by MarianBeaman | Jul 29, 2015 | blog, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Travel, Uncategorized
I knew we were in trouble when the rotary path took us around Buckingham Palace and not directly to the Comfort Inn, Hyde Park, where we were aiming to roost for our stay. Never mind that the steering wheel on our dark blue Vauxhall was set to the right, opposite the...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 25, 2015 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Lists, popular culture, Tips, Uncategorized
Have you heard? Coloring books for adults are all the rage right now. According to Parade magazine (July 12, 2015), apparently hundreds of coloring books are available now to help you “cheer up, chill out, and get your creative juices flowing.” 50 Shades of Happy: The...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 22, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
This week our family remembers the fourth week of July 2014. Last year Mother observed her 96th birthday on July 23. She died unexpectedly on July 28, five days later. This post will commemorate this milestone in two ways: cards sent to me along with images of...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 18, 2015 | Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Purple Passage, Quotations, Uncategorized
Calm Thoughts, Relax Here Where we relaxed at the home place, counting cars on a Saturday night, swinging on the porch and eating watermelon! * * * Be grateful for calm skies . . . Forever is composed of nows. (# 690) Emily Dickinson * * * I’m going to enjoy...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 15, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Did you grow up country? Can you picture a Dad, brother, or uncle toiling under the torrid July sun in the wheat field? If so, you know that farmers always wore hats with brims. The ruddy-faced farmers I knew in the fifties probably didn’t use Coppertone or any...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 11, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
First of all, there was no parade and no song. But there was a plate. A plate of cupcakes. I can show you the plate, but the cupcakes are missing. Why? Because our grandchildren ate them all up. In fact the two older boys ate theirs up seconds after they landed on the...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 8, 2015 | Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
His yellow tag says: Cheeno Duncan – Host Family: Ray & Ruth Longenecker How would you feel if you were an 8 or 10-year-old from New York City and after a 3-hour train ride landed you in the farm pastures of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, lush but...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 3, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, popular culture, Uncategorized
You are seeing the thumbnail of an animated card waiting for you over on my Facebook page. The festivities in the town square here are set to the tune of Sousa’s Liberty Bell March. The tune, famous in the 1970s as the theme song for Monty Python’s Flying...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 1, 2015 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Travel, Uncategorized
Gladys asks me, “Would you like to drive up to Cataloochee National Park to see the elk sometime this week? We have to go at dusk because that’s when they come out to feed.” I’m quick to respond: “Sounds good to me.” I’ve...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 27, 2015 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Neighborhood / Environment, Travel, Uncategorized
We are spending the week in the cool Smoky Mountains, savoring the beauties of nature in Waynesville, North Carolina. Nothing breaks the silence except birdsong. Rhododendron buds unfold into blossom, a walking stick is a great companion, just like Laurelville Camp in...
