, / Away from books, away from...
How to Watch a Hallmark Movie
Turn on Hallmark Channel Watch for Glamorous female character, with swirling, highlighted hair and bright eyes. Note two handsome hunks: One real-estate mogul, loaded but with zero personality The other, a poor artist (or writer) with heart of gold...
Show Time: Life Stages
As a kid, I helped my aproned Grandma Longenecker pick strawberries in her garden close to Anchor Road. As a teen, I packaged bologna at Baum’s Bologna company near Elizabethtown, PA. During my sophomore year in college, I worked as script editor for WEMC, the station...
If We’d Open People Up
“If we’d open people up, we’d find landscapes." ~ Agnès Varda I found this provocative line in a book I read recently (You Could Make This Place Beautiful by poet Maggie Smith, whose life has been rooted in Ohio). Seeing this line in her memoir, my mind skipped...
1000 Grandmas Standing Strong: Wordless Wednesday
School of the Americas poster, circa 2001 Carolyn Phanstiel archives
Carolyn’s Treasures: Gifts that Keep on Giving
Early in the morning on my birthday three Mondays ago, my friend Carolyn sang me the birthday song on my iPhone. I heard her warble the notes to “Happy Birthday to Yooooo” with heart and soul. As always, the notes struck a chord with me. We have exchanged the familiar...
An Old Mistress, a Seasoned Wife Muse on Marriage: Anniversary #56
Would you trust marital advice from a long-time mistress? Would you have confidence in a woman who has carried on a clandestine affair with a married man for nearly thirty years? Yet, the Mistress in this book believes she has wisdom to offer, Advice to...